Background: Short dental implants (≤6 mm) are increasingly used for posterior rehabilitation in patients with limited alveolar bone height. This review examines their survival rates, marginal bone loss (MBL), peri-implantitis, and technical/prosthetic complications compared with standard-length implants. Methods: A narrative review of the literature was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases. Search terms included 'short dental implants', 'posterior edentulism', 'survival rates', 'marginal bone loss', 'peri-implantitis', and 'bone augmentation'. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and prospective and retrospective clinical studies published between 2018 and 2024 were included. Studies were selected based on implant intrabony length of ≤6 mm, a minimum follow-up of 12 months, and reporting of at least one primary outcome. Results: Evidence from a meta-analysis of 16 RCTs (408 short implants; 475 standard-length implants) demonstrates statistically higher survival rates for longer implants (99.4% vs. 95.1%; 95% CI: 2–5%, p < 0.001), though no significant difference was found in early or late implant failure rates. MBL was marginally but non-significantly lower for short implants (0.23 mm vs. 0.27 mm). Peri-implantitis prevalence (0–6% vs. 0–13%) and technical/prosthetic complication rates were comparable between groups. Crown-to-implant ratios of 1.55–1.86 in short implants did not translate to elevated complication rates when prostheses were splinted. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 13 RCTs confirmed equivalent survival at all follow-up intervals without the need for bone augmentation. Conclusions: Short dental implants represent a valid, minimally invasive alternative to bone augmentation in appropriately selected patients. Optimal outcomes depend on modern nano-structured implant surfaces, adequate prosthetic splinting, bone quality assessment, and rigorous peri-implant maintenance. Further long-term RCTs with standardized peri-implantitis criteria are needed.

Dens invaginatus is a developmental anomaly resulting from an infolding of enamel and dentin during odontogenesis, often leading to complex internal anatomy and early pulpal involvement. The presence of atypical apical morphology further complicates diagnosis and endodontic management. This case report describes the diagnosis and nonsurgical endodontic management of a rare variant of dens invaginatus in a maxillary anterior tooth, characterized by a single root exhibiting two different apical morphologies: one normally formed closed apex and an additional lateral open apex on the palate-distal aspect of the same root. The patient presented with severe anterior pain following recent trauma and was associated with a large periapical lesion. Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) played a decisive role in identifying the complex canal configuration and guiding treatment planning. A staged endodontic approach was adopted, including calcium hydroxide intracanal medicament, apical barrier formation using biodentine, and a hybrid obturation technique employing gutta-percha and thermoplasticized gutta-percha. Favorable clinical and radiographic outcomes were observed. This report emphasizes the importance of advanced imaging, careful canal negotiation, and customized obturation strategies in managing rare endodontic anomalies.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI), particularly convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and vision transformers (ViTs), is transforming dental radiographic diagnosis across multiple clinical domains. Methods: A narrative review searched PubMed, PubMed Central, BMC Oral Health, and Google Scholar for systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and original studies published between 2019 and 2025, covering ten domains: caries detection, periapical lesion identification, alveolar bone loss, peri-implant assessment, tooth detection and segmentation, cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) analysis, vertical root fracture (VRF) detection, cephalometric landmark analysis, dental anomaly detection, and AI-versus-clinician comparison. Results: Pooled sensitivity was 0.94 and specificity 0.91 for caries detection on bitewing radiographs. Periapical AI sensitivity was 92.9% with specificity of only 58.6%, yielding a positive predictive value of 15.3%. Peri-implant bone loss assessment achieved AUC of 0.94. Vision transformers outperformed CNNs in 58% of dental imaging studies. VRF detection accuracy ranged from 75% to 97.8%. Cephalometric landmark detection rate reached 98.29%. AI diagnosed radiographs in 1.5 seconds versus 53.8 seconds for clinicians. ANSI/ADA Standard 1110-1:2025 provides the first formal dental AI validation framework. Conclusions: AI achieves substantial and reproducible diagnostic accuracy across dental radiographic tasks. High false-positive rates, demographic dataset bias, limited multi-centre external validation, and regulatory gaps must be resolved before broad clinical implementation.

Chemotherapy remains a cornerstone in cancer management; however, its non-selective cytotoxic effects frequently result in significant oral mucosal complications that adversely affect patient wellbeing and treatment outcomes. The oral mucosa is particularly susceptible to injury because of its rapid epithelial turnover, rich vascularity, and constant exposure to mechanical and microbial insults. Chemotherapy-induced oral changes commonly include oral mucositis, xerostomia, opportunistic infections, dysgeusia, ulcerative lesions, mucosal pigmentation, and bleeding manifestations. Among these, oral mucositis is the most common and debilitating complication, often leading to pain, dysphagia, impaired nutrition, reduced quality of life, and interruption of cancer therapy. The pathogenesis involves direct epithelial toxicity, oxidative stress, inflammatory cytokine activation, and breakdown of the mucosal barrier, predisposing patients to secondary infections and delayed healing. Early diagnosis, preventive oral care, and multidisciplinary management are essential for minimizing morbidity and improving therapeutic outcomes. This review summarizes the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, prevention, and management of chemotherapy-induced oral mucosal changes.

Background: Thin gingival phenotype is associated with increased susceptibility to gingival recession, soft-tissue instability, and compromised esthetic outcomes. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of microneedling (MN) with and without concentrated platelet-rich fibrin (C-PRF) for gingival phenotype modification. Methods: This prospective split-mouth comparative clinical study included 42 sites, with 21 sites each in the group A and group B. Ground A sites received MN with adjunctive C-PRF, whereas Group B sites received MN alone. Gingival thickness (GT) and keratinized tissue width (KTW) were assessed at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. Postoperative pain was assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Patient-level mean values were used for statistical analysis. Results: Both groups showed significant improvement in GT and KTW from baseline to follow-up. Group A demonstrated significantly greater GT than Group B at 3 and 6 months (P <0.05). Intergroup differences in KTW were not statistically significant. Pain scores decreased progressively in both groups without significant intergroup differences. Conclusion: Adjunctive use of C-PRF with microneedling resulted in superior improvement in gingival thickness and may represent an effective minimally invasive option for gingival phenotype enhancement.