Background and aim: Periodontal health is a critical factor in the development of gingival recession, which may be influenced by orthodontic treatment and various patient-related factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of gingival recession observed during the retention phase after orthodontic treatment and the contributing etiological factors. Materials and methods: A total of 96 patients (65 females, 31 males; mean age 20.39 ± 2.21 years) were included in the study during routine follow-up examinations in the retention phase, at least six months after the completion of non-extraction fixed orthodontic treatment and their sociodemographic data, oral hygiene habits, and clinical periodontal measurements were evaluated. The relationships between dentoalveolar cephalometric measurements obtained from lateral cephalograms and gingival recession and gingival phenotype were evaluated. The normality of the data was assessed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and Mann-Whitney U and Chi-square tests were applied for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate risk factors. Statistical significance was considered as p < 0.05. Results: Gingival recession was found to be more prevalent in thin gingival phenotypes compared to thick phenotypes and was observed to be more pronounced when bleeding on probing was 30% and higher (p < 0.05). It was observed that gingival recession increased with age (p < 0.05). No statistically significant difference was found between gingival recession and other periodontal clinical measurements, sociodemographic data, and oral hygiene habits (p > 0.05). No statistically significant relationship was observed between lower incisor protrusion and gingival recession (p > 0.05). Conclusions: It was concluded that (i) gingival phenotype, bleeding percentage on probing, and age had a considerable effect on gingival recession, whereas orthodontic tooth movement had no significant effect, and (ii) after orthodontic treatment, despite the achievement of a well-aligned teeth and dental arch, the frequency of periodontal check-ups should be increased to reduce the risk of gingival recession. Clinical relavance: Orthodontic treatment, consider periodontal conditions related to gingival recession, like thin phenotype and bleeding on probing.

To evaluate the effect of prismatic dental loupes on clinician posture during periodontal treatment performed by periodontology assistants. This cross-sectional observational study was conducted using a counterbalanced crossover design. Ten periodontology assistants performed supragingival scaling on two different patients; once with and once without loupes. Posture was assessed using Branson’s Posture Assessment Instrument (BPAI) through photographic evaluation at the 1st, 3rd, and 5th minutes of treatment. BPAI scores were compared between the two conditions, and correlations among posture components were analyzed. The use of loupes significantly improved overall posture, with lower total BPAI scores in the loupe condition. Significant improvements were observed in the hip, trunk, head/neck, and shoulder regions, while wrist posture did not differ significantly. A strong positive correlation was found between total BPAI and head/neck scores, indicating the influence of head/neck alignment on overall posture. Magnification loupes contribute to improved clinician posture, especially in the head/neck region, which strongly correlated with overall posture. The observed interdependence among body regions supports the need for holistic posture assessment. These findings highlight the ergonomic benefits of loupes in reducing musculoskeletal risks in dental practice. Incorporating magnification loupes into clinical practice may improve operator posture and contribute to long-term occupational health among dental professionals.

Background/Objectives: Gingival phenotype is considered an important factor influencing periodontal tissue response during orthodontic treatment; however, the association between orthodontic treatment history and gingival phenotype remains unclear. This study aimed to compare gingival phenotype between orthodontically treated individuals and untreated controls and to evaluate the factors associated with gingival phenotype, including periodontal status and oral hygiene habits. Methods: This cross-sectional comparative study included 180 individuals aged 18–35 years, who were divided into two groups according to orthodontic treatment history (history of orthodontic treatment, n = 90; untreated controls, n = 90). Gingival phenotype was assessed using the transparency method at the mid-buccal aspect of the mandibular central incisor. Periodontal parameters, including Plaque Index (PI), Gingival Index (GI), probing depth (PD), and keratinized gingival width (KGW), were recorded. Oral hygiene habits and behavioral factors were also evaluated. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with gingival phenotype. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: No significant association was found between orthodontic treatment and gingival phenotype (p > 0.05). Periodontal parameters were comparable between groups; however, orthodontically treated individuals demonstrated significantly better oral hygiene habits (p < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis revealed that male sex (OR = 6.54, p < 0.001) and increased KGW (OR = 1.668, p = 0.003) were independently associated with a thick gingival phenotype. Conclusions: The findings indicate that gingival phenotype appeared to be more strongly associated with intrinsic anatomical factors, particularly sex and KGW, rather than orthodontic treatment. It was concluded that individualized assessment of gingival phenotype and controlled orthodontic tooth movement may contribute to periodontal preservation.

Dental implants have revolutionized restorative dentistry, yet long-term success can be compromised by biological and mechanical complications, primarily peri-implantitis. The implant abutment, as the transmucosal component, plays a critical role in establishing a stable soft-tissue seal and preventing bacterial colonization. In the field of dentistry, surface modification of abutments is a key strategy to enhance their performance. Examples of such modifications include laser microtexturing, anodic oxidation and bioactive molecule coatings. Among various materials, Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coatings have emerged as a highly promising candidate due to their unique combination of mechanical, chemical and biological properties. This review critically evaluates the application of DLC coatings on dental abutments, with a specific focus on their advantages and disadvantages. Key advantages include superior biocompatibility, reduced bacterial adhesion, excellent wear resistance and a low coefficient of friction, which collectively contribute to improved soft-tissue integration and reduced risk of peri-implant disease. However, significant challenges hinder their widespread clinical adoption. These disadvantages include concerns regarding the long-term adhesion of the coating to the abutment substrate (delamination), potential degradation in the oral environment, the high cost and complexity of the deposition process and esthetic limitations due to the material’s dark color. This article synthesizes the current in-vitro and in-vivo evidence, discusses the critical balance between the benefits and drawbacks of DLC-coated abutments and outlines future research directions required to translate this promising technology into a reliable clinical solution.

Background/Objective: As large language models (LLMs) are increasingly used to obtain oral health information, their ability to provide accurate and comprehensive responses to patient-focused periodontal questions derived from commonly reported misconceptions is increasingly relevant to patient education. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of contemporary LLMs in answering such questions with respect to accuracy, comprehensiveness, readability, and temporal consistency. Methods: Following a comprehensive review of the existing literature, structured patient-focused periodontal questions derived from commonly reported misconceptions were presented to seven different LLMs using a standardized prompt, and their performance was compared. Responses were evaluated for accuracy and comprehensiveness using a Likert scale, while readability was assessed using the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG), the Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) score, and the Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL). Results: The evaluated LLMs demonstrated uniformly high performance across the benchmark, with no individual response scoring below the scale midpoint (score < 3) for accuracy or comprehensiveness, confirming the absence of clinically unsafe or misleading information. Although statistically significant inter-model differences were observed for accuracy (p < 0.001, Kendall’s W = 0.197) and comprehensiveness (p < 0.001, Kendall’s W = 0.257), the rank-based effect sizes were small, indicating that relative rankings reflect minor numerical variations rather than clinically substantial performance gaps. Regarding readability, absolute metrics across all models revealed a high level of structural and linguistic difficulty that exceeds layperson health literacy requirements. Mean FRE scores across models ranged from 39.5 ± 9.1 to 52.1 ± 12.0 (indicating “difficult” to “fairly difficult” reading ease), mean FKGL scores ranged from 9.1 ± 2.2 to 10.8 ± 1.3 (requiring a 9th to 11th-grade education level), and mean SMOG scores ranged from 11.8 ± 1.6 to 14.0 ± 2.2. Statistically significant differences with large effect sizes were observed among models for FRE (p < 0.001, partial η_p² = 0.308, η_G² = 0.178), FKGL (p < 0.001, partial η_p² = 0.162, η_G² = 0.104) and SMOG (p < 0.001, partial η_p² = 0.217, η_G² = 0.140), with DeepSeek V4 and Gemini 3.1 exhibiting relatively more favorable readability profiles. In the temporal consistency analysis, significant differences in change scores were observed only for SMOG (p = 0.004), whereas no significant temporal changes occurred for accuracy, comprehensiveness, FRE, or FKGL. Conclusions: Contemporary LLMs provide uniformly accurate and clinically safe responses to patient-focused periodontal misconceptions, with scores consistently concentrated at the ceiling. However, absolute readability metrics demonstrate that AI-generated outputs consistently exceed standard public health literacy comprehension levels, presenting a critical barrier for general patient communication that necessitates targeted optimization.