Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic practice believed to offer oral and systemic health benefits. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and awareness of

Objectives: Tonsilloliths are calcified structures commonly detected incidentally on radiographic examinations and are thought to be associated with chronic inflammatory and microbial processes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between tonsillolith characteristics and periodontal bone defects using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging.Materials and Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study included archived panoramic radiographs and CBCT images of 621 patients. Among them, 158 patients with tonsilloliths who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Tonsillolith characteristics, including number, size, localization, and Hounsfield Unit (HU)-based calcification degree, were evaluated using CBCT images. Periodontal bone loss and accompanying oral findings, including missing teeth, restored teeth, apical periodontitis, furcation involvement, and peri-implantitis, were also assessed radiographically. Statistical analyses were performed using non-parametric tests and Spearman correlation analysis.Results: The prevalence of tonsilloliths was 25.4%. The mean age of the study population was 48.9±17.5 years, and 58.9% of the patients were male. Tonsillolith size demonstrated statistically significant positive correlations with periodontal bone loss (r=0.270, p=0.001), missing teeth (r=0.264, p=0.001), apical periodontitis (r=0.301, p

Purpose: The tryptophan–kynurenine (TRP-KYN) pathway is associated with inflammation and kynurenine pathway (KP) dysregulation is present in overweight and obesity. Meanwhile, obesity and periodontitis are two of the most frequent noncommunicable illnesses, and epidemiological studies show that obesity has a role in the initiation and progression of periodontitis. However, the association between elevated body mass index and KP on periodontal disease etiology is unknown. As a result, our study is aimed to investigate the possible relationship within TRP/KYN ratio and BMI relationship in periodontitis. Materials & Method: The study comprised 20 periodontitis patients (P, Generalized Stage III Grade B, n=20) and 20 healthy persons (C, n=20). Clinical parameters (Bleeding index on probing (BOP), clinical attachment loss (CAL) and pocket depth (PD)), and BMI were recorded at the beginning of the study. Salivary and serum KYN/TRP ratios were analyzed by using mass spectrometry–liquid chromatography (LC-MS/MS). Results: Clinical periodontal parameters were statistically significantly higher in P group than in C group (p<0.05). While there was no change in serum KYN/TRP ratio across groups, salivary KYN/TRP ratio decreased in Group P compared with Group C (p<0.05). The salivary KYN/TRP ratio was positively correlated with the serum KYN/TRP ratio, while it showed a strong negative correlation with BOP, moderate correlation with PD and CAL, and lower negative correlation with BMI. Conclusion: KP dysregulation due to obesity may increase the risk of developing periodontal disease. Key Words: Periodontitis, Obesity, BMI, KYN/TRP, Tryptophan, Kynurenine

Objectives: Periodontitis has been suggested to be associated with several systemic diseases and conditions including obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, chronic renal disease, respiratory disorders, and cardiovascular diseases. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a collection of impairment and is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Our study is aimed to handle MetS unbalanced data using the synthetic minority over-sampling technique (SMOTE) to increase accuracy and reliability. Materials and Methods: Six metabolic syndrome patients and 26 systemically healthy subjects with periodontitis were recruited in this study. Clinical parameters (Plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), and bleeding on probing (BOP)) were obtained, smoking status and body-mass index (BMI), systemic diseases, fasting glucose levels, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels and serum advanced glycation end-products (AGE) levels were recorded by one examiner. First, the data was pre-processed by removing missing values, outliers and normalizing the data. Then, SMOTE technique was used to oversample the minority class. SMOTE works by creating synthetic data points that are similar to the existing minority class instances. The experimental dataset included numerous machine learning algorithms and assessed accuracy using both pre- and post-oversampling methods. Results: Our findings suggest that by increasing the sample size of a study, researchers can gain more accurate and reliable results. This is especially important when studying a population with a lower sample size, as the results may be skewed. Conclusion: SMOTE may result in over fitting on numerous copies of minority class samples.

Background: Interdental plaque control is critically important in maintaining oral hygiene. Oral irrigators (also known as water flossers) are recommended as an alternative oral hygiene tool, especially for individuals who have difficulty using traditional dental floss. Although numerous studies evaluate the clinical effectiveness of oral irrigators in the literature, studies examining the knowledge level, awareness, and clinical attitudes of dentists and dental students towards these devices are limited. The aim of this study is to evaluate knowledge, awareness, and attitudes regarding the use of oral irrigators and to examine the effect of education and clinical experience levels on these approaches. Methods: A total of 421 participants were included in the study: third-year dental students ( n = 100), intern dentists ( n = 179), general practitioners ( n = 66), and specialist dentists ( n = 75). A structured questionnaire consisting of 16 questions was administered to assess knowledge, awareness, and attitudes regarding oral irrigator use. Data were analyzed using chi-square tests and Bonferroni-corrected post-hoc analyses; the statistical significance level was set at p < 0.05. Results: 82.9% of participants reported having knowledge about oral irrigators. It was found that specialist and general practitioners had significantly higher knowledge levels regarding the periodontal effects of oral irrigators compared to students and interns ( p < 0.001). 70.2% of participants rated oral irrigators as “effective” or “very effective”. While the rate of regular use was 9.0%, cost (58.0% ) was identified as the primary barrier, whereas difficulty of use was reported by only a small proportion of participants (4.8%) ( p < 0.001). Only 28.9% of participants stated that they had received adequate training about oral irrigators. The rate of specialist dentists recommending oral irrigators to their patients was significantly higher (61%) compared to other groups ( p < 0.001). Conclusion: This study reveals that knowledge, awareness, and attitudes towards oral irrigator use differ significantly depending on the level of education and clinical experience. While general awareness is high, significant gaps exist in terms of detailed knowledge, personal use, and curriculum adequacy. To effectively integrate oral irrigators into preventive dentistry practices, it is recommended that evidence-based and structured training on these devices be strengthened in dental education programs.