Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for JCM Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Novel Research in Pediatric Dentistry

Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
Published Papers

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Clinical Pediatrics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 March 2025 | Viewed by 15515

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Katrin Bekes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Medical University of Vienna, Sensengasse 2a, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
Interests: pediatric dentistry; conservative dentistry; oral health related quality of life
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Christian Hirsch

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Pediatric Dentistry, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
Interests: temporomandibular disorders and bruxism in children and adolescents; oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in children and adolescents
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Pediatric dentistry provides preventive and therapeutic oral health care for infants and children throughout adolescence, including those with special health care needs. Currently, early childhood caries (ECC) and molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH) represent a major challenge. Despite improvements in efforts regarding dental health education, ECC is still a highly prevalent disease affecting millions of preschool children worldwide. Moreover, MIH—a common developmental dental condition—is becoming increasingly recognized.

The aim of this Special Issue is to focus on novel research in pediatric dentistry. Topics to be covered include the prevention and management of oral childhood diseases, as well as their impact on OHRQoL. We invite relevant original research, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and short communications covering the above-mentioned topics.

Prof. Dr. Katrin Bekes
Prof. Dr. Christian Hirsch
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

early childhood caries
primary teeth
caries prevention
caries treatment
behavioral management
molar incisor hypomineralization
dental trauma
sedation
oral-health-related quality of life

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (9 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

11 pages, 2774 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Validation of an Artificial Intelligence-Based Model for Early Childhood Caries Detection in Dental Photographs

by Julia Schwarzmaier, Elisabeth Frenkel, Julia Neumayr, Nour Ammar, Andreas Kessler, Falk Schwendicke, Jan Kühnisch and Helena Dujic

J. Clin. Med. 2024, 13(17), 5215; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13175215 - 3 Sep 2024

Viewed by 1314

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Early childhood caries (ECC) is a widespread and severe oral health problem that potentially affects the general health of children. Visual–tactile examination remains the diagnostic method of choice to diagnose ECC, although visual examination could be automated by artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the future. The aim of this study was the external validation of a recently published and freely accessible AI-based model for detecting ECC and classifying carious lesions in dental photographs. Methods: A total of 143 anonymised photographs of anterior deciduous teeth (ECC = 107, controls = 36) were visually evaluated by the dental study group (reference test) and analysed using the AI-based model (test method). Diagnostic performance was determined statistically. Results: ECC detection accuracy was 97.2%. Diagnostic performance varied between carious lesion classes (noncavitated lesions, greyish translucency/microcavity, cavitation, destructed tooth), with accuracies ranging from 88.9% to 98.1%, sensitivities ranging from 68.8% to 98.5% and specificities ranging from 86.1% to 99.4%. The area under the curve ranged from 0.834 to 0.964. Conclusions: The performance of the AI-based model is similar to that reported for the internal dataset used by developers. Further studies with independent image samples are required to comprehensively gauge the performance of the model. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Research in Pediatric Dentistry)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 1922 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Occlusal Caries Detection with Intraoral Scanners in Pediatric Dentistry: A Comparative Clinical Study

by Nelly Schulz-Weidner, Marina Gruber, Bernd Wöstmann, Constanze Friederike Uebereck, Norbert Krämer and Maximiliane Amelie Schlenz

J. Clin. Med. 2024, 13(4), 925; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13040925 - 6 Feb 2024

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2033

Abstract

Background: The aim of this clinical study was to compare the occlusal caries detection (OCD) performance of the intraoral scanners (IOSs) Trios 4 (TIO, 3Shape) and Emerald S (EME, Planmeca) and the Diagnocam (DIA, KaVo) with the established visual (WHO) examination (VIS, reference method). Methods: Between 08/2022 and 02/2023, 60 children (mean age 9.6 ± 2.5 years) were examined as part of their regular dental checkups. OCD was performed at the tooth level, separately for primary and permanent unrestored teeth. Furthermore, two thresholds were analyzed: sound versus overall caries (pooled data of enamel and dentin caries, TH1) and pooled data of sound and enamel caries versus dentin caries (TH2). Results: The best agreement with the reference method (reliability) in both dentitions was obtained for DIA (ĸ = 0.829/ĸ = 0.846; primary/permanent teeth), followed by EME (ĸ = 0.827/ĸ = 0.837) and TIO (ĸ = 0.714/ĸ = 0.680). Similar results were shown for the diagnostic quality (sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve), with higher values for TH1 than for TH2. Both IOSs and the DIA showed worse results than the reference method VIS. Conclusions: Currently, IOS should be used as an additional caries detection tool, especially for visualization, and cannot be recommended as a basic tool for diagnosis or invasive/noninvasive therapy decisions in OCD. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Research in Pediatric Dentistry)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

12 pages, 3168 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Children and “Young” Adult Patients’ Quality of Life after Prosthetic Treatment of Disorders of the Craniofacial Region—A Retrospective Study

by Elżbieta Wojtyńska, Bohdan Bączkowski, Mariusz Cierech and Elżbieta Mierzwińska-Nastalska

J. Clin. Med. 2024, 13(2), 339; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13020339 - 7 Jan 2024

Viewed by 979

Abstract

Background: Prosthetic rehabilitation for children and juvenile patients with congenital or acquired craniofacial disorders is the area of activity of many clinicians and is a major diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for dentists. Methods: Studies were carried out on a group of 30 patients (10 female and 20 male) aged 2.5 to 30 years who were treated prosthetically due to congenital and acquired craniofacial disorders. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life using the CPQ 11-14 (Child Perception Questionnaire 11-14), OQLQ (Orthognathic Quality of Life Questionnaire), and PIDAQ (Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire). Results: Before the prosthetic treatments, the mean values in the individual questionnaires were, respectively, CPQ 11-14—54 points; OQLQ—44.4 points; and PIDAQ—47.6 points. The following values were obtained after the treatments: CPQ 11-14—12.43 points; OQLQ—22.27 points; and PIDAQ—34.03 points. All obtained differences were statistically significant. Conclusions: The total numerical results obtained in all questionnaires decreased, which means that prosthetic rehabilitation had a positive impact on the assessment of the quality of life based on individual categories. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Research in Pediatric Dentistry)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 280 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Children’s Anxiety Level in Relation to a Dental Visit/Treatment and Their Parents’ Dental Fear

by Pia-Merete Jervøe-Storm, Lisa Patricia Peters, Katrin Bekes, Miriam Fricke and Søren Jepsen

J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12(20), 6691; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12206691 - 23 Oct 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1218

Abstract

The patients’ fear of the dentist plays an important role in the everyday life of a dentist. The anxiety level of children in relation to dental treatment/visits and to their parents’ dental fear was evaluated in three different centers. Assessments of a modified CFSS-DS (mCFSS-DS) were performed by questionnaire with 60 children and their parents. Children’s dmft/DMFT scores, age and gender were evaluated in relation to the parents’ perception of their child’s anxiety levels. For statistical evaluation, Kruskal–Wallis and Wilcoxon tests as well as Spearman’s correlation coefficient (Spearman) were used. The significance level was set at 0.05. There were no significant differences regarding children’s mCFSS-DS between the three centers (p = 0.398, Kruskal–Wallis). The parents’ mCFSS-DS scores correlated significantly with their children’s mCFSS-DS scores (p = 0.004, Spearman). However, the mean mCFSS-DS score of the children was significantly higher than the mean score of parents’ perception of their child’s anxiety (p = 0.000, Wilcoxon). The age of the child had an influence on the mCFSS-DS score (p = 0.02, Kruskal–Wallis) but neither the children’s gender (p = 0.170, Kruskal–Wallis), nor the dmft/DMFT showed an impact (p < 0.725, Spearman). Although a positive correlation was found between the results of the children’s and parents’ questionnaire, many parents underestimated the anxiety level of their children. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Research in Pediatric Dentistry)

12 pages, 1093 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Dental Pain on the Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) of Preschool Children in Austria

by Sophie Lembacher, Viktoria Hofer and Katrin Bekes

J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12(18), 5906; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12185906 - 11 Sep 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1993

Abstract

Dental pain in children is a global public health burden with psychosocial and economic implications, challenging families and pediatric dentists in daily clinical practice. Previous studies have addressed the exclusive impact of either caries, dental trauma, malocclusion, or socioeconomic status on OHRQoL. Even though such examples can surely cause dental pain in children, so far only little research on the correlation of dental pain as a general symptom of different underlying causes and OHRQoL has been published. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of dental pain on the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of children between the ages of 0 and 6 years old and subsequently compare the results to a control group free of tooth ache. Children and their adult caregivers were recruited from the Emergency unit of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the University Clinic of Dentistry in Vienna. The caregivers completed the German version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS-G). Afterwards, the children were clinically examined. The cause for dental pain, dmf-t index, and plaque accumulation were collected. In total, 259 children with a mean age of 4.2 years (SD ± 1.5 years) were included in the study group. Their mean ECOHIS-G score was 9.0 (SD ± 7.4), while the control group only amounted to a score of 4.9 (SD ± 5.6). The difference between the two groups was statistically significant in both ECOHIS-G subsections, the child impact scale (CIS) and the family impact scale (FIS) as well as the ECOHIS-G sum score (p < 0.05). Dmf-t index and plaque accumulation significantly correlated with CIS and ECOHIS sum score (p ≤ 0.05). The reduction in quality of life was nearly twice as great in the children with dental pain as in the control children. The ECOHIS-G is a valid instrument for measuring the OHRQoL of children with dental pain between the ages of 0 to 6. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Research in Pediatric Dentistry)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

8 pages, 235 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Changes in Oral-Health-Related Quality of Life of Egyptian Children Treated under Dental General Anesthesia: A Prospective Study

by Mahmoud Faheem, Dalia Moheb, Sherif Bahgat, Christian Splieth and Katrin Bekes

J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12(18), 5792; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12185792 - 6 Sep 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1266

Abstract

Background: Treatment of young children under dental general anesthesia (DGA) is sometimes necessary due to lack of cooperation and the complexity of dental treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the changes in oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in children following treatment under DGA. Methods: A consecutive sample of 88 children aged 5 and younger who were referred to the department of pediatric dentistry, Cairo university, Egypt, for treatment under DGA was included. Parents were asked to complete the Arabic version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (A-ECOHIS) questionnaire before and 4 weeks after treatment. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare baseline and follow up scores. Effect sizes (ES) were also calculated. Results: The overall ECOHIS scores decreased significantly from 16.72 (±7.07) to 0.9 (±3.08); (p < 0.001, Wilcoxon signed-rank test) after treatment under DGA, demonstrating a large effect size of 2.2. The scores of the two subscales of the ECOHIS, the child impact scale (CIS) and the family impact scale (FIS), also decreased significantly (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Treatment under DGA not only improved the OHRQoL of the Egyptian children in our sample significantly, but also had a positive effect on their families’ quality of life. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Research in Pediatric Dentistry)

20 pages, 3421 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Finite Element Analysis of the Mechanical Performance of Non-Restorable Crownless Primary Molars Restored with Intracoronal Core-Supported Crowns: A Proposed Treatment Alternative to Extraction for Severe Early Childhood Caries

by Kunyawan Thaungwilai, Yanee Tantilertanant, Weerachai Singhatanadgit and Pairod Singhatanadgid

J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12(5), 1872; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12051872 - 27 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2394

Abstract

Early childhood caries (ECC) involve extensive coronal tooth structure loss, and tooth reconstruction remains highly challenging. To fulfill preclinical assessment, the present study investigated the biomechanics of non-restorable crownless primary molars that were restored by stainless steel crowns (SSC) using different composite core build-up materials. Computer-aided design-integrated 3D finite element and modified Goodman fatigue analyses were performed to determine stress distribution, risk of failure, fatigue life and dentine–material interfacial strength for the restored crownless primary molars. A dual-cured resin composite (MultiCore Flow), a light-cured bulk-fill resin composite (Filtek Bulk Fill posterior), a resin-modified glass-ionomer cement (Fuji II LC) and a nano-filled resin-modified glass-ionomer cement (NRMGIC; Ketac N100) were used as core build-up composite materials in the simulated models. The finite element analysis showed that types of core build-up materials affected the maximum von Mises stress only in the core materials (p-value = 0.0339). NRMGIC demonstrated the lowest von Mises stresses and revealed the highest minimum safety factor. The weakest sites were along the central grooves regardless of type of material, and the ratio of shear bond strength to maximum shear stress at the core–dentine interface of the NRMGIC group was lowest among the tested composite cores. However, all groups provided lifetime longevity from the fatigue analysis. In conclusion, core build-up materials differentially influenced the von Mises stress (magnitude and distribution) and the safety factor in crownless primary molars restored with core-supported SSC. However, all materials and the remaining dentine of crownless primary molars provided lifetime longevity. The reconstruction by core-supported SSC, as an alternative to tooth extraction, may successfully restore non-restorable crownless primary molars without unfavorable failures throughout their lifespan. Further clinical studies are required to evaluate the clinical performance and suitability of this proposed method. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Research in Pediatric Dentistry)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 2129 KiB

Open AccessArticle

by Andreea Igna, Darian Rusu, Emilia Ogodescu, Ștefania Dinu, Marius Boariu, Adrian Voicu and Ștefan-Ioan Stratul

J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12(1), 170; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12010170 - 26 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2444

Abstract

(1) Background: Pulse oximetry (PO) is an effective method of dental pulp status monitorization but still lacks practical implementation in dentistry, as well as clear reference values for different tooth types. The study’s aim was to investigate the age-related variation of blood oxygen saturation (SpO₂) from the dental pulp during different stages of tooth development in all types of primary and permanent teeth of children. (2) Methods: The pulps of 600 healthy primary and permanent teeth (incisors, canines, premolars, and molars) of patients aged 2–15 years were tested with an adapted PO device, and the results were statistically analyzed; (3) Results: Statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were found between open-apex and closed-apex teeth and between the canines and other tooth types in both primary and permanent dentitions. (4) Conclusions: Values of SpO₂ tended to decrease with age progression in both primary and permanent dentitions. Enamel and dentine thickness and their optical properties and the shape and volume of coronal pulp, which differed among tooth types, seemed to have some influence on the reading as well. The study indicates that factors such as the root development and the tooth type must be taken into account when establishing reference SpO₂ values for the dental pulp. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Research in Pediatric Dentistry)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

11 pages, 6788 KiB

Open AccessReview

Management of Complex Root Fractures in Young Patients—Case Series and a Literature Review

by Hanna Sobczak-Zagalska, Dorota Ogonowska-Paul, Michał Bartmański and Paulina Adamska

J. Clin. Med. 2024, 13(22), 6753; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13226753 - 10 Nov 2024

Viewed by 370

Abstract

Background: Root fractures are defined as injuries involving dentine, cementum, and the pulp. They are rare, and they account for 0.5–7% of the dental injuries in the permanent teeth. Root fractures may be the result of direct trauma to the teeth or indirect trauma to the oral cavity. Their incidence is highest in the group of adolescent patients aged 11 to 20 years. The purpose of the paper is to review the literature supported by a case series with three different types of root fractures with various healing patterns, though all with successful long-term treatment outcomes. Case series: All presented patients were boys aged 10 to 11 years. Root fractures occurred as a result of direct impact with the teeth by an object. Only one boy had his root-fractured teeth endodontically treated. However, one of the teeth was misdiagnosed with pulp necrosis, and the other became non-vital after additional trauma. Conclusions: Root fractures in young patients have good healing potential. Appropriate and early diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for treating root-fractured teeth are necessary to achieve favorable healing and a good long-term prognosis. Regardless of the pattern of healing of fractured roots and the treatment provided, patients require long-term follow-up and the need to plan a management strategy in case complications occur. Failure of the healing of fractured root is a worst-case scenario, especially in patients of developmental age. In such cases, the primary goal of treatment is to preserve the alveolar ridge until growth is complete. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Research in Pediatric Dentistry)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Novel Research in Pediatric Dentistry

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Published Papers (9 papers)

Research

Review

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI