Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of finishing and polishing (F/P) techniques on resin restorative materials’ surface roughness and microhardness. Materials and methods: A total of 168 specimens were prepared using compomer, resin composite, and giomer, and subjected to F/P. and F/P was performed using Sof-Lex Discs, Sof-Lex Spiral Wheels, and Enamel Plus Shiny. No F/P was performed in the control group. Surface roughness and microhardness were measured. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, two independent samples t-test, and Kruskal-Wallis test. The correlations between parameters was investigated using Pearson’s correlation test (p<0.05). Results: Enamel Plus Shiny and the control group were not significantly different in terms of surface roughness. For Sof-Lex Disc, Dyract XP resulted in a significantly higher surface roughness. For Sof-Lex Spiral Wheels, FiltekTM Bulk Fill resulted in a statistically significant lower surface roughness (p<0.05). In terms of microhardness, Beautifil II resulted in a significantly higher microhardness in the Sof-Lex Disc group (p<0.05). In the control group, Dyract XP resulted in a significantly lower microhardness compared to FiltekTM Bulk Fill and Beautifil II. Sof-Lex Spiral Wheels and Enamel Plus Shiny had statistically different microhardness results. Surface roughness and microhardness values were positively correlated for Filtek™ Bulk Fill and negatively correlated for Dyract XP and Beautifil II. Conclusion: Proper finishing and polishing are essential for restoration aesthetics and longevity. We conclude that the results of F/P depend on both the used method and materials. Keywords: Enamel Plus Shiny, Microhardness, Surface roughness, Finishing and polishing HANGİ BİTİRME VE PARLATMA TEKNİĞİ YÜZEY PÜRÜZLÜLÜĞÜ VE MİKROSERTLİK İÇİN DAHA EFEKTİFTİR? Amaç: Bitirme ve parlatma (F/P) tekniklerinin kompozit rezin restorasyon materyallerinin yüzey pürüzlülüğü ve mikro sertliği üzerindeki etkilerini değerlendirilerek materyal için en ideal yüzey özelliği oluşturan bitirme ve parlatma tekniğinin araştırılmasıdır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Pleksiglas kalıplar kullanılarak 168 örnek hazırlamak için kompomer, kompozit rezin ve giomer kullanıldı ve örnekler F/P tekniklerine tabi tutuldu. Kontrol Grubunda F/P yapılmadı. F/P için; Sof-Lex Disk; Sof-LexTM Spiral Lastikler ve Enamel Plus Shiny kullanıldı. Yüzey pürüzlülüğü ve mikro sertlik değerleri ölçüldü. Veriler tek yönlü ANOVA, iki bağımsız örnek t-testi, Kruskal Wallis kullanılarak analiz edildi ve iki parametre arasındaki korelasyon için Pearson korelasyon testi kullanıldı (p <0.05). Bulgular: Elde edilen veriler doğrultusunda yüzey pürüzlülük değerler karşılaştırıldığında; Enamel Plus Shiny ile kontrol grubu arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı fark bulgulanmadı. Sof-Lex Disk kullanıldığında Dyract XP grubunda, yüzey pürüzlülüğünün anlamlı derecede daha yüksek olduğu tespit edildi(p<0.05). Sof-Lex Spiral Lastikler kullanıldığında, FiltekTM Bulk Fill’in istatistiksel olarak anlamlı derecede daha düşük yüzey pürüzlülüğü değeri gösterdiği bulgulandı (p <0.05). Mikrosertlik değerlerinde ise Sof-Lex Disk kullanıldığında; Beautifil II ye ait mikrosertlik değerlerinin anlamlı olarak daha yüksek olduğu tespit edildi (p <0.05), kontrol grubu için ise Dyract XP’nin, FiltekTM Bulk Fill ve Beautifil II ile karşılaştırıldığında mikrosertlik değerinin en düşük değer gösterdiği bulgulandı. Sof-Lex Spiral Lastikler ve Enamel Plus Shiny için, restoratif materyallerin mikrosertlik değerleri arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı farklılıklar gözlenmiştir. Yüzey pürüzlülüğü ve mikro sertlik arasındaki korelasyon ise; FiltekTM Bulk Fill materyalinde pozitif korelasyona sahipken; Dyract XP ve Beautifil II materyallerinde negatif korelasyona sahiptir. Sonuçlar: Uygun F / P prosedürleri, restoratif materyaller için estetik ve uzun ömürlülüğü arttıran gerekli adımlardır. Çalışmamızın sınırları dahilinde, en ideal bitirme ve parlatma tekniğinin kullanılan rezin içerikli restoratif materyalin özelliklerine bağlı olarak değişkenlik gösterdiği, F / P tekniklerinin etkilerinin hem bitirme ve parlatma tekniğine hem de restoratif materyale bağlı olduğu sonucuna varılmıştır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Enamel Plus Shiny, Mikrosertlik, Yüzey Pürüzlülüğü,Bitirme ve Parlatma Sistemler

Effective medical waste planning relies on the reliable estimation of waste volumes. As operational factors diversify, traditional linear regressions often fail to capture the underlying structure, whereas latent variable–based and ensemble approaches can better represent this complexity. In this study, fine-tuned Partial Least Squares (PLS), scikit-learn–based Gradient Boosting regression (GBR), and a baseline Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) model were compared for estimating medical waste generation using 48 months (2021–2024) of approximate data from Dental Clinics affiliated with the Provincial Health Directorate in Kastamonu. The model inputs were the monthly procedure counts for endodontics, treatment, prosthetics, periodontology, orthodontics, pedodontics, and surgery. Performance was evaluated using Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and R-squared (R²). All models produced accurate predictions; however, PLS provided the strongest fit (R² = 0.979; MAE = 30.488; RMSE = 37.043), outperforming GBR (R² = 0.962; MAE = 36.544; RMSE = 48.990) and the OLS baseline (R² = 0.927; MAE = 41.762; RMSE = 59.013). The findings demonstrate that modern, data-driven waste-management planning is feasible in healthcare institutions and highlight PLS as a robust option, particularly under conditions of small sample size and collinearity.

Objective: Evaluation and comparison of pain in pediatric patients following local anesthesia administration and primary tooth extraction using the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale (WBS). Material and Methods: A total of 90 children (age between 4-11 years) whose teeth were indicated for extraction for various reasons were included in the study. Before dental treatments, behavioral management was given to all children with the tell-show-do technique. Following topical anesthesia, local anesthetics were applied to the relevant area, and tooth extractions were performed. Perceived pain after local anesthesia and tooth extraction was recorded separately by asking the patients using the WBS. Mean values and standard deviations were calculated and comparisons between groups were made with the MannWhitney U test. Results: The mean WBS value was 4.49, with the highest palatal infiltration anesthesia. Following this, 3.8 in the mandibular block, 3.42 in lingual, 2.3 in buccal infiltration anesthesia, and 1.2 in tooth extraction respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the genders in the WBS values after tooth extraction, mandibular block anesthesia, buccal, palatal and lingual infiltration anesthesia (p>0.05). Conclusion: As a result of this study, palatal infiltration and mandibular block anesthesia were identified as the most painful anesthesia techniques perceived by children.

Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the knowledge levels and attitudes of pediatric dentists regarding the use of dental radiography through an online survey. Materials and Method: A data collection form consisting of a total of 17 questions and 2 basic parts, which was prepared in accordance with the current guidelines of the European Academy of Pediatric Dentistry regarding the use of radiography in 2020, was used. The first part of the form was prepared to evaluate the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants and the second part of the form was for the evaluation of the participants’ level of knowledge about the use of radiography in pediatric dentistry. In the analysis of the data, descriptive statistics, mean values, frequencies and proportions were calculated. The chisquare test was used to determine the association between categorical variables. Results: 131 pediatric dentists participated in the study. In accordance with the Guideline recommendation, 40.5% of dentists stated that they preferred bite-wing radiographs as the first choice for the detection and diagnosis of dental caries and 77% stated that they preferred periapical radiographs as the first choice for dental trauma. Conclusion: Even though pediatric dentists in Türkiye usually choose the most appropriate radiographic technique for most clinical situations; knowledge levels need to be increased for more precise diagnosis and treatment planning and radiation protection.