Undergraduate (UG) research is regarded as a fundamental component in dental education. The present study was designed to examine the perception of the clinical students and the graduates of dentistry profession programs in the past 10 years on UG research as a compulsory course at the Faculty of Dentistry Universitas Indonesia. A total of 310 respondents, consisting of clinical students (64.8%) and alumni (35.2%), participated in this study. The majority of respondents (81.3%) agreed to UG research as part of compulsory courses in the curriculum of dentistry study programs. The positive impact of UG research on their professional careers was perceived by 78.3% of participants. Only 11.6% of participants responded that UG research experiments were not important in dental education, and 18.7% preferred UG research as an elective course. UG research as a compulsory course in the dental curriculum was well received by the majority of participants. Recommendations included student autonomy to select research topics of interest, longer duration to complete UG research, and more opportunities to present the research results in scientific conferences and to publish in scientific journals. Dental schools and their faculties play essential roles in improving the research environment for undergraduate dental students.

Probiotics, known for their anti-inflammatory properties and ability to balance the oral microbiome, show promise in enhancing wound healing, particularly through topical application, in oral healthcare. The main objective of the present study was to investigate the topical application of probiotics to accelerate oral wound healing, focusing on key indicators, like collagen density, angiogenesis, the reepithelization rate, the wound area, and the wound length. Palatal wounds were induced in 60 male Sprague-Dawley® rats, which were divided into 4 groups. Probiotics, including Streptococcus salivarius K12 (BLIS K12®) and Lactobacillus reuteri (Interlac® Pro-D and Interlac®), were topically administered. The rates were sacrificed on days 3, 7 and 14 to evaluate the early, middle and late proliferation phases. Histopathological examinations assessed collagen density, angiogenesis, the re-epithelialization rate, the wound area, and the wound length. Probiotics showed beneficial effects on the oral wound healing indicators examined in this study. This study demonstrates the significant benefits of applying probiotics in enhancing wound healing throughout various proliferation stages. Our findings consistently highlight their positive impact across key indicators. With 3 different probiotic types, we observed improvement in all aspects of wound healing, from early to late stages. The study underscores the potential of probiotics as effective agents in promoting wound repair and regeneration, offering promising avenues for enhanced clinical outcomes.

Background: Ameloblastoma is a benign odontogenic tumor that predominantly occurs in the mandible and is frequently associated with the BRAFV600E mutation, which activates the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. These mutations indicate potential targets for molecular therapies. This systematic review evaluated the effectiveness of molecular-targeted therapies, particularly BRAF inhibitors such as dabrafenib and vemurafenib, in the treatment of ameloblastoma and their effects on clinical outcomes and quality of life.Methods: In accordance with PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO: CRD42024627944), a comprehensive search of databases including PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus identified 4,620 studies, of which eight case reports met the inclusion criteria for analysis.Results: The selected case reports involved patients aged 13 to 85, most of whom had experienced prior surgical recurrences. Treatment with BRAF/MEK (mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase) inhibitors resulted in significant tumor regression and improved quality of life, although some manageable side effects were observed.Conclusion: BRAF inhibitors demonstrate promising efficacy in the management of ameloblastoma, especially in patients harboring BRAFV600E mutations. These therapies may reduce the necessity for extensive surgical procedures and enhance patient outcomes. Further research is needed to establish standardized treatment protocols and to assess long-term effects on recurrence and quality of life.

Background: MiRNAs have emerged as minimally invasive biomarkers with considerable potential for the early detection of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Although numerous studies have evaluated circulating miRNAs across different biofluids, the comparative diagnostic performance of saliva-, serum-, and plasma-derived miRNAs has not been systematically clarified. Methods: A meta-analysis was performed by screening PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, CINAHL, and related databases. Nineteen eligible studies evaluating miRNA-based assays in saliva, serum, or plasma were included. A random-effects bivariate model was used to calculate pooled sensitivity, specificity, and area under the HSROC curve. Meta-regression using log diagnostic odds ratio (lnDOR) examined whether biofluid type significantly influenced diagnostic performance. Results: Salivary miRNAs showed a pooled sensitivity of 0.76 (95% CI: 0.68–0.82; I² = 84.69%), specificity of 0.79 (95% CI: 0.70–0.85; I² = 70.41%), and an AUC of 0.84 (95% CI: 0.80–0.87). Plasma miRNAs produced comparable results with a pooled sensitivity of 0.77 (95% CI: 0.61–0.88; I² = 90.45%), specificity of 0.79 (95% CI: 0.63–0.89; I² = 80.20%), and an AUC of 0.85 (95% CI: 0.81–0.89). Serum-derived miRNAs demonstrated the highest accuracy with a pooled sensitivity of 0.82 (95% CI: 0.70–0.90; I² = 76.92%), specificity of 0.88 (95% CI: 0.75–0.95; I² = 74.87%), and an AUC of 0.91 (95% CI: 0.89–0.94). Despite serum’s numerically superior performance, meta-regression revealed no significant matrix effect (Wald χ² = 0.20, p = 0.903). Conclusions: Although serum-derived miRNAs performed best overall, biofluid type was not a statistically significant determinant of diagnostic performance.

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains a major global health burden due to delayed diagnosis. Although salivary biomarkers have been explored in previous meta-analyses, these studies were limited to specific biomarker types. Methods: This study followed PRISMA guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO (CRD 420261296936). PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE, and CINAHL were searched for diagnostic accuracy studies of salivary biomarkers for OSCC. Studies providing sufficient data to construct 2 × 2 tables were included. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, DOR, and HSROC curves were estimated using a bivariate random-effects model, and study quality was assessed using QUADAS-2. Results: Eighteen studies comprising 1647 participants yielded 45 diagnostic datasets across multiple biomarker classes. The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.64 (95% CI: 0.59–0.69) and 0.71 (95% CI: 0.66–0.76), respectively. The pooled DOR was 4.53 (95% CI: 3.18–6.47), indicating moderate discriminatory ability, with an AUC of 0.75 (95% CI: 0.71–0.79). Fagan’s nomogram analysis demonstrated that these biomarkers are not suitable for screening the general population and should be reserved for enriched populations (pre-test probability > 10%). Conclusions: Salivary biomarkers demonstrate moderate but highly heterogeneous diagnostic accuracy. Clinical utility is context-dependent and limited to enriched populations with a baseline probability of OSCC >10%. In screening the general population (prevalence < 0.01%), these tests offer no significant clinical utility. They should be considered complementary triage tools rather than definitive diagnostic modalities.