The ever-changing landscape in modern dentistry therapeutics - Enhancing the emptying quiver of the periodontist

Towards dental diagnostic systems: Synergizing wavelet transform with generative adversarial networks for enhanced image data fusion

The advent of precision diagnostics in pediatric dentistry is shifting towards ensuring early detection of dental diseases, a critical factor in safeguarding the oral health of the younger population. In this study, an innovative approach is introduced, wherein Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) and Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) are synergized within an Image Data Fusion (IDF) framework to enhance the accuracy of dental disease diagnosis through dental diagnostic systems. Dental panoramic radiographs from pediatric patients were utilized to demonstrate how the integration of DWT and GANs can significantly improve the informativeness of dental images. In the IDF process, the original images, GAN-augmented images, and wavelet-transformed images are combined to create a comprehensive dataset. DWT was employed for the decomposition of images into frequency components to enhance the visibility of subtle pathological features. Simultaneously, GANs were used to augment the dataset with high-quality, synthetic radiographic images indistinguishable from real ones, to provide robust data training. These integrated images are then fed into an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for the classification of dental diseases. The utilization of the ANN in this context demonstrates the system's robustness and culminates in achieving an unprecedented accuracy rate of 0.897, 0.905 precision, recall of 0.897, and specificity of 0.968. Additionally, this study explores the feasibility of embedding the diagnostic system into dental X-ray scanners by leveraging lightweight models and cloud-based solutions to minimize resource constraints. Such integration is posited to revolutionize dental care by providing real-time, accurate disease detection capabilities, which significantly reduces diagnostical delays and enhances treatment outcomes.

Effectiveness of Conventional Periodontal Treatment With Tetracycline Fiber Versus Minocycline Gel Application Subgingivally in Periodontitis Patients

BACKGROUND

Locally delivered antibiotics are adjunctive therapies for the selective removal or inhibition of pathogenic microbes in combination with scaling and root planing (SRP) for the management of periodontitis.

OBJECTIVE

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of tetracycline fibers against minocycline gel when used as local drug delivery in conjunction with SRP for treating periodontitis.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

This is a pilot randomized open single, blinded trial study comparing three treatment modalities: SRP with topical tetracycline fibers (SRP+T), SRP with topical minocycline HCL 2% gel (SRP+M), and SRP only as a control group. Probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), and bleeding on probing (BOP) percentages were recorded at baseline, one month, and at the end of three months. The data were subjected to analysis using IBM Corp. Released 2019. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare the clinical outcomes between the three treatment groups, accounting for the repeated measurements at baseline, one month, and three months. A p-value less than 0.05 at a 95% confidence interval was deemed statistically significant.

RESULTS

There were statistically significant changes within the groups in all the clinical parameters, including pocket depth, clinical attachment loss, and bleeding on probing score, at different time intervals, with the greatest mean pocket depth changes seen in the tetracycline group after one month (mean changes = 1.4 mm, P < 0.001) and over three months (mean changes = 1.79 mm, p < 0.001). For clinical attachment loss, after one month, the highest improvement in clinical level was seen in the minocycline group (mean changes = 0.7mm, p < 0.05), and the overall improvement was seen in the control group (mean changes = 1.1mm, p < 0.05). The minocycline group showed greater mean changes in bleeding on probing percentage, with the greatest changes after one month (mean changes = 19.34%, p < 0.001) and over three months (mean changes = 26.42%, p <0.001). However, there was no significant difference between the groups.

CONCLUSION

Locally delivered tetracycline and minocycline gel are effective as adjuncts to SRP and may improve the healing outcome in the management of periodontitis.