Esra Hato

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the attitudes and perceptions of parents of pediatric patients in our sample towards the growing use of artificial intelligence in dental practices. Materials and methods: The descriptive cross-sectional survey study was conducted with parents of pediatric patients who visited the Kırıkkale University School of Dentistry for routine dental examinations between 2024 and 2025. A 23-question survey was designed for participants to complete. The survey was evaluated as a scale consisting of three sub-dimensions. The data were analyzed using SPSS 27. Results: A total of 74.4% of participants reported having an average level of self-reported knowledge about the digital world (internet/technology). The biggest advantage of AI identified by the participants was saving time (64.3%). The AI-Health Education Score differed significantly according to educational status ( p = 0.003). The participants with a bachelor’s degree had higher mean scores on AI-Health Education than high school graduates. The effect size was small (η²=0.051). The mean Physician-AI Collaboration Score for men was significantly higher than that for women. The effect size was small (Cohen’s d = -0.305). Conclusion: These findings suggest that, within this sample, parents generally view AI positively and may be receptive to its integration into dental practice. These results may support the appropriate integration of AI into dental practice. It is also necessary to assess the effects on patient satisfaction and the quality of healthcare services.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of having a dentist on the family-on-family members' knowledge of oral hygiene and fluoride. Materials and Methods: A self-administered questionnaire based on a previously published survey was used to conduct a cross-sectional observational study. The survey form was uploaded online via Google Forms. A total of 232 participants took part in our study by completing the survey. Participants were divided into two groups: Group I: Family members of dentist’s interns and Group II: Family members of pediatric patients presenting to the pediatric dentistry clinic for routine checkups. IBM SPSS 25 software was used for all analyses. Descriptive statistics (number, percentage, mean, standard deviation, minimum, and maximum) were provided in this study. Results: Group I had a higher level of education. Participants were observed to brush their teeth twice daily for an average of 2 minutes. No differences were found between the groups in terms of brushing duration, timing, toothbrush type, or fluoride paste use (p>0.05). Regarding toothbrush replacement frequency, those reporting changing their toothbrush every 1-3 months were more likely to be in Group I, while those reporting changing their toothbrush every 3-6 months were more likely to be in Group II (p=0.039). Conclusions: Having a dental intern in the family generally resulted in positive changes in oral hygiene habits and fluoride intake compared to the other group. Easy access to information and access to information from reliable sources, such as those trained in oral hygiene, may have contributed to this result.

Amaç: Çalışmamızda, ChatGPT-4.0 ve DeepSeek R1 adlı iki farklı sohbet robotunun pedodonti alanındaki çoktan seçmeli sorulardaki gösterdiği başarının ve kullanılan dilin bu başarı üzerindeki etkisinin değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: 2 farklı yapay zekâ sohbet robotunun cevaplandırması için pedodonti konularından 20 soru oluşturuldu. Bu soruların İngilizce ve Türkçe versiyonları ChatGPT 4.0 ve DeepSeek R1 yapay zekâ sohbet robotlarına cevaplandırılması için soruldu. Alınan cevaplar doğru ve yanlış olarak kaydedildi. Analizler IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Windows version 27 (SPSS Inc. Chicago, IL, USA) programında gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışmada anlamlılık düzeyi p

Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome (PLS) is a rare genetic disorder with autosomal recessive inheritance, typically manifesting in childhood. The hallmark features include palmoplantar hyperkeratosis and premature loss of teeth. Additional associated findings may include psoriasiform plaques on the knees and elbows, hyperhidrosis, recurrent pyogenic infections, intracranial calcifications, and both physical and mental developmental delays. This case report presents a 5-year-old child who was admitted to the Faculty of Dentistry at Kırıkkale University with tooth loss and was subsequently diagnosed with Papillon-Lefèvre Syndrome, accompanied by a review of the relevant literature.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the attitudes of trainee dentists who have completed pediatric dentistry internships and performed preventive, restorative, and pulpal treatments in pediatric patients to pediatric dentistry. Methods: An 18-question questionnaire was designed for participants to complete. The questionnaire form, uploaded online via Google Forms, was distributed digitally via a link. The study data were reported using descriptive statistics (numbers and percentages). Analyses were performed in the IBM SPSS 25 program. Results: It was observed that 85% of the trainee dentists participating in the study expressed concerns about caring for pediatric patients prior to receiving a pediatric dentistry internship. It was observed that in response to the question, "What is the treatment that you find the most difficult to treat in pediatric patients?" 85.5% of the trainee dentists responded that pulpotomy of primary teeth was the most challenging. Conclusion: It was observed that most of the dental students who participated in the study were concerned about the care of pediatric patients and experienced stress while treating pediatric patients. It was found that this situation negatively affected their desire to specialize in this field. Increasing dental students’ knowledge and experience in treating pediatric patients during their training and equipping them with behavioral techniques to establish good relationships with children will help them treat more pediatric patients.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of analgesics, the doses used and the level of knowledge of patients about analgesics in patients presenting with pain to the pediatric dentistry clinic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire was applied to the parents of 120 children aged 3-15 years who referred to ……. University Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, with pain. The questionnaire included following data; the duration of the pain, the type and dose of the analgesic used, the intensity of the pain before and following analgesic use based on the VAS scale, knowledge about the maximum daily dose of the analgesic used. The data were analyzed statistically with Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty patients were included in the study. The mean age of children using analgesics was 8.2±2.6 years. Paracetamol was the most frequently used analgesic in this population (64,2%) followed by ibuprofen (45%). 18,3% of children were taking more than one analgesic. Although 66,6% of the parents were unaware of the maximum daily dose, only three of the children exceeded this limit (using paracetamol). Also 65% of the parents were unaware of side effects of the analgesics. Parents taking analgesics on medical advice were not more aware of the maximum daily dose. CONCLUSIONS: A large portion of the parents were unaware of the maximum daily dose and side effects of analgesics used in children. Dentists treating cases with pain should inform patients about the use of analgesics, side effects and maximum doses.

Purpose This study aimed to evaluate parents' knowledge and attitudes about dental practices who visited a pedodontics clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods In the present work, data were collected via questionnaires from 475 parents who brought their children (between 0 and 14 years old) to our clinic for routine pedodontic examinations. The data obtained were analyzed using Microsoft Excel. Frequency and percentage values of answers to questions were obtained. Results The majority of the participants (67.9%) indicated sufficient knowledge about COVID-19. Although 75% of parents were fearful and worried about the possibility of contracting virus during admission to the hospital, it was observed that 92% of them highly counted on the measures taken by their dentists and 72% did not hesitate to take their children to dentists during the pandemic. Conclusion Within the limitations of the present study, it has been shown that despite the increased level of parents’ knowledge about the pandemic, it was evident that anxiety and fear were present when visiting hospitals/clinics as a result of the possible transmission due to the high number of COVID-19 cases. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct further studies on how to increase public awareness of the transmission routes of aerosols released during dental treatments.