Aim: To validate the Diabetes Risk Assessment in Dentistry Score (DDS) in a US population–based sample and compare its performance with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) risk calculator and the Leicester Risk Assessment (LRA). Methods: Data were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) covering the 2009–2014 cycles. The study focused on participants aged 40 years and older who included complete data for DDS and ADA risk score assessment. Model performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), while decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the clinical utility of the model. Results: Of the 6259 participants included, the average age was 57.3 years (±12.0 years, range: 40–80 years) and the sample was evenly distributed by sex (50.8% female). DDS showed limited discriminative ability with an AUC of 0.64 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.62–0.65), and DCA analysis showed higher net benefit than the ‘Treat None’ strategy across most probability thresholds, indicating added clinical value in decision making. The ADA risk calculator and LRA showed an AUC of 0.61 (95% CI: 0.59–0.63) and 0.631 (95% CI: 0.615–0.647), which were below the DDS performance. Conclusion: The DDS demonstrated acceptable performance for American adults aged 40 years or older, and showed marginally superior performance compared with the ADA diabetes risk calculator and LRA, highlighting its potential utility in dental practice settings as a complementary screening tool.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications in sports dentistry have the potential to improve early detection and diagnosis. We aimed to validate the diagnostic performance of AI-assisted software in detecting dental caries, periodontitis, and tooth wear using panoramic radiographs in elite athletes. This cross-sectional validation study included secondary data from 114 elite athletes from the Sports Dentistry department at Egas Moniz Dental Clinic. The AI software’s performance was compared to clinically validated assessments. Dental caries and tooth wear were inspected clinically and confirmed radiographically. Periodontitis was registered through self-reports. We calculated sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV), as well as the area under the curve and respective 95% confidence intervals. Inter-rater agreement was assessed using Cohen’s kappa statistic. The AI software showed high reproducibility, with kappa values of 0.82 for caries, 0.91 for periodontitis, 0.96 for periapical lesions, and 0.76 for tooth wear. Sensitivity was highest for periodontitis (1.00; AUC = 0.84), moderate for caries (0.74; AUC = 0.69), and lower for tooth wear (0.53; AUC = 0.68). Full agreement between AI and clinical reference was achieved in 86.0% of cases. The software generated a median of 3 AI-specific suggestions per case (range: 0–16). In 21.9% of cases, AI’s interpretation of periodontal level was deemed inadequate; among these, only 2 cases were clinically confirmed as periodontitis. Of the 34 false positives for periodontitis, 32.4% were misidentified by the AI. The AI-assisted software demonstrated substantial agreement with clinical diagnosis, particularly for periodontitis and caries. The relatively high false-positive rate for periodontitis and limited sensitivity for tooth wear underscore the need for cautious clinical integration, supervision, and further model refinements. However, this software did show overall adequate performance for application in Sports Dentistry.

This prospective, single-arm post-market study aimed to evaluate the clinical safety and performance of a synthetic calcium phosphate ceramic used in alveolar bone regeneration procedures. Eighty adult patients requiring bone augmentation were treated with β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) under routine clinical indications. Surgical approaches were adapted to defect morphology. Safety outcomes included adverse events (AEs) and device deficiencies (DDs), while performance outcomes focused on two-dimensional radiographic bone assessment. Radiographic bone consolidation was defined as continuous trabecular radiopacity without radiolucent defects or clinical signs of infection. Patients were followed for six months post-surgery, with clinical and radiographic evaluations, as well as assessment of oral health-related quality of life (OHIP-14). All 80 patients (mean age: 47.2 ± 18.9 years; 51% male) completed the immediate postoperative assessment. Eleven DDs (granule loss) were observed postoperatively (13.8%) and no AEs. At six months, 71 patients (88.8%) completed follow-up. Radiographic bone repair was confirmed in all cases clinically observed and with follow-up X-ray (100%). No AEs or DDs reported (AE-free rate: 100%) at this follow-up. The median OHIP-14 score improved significantly at six months (p = 0.037), indicating better self-reported oral health. Given the observational design, absence of a control group, and partial reliance on non-radiographic follow-up, these findings should be interpreted with caution. Within these limitations, the synthetic calcium phosphate ceramic demonstrated a favorable short-term safety profile and apparent bidimensional radiographic signs of clinical performance under real-world conditions, rather than definitive evidence of effectiveness. Further controlled studies incorporating histological and volumetric analyses are warranted to confirm its regenerative potential.

Background: Molar–incisor hypomineralization (MIH) is a common developmental enamel defect that presents important diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in pediatric dentistry. Differences in dental professionals’ knowledge and clinical confidence may affect patient care. Aim: To evaluate dental professionals’ awareness, diagnostic confidence, clinical management, referral practices, and training related to MIH. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed to calculate pooled estimates, with subgroup analyses by geographic region, dental specialty, and risk of bias. Results: Thirty-six observational studies including over 10,000 dental professionals were included. Awareness of MIH diagnostic criteria was moderate (72.1%) and higher among pediatric dentists than general dental practitioners. Diagnostic confidence (67.5%) and comfort in providing treatment (64.1%) were suboptimal, particularly among non-specialists. Most respondents perceived a distinct caries pattern in MIH-affected teeth (84.8%), while referral to pediatric dentists was inconsistent (52.5%). Approximately 80% of participants reported a need for additional MIH-related training. Substantial heterogeneity was observed across analyses. Conclusions: Despite moderate awareness of MIH, important gaps persist in diagnostic confidence, clinical management, and referral practices. Strengthening undergraduate education, continuing professional development, and structured referral pathways is essential to improve early diagnosis, appropriate management, and outcomes for children affected by MIH, highlighting the pivotal role of paediatric dentists in interdisciplinary care.