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This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between osteoarthritic bony alterations in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and general bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal edentulous females. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans for both TMJs were acquired for 80 clinically asymptomatic patients (mean age 72 ± 8.8 y). Both lumbar spine and femoral neck measurements of BMD were performed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The most frequently observed bony alterations were flattening of the articular surface (47.5%), sclerosis (41.5%), subcortical cysts (10%), and erosions (5%). Osteophytes were not observed. No statistical differences were observed between those who had or did not have radiological signs of bony alterations according to age or DXA scores. The prevalence of radiological findings of degenerative TMJ bony alterations in clinically asymptomatic postmenopausal females did not confirm a connection with a generally low BMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aim: This study aimed to develop a protocol that combines cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT), software, and 3D printing to design 3D replicas for tooth autotransplantation. The goal was to evaluate the impact of this approach on the extraoral time of the donor teeth and the total surgical time, thereby enhancing surgical efficiency and outcomes. Materials and Methods: A non‐randomized trial (protocol 10.1186/ISRCTN13563091) was conducted at Riga Stradins University, enrolling 46 patients (13–22 years old) who required molar extraction and possessed a non‐erupted third molar. The patients were sequentially assigned to a 3D replica group (24 patients) or a control group (22 patients). The primary outcome measured was the extra‐alveolar time of the donor tooth, and the secondary outcome was the total duration of surgery. Both were assessed using a sample size capable of detecting a 10‐min difference. A generalized linear model adjusted for various factors was used to test for significant time differences (p <.05) between the groups. Results: Forty‐six patients were included in this analysis. The effect of using 3D replicas was not statistically significant and was associated with a decrease in the extraoral time of the donor tooth in seconds (β = −9.35, 95% CI [−40.86, 22.16]). For the total surgical time in minutes, the use of 3D replicas had a statistically significant impact, reducing the operation duration in minutes (β = −13.42, 95% CI [−24.50, −2.34]). No early complications were observed in either group, with all teeth present at 3–4 weeks post‐surgery. Conclusions: The integration of 3D printing technology can enhance the efficiency of autotransplantation surgeries, primarily by reducing surgical time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Periapical lesions of teeth are typically evaluated using periapical X-rays (PA) or cone-beam computer tomography (CBCT); however, ultrasound imaging (US) can also be used to detect bone defects. A comparative analysis is necessary to establish the diagnostic accuracy of US for the detection of periapical lesions in comparison with PA and CBCT. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate and compare the measurement precision of US against PA and CBCT in detecting periapical lesions. Methods: This study included 43 maxillary and mandibular teeth with periapical lesions. All teeth were examined clinically, radiographically, and ultrasonographically. Observers evaluated and measured the periapical lesions on CBCT, PA, and US images. Results: The comparison of lesion size showed that it differs significantly between the different methods of examination. A statistically significant difference was found between CBCT and US (mean difference = 0.99 mm, 95% CI [0.43–1.55]), as well as between CBCT and PA (mean difference = 0.61 mm, 95% CI [0.17–1.05]). No difference was found between the US and PA methods (p = 0.193). Conclusion: US cannot replace PA radiography in detecting pathologies but it can accurately measure and characterize periapical lesions with minimal radiation exposure. CBCT is the most precise and radiation-intensive method so it should only be used for complex cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep neural networks are widely used in computer vision for image classification, segmentation and generation. They are also often criticised as "black boxes" because their decisionmaking process is often not interpretable by humans. However, learning explainable representations that explicitly disentangle the underlying mechanisms that structure observational data is still a challenge. To further explore the latent space and achieve generic processing, we propose a pipeline for discovering the explainable directions in the latent space of generative models. Since the latent space contains semantically meaningful directions and can be explained, we propose a pipeline to fully resolve the representation of the latent space. It consists of a Dirichlet encoder, conditional deterministic diffusion, a group-swap and a latent traversal module. We believe that this study provides an insight into the advancement of research explaining the disentanglement of neural networks in the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Background/Aim Material and Methods Results Conclusions To evaluate the efficacy of the combined cone‐beam (CBCT)/3D‐replicas protocol on the clinical and radiographic outcomes of autotransplanted molars.Controlled clinical trial registered ISRCTN13563091 from August 2019 to September 2022. Patients aged 13–22 years requiring permanent premolar extraction and having at least one non‐erupted third molar were enrolled at the Institute of Stomatology, Stradins University, Riga, Latvia. Patients in the 3D‐replicas (n = 30) underwent maxillary CBCT scans and had 3D‐printed replicas of the third molar fabricated, while the control group (n = 28) did not. The clinical outcomes included tooth mobility, bleeding on probing, and periodontal pocket depth assessed at 3, 6, and 12 months. The radiographic outcomes included root development, obliteration, periapical status, and crown changes at 12 months.Of the 55 patients assigned to interventions, 46 completed the study. No significant differences in survival and radiographic outcomes were found between the control (n = 22) and 3D‐replica group (n = 24): root development (p = 0.3), root resorption (p = 0.057), periapical status (p = 0.7), and crown/root ratio change (p = 0.4). Logistic regression showed no significant associations between radiologic predictors (root resorption: p = 0.4; periapical status: p > 0.9; root development: p = 0.8). Significant clinical outcome predictors included total operative time (β = 0.0043, p = 0.049), Moorrees' stage (stage 4: β = −0.31, p < 0.001; stage 5: β = −0.39, p < 0.001), and four donor placement times (β = 0.93, p < 0.001), but group assignment was not a significant predictor.The CBCT/3D‐replica protocol showed no significant differences in the clinical or radiological outcomes. The high success rates in both groups suggest that the protocol is valuable primarily for optimizing surgical efficiency and as a training tool for clinicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biphasic calcium phosphate ceramic granules (0.5-1.0 mm) with a hydroxyapatite and β -tricalcium phosphate ratio of 90/10 were used. Biphasic calcium phosphate ceramic granules produced in the Riga Technical University, Riga Rudolph Cimdins Biomaterials Innovation and Development Centre, were used for filling the bone loss on 18 patients with peri-implantitis. After 5 years at the minimum, clinical and 3D cone-beam computed tomography control was done. Clinical situation confirmed good stability of implants without any signs of inflammation around. Radiodensity of the previous gap and alveolar bone horizontally from middle point of dental implants showed similar radiodensity as in normal alveolar bone. This trial is registered with ISRCTN13514478.