Digital Commons Network^™

A Scientometric Study On Research Trends And Characteristics Of Kimura Disease, Zhongjing Lv, Yiming Luo, Wei Liu, Jian Yuan

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose: Kimura disease (KD) is an idiopathic condition that presents as a chronic, benign inflammatory disorder, typically affecting the head and neck region. The purpose of this study was to analyze the scientometric characteristics and research trends of KD.

Materials and methods: All the papers on KD were comprehensively retrieved from the Scopus database. The years of publication were divided into before 2012 and after 2012 in the analysis of research trends.

Results: There were 925 papers on KD, with total citations of 10,821 and the h index of 47. Eosinophilia, lymphadenopathy, nephrotic syndrome, angiofollicular lymph node hyperplasia, …

Very Early Interceptive Management Of Class Iii Malocclusion In Primary Dentition Using A Prefabricated Functional Education Appliance: Preliminary Clinical Observations, Thi Ngoc Anh Do, Thi Huong Le, I-Ta Lee, Tong-Hsien Chow, Pao-Chang Chiang, Thi Thuy Tien Vo

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose: Class III malocclusion with anterior crossbite in primary dentition may progress and complicate future orthodontic treatment. This short communication presents preliminary clinical observations of very early interception using a prefabricated functional education appliance.

Materials and methods: Three children aged 4 to 6 years with dental, functional, or mild skeletal class III malocclusion were treated using a prefabricated removable functional education appliance worn at night, with regular follow-up.

Results: In the dental class III case, anterior crossbite was corrected within 9 months and remained stable at the 2-year follow-up. In the functional class III case, anterior crossbite and mandibular shift …

Keratin 18 As A Cytoskeletal Regulator Of Epithelial–Mesenchymal Plasticity And Prognostic Risk In Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Tuan-Yu Kao, Hsuan-Chao Lin, Chien-Wei Lai, Julia Yu-Fong Chang, Feng-Chiao Tsai, Jang-Jaer Lee, Jean-San Chia

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) shows poor survival, and conventional staging does not fully capture biologic aggressiveness. Keratin 18 (KRT18) has been linked to malignant progression in epithelial cancers, but its prognostic and biologic significance in OSCC remains unclear. This study investigated whether KRT18 expression is associated with aggressive invasion patterns and adverse outcomes in OSCC, and whether KRT18 contributes to epithelial–mesenchymal plasticity-related malignant phenotypes.

Materials and methods: Eighty-eight non-irradiated OSCC specimens obtained after primary surgical resection at National Taiwan University Hospital were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Associations between KRT18 expression and clinicopathological variables were assessed, and survival was evaluated …

Artificial Intelligence In Dentistry: A Cross-Domain Bibliometric Analysis Of Technologies, Functional Applications, And Dental Specialties, Yinghui Yang, Cheng-Chia Yu, Min Yee Ng

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose: Artificial intelligence is increasingly applied in dentistry across diagnosis, prediction, treatment planning, education, and patient communication. This study aimed to provide a structured cross-domain overview of dental AI research by integrating AI technologies, functional applications, and dental specialties within one bibliometric framework.

Materials and methods: AI-related dental publications from 2016 to 2026 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Original and review articles were screened and classified by AI technology, functional application, and dental specialty. Bibliometric mapping, collaboration analysis, keyword co-occurrence, and heatmap-based cross-domain visualization were performed.

Results: A total of 920 publications were included. Publication …

Corrigendum To "Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells Secretome And Nanoemulsion Propolis Combination Ameliorate Osteoclastogenesis In Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Osteolysis In Hyperglycemia Rats"

Journal of Dental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Evaluating The Use Of Machine Learning For Road Maintenance Cost Estimation, Shahla Shirinzad, David Enke

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Accurate estimation of highway maintenance costs is essential for efficient resource allocation and long-term infrastructure sustainability. This study evaluates the effectiveness of advanced machine learning models, including ResNet, Transformer, and other neural network architectures, for forecasting maintenance costs using historical data from the Highway Maintenance Improvement Program (HMIP) provided by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NC DOT). A comprehensive comparative analysis is conducted across multiple models using standard performance metrics, including R², MAE, RMSE, and MSE. The results demonstrate that advanced architectures, particularly ResNet and Transformer, consistently outperform traditional statistical approaches and baseline machine learning models, achieving …

Dental Treatment And Oral Care For Patients With Severe Mental Illness Receiving Psychiatric Home-Visit Care: A Narrative Review With An Illustrative Case, Takayuki Suga, Trang Thi Huyen Tu, Yuji Gamo, Takafumi Asakura, Shigeru Iida, Akira Toyofuku

Journal of Dental Sciences

Patients with severe mental illness (SMI) often have untreated caries, periodontal inflammation, tooth loss, xerostomia-related risk, dental anxiety, and delayed dental attendance. This narrative review aimed to synthesize evidence relevant to dental treatment planning for patients with SMI receiving psychiatric home-visit care and to clarify when domiciliary dental assessment and repeated professional oral care may be indicated. Targeted literature searches and citation tracking were used to identify reviews, epidemiological studies, intervention studies, qualitative syntheses, and special care dentistry guidance. The evidence indicates that oral disease in SMI reflects not only limited knowledge but also avolition, cognitive impairment, psychosis, sedation, medication-induced …

Evaluation Of Condylar Position Displacement Using Various Centric Relation Recording Techniques Based On Maximum Intercuspation Position: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Ling-Shiuan Huang, Yen-Chang Huang, I-Ting Wu, Shinn-Jyh Ding

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/ purpose: Restoring tooth defects is a key clinical task for dentists, aimed at either maintaining or reconstructing a functional occlusal dentition. This study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials comparing centric relation (CR) and maximum intercuspal position (MIP) condylar positions obtained using various CR techniques, and to verify the reproducibility of these methods.

Materials and methods: The PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for articles published before January 2026. The single-arm meta-analysis used a random-effects model to calculate the overall effect size.

Results: This study included 12 articles published …

Cephalometric And Soft Tissue Determinants Of Esthetic Outcomes After Single-Jaw Mandibular Setback Surgery In Skeletal Class Iii Patients: A Retrospective Study, Chun-Te Ho, You-Ru Chen, Tsui-Hsien Huang, Jnug-Chun Yeh, Tzu-Yu Peng, Chia-Tze Kao

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose: Orthognathic surgery is an effective treatment for skeletal Class III malocclusion; however, the relative influence of skeletal and soft tissue variables on postoperative esthetic outcomes remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the relationships among cephalometric parameters, soft tissue changes, and esthetic outcomes following single-jaw mandibular setback surgery.

Materials and methods: A retrospective study was performed on 258 adult patients with skeletal Class III malocclusion subspinale-nasion-supramentale (ANB) angle < 0° who were treated between 2016 and 2021. Patients were divided into three groups: bilateral vertical ramus osteotomy (BVRO) group (n = 99), genioplasty alone group (n = 30), and BVRO plus genioplasty group. (n = 129). Cephalometric and …

Performance Of Chatgpt-4, Gemini, And Deepseek-V3 On English-Translated Questions From The Taiwan National Dental Technician Licensing Examination Over A Three-Week Period, Yi-Pang Lee, Ching-Yi Huang, Andy Sun, Chun-Pin Chiang

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose: Large language models (LLMs) have shown potential in answering professional examination questions. This study evaluated the performance of ChatGPT-4, Gemini, and DeepSeek-V3 in answering English-translated questions from the 2023 Taiwan National Dental Technician Licensing Examination (TNDTLE) over a three-week period.

Materials and methods: A total of 194 English-translated, text-based multiple-choice questions were selected from the 2023 TNDTLE. ChatGPT-4, Gemini, and DeepSeek-V3 were used to answer the same set of English-translated questions at four time points: baseline and one-, two-, and three-week follow-ups. Accuracy rates (ARs) were calculated and compared to evaluate changes over time and differences among the three …

Performance Of Chatgpt-4, Gemini, And Deepseek-V3 In Answering The Prompt-Engineered Questions From The Taiwan National Dental Technician Licensing Examination Over A Three-Week Period, Yi-Pang Lee, Ching-Yi Huang, Andy Sun, Chun-Pin Chiang

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose: Large language models (LLMs) have shown promise in answering professional examination questions. This study evaluated the performance of ChatGPT-4, Gemini, and DeepSeek-V3 in answering prompt-engineered questions selected from the 2023 Taiwan National Dental Technician Licensing Examination (TNDTLE) over a three-week period.

Materials and methods: A total of 194 Chinese-language text-based multiple-choice questions were selected from the 2023 TNDTLE. The three LLMs answered these questions using a standardized prompt referring to 17 dental technology textbooks. Accuracy rates (ARs) were recorded at baseline and after one, two, and three weeks. Comparisons of ARs over time, among three LLMs, between basic and …

Ensemble Learning For Predicting Periapical Lesions From Dental Radiographs, Fang-Yuan Liao, Ming-Jyun Jian, Abdullah Sarini, Yulianto Jesica, Yen-Kun Lin, Hsun-Yu Huang

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose: Diagnosing periapical cysts and granulomas using periapical radiographs is challenging due to subtle radiographic differences. This study aimed to develop a machine learning–based diagnostic framework to improve lesion classification through ensemble learning and dentin standardization.

Materials and methods: Five models—Support Vector Classifier (SVC), Nu-SVC, K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) and Decision Tree—were trained on 144 pre-treatment periapical radiographs (70 cysts and 74 granulomas). Dentin standardization normalized grayscale values to ensure feature consistency. A weighted soft voting strategy was employed to integrate predictions, with model weights derived from individual diagnostic performance. Model performance was evaluated via five-fold cross-validation. Statistical significance among models …

C-X-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 13 And The C-X-C Motif Chemokine Receptor 5–C-Jun N-Terminal Kinase–Nuclear Factor Kappa B–Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 Axis In Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Metastasis, Ju-Fang Liu, Kuan-Chou Lin, Po-Chih Hsu, Tsung-Ming Chang, Peng Chen, Ying-Sui Sun

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose: Metastasis is the leading cause of treatment failure in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). This study investigated the role of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 13 (CXCL13) in OSCC metastasis and the underlying signaling mechanism.

Materials and methods: Integrative transcriptomic analysis was performed using three independent OSCC datasets to identify metastasis-associated genes. CXCL13 expression was examined in OSCC tissues and highly migratory sublines. The effects of CXCL13 on cell migration were evaluated in vitro. Pathway analysis, pharmacological inhibitors, and receptor silencing were used to investigate the downstream signaling pathway. An orthotopic tongue xenograft model was used to evaluate the effect …

Rigorous Validation Of Machine Learning Models For Orthodontic Extraction Prediction Using Nested Cross-Validation And Smotenc-Integrated Pipelines., Anh Thi-Ngoc Do, Hung Trong Hoang, Thuy-Trang Thi Ho, Hieu Ngoc Le

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose: Machine learning (ML) in orthodontics often suffers from optimistic bias due to data leakage and improper handling of class imbalance. This study implemented and evaluated a production-grade validation framework - nested cross-validation (CV) - for three distinct algorithm classes (logistic regression, random forest, and gradient boosting) using a consensus-labeled orthodontic dataset.

Materials and methods: A retrospective dataset of 500 patients (334 non-extraction/166 extraction) was curated with 41 processed features. Two stratified split protocols (70/30 and 80/20) were evaluated to assess model robustness. To ensure methodological rigor, a 5-fold outer/3-fold inner nested cross-validation was implemented. Crucially, SMOTENC (synthetic minority over-sampling …

Integrating Image Processing And Deep Learning Framework For Automatic Supernumerary Tooth Detection On Occlusal Radiographs, Jui-An Fu, Chia-Lin Hsu

Journal of Dental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Deciphering Novel Targets In Salivary Gland Pleomorphic Adenoma By Integrating Plasma Proteomics And Parotid Transcriptomics Analyses, Yuchen Fan, Suning Mao

Journal of Dental Sciences

No abstract provided.

A Visualized Ai-Assisted Framework For Pre-Surgical Evaluation Of Implant Pathways On Periapical Radiographs, Yuan-Jin Lin, Chiung-An Chen

Journal of Dental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Self-Perceived Attractiveness Of Labiomental Angles In Taiwanese And Caucasian Males: A Comparative Study Before And After Orthodontic Education Among Dental Students, Shih-Chieh Chen, Chun-Ming Chen

Journal of Dental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Craniofacial And Airway Changes After Skeletal Class Iii Orthognathic Surgery: A Machine Learning Study, Zay Yar Linn, Johnson Hsin-Chung Cheng

Journal of Dental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Artificial Intelligence-Powered Chatbots’ Responses To Orthodontic Questions From The Dentistry Specialization Examination: Accuracy And Source Evaluation, Berrak Çakmak, Tevhide Sökmen, Burcu Balos‚ Tuncer

Journal of Dental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Deep Learning-Based Automated Per-Tooth Detection And Segmentation From Unretracted Smile Photographs, Hsuan Chen, Khoa Dang Nguyen, Hong Thi-Phuong Doan, Mu-Chen Yang, Ya-Chu Chang, Anand Marya, Guang Hong, Ding-Han Wang, Ming-Lun Hsu

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose: Natural smile photographs are universally accessible yet no automated method achieves clinically acceptable per-tooth detection from these images. Existing frameworks require lip-retracted intraoral views, and prior work on smile images achieved insufficient accuracy. This study developed a per-tooth detection and segmentation pipeline for natural smile photographs and assessed its applicability to digital smile design.

Materials and methods: A total of 1,471 smile photographs were annotated via model-assisted labeling. Fifteen You Only Look Once (YOLO) models across three architecture families and five size tiers were compared. A two-stage pipeline combined the best-performing detector with high-quality Segment Anything Model (HQ-SAM) for …

Anemia, Hematinic Deficiencies, Hyperhomocysteinemia, And Serum Gastric Parietal Cell Antibody Positivity In Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis Patients With Vitamin B12 Deficiency, Yi-Ping Wang, Yi-Pang Lee, Yu-Hsueh Wu, Julia Yu-Fong Chang, Andy Sun, Chun-Pin Chiang

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose: Our previous study found that 30 of 430 recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) patients have vitamin B12 deficiency. This study assessed whether the vitamin B12-deficient RAS (B12D/RAS) patients had significantly higher frequencies of anemia, hematinic deficiencies, hyperhomocysteinemia, and serum gastric parietal cell antibody (GPCA) positivity than healthy control subjects and evaluated whether all B12D/RAS patients had pernicious anemia (PA).

Materials and methods: The blood hemoglobin (Hb) and serum iron, vitamin B12, folic acid, homocysteine, and GPCA levels in 430 RAS patients including 30 B12D/RAS patients and 430 healthy control subjects were measured and compared.

Results: We found that 30 B12D/RAS …

Universal Coverage But Unequal Access: An Area-Level Statistical And Policy Analysis Of Taiwan’S Dental Workforce, Chien-Yang Yeh, Shih-Hsien Yang, Wei-Chia Su, Hsin-Hu Chen, Wei-Chin Hsu, Su-Feng Chen

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose: Universal health insurance coverage does not necessarily ensure equitable access to dental care. This study examined Taiwan’s dental workforce distribution using area-level statistical analysis and interpreted the findings through an oral health equity perspective.

Materials and methods: Publicly available county/city-level data on practicing dentists in Taiwan were analyzed. Dentist density was calculated as dentists per 10,000 population. Geographic variation was assessed using descriptive statistics, z-scores, quartile classification, highest-to-lowest ratio, coefficient of variation, and population-weighted Gini coefficient. Group differences were compared by geographic classification using Welch’s t-test, Mann–Whitney U test, Hedges’ g, and Cliff’s delta. Findings were further …

Anemia, Hematinic Deficiencies, Hyperhomocysteinemia, And Serum Gastric Parietal Cell Antibody Positivity In Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis Patients With Iron Deficiency, Yi-Ping Wang, Yu-Hsueh Wu, Yi-Pang Lee, Julia Yu-Fong Chang, Andy Sun, Chun-Pin Chiang

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose: Our previous study found that 101 of 430 recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) patients have iron deficiency (ID). This study assessed whether all RAS patients with ID (so-called ID/RAS patients) had iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and evaluated whether the ID/RAS patients had significantly higher frequencies of anemia, hematinic deficiencies, hyperhomocysteinemia, and serum gastric parietal cell antibody (GPCA) positivity than healthy control subjects.

Materials and methods: The blood hemoglobin (Hb) and serum iron, vitamin B12, folic acid, homocysteine, and GPCA levels in 101 ID/RAS patients and 430 healthy control subjects were measured and compared.

Results: We found that …

Active Learning-Assisted Deep Learning For Automated Maxillary Sinus Segmentation In Dental Cone-Beam Computed Tomography, Hsuan Chen, Khoa Dang Nguyen, Chih-Ling Chang, Hong Thi-Phuong Doan, Ya-Chu Chang, Thantrira Porntaveetus, Guang Hong, Wen-Liang Lo, Ding-Han Wang, Ming-Lun Hsu

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose: Accurate automated segmentation of the maxillary sinus in cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans is crucial for dental implant planning, sinus lift procedures, and pathological assessment, yet there remains a notable lack of publicly available models and datasets for this task. This study developed and evaluated a deep learning model for automated maxillary sinus segmentation using an active learning approach to minimize annotation effort while achieving high accuracy.

Materials and methods: We utilized 249 CBCT scans from the publicly available CTooth+ and STS-Tooth datasets. Ground truth annotations were generated through semi-automated segmentation in 3D Slicer with validation by five expert …

Do Anatomy, Physiology And Biochemistry Subject Scores Predict Future Academic Performance? A Longitudinal Analysis Of Undergraduate Dental Students Across All Professional Years., Shahid Akhtar Akhund, Hassan Shaibah

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose: Basic sciences subjects including anatomy, physiology and biochemistry form the foundation of the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) programme. However, empirical evidence linking the basic science academic performance to sustained academic achievement across subsequent clinical years remains limited. This is true for low and medium sized economies like Pakistan.

Materials and methods: A retrospective, quantitative, and longitudinal cohort study was conducted.  The deidentified data from a representative dental college was used. Basic science examination scores from the 1^st professional year examination served as predictor variables. The examination scores across 14 subjects served as outcome variables. Pearson product-moment correlations …

Digital Dialectic: Why Every “Ai-Generated” Work Has A Human Author, Lea Bishop

FIU Law Review

Are ChatGPT and Midjourney tools or creators? Ownership of billions of AI-assisted creative outputs hangs in the balance. Copyright scholars have long debated whether an autonomous artificial intelligence could qualify as an author, but this remains a hypothetical question. Despite widespread application of the term “AI” to software products of the 2020s, autonomously creative artificial intelligence still does not exist. Today’s commercial AI products—such as ChatGPT, Midjourney, Dall-E, Copilot, Gemini, Claude, Suno, Perplexity, and Lumo—are simply the newest generation of computer software. They do not qualify as “artificial intelligence” in either the scientific or science fiction senses. They are mere …

Let’S Talk About The Biological Reality Of Sex, Baby, John Parsi

FIU Law Review

Sex is at the very core of individual identity. It affects the conception of the self and the way others view the individual. Every day, one’s sex may open and close doors, access to communities, and opportunities. Laws that define sex may affirm scientific knowledge and protect people, or threaten to unravel the facts and the reality of sex. A deep unmooring of sex is underway, and this Article aims to halt it. On day one of the current presidential term, January 20, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order on “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological …

Cruel And Unusual Punishments And The Constitutional Status Of The Idea Of Progress, R. George Wright

FIU Law Review

To this point, we have developed some idea of what progress might have meant to the constitutional Framers, ratifiers, and later judges. We need not attempt the fruitless task of doing any precise head count of the variations of the concrete meaning, perceived likelihood, or value of progress among those parties. Doubtless some persons were more optimistic than others.178 But we need only assume that enough constitutional Framers, ratifiers, and judicial interpreters sufficiently shared any mainstream understanding of progress. Any such constitutional legitimacy of the idea, or the multiple ideas, of progress licenses the language of progress embraced in Trop.

Race, Reparative Justice, And Climate Change-Related Migration, Monica Visalam Iyer

FIU Law Review

The question of how to appropriately respond to migration linked to climate change is increasingly being debated in academia, in government and policy circles, and, crucially, in international legal and climate policy forums. These debates often center on data and on understanding the true numbers of people who might migrate in the context of climate change, and how much of this migration can accurately be linked to climate change, or on the security and logistical concerns associated with responding to this “challenge,” or on the appropriate legal box into which people migrating in this context can be shoved. Too often, …