Diagnostic efficacy of and indications for intraoral radiographs in pediatric dentistry: a systematic review

Attitudes, knowledge, and related factors on paediatric dental radiography among parents of children aged less than 13 years attended a tertiary care public dental hospital

BACKGROUND

Dental radiography is an essential diagnostic tool in paediatric dentistry.

AIM

To explore attitudes, knowledge, and related factors of paediatric dental radiography among parents who attended the radiology department of a premier public dental hospital.

DESIGN

The study was conducted at the National Dental Hospital (Teaching) Sri Lanka among 124 parents whose children (<13-years) underwent dental radiographic examination. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, radiographic investigations, and parental knowledge and attitudes on paediatric dental radiography were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data were entered and analyzed using the SPSS-21 statistical software package.

RESULTS

The mean score (95% CI) of parental attitudes and knowledge on paediatric dental radiography were 17.55 (17.64-18.45) on a scale from 7 to 35 and 3.73 (3.34-4.13) on a scale from -7 to +7, respectively. Significant differences in parental knowledge were evident by child's age (p = 0.046), ethnicity (p = 0.035), and parental attitudes (p = 0.024). Binary logistic regression analysis revealed a significant independent association between parental attitudes with parental knowledge: OR (95% CI) = 2.413 (1.098-5.302) (p = 0.028).

CONCLUSIONS

Parents demonstrated less favorable attitudes but sufficient knowledge on many aspects of paediatric dental radiography. Therefore, interventions are needed to improve parental attitudes on paediatric dental radiography especially by providing child-friendly services.

The Diagnosis and Initial Management of Children Presenting With Premature Loss of Primary Teeth Associated With a Systemic Condition

Background and objective Pediatric dentists face a serious challenge when encountering cases of primary teeth lost too soon due to systemic disorders such as diabetes mellitus, congenital heart disease, and chronic kidney disease. Prompt identification and treatment are necessary to minimize problems in these patients. This study aimed to better understand and enhance clinical outcomes in pediatric dentistry treatment by investigating diagnostic modalities and early therapy methods for kids who lose their primary teeth too soon because of systemic disorders. Methodology We conducted a retrospective observational study to examine the early loss of primary teeth in children aged 6-10 years with a history of systemic diseases at Naseer Teaching & MMC-General Hospital, Peshawar; Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar; DHQ Teaching Hospital, Kohat; and Fauji Foundation Hospital, Multan from January to December 2022. After carefully gathering data from medical records, a sample of 360 patients meeting the inclusion criteria was examined. SPSS Statistics version 27 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) was used for the statistical analysis. Demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, and management approaches were compiled using descriptive statistics. For categorical data, frequency distributions and percentages were determined, and for continuous variables, means and standard deviations (SD) were calculated. Regression analysis was conducted to analyze relationships between related variables and treatment outcomes. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The majority of patients were aged between six and eight years, and the cohort had an equal gender distribution. Dental problems including malocclusion (n=175, 48.61%) and early tooth loss (n=245, 68.06%) were common, as were systemic illnesses like genetic disorders (n=45, 12.50%) and endocrine abnormalities (n=67, 18.61%). Diagnostic procedures were often carried out, such as radiographic exams (n=256, 71.11%) and blood tests (n=123, 34.17%). Dietary supplements (n=60, 16.67%) and dental procedures (n=75, 20.83%) constituted the bulk of the treatment. Significant treatment outcomes that demonstrated the efficacy of the therapies were as follows: high patient satisfaction (n=213, 59.17%), improved oral health (n=255, 70.83%), and symptom relief (n=187, 51.94%). Conclusion Our findings highlight the significant impact of certain practical methods for identifying and treating early tooth loss in pediatric patients with systemic illnesses, leading to patient satisfaction in terms of symptom relief and enhanced dental health.

ORCA-EFCD consensus report on clinical recommendation for caries diagnosis. Paper I: caries lesion detection and depth assessment

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the present consensus paper was to provide recommendations for clinical practice considering the use of visual examination, dental radiography and adjunct methods for primary caries detection.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The executive councils of the European Organisation for Caries Research (ORCA) and the European Federation of Conservative Dentistry (EFCD) nominated ten experts each to join the expert panel. The steering committee formed three work groups that were asked to provide recommendations on (1) caries detection and diagnostic methods, (2) caries activity assessment and (3) forming individualised caries diagnoses. The experts responsible for "caries detection and diagnostic methods" searched and evaluated the relevant literature, drafted this manuscript and made provisional consensus recommendations. These recommendations were discussed and refined during the structured process in the whole work group. Finally, the agreement for each recommendation was determined using an anonymous Delphi survey.

RESULTS

Recommendations (N = 8) were approved and agreed upon by the whole expert panel: visual examination (N = 3), dental radiography (N = 3) and additional diagnostic methods (N = 2). While the quality of evidence was found to be heterogeneous, all recommendations were agreed upon by the expert panel.

CONCLUSION

Visual examination is recommended as the first-choice method for the detection and assessment of caries lesions on accessible surfaces. Intraoral radiography, preferably bitewing, is recommended as an additional method. Adjunct, non-ionising radiation methods might also be useful in certain clinical situations.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

The expert panel merged evidence from the scientific literature with practical considerations and provided recommendations for their use in daily dental practice.

Improving radiographic diagnosis of pulpo-periodontal complications in primary molars by training: Application in education and clinical research

INTRODUCTION

The objective of this study was to assess an original learning intervention to train students and paediatric dentistry teachers in radiographic diagnostic accuracy of pulpo-periodontal complications in primary molars.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The learning intervention was based on 250 different randomly ordered radiographs of primary molars within three quizzes (A, B and C) for 5 sessions (S): quiz A (50 X-rays), B and C (100 X-rays) were, respectively, completed in S1 to assess the extent of agreement with 5 experts' diagnoses, in S2 and S3 (B at days 8 and 23) and in S4 and S5 (C at days 90 and 105). During S1 and at the end of S3 and S5, the participants (48 students and 16 teachers) were informed of correct diagnoses. A satisfaction questionnaire was completed by all the students. Alongside the descriptive analyses, generalised linear mixed model (GLMM) analyses assessed the odds of participants' correct diagnosis over the study duration.

RESULTS

At S1, the odds of diagnostic accuracy among students were significantly lower than those among the teachers. After receiving feedback at S1, GLMM analyses showed that among all the participants, accuracy improved over time with the odds of correct diagnoses higher in S2-5 than in S1; and there were similar increases across sessions between teachers and students, except in S3, where the improvement among teachers tended to be greater than that among the students. All students were satisfied though one-third reported that quizzes with 100 radiographs felt too long.

CONCLUSION

The online case-based learning was a good training format for dental education.

Radiation Exposure and Frequency of Dental, Bitewing and Occlusal Radiographs in Children and Adolescents

Dental radiographs are valuable diagnostic aids for oral healthcare, but exposure to ionizing radiation carries health risks, especially in children due to their high radio-sensitivity. Valid reference values for intraoral radiographs in children and adolescents are still missing. This study aimed to investigate the radiation dose values and underlying justifications of dental, bitewing and occlusal X-rays in children and adolescents. Data from routinely executed intraoral radiographs between 2002 and 2020 with conventional and digital tube-heads were extracted from the Radiology Information System. The effective exposure was calculated from technical parameters and statistical tests performed. A total number of 4455 intraoral (3128 dental, 903 bitewing and 424 occlusal) radiographs were investigated. For dental and bitewing radiographs, the dose area product (DAP) was 2.57 cGy × cm² and the effective dose (ED) 0.77 µSv. For occlusal radiographs, the DAP was 7.43 cGy × cm² and the ED 2.22 µSv. Overall, 70.2% of all intraoral radiographs were dental, 20.3% bitewing and 9.5% occlusal radiographs. The most frequent indication for intraoral radiographs was trauma (28.7%), followed by caries (22.7%) and apical diagnostics (22.7%). Moreover, 59.7% of all intraoral radiographs were taken in boys, especially for trauma (66.5%) and endodontics (67.2%) (p ≤ 0.00). Girls were significantly more frequently X-rayed for caries diagnostics than boys (28.1% vs. 19.1%, p ≤ 0.00). The average ED of 0.77 µSv for intraoral dental and bitewing radiographs in this study was within the range of other reported values. The technical parameters of the X-ray devices were found at the lowest recommended levels to best limit the radiation exposure and to assure acceptable diagnostic efficacy. Intraoral radiographs were performed predominantly for trauma, caries and apical diagnostics-reflecting general recommendations for the use of X-rays in children. For improved quality assurance and radiation protection, further studies are necessary to determine the meaningful dose reference level (DRL) for children.

Performance of Oral Cavity Sensors: A Systematic Review

Technological advancements are enabling new applications within biomedical engineering. As a connection point between the outer environment and the human system, the oral cavity offers unique opportunities for sensing technologies. This paper systematically reviews the performance of measurement systems tested in the human oral cavity. Performance was defined by metrics related to accuracy and agreement estimation. A comprehensive search identifying human studies that reported on the accuracy or agreement of intraoral sensors found 85 research papers. Most of the literature (62%) was in dentistry, followed by neurology (21%), and physical medicine and rehabilitation (12%). The remaining papers were on internal medicine, obstetrics, and aerospace medicine. Most of the studies applied force or pressure sensors (32%), while optical and image sensors were applied most widely across fields. The main challenges for future adoption include the lack of large human trials, the maturity of emerging technologies (e.g., biochemical sensors), and the absence of standardization of evaluation in specific fields. New research should aim to employ robust performance metrics to evaluate their systems and incorporate real-world evidence as part of the evaluation process. Oral cavity sensors offer the potential for applications in healthcare and wellbeing, but for many technologies, more research is needed.

Best clinical practice guidance for clinicians dealing with children presenting with molar-incisor-hypomineralisation (MIH): an updated European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry policy document

AIM

To update the existing European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry (EAPD) 2010 policy document on the 'Best Clinical Practice guidance for clinicians dealing with children presenting with Molar-Incisor-Hypomineralisation (MIH).'

METHODS

Experts, assigned the EAPD, worked on two different topics: (A) Aetiological factors involved in MIH, and (B) Treatment options for the clinical management of MIH. The group prepared two detailed systematic reviews of the existing literature relevant to the topics and following a consensus process produced the updated EAPD policy document on the 'Best Clinical Practice guidance for clinicians dealing with children presenting with molar-incisor-hypomineralisation (MIH).' The GRADE system was used to assess the quality of evidence regarding aetiology and treatment which was judged as HIGH, MODERATE, LOW or VERY LOW, while the GRADE criteria were used to indicate the strength of recommendation regarding treatment options as STRONG or WEAK/CONDITIONAL.

RESULTS

(A) Regarding aetiology, it is confirmed that MIH has a multifactorial aetiology with the duration, strength and timing of occurrence of the aetiological factors being responsible for the variable clinical characteristics of the defect. Perinatal hypoxia, prematurity and other hypoxia related perinatal problems, including caesarean section, appear to increase the risk of having MIH, while certain infant and childhood illnesses are also linked with MIH. In addition, genetic predisposition and the role of epigenetic influences are becoming clearer following twin studies and genome and single-nucleotide polymorphisms analyses in patients and families. Missing genetic information might be the final key to truly understand MIH aetiology. (B) Regarding treatment options, composite restorations, preformed metal crowns and laboratory indirect restorations provide high success rates for the posterior teeth in appropriate cases, while scheduled extractions provide an established alternative option in severe cases. There is great need for further clinical and laboratory studies evaluating new materials and non-invasive/micro-invasive techniques for anterior teeth, especially when aesthetic and oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) issues are concerned.

CONCLUSIONS

MIH has been studied more extensively in the last decade. Its aetiology follows the multifactorial model, involving systemic medical and genetic factors. Further focused laboratory research and prospective clinical studies are needed to elucidate any additional factors and refine the model. Successful preventive and treatment options have been studied and established. The appropriate choice depends on the severity of the defects and the age of the patient. EAPD encourages the use of all available treatment options, whilst in severe cases, scheduled extractions should be considered.