Optical coherence tomography provides sections of tissues in a noncontact and noninvasive manner. The device measures the time delay and intensity of the light scattered or reflected from biological tissues, which results in tomographic imaging of their internal structure. This is achieved by scanning tissues at a resolution ranging from 1 to 15 μm. OCT enables real-time in situ imaging of tissues without the need for biopsy, histological procedures, or the use of X-rays, so it can be used in many fields of medicine. Its properties are not only particularly used in ophthalmology, in the diagnosis of all layers of the retina, but also increasingly in cardiology, gastroenterology, pulmonology, oncology, and dermatology. The basic properties of OCT, that is, noninvasiveness and low wattage of the used light, have also been appreciated in analytical technology by conservators, who use it to identify the quality and age of paintings, ceramics, or glass. Recently, the OCT technique of visualization is being tested in different fields of dentistry, which is depicted in the article.

Innovative computer techniques are starting to be employed not only in academic research, but also in commercial production, finding use in many areas of dentistry. This is conducive to the digitalization of dentistry and its increasing treatment and diagnostic demands. In many areas of dentistry, such as orthodontics and maxillofacial surgery, but also periodontics or prosthetics, only a correct diagnosis ensures the correct treatment plan, which is the only way to restore the patient's health. The diagnosis and treatment plan is based on the specialist's knowledge, but is subject to a large, multi-factorial risk of error. Therefore, the introduction of multiparametric pattern recognition methods (statistics, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI)) is a great hope for both the physicians and the patients. However, the general use of clinical decision support systems (CDSS) in a dental clinic is not yet realistic and requires work in many aspects - methodical, technological and business. The article presents a review of the latest attempts to apply AI, such as CDSS or genetic algorithms (GAs) in research and clinical dentistry, taking under consideration all of the main dental specialties. Work on the introduction of public CDSS has been continued for years. The article presents the latest achievements in this field, analyzing their real-life application and credibility.

Aim. The aim of this study was to evaluate masticatory muscle electrical activity in patients with pain-related and pain-free temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) as well as in subjects with no TMD. Methods. Ninety children with mixed dentition were recruited to the study. Of this total, 30 subjects were diagnosed with pain-related TMD (TMD-P), 30 with pain-free TMD (TMD-PF), and 30 without TMD. We used Axis I of the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (RDC/TMD) to assess the presence of TMD in the examined children. The electromyographical (EMG) potentials of the temporalis and masseter muscles were measured with a DAB-Bluetooth Instrument (Zebris Medical GmbH, Germany) at rest and during maximum voluntary clenching (MVC). Results. An analysis of the EMG recordings showed statistically significant intergroup differences in masticatory muscle electrical activity at rest and during MVC. Significantly higher rest temporalis muscle activity was noted in pain-related TMD subjects compared with that children from the pain-free TMD and non-TMD groups, as well as in TMD-PF children in relation to those without TMD. The EMG potentials of the temporalis muscle during MVC were much lower in patients with TMD-P than in pain-free TMD and non-TMD subjects. Masseter muscle activity at rest in the TMD-pain group was significantly greater, and masseter muscle EMG potentials during clenching were markedly lower than in patients with no TMD diagnosis. Conclusion. The use of electromyography to assess masticatory muscle function revealed alterations in the pattern of temporalis and masseter muscle activity in patients with pain-related TMD compared with the pain-free subjects.

Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD) is a chronic disease of various etiologies. Correct TMD diagnosis enables to apply effective treatment and significantly improves the quality of patients’ lives. One of the diagnostic methods subjected to evaluation in recent years is thermography, which enables safe, noninvasive, and quick imaging of the temperature distribution of temporomandibular joint-associated tissues. This paper, based on Medline, Dentistry & Oral Sciences Source, Academic Search Ultimate, Medline Complete databases, presents basic information related to thermovision imaging and outlines the direction of research conducted in recent years which fight with difficulties in the interpretation of thermograms that require specialized, dedicated analysis and processing of the obtained images. The problem concerns also no standardized protocol for measuring masticatory muscle temperature.

Introduction: Temporary anchorage devices (TADs) represent an essential instrument under difficult anchorage conditions, especially when the procedure is approached with an aligner technique. The objective of this paper is to describe a possible sequence of orthodontic treatment of impacted canines with aligners supported by orthodontic mini-screws. Materials and Methods: The resolution of impacted canines requires a specific clinical sequence constituted by different steps: the space creation, the surgical exposure, and the orthodontic traction (on the horizontal, vertical, and buccal direction). Following this sequence, two different clinical scenarios can be identified following the space available and the initial malocclusion. The first scenario is constituted by recreating the space for the impacted canine along with the correction of the malocclusion by means of an aligner system and then approaching the de-impaction with TADs. The second clinical scenario is related to the canine-first approach, an immediate de-impaction stage based solely on the use of TADs and sectional wires, and then a finishing phase with aligners. Results: Both approaches to the treatment of impacted canines can be considered reliable, but of course selecting one or the other depends on the space available in the upper arch and on the initial malocclusion. Conclusions: The use of aligners in the treatment of impacted canines in combination with TADs and sectional wires represents a viable alternative option to the conventional systems for canine disinclusion. When the treatment is managed with the presented approaches, no further cooperation with the patient is required in order to support the forced eruption, and an ideal biomechanical approach can be easily applied with one or two mini-screws.

Fixed orthodontic appliances, despite years of research and development, still raise a lot of controversy because of its potentially destructive influence on enamel. Therefore, it is necessary to quantitatively assess the condition and therein the thickness of tooth enamel in order to select the appropriate orthodontic bonding and debonding methodology as well as to assess the quality of enamel after treatment and clean-up procedure in order to choose the most advantageous course of treatment. One of the assessment methods is computed tomography where the measurement of enamel thickness and the 3D reconstruction of image sequences can be performed fully automatically. OCT images of 180 teeth were obtained from the Topcon 3D OCT-2000 camera. The images were obtained in vitro by performing sequentially 7 stages of treatment on all the teeth: before any interference into enamel, polishing with orthodontic paste, etching and application of a bonding system, orthodontic bracket bonding, orthodontic bracket removal, cleaning off adhesive residue. A dedicated method for the analysis and processing of images involving median filtering, mathematical morphology, binarization, polynomial approximation and the active contour method has been proposed. The obtained results enable automatic measurement of tooth enamel thickness in 5 seconds using the Core i5 CPU M460 @ 2.5GHz 4GB RAM. For one patient, the proposed method of analysis confirms enamel thickness loss of 80 μm (from 730 ± 165 μm to 650 ± 129 μm) after polishing with paste, enamel thickness loss of 435 μm (from 730 ± 165 μm to 295 ± 55 μm) after etching and bonding resin application, growth of a layer having a thickness of 265 μm (from 295 ± 55 μm to 560 ± 98 μm after etching) which is the adhesive system. After removing an orthodontic bracket, the adhesive residue was 105 μm and after cleaning it off, the enamel thickness was 605 μm. The enamel thickness before and after the whole treatment decreased by about 125 μm. This paper presents an automatic quantitative method for the assessment of tooth enamel thickness. This method has proven to be an effective diagnostic tool that allows evaluation of the surface and cross section of tooth enamel after orthodontic treatment with fixed thin-arched braces and proper selection of the methodology and course of treatment.