This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for diagnosis of interproximal caries in pediatric intraoral radiographs. A total of 500 intraoral radiographic images of first and second primary molars were used for the study. A CNN model (Resnet 50) was applied for the detection of proximal caries. The diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and area under ROC curve (AUC) were calculated on the test dataset. The diagnostic accuracy was 0.84, sensitivity was 0.74, and specificity was 0.94. The trained CNN algorithm achieved AUC of 0.86. The diagnostic CNN model for pediatric intraoral radiographs showed good performance with high accuracy. Deep learning can assist dentists in diagnosis of proximal caries lesions in pediatric intraoral radiographs.

The purpose of this in vivo study was to assess the clinical screening performance of a quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF) device in detecting proximal caries in primary molars. Fluorescence loss, red autofluorescence and a simplified QLF score for proximal caries (QS-proximal) were evaluated for their validity in detecting proximal caries in primary molars compared to bitewing radiography.
Three hundred and forty-four primary molar surfaces were included in the study. Carious lesions were scored according to lesion severity assessed by visual-tactile and radiographic examinations. The QLF images were analyzed for two quantitative parameters, fluorescence loss and red autofluorescence, as well as for QS-proximal. For both quantitative parameters and QS-proximal, the sensitivity, specificity and area under receiver operating curve (AUROC) were calculated as a function of the radiographic scoring index at enamel and dentin caries levels.
Both quantitative parameters showed fair AUROC values for detecting dentine level caries (△F = 0.794, △R = 0.750). QS-proximal showed higher AUROC values (0.757 - 0.769) than that of visual-tactile scores (0.653) in detecting dentine level caries.
The QLF device showed fair screening performance in detecting proximal caries in primary molars compared to bitewing radiography.

This study retrospectively analyzed the effect of clinical factors on the outcomes of REP(regenerative endodontic procedure). Patients who received the REP using triple antibiotic paste due to trauma or fracture of dens evaginatus from February, 2011 to January, 2020 were included in the study. Finally, 57 teeth in 54 patients were selected.
Investigated clinical factors were as follows: intentional bleeding, etiology, and root development stage. Treatment outcomes evaluated were as follows: improvement of subjective symptoms, changes in the periapical lesion, and the amounts of root development after REP. To compensate for differences in angulation and position between repeated radiographic examinations, images were aligned by Turboreg plugin. To evaluate the amounts of root development, apical diameter, root area, and root length were measured by ImageJ software.
Among the aforementioned factors, intentional bleeding had no significant effect on treatment results. Regarding the etiology, the increase in the root area and the root length was significantly less in trauma cases than in dens evaginatus fracture cases. Considering root development stage, more immature teeth presented more increase in the root area.

Children with an intellectual disability often demonstrate lack of cooperation during dental treatment and require behavioral management. A child with mild intellectual disability can be managed adequately using restraints and medication. However, in cases of profound intellectual disability, dental treatment under general anesthesia is usually required. In cases where the patient is an intellectually disabled child who has intellectually disabled parents, it is difficult to evaluate the patient's preoperative condition and to obtain consent for treatment under general anesthesia. Furthermore, they are unable to respond to emergencies after treatment. Therefore, dental treatment should be performed under general anesthesia with hospitalization for children with an intellectual disability. This case presents the dental treatment of an intellectually disabled child, who has intellectually disabled parents, and who required general anesthesia and hospitalization.
Anesthesia, General* ; Child ; Dental Care for Disabled ; Disabled Children* ; Emergencies ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Intellectual Disability ; Parents*

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the demographic characteristics of pediatric dental patients who underwent dental treatment under general anesthesia (DTGA) at the Seoul National University Dental Hospital from January 2011 through December 2020 and compare the patterns of repeated DTGA between dental patients with severe disabilities (DSD) and non-DSD (healthy or medically compromised patients without DSD). There were 1,857 DTGAs among 1,719 patients (mean age = 5.1 years; males = 59.3%; ASA 2 or above = 52.9%; DSD = 26.8%). Overall, 6.6% of patients underwent repeated DTGA, and the rate of repeated DTGA over a 10-year period was 7.4%. ASA 2 or above (p < 0.0001) and DSD (p < 0.0001) were more likely to undergo repeated DRGA compared to ASA 1 and non-DSD. At both GA1 and GA2, DSD received significantly more restorative treatment on permanent teeth than non-DSD (p = 0.002, p < 0.0001, respectively). There has been an increasing demand for DTGA in pediatric dentistry over the last 10 years. Regular check-ups and preventive oral health care are necessary for pediatric dental patients with severe disabilities to reduce the possibility of repeated DTGA.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of interceptive primary canine extraction in palatally and buccally displaced maxillary permanent canines, and to analyze the clinical and radiographic factors affecting the treatment outcome. 97 maxillary permanent canines from 86 patients whose maxillary permanent canine were in the mesio-occlusal directions and overlapped with the roots of the adjacent teeth were analyzed. In 64 of 97 (66.0%) maxillary permanent canines, the displaced crown was completely deviated from the adjacent lateral incisor root only by extraction of the primary canine. Not only the characteristics of maxillary permanent canines such as bucco-palatal displacement direction, horizontal and vertical position of the crown tip, and presence of apical closure, but also periapical rarefaction on the primary canine and peg-shaped adjacent lateral incisor significantly affected the treatment outcome.

This study aims to analyze the color distribution of maxillary permanent incisors in Korean pediatric patients and determine the effects of age and root developmental stage on tooth color. The L*a*b* values of 404 sound and fully erupted maxillary incisors without dental caries, restorations, trauma history or discoloration from 101 Korean patients between ages 7 and 15, with a mean age 10.0 ± 1.5, were analyzed with a spectrophotometer. CIE L*a*b* values were 84.01, 0.17, and 24.07 in maxillary central incisors, and 82.33, 0.31, and 25.99 in maxillary lateral incisors. L* values of maxillary central incisors were higher, and b* values of maxillary central incisors were lower than those of maxillary lateral incisors (p < 0.001). The color differences among the subregions exceeded the clinical perceptibility threshold in both of the maxillary central and lateral incisors. L* value for children at age 10 and younger was 84.13 in maxillary central incisors and 84.04 in maxillary lateral incisors, and those of older patients were 80.62 and 80.56, respectively. L* value of maxillary incisors of children at age 10 and younger was significantly higher than that of older patients. The root developmental stage did not affect tooth color. This study suggests that the color differences between maxillary central and lateral incisors and among the subregions of a tooth and the effects of age should be considered for aesthetic restorations of permanent incisors in pediatric patients.

Midazolam is a short-acting benzodiazepine that is widely used in pediatric dental sedation. However, its clinical effectiveness as an intravenous sedative agent in children has not been widely documented. A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenous midazolam and nitrous oxide inhalation sedation in pediatric dental treatment.
The subjects were 115 patients (118 cases) who received dental treatment under intravenous midazolam and nitrous oxide inhalation sedation. Demographic factors, general health status, sedation time, midazolam and nitrous oxide dosage, and success rate of sedation were evaluated from electronic medical records.
Behavioral management was the main reason of choosing sedation. Mean duration of sedation was 56.7 minutes for surgical treatment, and 74.4 minutes for restorative treatment. The initial dosage of intravenous midazolam was 0.051 ± 0.019 mg/kg. In 34 cases (28.8%), additional midazolam of 0.036 ± 0.057 mg/kg was delivered during the treatment. The concentration of nitrous oxide was maintained between 40% and 50%. The success rate of sedation was 99% (n = 117). In 1 case, laryngospasm occurred and the patient was reversed with benzodiazepine antagonist, flumazenil.
Intravenous midazolam sedation with nitrous oxide was shown to be clinically effective for the dental treatment in children, if administered by trained personnel and patients are carefully selected in accordance with guidelines.

The number of pediatric dental clinics has been increasing due to the development of dentistry and changes in public awareness of professional dental care for children. The purpose of this study was to investigate the present status of pediatric dental clinics in Korea in several respects, including regional distribution.
There were 343 pediatric dental clinics (1.91%) among 17,917 dental clinics in Korea. 248 out of 343 private practitioners were board certified pediatric dentists. Of 248 board certified pediatric dentists, 25 displayed the specialty in their clinics’ name. Gyeonggi occupied largest share of the total pediatric dental clinics in Korea, followed by Seoul and Busan. Gangnam-gu occupied largest share of the total pediatric dental clinics in Seoul. Out of all pediatric dental clinics in Korea, 78.7% was run by only one dentist. 90.9% of pediatric dental clinics didn’t do night clinic on weekdays and 26.5% was open until after 15:00 on Saturday.

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of developmental anomalies of permanent lateral incisor and eruption disturbances and analyze the association between two components. Panoramic radiographs of 3984 patients (aged 5 to 13 years) who visited the Department of Pediatric Dentistry of Seoul National University Dental Hospital between November 2016 and October 2017 were screened.
The prevalence of developmental anomalies of permanent lateral incisors was 10.2%. The most common developmental anomalies were congenitally missing teeth(66.1%), followed by peg lateralis(33.5%). The prevalence of eruption disturbances was 16.5%. Among the patient with developmental anomalies of permanent lateral incisors, associated eruption disturbances were appeared on 31.1% of patients. Peg lateralis(p < 0.001), underdeveloped lateral incisors(p < 0.001) and dens invaginatus(p = 0.004) were associated significantly with eruption disturbance of permanent teeth. Eruption disturbance in patients with peg lateralis and dens invaginatus was most prevalent in maxillary canine. For patients with underdeveloped lateral incisor, eruption disturbance of maxillary central incisor was most frequent.
It is important for patients with developmental anomalies of lateral incisors to detect associated eruption disturbance early through regular checkup. Diagnosis and treatment plan in view of such relationships is important in order to treat appropriately at the optimal time.