Christian Samoila

Background/Objectives: Within pediatric healthcare systems, integrated strategies combining dietary and oral hygiene interventions have been proposed to improve oral health outcomes. In order to evaluate the effects of combined dietary and oral hygiene approaches on behavioral, knowledge-based, and clinical outcomes in pediatric populations, this systematic review synthesized evidence from intervention studies. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted on 5 September 2025 using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and arXiv. Children and adolescents (0–18 years old) exposed to dietary and oral hygiene interventions with documented behavioral, clinical, or knowledge-related outcomes were included in eligible studies. Studies were stratified by age groups (0–5, 6–12, and 13–18 years) in order to address developmental heterogeneity. The Cochrane RoB 2 tool for randomized trials and the ROBINS-I tool for non-randomized studies with a comparator were used to evaluate the risk of bias. For single-arm pre–post studies, a narrative risk-of-bias assessment was conducted, as ROBINS-I is not designed for uncontrolled studies. Due to methodological and clinical heterogeneity, a narrative synthesis approach was applied. Results: Out of 1231 records, eight outcome-reporting intervention studies satisfied the inclusion criteria. Improvements in self-reported oral hygiene behaviors, dietary habits, and oral health knowledge were consistently linked to integrated interventions across developmental subgroups. There was little and inconsistent evidence for clinical outcomes, such as caries and periodontal indicators. Conclusions: In pediatric populations, integrated dietary and oral hygiene interventions seem to enhance behavioral and educational oral health outcomes. These findings highlight the need for developmentally tailored preventive strategies integrated within pediatric healthcare frameworks.

Background and Objectives: With the goal of identifying regions with bicortical bone and avoiding root contact, the present study proposes an innovative technique for the simulation of the insertion of mini orthodontic implants using automatic jaw segmentation. The simulation of mini implants takes place in 3D rendering visualization instead of Multi-Planar Reconstruction (MPR) sections. Materials and Methods: The procedure involves utilizing software that automatically segments the jaw, teeth, and implants, ensuring their visibility in 3D rendering images. These segmented files are utilized as study models to determine the optimum location for simulating orthodontic implants, in particular locations characterized by limited distances between the implant and the roots, as well as locations where the bicortical structures are present. Results: By using this method, we were able to simulate the insertion of mini implants in the maxilla by applying two cumulative requirements: the implant tip needs to be positioned in a bicortical area, and it needs to be situated more than 0.6 mm away from the neighboring teeth’s roots along all of their axes. Additionally, it is possible to replicate the positioning of the mini implant in order to distalize the molars in the mandible while avoiding the mandibular canal and the path of molar migration. Conclusions: The utilization of automated segmentation and visualization techniques in 3D rendering enhances safety measures during the simulation and insertion of orthodontic mini implants, increasing the insertion precision and providing an advantage in the identification of bicortical structures, increasing their stability.