Ayse Ozcan Kucuk

Background: Teledentistry is a new field of dentistry that delivers remote dental care services using various technologies. It employs digital imaging and the Internet to improve access for underserved patients in rural or remote areas. To support its integration into future dental practice, it is essential to assess current students’ knowledge, awareness, and attitudes toward teledentistry. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered online via Google Forms to third-, fourth-, and fifth-year undergraduate students. The questionnaire collected sociodemographic information as well as items assessing knowledge of, awareness of, and attitudes toward teledentistry. Data were analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Statistics version 22. Results: The study included 302 dental students (48% female, 52% male; mean age: 22.99 ± 2.09 years). Overall, 29% had heard of teledentistry, while only 2% had used it. Among those aware, prior use was higher than among those unaware (5.8% vs. 0.5%, P = 0.001). Significant differences were observed by academic year. Fourth-year students were more likely than third- and fifth-year students to report that teledentistry could be used for educational purposes (50.5% vs. 35.2% and 36.8%, P = 0.045). They also showed higher agreement regarding its use in interdisciplinary virtual consultations (64.4% vs. 46.4% and 56.6%, P = 0.044), Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (MRONJ) follow-up (38.6% vs. 8.8% and 32.9%, P = 0.001), and clinical cost reduction (49.5% vs. 40% and 27.6%, P = 0.025). Conclusion: Most dental students were unfamiliar with teledentistry, its advantages and limitations, and practical applications. Given that teledentistry remains a novel technology, its principles and applications should be incorporated into the undergraduate dental curriculum.

Purpose/ Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the perspectives of 5th-year students at Mersin University Faculty of Dentistry regarding clinical practice in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.Methods: This survey study was conducted at Mersin University, Faculty of Dentistry, in March and April 2024. Eighty fifth-year dental students participated in the study. Responses to the survey, which consisted of 29 questions, were evaluated using a Likert-type scoring system. The survey form was formatted using Google Forms and distributed to the participants via email for completion. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23.Results: The study findings indicated that greater difficulty was encountered when administering both anesthesia techniques to pediatric patients (infiltration: 32.5%, regional: 20%). Overall, the participants reported that they did not perceive any significant deficiencies in their anatomical or theoretical knowledge regarding the administration of local anesthesia. Only 5% of the participants strongly agreed with the statement, "I have sufficient knowledge to manage clinical emergencies." The teeth that participants found most difficult to extract were endodontically treated teeth in the posterior mandibular region and root fragments in both the maxilla and mandible (6.3%), whereas teeth in the anterior mandibular region were reported to be the least challenging.Conclusion: Students who receive adequate theoretical and anatomical training in local anesthesia applications should be provided with more opportunities for practical experience. Students in dental faculties must be trained in basic life support and medical emergency applications until they achieve sufficient competence.

Tele-dentistry can be defined as the utilization of digital and telecommunication technologies to facilitate remote dental care. This study assessed the knowledge, awareness and practices related to tele-dentistry among oral and maxillofacial surgeons in Türkiye using a cross-sectional survey. A structured questionnaire was distributed to approximately 900 members of the Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Society (AÇBİD) in Türkiye, and responses from 152 participants were analysed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression (p < 0.05). Although 46.1% of respondents reported familiarity with tele-dentistry, only 9.9% had prior experience with it. Overall awareness was moderate and attitudes toward future applications were generally positive; however, actual clinical utilization remained limited. Academic title was the only variable significantly associated with prior awareness and utilization, although the strength of this association was modest and its confidence intervals were wide. None of the predictor variables demonstrated a statistically significant association with the participants’ intention to use tele-dentistry in the future. These findings indicate that oral and maxillofacial surgeons in Türkiye are receptive to tele-dentistry but have limited practical exposure. Barriers to implementation may include insufficient training, data security concerns, diagnostic reliability issues, and lack of institutional support. Strengthening specialty training and developing system-level frameworks may support broader adoption in clinical practice. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine tele-dentistry-related knowledge, awareness, and practices among oral and maxillofacial surgeons in Türkiye.

This study aimed to evaluate the potential use of resveratrol on bone healing after tooth extraction in zoledronic acid-treated rats. Seventy-two Wistar rats were separated into 4 groups of 18: no drugs (control group), zoledronic acid (ZA), resveratrol (RES), zoledronic acid + resveratrol (ZA + RES). The first and second molars of each rat were extracted and nine rats from each group were sacrificed on days 14 and 28. The extraction sites and blood samples were analyzed histologically, immunohistochemically and biochemically. The epithelization, connective tissue, new bone formation in RES group was significantly higher compared to ZA and ZA + RES groups on day 28. The connective tissue in control group was significantly higher compared to ZA and ZA + RES groups on days 14 and 28. BMP-4 levels in RES group were significantly higher compared to the other groups on days 14 and 28. Serum CTX levels in ZA + RES group were significantly higher compared to control and RES groups on day 14. Serum TRACP-5b levels in ZA + RES group, were significantly higher compared to control and RES groups on day 14. TRACP-5b level of the control was significantly lower than ZA and ZA + RES groups. Although resveratrol improved new bone formation in normal rats, no significant positive effects were detected in zoledronic acid-injected rats.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of honokiol on 5-florourasil (5-FU) induced oral mucositis (OM) in rats. A total of 24 female Wistar Albino rats were injected with 5‑FU on day 1, 3 and 5. A superficial scratch was linearly created on the right buccal mucosa on days 3 and 5. The animals were randomly divided into control, vehicle, topical honokiol and systemic honokiol groups and sacrificed on the day 10 after the first 5-FU application. Blood and tissue sampling were analysed for total antioxidant status (TAS) levels, total oxidant status (TOS) levels plus histopathological evaluations. When the systemic and topical groups and vehicle group compared to control group, no statistically significant difference was found histopathological scores. (p = 1.000, p = 0.264, p = 1.000, respectively). There were no significance differences in histopathological scores between systemic and topical groups (p = 1.000), or between systemic and vehicle groups (p = 0.139). A statistically significant difference was observed in the histopathologic analysis between the topical and vehicle groups, (p = 0.006). There were no differences in TAS and TOS between the groups. The authors found no beneficial effect of systemic or topical honokiol on healing 5‑FU‑induced OM. To confirm its effects on OM, further studies are required with different study designs.

Aims: Endotracheal intubation is a widely utilised technique in the fields of anesthesia and resuscitation. However, dentoalveolar and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) injuries may occur frequently during this procedure. Such injuries can result in patient morbidity and, in some cases, may also give rise to medico-legal issues. It is therefore essential to develop a comprehensive understanding of the prevalence of such injuries, the risk factors that contribute to their occurrence, and effective management strategies to minimize the likelihood of these complications arising. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of 227 anesthesiologists across Turkiye regarding dentoalveolar and TMJ injuries occurring during endotracheal intubation. A previously validated online questionnaire consisting of 20 questions was administered. Data were analyzed with IBM SPSS v23 software, and the significance level was evaluated as p

Teletıp sağlık alanında ses, görüntü gibi teknolojilerin kullanılarak hastaların uzaktan muayene edilmesini, değerlendirilmesini ve incelenmesini mümkün kılmaktadır. Teknoloji geliştikçe uzaktan sağlık hizmetlerine olan talep artmaktadır. Tüm dünyayı etkileyen COVİD-19 salgınıyla birlikte teletıp diş hekimliğinde de popüler hale gelmiştir. Teletıp diş hekimliğinde ortodonti, endodonti, pedodonti ve çene cerrahisi gibi birçok bölümde kullanılmaktadır. Teletıp sayesinde uzaktaki hastalara erişim kolaylaşmış, maliyet ve klinik iş yükü ise azalmıştır. Bununla birlikte uzaktan yapılan teletıp uygulamalarının; fiziksel muayene yapılamaması, elde edilen bilgi kalitesinin düşük olması, veri güvenliğiyle ilgili sorunların ve bazı yasal sorunların meydana gelebilmesi ya da internet erişim problemleri gibi çeşitli dezavantajları mevcuttur. Günümüzde teletıp temporomandibular eklem bozuklukları, implant planlaması, travma hastalarının takibi, hastaların konsülte edilmesi, minör cerrahiler sonrası postoperatif bakımın kolay bir şekilde sağlanması, sanal eğitimler verilmesi gibi ağız diş ve çene cerrahisinin birçok alanında kullanılmaktadır. Bu derlemenin amacı diş hekimliğinin bir dalı olan ağız, diş ve çene cerrahisi alanında teletıp uygulamaları, avantajları, dezavantajları ve hangi işlemlerde nasıl kullanıldığını ele almaktır.