The number of studies on the subject of effects of zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂) nanoparticles addition on the mechanical parameters of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is still very limited. Therefore, in this research, the authors wanted to assess PMMA modified with the nano-ZrO₂ additive in terms of changes in flexural, impact and tensile strength values in relation to PMMA without such component. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to evaluate the effect of incorporating nano-ZrO₂ into PMMA on individual types of material strength. The obtained numerical data were tabulated and analyzed in the search for percentage changes in those parameters. It was then calculated for each set and the procured model was examined using residual sum of squares (RSS) to assess the discrepancy between the data and the estimation model whilst mean absolute deviation (MAD) was employed to determine robustness. The results of the systematic review were composed of data obtained from individual studies presented in eight independent articles. Overall, the addition of nano-ZrO₂ increases the flexural strength of the composite with the PMMA matrix depending on the size of the ZrO₂ grains administered. Unfortunately, these conclusions are based on a very limited amount of research and require further verification, especially regarding tensile strength.

The treatment of oral and maxillofacial infections is based on a recognized algorithm that may require modification under the influence of various local and systemic factors. The aim of this study was to present a comprehensive and microbiological profile of oral and maxillofacial infections, and explore possible correlations between the course of an infection and selected systemic factors based on the medical records of 329 patients affected by the disease. We identified most common clinical, demographic, bacterial, and laboratory parameters specific for these infections. There were statistically significant differences in Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate, number of accompanying diseases, otalgia, dyspnea, and speech difficulties occurrence and neck space involvement between diabetic and non-diabetic patients. The duration of hospitalization and accompanying diseases correlated positively with the patient age and white blood cell count, and C-reactive protein value negatively correlated with age. The primary cause of infections, age, and comorbid diseases can modify the infection course and increase the risk of developing serious complications. It confirms the need for effective and targeted bacterial treatment in the early stages of infections. Age and general diseases are the most important systemic factors determining the infection symptoms and laboratory parameters assessing the severity of the inflammatory process.

The study described in this paper was conducted to assess the short-term outcomes of intra-articular administration of hyaluronic acid in patients with symptoms of temporomandibular joint disorders. A group of 40 patients suffering from temporomandibular joint disorders underwent a series of hyaluronic acid intra-articular injections. Questionnaires and clinical examinations were conducted to assess stress exposure of the subjects and to evaluate short-term treatment outcomes, i.e., reducing joint and muscle pain and increasing the mobility of the mandible. A weak positive correlation between stress exposure and pain was observed. As a result of treatment, 61% of subjects revealed a total reduction of muscle pain, while joint pain completely resolved in 88% of patients. Mandibular mobility increased by 11%, 31%, 9%, and 11% regarding opening, protrusive, and lateral right and left movements, respectively. The study confirms the short-term effectiveness of intra-articular administration of hyaluronic acid on reducing joint and muscle pain in patients with articular disc displacement. The treatment positively affected the mobility of the mandible in all directions. The verification of late treatment effects of hyaluronic acid viscosupplementation requires the continuation of the research.

Introduction: Hyaluronic acid, steroids and blood products are popularly injected into the temporomandibular joint (TMJs) to relieve pain and increase the extent of mandibular abduction. The purpose of this review is to identify other injectable substances and to evaluate them in the above-mentioned domains. Material and methods: The review included articles describing clinical trials of patients treated with intra-articular injections with or without arthrocentesis. Results: The following emerging substances were initially evaluated to be effective in treating TMJ pain and increasing the amplitude of mandibular abduction: analgesics, dextrose with lidocaine, adipose tissue, nucleated bone marrow cells and ozone gas. Discussion: Better effects of intra-articular administration are achieved by preceding the injection with arthrocentesis. Conclusions: The most promising substances appear to be bone marrow and adipose tissue.

Background/Objectives: The role of artificial intelligence (AI) in dentistry is becoming increasingly significant, particularly in diagnosis and treatment planning. This study aimed to assess the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and precision of AI-driven software in analyzing dental panoramic radiographs (DPRs) in patients with permanent dentition. Methods: Out of 638 DPRs, 600 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The radiographs were analyzed by AI software and two researchers. The following variables were assessed: (1) missing tooth, (2) root canal filling, (3) endodontic lesion, (4) implant, (5) abutment, (6) pontic, (7) crown, (8) and sound tooth. Results: The study revealed very high performance metrics for the AI algorithm in detecting missing teeth, root canal fillings, and implant abutment crowns, all greater than 90%. However, it demonstrated moderate sensitivity and precision in identifying endodontic lesions and the lowest precision (65.30%) in detecting crowns. Conclusions: AI software can be a valuable tool in clinical practice for diagnosis and treatment planning but may require additional verification by clinicians, especially for identifying endodontic lesions and crowns. Due to some limitations of the study, further research is recommended.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to validate the hypothesis that intra-articular injections into the inferior temporomandibular joint compartment are more efficient than analogous superior compartment interventions. Publications reporting differences between the above-mentioned techniques in the domains of revealing articular pain, decreasing the Helkimo index, and abolishing mandibular mobility limitation were included. Medical databases covered by the Bielefeld Academic Search Engine, Google Scholar, PubMed, ResearchGate, and Scopus engines were searched. The risk of bias was assessed using dedicated Cochrane tools (RoB2, ROBINS-I). The results were visualized with tables, charts, and a funnel plot. Six reports describing five studies with a total of 342 patients were identified. Of these, four trials on a total of 337 patients were qualified for quantitative synthesis. Each eligible report was at moderate risk of bias. From 19% to 51% improvement in articular pain, 12–20% lower Helkimo index, and 5–17% higher maximum mouth opening were observed. The evidence was limited by the small number of eligible studies, discrepancies regarding the substances used, possible biases, and the differences in observation times and scheduled follow-up visits. Despite the above, the advantage of inferior over superior compartment temporomandibular joint intra-articular injections is unequivocal and encourages further research in this direction.