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Odontogenic sinusitis (ODS) is increasingly recognized as a distinct form of sinonasal disease in which dental and sinus pathology coexist and frequently require coordinated management. Although systemic antibiotics are commonly prescribed, their precise role remains difficult to define because the available literature is heterogeneous and often extrapolated from studies of conventional rhinosinusitis or odontogenic infections. This review critically examines the evidence supporting systemic antibiotic use in ODS, with particular attention to clinical indications, microbiological considerations, therapeutic limitations, and their relationship with dental and sinonasal treatment. The polymicrobial nature of ODS, with frequent involvement of anaerobic organisms, provides a rationale for antimicrobial therapy in selected clinical circumstances. Antibiotics are particularly relevant in patients presenting with systemic manifestations, spreading or rapidly progressive infection, increased host vulnerability, or infectious complications, and may also be useful as temporary therapy when definitive intervention cannot be immediately performed. However, available evidence does not support routine antibiotic use solely on the basis of an ODS diagnosis or radiographic sinus abnormalities. In clinically stable patients with a treatable odontogenic condition, definitive dental treatment remains central to disease resolution, while persistent sinonasal disease may require endoscopic sinus surgery or other sinus-directed intervention. Repeated or progressively broader antibiotic courses in patients with persistent disease should prompt diagnostic and therapeutic reassessment rather than empirical escalation. Overall, systemic antibiotics retain an important but selective role in ODS management. Their use should be guided by the clinical presentation, severity of infection, host factors, and the feasibility of timely definitive treatment, while recognizing the limited direct evidence currently available.

Purpose: Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are increasingly used by dental students and faculty for literature review, coursework preparation, and scholarly writing. In restorative dentistry education, where evidence‐based decision‐making is fundamental, inaccurate AI‐generated citations may pose educational risks. This study evaluated the bibliographic reliability of AI‐generated references in restorative dentistry topics and examined their potential implications for dental education. Methods: Five large language model (LLM)–based chatbots were tested using ten standardised restorative dentistry prompts representing commonly assigned educational topics. Each chatbot generated 100 references ( N = 500). References were manually verified using indexed databases and evaluated using the Reference Hallucination Score (RHS; range 0–11). Chatbot performance was compared using the Friedman test, followed by Dunn–Bonferroni post hoc pairwise comparisons. Binary bibliographic error parameters were analysed using generalised linear mixed models, with chatbot type, prompt complexity, and their interaction as fixed effects and prompt as a random intercept (α = 0.05). Results: A significant overall difference in RHS was observed among the evaluated AI chatbots ( p < 0.001), with post hoc analyses identifying significant differences between specific model pairs. ChatGPT‐5.2 and Perplexity AI demonstrated the lowest hallucination severity, whereas Copilot and DeepSeek‐v3.2 demonstrated the highest. Prompt complexity did not significantly influence hallucination severity. Errors most frequently involved author names, journal titles, and DOIs. Conclusions: AI‐generated references in restorative dentistry demonstrated substantial variability in bibliographic accuracy across the evaluated AI systems. These inaccuracies may pose potential risks to evidence‐based learning and academic integrity, highlighting the importance of systematic reference verification and AI literacy in dental education.

Background: Combined with haptic feedback systems, extended reality (XR) platforms enable immersive, multisensory learning environments that approximate the tactile, spatial, and proprioceptive demands of endodontic procedures. Objective: To map and critically examine the current evidence regarding the application of XR technologies in endodontic education, with particular emphasis on educational outcomes, clinical transferability, and future directions for curricular integration. Methodology: The review was reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA‐ScR) guidelines and conducted using the SPIDER framework to define eligibility criteria. Electronic searches were performed in PubMed (MEDLINE), Web of Science (All databases), and Scopus to identify studies evaluating XR‐based simulation platforms in undergraduate and postgraduate endodontic training. Eligible studies assessed educational outcomes related to technical performance, knowledge acquisition, psychological impact, or learner perception. Findings were synthesized descriptively with a critical appraisal of methodological and pedagogical considerations. Methodological quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools. Results: XR‐based simulation platforms have demonstrated consistent short‐term improvements in technical performance, particularly in access cavity preparation, alongside enhanced learner engagement and structured feedback. Evidence also supports construct validity for certain haptic systems and positive effects on theoretical knowledge and confidence. However, substantial heterogeneity exists in study design, intervention protocols, and outcome measures. Most investigations are limited to short‐term simulator‐based metrics, with relatively few studies evaluating clinical transferability. Methodological variability and limited standardisation restrict the comparability of findings across platforms. Conclusions: XR technologies represent a meaningful adjunct in endodontic education, particularly for deliberate practice and objective skill assessment. Nevertheless, current evidence remains focused primarily on short‐term outcomes. Future research should prioritise longitudinal designs, standardised evaluation frameworks, and clinically relevant endpoints to clarify the extent to which simulation‐based gains translate into improved patient care.

Objective: This in vitro study aimed to evaluate the effects of substrate composition, surface conditioning protocol, and repair material type on the repair shear bond strength (SBS) of an aged self‐cure bulk‐fill resin composite. Materials and Methods: A total of 80 specimens were fabricated using two substrate compositions of a self‐cure bulk‐fill composite (Stela; Automix and Capsule). After initial aging by thermocycling, specimens were repaired according to a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design based on surface conditioning (mechanical roughening with or without 37% phosphoric acid etching) and repair material type (self‐cure composite with proprietary primer or light‐cure nanohybrid composite with a universal adhesive). SBS was measured using a universal testing machine. Failure modes were analyzed using a stereomicroscope. Data were analyzed using three‐way ANOVA, Tukey's HSD, and Fisher's exact tests ( p < 0.05). Results: Substrate composition, surface conditioning protocol, and repair material type each significantly affected repair bond strength ( p < 0.001). Capsule‐based substrates showed higher SBS values than Automix substrates. Phosphoric acid etching significantly increased SBS compared with mechanical roughening alone. Repairs performed with the same self‐cure composite exhibited significantly higher SBS than those repaired with a light‐cure composite. Significant two‐way interactions were observed between substrate composition × repair material type ( p < 0.001) and surface conditioning × repair material type ( p = 0.015). The highest SBS was observed in the Capsule + acid etching + self‐cure repair group. Failure mode analysis revealed predominantly cohesive or mixed failures in self‐cure repair groups, whereas light‐cure repair groups showed a higher frequency of adhesive failures. Conclusion: Repair bond strength of a self‐cure bulk‐fill composite is highly material‐ and protocol‐dependent. Utilizing a chemically compatible self‐cure material system combined with adjunctive phosphoric acid etching significantly optimizes repair longevity, especially when applied to mechanically triturated capsule‐based substrates. Clinical Significance: The selection of repair material and surface conditioning protocol significantly influences the repair bond strength of aged self‐cure bulk‐fill composites. When the original restorative material is known, repair with the same composite system following phosphoric acid conditioning may provide more durable bonding.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) haptic simulators and a multi‐layered dental preparation plate (CaviPrep) in developing manual dexterity among third‐semester dental students during preclinical training in restorative dentistry. Methods: Seventy‐five dental students were randomly assigned to three groups ( n = 25). Students in Group 1 and Group 2 received initial training using a VR haptic simulator and CaviPrep, respectively prior to performing procedures on extracted human mandibular first molar teeth. Group 3 served as the control group, performing cavity preparations on extracted mandibular first molar teeth immediately following a conventional instructional demonstration. Manual dexterity was evaluated using educator assessments and students' self‐preclinical scores in terms of cavity preparations. The post‐training questionnaire was administered to gather data on students' perceptions of their training experiences. Results: The CaviPrep group (Group 2) demonstrated significantly better performance in specific parameters, particularly cavity outline, retention form and cavity width, compared to the other groups ( p < 0.05). A statistically significant agreement was observed between self‐assessed and educator‐assessed preclinical scores across all evaluated criteria ( p < 0.05). Student feedback indicated that the CaviPrep training plate was favoured over the VR haptic simulator in terms of tactile realism, ease of use, manual skill improvement and overall training effectiveness. Conclusion: CaviPrep was associated with better performance in key operative parameters and was perceived as a more effective training tool for developing manual dexterity. While VR simulators offer valuable digital feedback and guided learning, their current limitations in haptic realism restrict their standalone effectiveness. Therefore, integrating VR systems with physical simulation models may provide a more effective and balanced approach for preclinical dental education.

Introduction: Apical periodontitis can occur due to the host immune response, with the release of antibodies, cytokines, and chemokines by stress as a systemic risk factor. This systematic review aimed to investigate the relationship between stress and the severity of apical periodontitis. Methods: A detailed search strategy was conducted on the "PubMed (MEDLINE), Web of Science (all databases), Scopus, ScienceDirect, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library" databases. Data were screened based on the eligibility criteria. Articles assessing the severity of apical periodontitis using different parameters in stress-induced animals in comparison with stress-free animals were selected. The risk of bias assessment was conducted using SYRCLE’s RoB tool. The GRADEpro tool was used to determine the overall quality of evidence. Results: Four articles were selected after a full-text assessment. Animals under stress exhibited increased levels of inflammatory cells. The extension of the bone loss and the periapical lesion size differed according to the measurement and visualization methods. All the included articles had a high risk of bias. GRADEpro revealed that the overall certainty of evidence for the included studies was very low. Conclusion: Under the limitations of this systematic review, an increasing effect of stress on the inflammatory infiltrate was reported in apical periodontitis. Future well-conducted animal studies are warranted to further elaborate on the effects of stress parameters on the severity of apical periodontitis with convenient experimental conditions and advanced evaluation methods.

PurposeThis study evaluated the effects of different endodontic irrigation solutions on the solubility, color alteration, and surface roughness alterations of PD MTA and Biodentine.Materials and methodsCylindrical samples of PD MTA and Biodentine were prepared and subsequently immersed in distilled water, 17% EDTA, 5% NaOCl, 9% HEDP, and 0.2% chitosan nanoparticle solutions for 24 hours. Solubility was determined as the percentage mass loss at 24 h compared to initial values. Color alteration was analyzed using a spectrophotometer (CIE Lab system), and surface roughness (Ra and Sa) was measured with a confocal microscope. Data were statistically analyzed with Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U, and Wilcoxon tests at a 5% significance threshold.ResultsNo significant differences in solubility were observed between PD MTA and Biodentine, but EDTA and chitosan nanoparticles significantly increased solubility compared to other solutions (p<0.05). Biodentine exhibited greater color alteration than PD MTA for all solutions except distilled water (p<0.05), with NaOCl causing the most pronounced color alteration (p<0.05). PD MTA showed higher surface roughness before and after immersion (p<0.05), with HEDP inducing the greatest roughness alterations in both materials (p<0.05).ConclusionEndodontic irrigants affect the physical properties of hydraulic cements, with varying impacts on solubility, color alteration, and surface roughness. Selecting appropriate irrigation solutions is essential to maintaining material integrity and esthetic outcomes in clinical practice.

The aim of this study is to assess the effect of ultrasonic (PUI) and sonic (EDDY) activation of the sequential use of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and octenidine dihydrochloride (OCT) on the release of transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1) from dentin in regenerative endodontic treatments (RET). Seventy-two extracted were decoronated and prepared to an apical diameter of 1 mm to replicate an immature teeth. Each specimen was initially irrigated with 20 mL of 1.5% sodium hypochlorite according to the RET protocol. Samples were assigned to three main irrigant groups ( n = 24): 17% EDTA, 0.1% OCT, and 17% EDTA followed by 0.1% OCT. Each main group was further divided into three subgroups ( n = 8) based on activation technique—syringe-needle irrigation (SNI), PUI, and EDDY. Levels of TGF-β1 released on days 1 and 7 were quantified by ELISA, and smear layer removal was analyzed under scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Statistical significance was established at p < 0.05. SEM analysis revealed varying degrees of smear layer removal in all groups. The combination of EDTA and OCT resulted in significantly higher TGF-β1 release compared to the use of either solution alone in all activation groups ( p < 0.05). TGF-β1 levels were significantly higher at day 7 than day 1 ( p < 0.05). EDDY activation with the sequential use of EDTA and OCT yielded the highest TGF-β1 levels and the greatest percentage increase ( p < 0.05). Biocompatible irrigation solutions and enhanced activation systems could improve the release of growth factors from dentin, thereby potentially contributing to the overall success of RETs.

Effective root canal disinfection is crucial for successful treatment outcomes, especially in the context of conservative root canal preparation. Thus, thi