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Scientific Reports Dec 2023DNA analysis-based identification is by far the gold standard in forensic genetics and it should be performed in every case involving human remains or unidentified...
DNA analysis-based identification is by far the gold standard in forensic genetics and it should be performed in every case involving human remains or unidentified bodies. Bones and teeth are the preferred source of human DNA for genetic analysis. However, there are cases where the nature of the proceedings and historical significance prevent the disruption of skeletal structure. The remains may also be heavily degraded. In such situations, forensic geneticists seek alternative sources of human DNA. Teeth calculus has proven to be a viable source of DNA for identification purposes. The aim of this study was to assess the concentration of human DNA in teeth calculus and evaluate the usefulness of teeth calculus as a DNA source in the identification process. Teeth calculus was collected from skeletons exhumed between 2021 and 2022 by the PBGOT (Polish Genetic Database of Victims of Totalitarianism) team from the former Stalag IID prisoner-of-war camp in Stargard. Genetic analyses included the determination of autosomal and Y-STR markers. The total concentration of human DNA was also evaluated in samples from teeth calculus and teeth taken from the same individuals. The pilot study included 22 skeletons with a sufficient amount of calculus for isolation (specified in the protocol). Samples were taken from the largest areas of calculus deposited on lingual surfaces of mandibular incisors. The prepared samples underwent DNA extraction. Our study demonstrated that teeth calculus is a source of human DNA for remains from the World War II period. The obtained DNA concentration allowed for the determination of STR markers. It was shown that teeth calculus contains human DNA in an amount suitable for preliminary identification analyses.
Topics: Humans; Dental Calculus; Pilot Projects; DNA Fingerprinting; Microsatellite Repeats; DNA; Incisor
PubMed: 38066060
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48761-7 -
Quaternary International : the Journal... Apr 2023The analysis of dental calculus (mineralised dental plaque) has become an increasingly important facet of bioarchaeological research. Although microscopic analysis of...
The analysis of dental calculus (mineralised dental plaque) has become an increasingly important facet of bioarchaeological research. Although microscopic analysis of microdebris entrapped within dental calculus has revealed important insights into the diet, health, and environment of multiple prehistoric populations, relatively few studies have examined the contributions of this approach to more recent historical periods. In this study, we analyze dental calculus from an English Post-Medieval, middle-class urban skeletal assemblage from Manchester, England using light microscopy. We characterize all types of microremains, observing heavily damaged starch and plant material, high quantities of fungal and yeast spores, the presence of wood particles, plant (cotton) and animal (wool) fibres, as well as limited quantities of microcharcoal and burnt debris. We observe the presence of non-native, imported plant products, including New World maize and potentially tapioca starch. We compare our results to similar studies from earlier time periods to reveal the impacts of the significant economic, social and environmental changes occurring during the Industrial period in England, including changes in food processing, food access, food storage, and air quality. We conclude by outlining important methodological considerations for the future study of Post-Medieval dental calculus and propose potential areas of future research.
PubMed: 37915533
DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2021.09.020 -
Oral Radiology Jul 2022The goal of this study was to develop and evaluate the performance of a new deep-learning (DL) artificial intelligence (AI) model for diagnostic charting in panoramic...
OBJECTIVES
The goal of this study was to develop and evaluate the performance of a new deep-learning (DL) artificial intelligence (AI) model for diagnostic charting in panoramic radiography.
METHODS
One thousand eighty-four anonymous dental panoramic radiographs were labeled by two dento-maxillofacial radiologists for ten different dental situations: crown, pontic, root-canal treated tooth, implant, implant-supported crown, impacted tooth, residual root, filling, caries, and dental calculus. AI Model CranioCatch, developed in Eskişehir, Turkey and based on a deep CNN method, was proposed to be evaluated. A Faster R-CNN Inception v2 (COCO) model implemented with the TensorFlow library was used for model development. The assessment of AI model performance was evaluated with sensitivity, precision, and F1 scores.
RESULTS
When the performance of the proposed AI model for detecting dental conditions in panoramic radiographs was evaluated, the best sensitivity values were obtained from the crown, implant, and impacted tooth as 0.9674, 0.9615, and 0.9658, respectively. The worst sensitivity values were obtained from the pontic, caries, and dental calculus, as 0.7738, 0.3026, and 0.0934, respectively. The best precision values were obtained from pontic, implant, implant-supported crown as 0.8783, 0.9259, and 0.8947, respectively. The worst precision values were obtained from residual root, caries, and dental calculus, as 0.6764, 0.5096, and 0.1923, respectively. The most successful F1 Scores were obtained from the implant, crown, and implant-supported crown, as 0.9433, 0.9122, and 0.8947, respectively.
CONCLUSION
The proposed AI model has promising results at detecting dental conditions in panoramic radiographs, except for caries and dental calculus. Thanks to the improvement of AI models in all areas of dental radiology, we predict that they will help physicians in panoramic diagnosis and treatment planning, as well as digital-based student education, especially during the pandemic period.
Topics: Artificial Intelligence; Deep Learning; Dental Calculus; Humans; Radiography, Panoramic; Tooth, Impacted
PubMed: 34611840
DOI: 10.1007/s11282-021-00572-0 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine Apr 2023Supervised deep learning requires labelled data. On medical images, data is often labelled inconsistently (e.g., too large) with varying accuracies. We aimed to assess...
Supervised deep learning requires labelled data. On medical images, data is often labelled inconsistently (e.g., too large) with varying accuracies. We aimed to assess the impact of such label noise on dental calculus detection on bitewing radiographs. On 2584 bitewings calculus was accurately labeled using bounding boxes (BBs) and artificially increased and decreased stepwise, resulting in 30 consistently and 9 inconsistently noisy datasets. An object detection network (YOLOv5) was trained on each dataset and evaluated on noisy and accurate test data. Training on accurately labeled data yielded an mAP50: 0.77 (SD: 0.01). When trained on consistently too small BBs model performance significantly decreased on accurate and noisy test data. Model performance trained on consistently too large BBs decreased immediately on accurate test data (e.g., 200% BBs: mAP50: 0.24; SD: 0.05; < 0.05), but only after drastically increasing BBs on noisy test data (e.g., 70,000%: mAP50: 0.75; SD: 0.01; < 0.05). Models trained on inconsistent BB sizes showed a significant decrease of performance when deviating 20% or more from the original when tested on noisy data (mAP50: 0.74; SD: 0.02; < 0.05), or 30% or more when tested on accurate data (mAP50: 0.76; SD: 0.01; < 0.05). In conclusion, accurate predictions need accurate labeled data in the training process. Testing on noisy data may disguise the effects of noisy training data. Researchers should be aware of the relevance of accurately annotated data, especially when testing model performances.
PubMed: 37176499
DOI: 10.3390/jcm12093058 -
Clinical and Experimental Dental... Dec 2016The VistaCam® intra-oral camera system (Dürr Dental, Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany) is a fluorescence system using light emitting diodes that produce a 405-nm violet...
The VistaCam® intra-oral camera system (Dürr Dental, Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany) is a fluorescence system using light emitting diodes that produce a 405-nm violet light. This wavelength has potential application for detection of dental calculus based on red emissions from porphyrin molecules. This study assessed the digital scores obtained for both supragingival and subgingival calculus on 60 extracted teeth and compared these with lesions of dental caries. It has also examined the effect of saliva and blood on the fluorescence readings for dental calculus. VistaCam fluorescence scores for both supragingival (1.7-3.3) and subgingival calculus (1.3-2.4) were higher than those for sound root surfaces (0.9-1.1) and dental caries (0.9-2.2) ( < .05). The readings for calculus samples were not affected by the presence of saliva or blood. These results suggest that the use of violet light fluorescence could be a possible adjunct to clinical examination for deposits of dental calculus.
PubMed: 29744171
DOI: 10.1002/cre2.42 -
Brazilian Oral Research May 2019The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of gingivitis and calculus and their predictors in a population of adults in Brazil. A representative sample of 758...
The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of gingivitis and calculus and their predictors in a population of adults in Brazil. A representative sample of 758 adults from 35 to 59 years of age from Porto Alegre city was examined. A structured questionnaire was applied. The Gingival Bleeding Index and the presence of calculus were measured at 4 sites/tooth. Multivariable logistic models were fitted to determine the predictors for gingival bleeding at >20% of sites. Overall, 96.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]=95.1-98.0) of individuals had ≥ 1 bleeding site. The mean percentages of sites with gingivitis and calculus were 26.1% and 44.6%, respectively. The odds of gingivitis decreased by ∼45% for individuals ≥40 years old compared to younger adults. Individuals that never performed interproximal cleaning and non-whites had an approximately two times higher chance of gingivitis. Smokers had lower chances of gingivitis than never-smokers (odds ratio=0.40; 95% CI=0.24-0.68). Higher numbers of missing teeth were associated with higher chances of gingivitis. The percentage of calculus was significantly associated with skin color, education, proximal cleaning, smoking exposure, dental visits, and tooth loss. It can be concluded that the occurrence of gingivitis and calculus was high in this Brazilian population, and it was associated with age, skin color, education, self-reported proximal cleaning, smoking, dental care, and tooth loss.
Topics: Adult; Age Distribution; Brazil; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dental Calculus; Female; Gingival Hemorrhage; Gingivitis; Humans; Linear Models; Male; Middle Aged; Periodontal Index; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Sex Distribution; Smoking; Socioeconomic Factors; Toothbrushing
PubMed: 31141035
DOI: 10.1590/1807-3107bor-2019.vol33.0036 -
Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral... Sep 2023To determine if oral hygiene is associated with infective endocarditis (IE) among those at moderate risk for IE.
OBJECTIVE
To determine if oral hygiene is associated with infective endocarditis (IE) among those at moderate risk for IE.
STUDY DESIGN
This is a case control study of oral hygiene among hospitalized patients with IE (cases) and outpatients with heart valve disease but without IE (controls). The primary outcome was the mean dental calculus index. Secondary outcomes included other measures of oral hygiene and periodontal disease (e.g., dental plaque, gingivitis) and categorization of blood culture bacterial species in case participants.
RESULTS
The 62 case participants had 53% greater mean dental calculus index than the 119 control participants (0.84, 0.55, respectively; difference = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.11, 0.48; P = .002) and 26% greater mean dental plaque index (0.88, 0.70, respectively; difference = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.01.0.36; P = .043). Overall, cases reported fewer dentist and dental hygiene visits (P = .013) and fewer dental visits in the 12 weeks before enrollment than controls (P = .007). Common oral bacteria were identified from blood cultures in 27 of 62 cases (44%).
CONCLUSIONS
These data provide evidence to support and strengthen current American Heart Association guidance that those at risk for IE can reduce potential sources of IE-related bacteremia by maintaining optimal oral health through regular professional dental care and oral hygiene procedures.
Topics: Humans; Oral Hygiene; Dental Calculus; Case-Control Studies; Endocarditis, Bacterial; Endocarditis
PubMed: 37085335
DOI: 10.1016/j.oooo.2023.02.020 -
Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders... 2024The study aimed to examine the association of obesity phenotypes with dental calculus.
AIM
The study aimed to examine the association of obesity phenotypes with dental calculus.
BACKGROUND
Obesity has been recognized as a risk factor for kidney and gallbladder stones formation and periodontitis.
OBJECTIVE
We have investigated the association between obesity, metabolic risk factors, and dental calculus, which is a sequela following periodontitis.
METHODS
This study included 5,281 military members, aged 19-45 years, without antihypertensive medications in Taiwan. Obesity was defined as body mass index ≥27.5 kg/m, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) was defined according to the modified ATP III criteria. Supragingival calculus in any teeth, except for impacted teeth and the third molar, was the outcome of interest. Multiple linear regression analysis with adjustments for age, sex, toxic substance use, brushing teeth frequency, and blood leukocyte counts, was used to determine the association of obesity with dental calculus numbers. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between obesity with or without MetS and the presence of any dental calculus.
RESULTS
BMI was positively correlated to dental calculus numbers [β and confidence intervals (CI) = 0.023 (0.014, 0.032)]. Compared to the obesity(-)/MetS(-) group, there were dosedependent associations for the obesity(-)/MetS(+), obesity(+)/MetS(-), and obesity(+)/MetS(+) groups with the presence of any dental calculus [odds ratios (ORs): 1.08 (0.76, 1.53), 1.31 (1.08, 1.58), and 1.51 (1.20, 1.90), respectively]. Of the metabolic risk factors, abdominal obesity and hypertension were independently associated with dental calculus [ORs: 1.33 (1.13, 1.55) and 1.30 (1.11, 1.52), respectively].
CONCLUSION
This study suggests general obesity as an independent risk factor for dental calculus formation, and MetS, particularly the components of abdominal obesity, and hypertension may also increase the prevalence of dental calculus. Diet control and regular exercise might be preventive measures for the development of both obesity and dental calculus.
Topics: Humans; Young Adult; Obesity, Abdominal; Oral Health; Dental Calculus; Obesity; Metabolic Syndrome; Periodontitis; Risk Factors; Hypertension; Prevalence
PubMed: 37842899
DOI: 10.2174/0118715303245065230925060301 -
Journal of Veterinary Dentistry May 2024Periodontal disease in dogs is common. Client compliance with oral hygiene and oral care for pets is low. The gold standard is annual dental prophylaxis under general...
Periodontal disease in dogs is common. Client compliance with oral hygiene and oral care for pets is low. The gold standard is annual dental prophylaxis under general anesthesia with imaging followed by home care including daily brushing. Clients should be offered methods to reduce calculus, plaque, gingivitis, and resulting halitosis that are time efficient, cost-effective, and easy to administer between annual preventative dental prophylaxis with the goal to move into maintenance phase of managing periodontal disease. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a honeycomb-shaped dental chew in reducing hardened calculus, plaque, gingivitis, and malodor in client-owned dogs in their normal home environment including various breeds, skull types, ages, and weights. Calculus, plaque, and gingival scores with volatile sulfur compounds readings were performed under sedation and evaluated under general anesthesia after 60 consecutive days of receiving a daily honeycomb-shaped dental chew treat. There was an overall statistically significant percentage reduction of calculus (26.6%), plaque (14.2%), and malodor (46.71%). Gingival scores did not demonstrate statistically significant reduction (0.99%). Use of this honeycomb-shaped daily dental chew significantly reduced calculus, plaque, and associated malodor in dogs when fed consecutively for 60 days.
PubMed: 38819379
DOI: 10.1177/08987564241255043 -
Quaternary International : the Journal... Apr 2023The field of dental calculus research has exploded in recent years, predominantly due to the multitude of studies related to human genomes and oral pathogens. Despite...
The field of dental calculus research has exploded in recent years, predominantly due to the multitude of studies related to human genomes and oral pathogens. Despite having a subset of these studies devoted to non-human primates, little progress has been made in the distribution of oral pathogens across domestic and wild animal populations. This overlooked avenue of research is particularly important at present when many animal populations with the potentiality for zoonotic transmission continue to reside in close proximity to human groups due to reasons such as deforestation and climatic impacts on resource availability. Here, we analyze all previously available published oral microbiome data recovered from the skeletal remains of animals, all of which belong to the Mammalia class. Our genus level results emphasize the tremendous diversity of oral ecologies across mammals in spite of the clustering based primarily on host species. We also discuss the caveats and flaws in analyzing ancient animal oral microbiomes at the species level of classification. Lastly, we assess the benefits, challenges, and gaps in the current knowledge of dental calculus research within animals and postulate the future of the field as a whole.
PubMed: 37559969
DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2021.06.012