Comet assay-based genotoxicity assessment in buccal mucosa cells shows strong clinical potential. However, computational analysis is hindered by visual complexity from cellular debris and significant class imbalance. In these noisy settings, single-pass classification models often face the Accuracy Paradox. Such models show superficially high performance by mainly identifying the majority class and missing severe DNA damage (Class 4 comets). To address this, we propose a two-tier classification framework. This framework strategically separates upstream noise filtration from downstream multi-class grading. We systematically evaluate architectural trade-offs between machine learning-based filters—specifically Logistic Regression (LR) and Support Vector Machine (SVM), optimized for feature-space purity—and a broad Descriptive Statistics (DS) boundary, which prioritizes the retention of degraded biological structures. Integrated with cost-sensitive optimization and SMOTE-Tomek balancing, our proposed two-tier framework was rigorously benchmarked against established baselines. Empirical results demonstrate that the pipeline significantly excels in both binary detection and multi-class grading tasks. By coupling an upstream LR filter with the Tier-2 SVM detector, the binary module outperforms OpenComet and the previous GamaComet, achieving a held-out test F1-Score of 0.790 and an AUROC of 0.931. In the downstream multi-class phase, pairing the broader DS filter with the SMOTE-Tomek-balanced SVM classifier surpasses historical baselines, reaching a Macro F1-Score of 0.557 and a Macro AUROC of 0.916, compared to 0.475 and 0.690, respectively. This highlights the need for upstream leniency to provide the downstream classifier with a wider representation of artifacts, which is crucial for rescuing critically damaged Class 4 comets. Thus, our findings establish a configurable diagnostic gatekeeper that overcomes vulnerabilities of previous tools and sets robust preprocessing standards for future Deep Learning integration.

Dental procedure anxiety refers to the fear experienced before and during dental treatment. To reduce anxiety levels in children undergoing radiographic examinations, non-pharmacological behavioral management techniques such as tell-show-do and modeling can be employed. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of video modeling and the tell-show-do technique in reducing anxiety in children aged 5–7 years undergoing dental radiographic examinations at RSGM Prof. Soedomo, UGM. This quantitative study used a pretest–posttest control group design. The participants were children aged 5–7 years who underwent radiographic examinations at the Radiology Department of RSGM Prof. Soedomo, UGM, between September and December 2023. The sample was divided into three groups: Group A received the video modeling intervention, Group B received the tell-show-do intervention, and Group C served as the control group. Data were collected using the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) questionnaire and physiological anxiety measurements (blood pressure and pulse rate) using an Omron HEM-6161 digital tensiometer. MDAS scores were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test, while blood pressure and pulse rate were analyzed using one-way ANOVA. A total of 146 participants were included. Significant differences were observed in MDAS scores, blood pressure, and pulse rate from pretest to posttest among all groups (p < 0.05). The tell-show-do group showed the greatest reduction in anxiety (3.74 ± 2.62), followed by the video modeling group (3.33 ± 2.30), and the control group (0.92 ± 2.33). Both the tell-show-do technique and video modeling are effective in reducing dental anxiety in children aged 5–7 years undergoing radiographic examinations at RSGM Prof. Soedomo, UGM.

Dental radiography services were at high risk of becoming sites for cross-infection during the COVID-19 pandemic. To minimize the spread of COVID-19, infection control adaptations were implemented in dental radiography services across various healthcare facilities, including Type A, B, C, and D hospitals, as well as clinical laboratories. This study aims to determine the differences in infection control practices of dental radiographic examinations during the COVID-19 pandemic at various health facilities. This cross-sectional study involved 42 dental radiographers who worked in Yogyakarta. Control infections were measured using the electronic questionnaire with 27 closed-ended questions. The data were analyzed statistically using the Kruskal-Wallis test, and descriptive analysis was continued by categorizing the control infection into high, medium, and low levels. The validity and reliability test showed that 18 questionnaire items were valid and reliable. The statistical test showed a p-value of 0.672 (p > 0.05) for the staff infection control and 0.147 (p > 0.05) for the room infection control. This study found no significant differences in infection control practices during dental radiographic examinations across various healthcare facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. All facilities implemented high levels of infection control, with clinical laboratories showing the highest compliance. The study suggests increasing the number of questionnaire items related to room infection control and expanding the study’s scope in future research to improve accuracy and represent a broader population.

Radiografi bitewing merupakan metode standar untuk deteksi karies proksimal karena dapat mencitrakan mahkota gigi dari permukaan distal kaninus hingga distal permukaan molar paling posterior tanpa tumpang tindih. Pemanfaatan sinar-X di bidang kedokteran gigi menerapkan prinsip as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) untuk mengurangi efek radiasi. Near-Infrared Light Transillumination (NILT) merupakan metode deteksi karies tanpa menggunakanradiasi pengion sehingga dapat dijadikan alternatif untuk mengatasi permasalahan tersebut. Narrative review ini ditujukan untuk mendeskripsikan kelebihan dan kekurangan antara teknik intraoral bitewing dengan NILT beserta perbedaan hasil deteksi karies proksimal dari masing-masing teknik tersebut. Pencarian literatur pada narrative review ini menggunakan Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, dan Pubmed dengan kriteria inklusi yaitu artikel berjenis original/research article, case report, dan textbook ilmiah, serta artikel berbahasa Inggris maupun Indonesia yangditerbitkan tahun 2010-2021. Kriteria eksklusi berupa review article, artikel yang menunjukkan duplikasi, artikel yang tidak dapat diakses secara utuh, serta artikel tanpa metode penelitian. Total literatur yang dikaji sebanyak 29 artikel. Hasil review menunjukkan bahwa NILT merupakan metode deteksi karies proksimal tanpa disertai risiko radiasi sehingga tidak memberikan efek berbahaya pada tubuh sehingga penggunaannya dapat diulangi sesuai kebutuhan. Kelebihan lainnya, NILT lebih sensitif daripada radiograf untuk mendeteksi jaringan keras gigi yang mengalami demineralisasi pada fase awal. Nilai sensitivitas dan spesifisitas NILT lebih tinggi daripada radiografi bitewing sehingga dapat dijadikan alternatif pemeriksaan radiografi. Meskipun demikian, NILT tidak dapat mencitrakan karies yang telah meluas hingga pulpa karena NILT tidak memiliki daya tembus sebesar sinar-X, sehingga radiografi bitewing masihmerupakan standar pemeriksaan untuk deteksi karies proksimal.

Abstract Background Identification is one of the main aspects of forensics. Sex estimation is an essential part of identification because it can simplify the whole process. Mandible is the largest, strongest, and sexually dimorphic bone and is part of the orofacial structure, which has the second highest level of dimorphism after the pelvic bone. Sex estimation using the mandible can be performed by conducting various linear measurements on a panoramic radiograph, including right minimum ramus width (RMiRW), left minimum ramus width (LMiRW), right projective height of ramus (RPHR), left projective height of ramus (LPHR), right maximum ramus width (RMxRW), left maximum ramus width (LMxRW), right coronoid height (RCH), left coronoid height (LCH), symphysis height (SH), right mandibular corpus height (RMCH), and left mandibular corpus height (LMCH). This study aimed to analyze how linear measurements in panoramic radiographs differ between men and women and to estimate sex by utilizing these parameters. Results In this study, 195 panoramic radiographs from 95 men and 100 women aged 20–40 years obtained from our dental hospital were used as a training data. Meanwhile, 61 panoramic radiographs from 29 men and 32 women outside the training data with same characteristics were used as the testing data. The linear measurements of the mandible using panoramic radiographs were taken with EzDent-i Vatech software. Independent t-test showed significant difference (p < 0.05) in some linear measurements of the mandible between adult men and women. These significantly different linear measurements were then subjected to discriminant function analysis to produce sex estimation equations. The equation accuracy percentage ranged between 63.6 and 94.4% for the training sample and 59.5% and 85% for the testing sample. Conclusion The linear measurements of the mandible using diagnostically acceptable panoramic radiographs taken from a patient with standardized head positioning can serve as an alternative method for sex estimation. The accuracy of discriminant analysis for sex estimation varies depending on the parameter used in the estimation.

Background Sex estimation gives the probability that someone is classified as a male or a female. Lateral cephalogram analysis can be used for sex estimation due to the resistance and dimorphism of the skull. Glabella has been known to have dimorphic characteristic in male and female, while nasion and sella have been widely used as a standard point in many craniometric measurements. This study aimed to develop an equation using nasion–sella–glabella (NSG), sella–glabella–nasion (SGN), and glabella–nasion–sella (GNS) angles on lateral cephalograms for sex estimation among Indonesian adults in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Results A total of 138 adults (aged 20–40 years) digital lateral cephalograms were taken from the dental records at Universitas Gadjah Mada Dental Hospital (108 used to form the equation of sex estimation; 30 used to test the equation), and the parameters were measured with EzDent-i Vatech. An independent t -test was used to analyze the differences in the angles between male and female adults. The equation for sex estimation was determined using discriminant function analysis. The average measurements of the NSG angles in male and female adults were 9.64° ± 1.36° and 11.21° ± 1.57°, respectively, the SGN angles were 54.65° ± 4.19° and 60.83° ± 4.13°, respectively, whereas the GNS angles were 118.33° ± 4.61° and 109.84° ± 5.19°, respectively. The independent t -test revealed a significant difference ( p < 0.05) between male and female adults. Discriminant function analysis yielded an equation for sex estimation using the NSG, SGN, and GNS angles with an accuracy of up to 75.9%, with the accuracy of sex estimation based on the testing sample being 70%. Conclusion Based on the findings of this study, male Indonesian adults have a smaller NSG and SGN angles but a bigger GNS angle than female adults. Related to the accuracy, the study’s findings indicate that the discriminant function of NSG, SGN, and GNS angles for sex estimation should not be generalized in wider population. More cephalogram parameters must be investigated in future studies on sex estimation.

ABSTRAK Pendahuluan: Identifikasi individu dapat dilakukan dengan menggunakan metode identifikasi sekunder, salah satunya berupa determinasi jenis kelamin menggunakan radiograf. Identifikasi jenis kelamin dapat dilakukan dengan mengamati morfologi mandibula yang merupakan tulang terkuat dan terbesar di wajah manusia. Perbedaan mandibula antara pria dan wanita pada regio antegonial mandibula dapat diamati serta diukur pada radiograf panoramik. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui perbedaan sudut dan kedalaman antegonial antara pria dan wanita serta untuk menentukan perbedaan sudut dan kedalaman antegonial antara sisi kiri dan kanan pada radiografi panoramik. Metode: Sampel penelitian terdiri dari 80 radiograf panoramik dari 40 pasien pria dan 40 wanita berusia 20-60 tahun. Pengukuran sudut antegonial dan kedalaman antegonial dilakukan secara digital pada radiografi panoramik. Independent sample t-test digunakan untuk mengetahui apakah ada perbedaan diantara kedua variabel yang dibandingkan antara pria dan wanita sekaligus untuk mengetahui perbedaan antara pengukuran sisi kanan dan kiri. Hasil: Rerata sudut antegonial pada kelompok pria adalah 155,36° ± 5,85 sedangkan pada kelompok wanita adalah 159,07° ± 5,25. Rerata kedalaman antegonial pada kelompok pria adalah 2,07 ± 0,69 mm dan pada kelompok wanita adalah 1,75 ± 0,59 mm. Hasil independent sample t-test menunjukkan perbedaan yang signifikan (p<0,05) pada sudut antegonial dan kedalaman antegonial antara kelompok pria dan wanita, serta tidak ada perbedaan yang signifikan pada sudut maupun kedalaman antegonial antara sisi kiri dan kanan (p>0,05). Simpulan: Terdapat perbedaan sudut dan kedalaman antegonial antara pria dan wanita, serta tidak terdapat perbedaan yang signifikan pada sudut dan kedalaman antegonial antara sisi kiri dan kanan pada radiografi panoramik. KATA KUNCI: Radiograf, panoramik, mandibula, sudut antegonial, kedalaman antegonial Comparing antegonial angle and antegonial depth on panoramic radiographs between men and women: observational study ABSTRACT Introduction: Personal identity can be determined using secondary identification methods such as sex estimation using radiograph. Mandibular morphology can be used for estimating sex. The mandible, as the largest and most robust bone in the human facial skeleton, provides valuable information for sex estimation. The antegonial region indicates sexual dimorphism in the mandible, which can be visually assessed on panoramic radiographs. This study aims to investigate potential differences in antegonial angles and depths between males and females, in addition to identify any differences in antegonial angle and depth on panoramic radiographs between the left and right sides. Methods: The study sample included 80 panoramic radiographs taken from 40 male and 40 female patients aged 20-60 years. The antegonial angle and depth were measured digitally on panoramic radiographs. The collected data was analyzed using an independent sample t-test. Results: In the male group, the mean antegonial angle was 155.36°±5.85, while in the female group, it was 159.07°±5.25. The mean value of antegonial depth in the male group was 2.07±0.69 mm and in the female group it was 1.75±0.59 mm. Independent sample t-test reveals a significant difference in antegonial angle and depth between the male and female groups (p<0.05) and no significant difference in both measurement between the left and right sides (p>0.05). Conclusion: There are differences in antegonial angles and depths between men and women, and no significant difference in antegonial angles and depths between the left and right sides on panoramic radiographs. KEY WORDS: radiograph, panoramic, mandible, antegonial angle, antegonial depth

Introduction: : Dental anxiety was found to be related to the radiographic procedure and can be influenced by sociodemographic characteristics of patients such as age, gender, level of education, and provoking factors such as past dental examination experience. Evaluating the anxiety regarding dental radiographic examination could be beneficial in ensuring the procedure’s continuance. This study aimed to measure the radiology knowledge among dental students and its association with anxiety due to dental radiographic examination. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to collect the data using a questionnaire packet that included a knowledge and anxiety questionnaire, demographic data, and information about the experience of dental radiographic examination. A total sampling of 1st and 2nd year undergraduate and clerkship dental students at the Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia was selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Anxiety-related factors were assessed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression conducted with STATA 15.1. Results: Results showed that knowledge and anxiety were negatively correlated but the correlation was not statistically significant. Gender, radiographic technique, and presence/absence of a companion during the examination were not correlated with anxiety. Meanwhile, the anxiety level was negatively and significantly correlated with age and examination frequency (p < 0.05). Multiple linear regression results showed strong evidence that age and examination frequency were the main factors for predicting anxiety. Conclusion: Although age, radiographic examination frequency, and educational level are significant bivariate predictors of anxiety, subsequent regression analysis indicated that only age and radiographic examination frequency influence anxiety.

Introduction and Aim: Ionizing radiation in dental imaging technology may cause cytotoxicity by means of changing the buccal mucosa cells and gingiva maturation pattern. Alteration of maturation pattern was often accompanied by increasing anucleated cells number that indicates keratosis. This study aimed to evaluate whether superficial keratosis also occurred after exposure to dental X-ray radiation. Methods: The study samples consisted of 40 participants and were divided into two groups: exposed (patients who came in for taking analog/digital panoramic radiography or cone beam CT) and controlled (no radiography examinations). Each group contained ten individuals. Exfoliative cytology smears have been taken from the gingival and buccal mucosa before (or on day 0 for the control group) and 10 days post-exposure. The Papanicolaou approach was used to stain the cells. The anucleated cells in each glass slide have been then counted. Results: No significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed in anucleated cell numbers between days 0 and 10 in both the controlled and exposed groups. The anucleated cell numbers also confirmed no significant difference between the gingiva and buccal mucosa. Conclusion: Analog/digital panoramic radiography and CBCT exposure do not cause increases in anucleated cell numbers, so keratosis may not occur in patients exposed to dental X-ray radiation.

Objectives: This review article is aimed to determine the accuracy of extraoral periapical radiography as a determinant of the working length in endodontic treatment and the advantages and disadvantages of this technique. Review: Endodontic treatment is a dental treatment for damages reaching the pulp which aims to maintain the tooth. One way to succeed in endodontic treatment is to determine an accurate working length. The working length can be determined by intraoral periapical radiography examination but some people are sensitive to intraoral film placement. The placement of film on periapical radiography extraorally is needed. Conclusion: The study showed that the extraoral periapical radiography had more than 75% accuracy in determining the working length depending on angulation used. This review concludes that extraoral periapical radiography can be used in patients who can not tolerate to intraoral film placement with an accuracy that is not significantly different from that of the intraoral periapical radiography but is not meant to be replaced intraoral periapical radiography.

Comet assay is a simple and precise method to analyze DNA damage. Nowadays, many research studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of buccal mucosa cells usage in comet assays. However, several software tools do not perform well for detecting and classifying comets from a comet assay image of buccal mucosa cells because the cell has a lot more noise. Therefore, a specific software tool is required for fully automated comet detection and classification from buccal mucosa cell swabs. This research proposes a deep learning-based fully automated framework using Faster R-CNN to detect and classify comets in a comet assay image taken from buccal mucosa swab. To train the Faster R-CNN model, buccal mucosa samples were collected from 24 patients in Indonesia. We acquired 275 comet assay images containing 519 comets. Furthermore, two strategies were used to overcome the lack of dataset problems during the model training, namely transfer learning and data augmentation. We implemented the proposed Faster R-CNN model as a web-based tool, GamaComet, that can be accessed freely for academic purposes. To test the GamaComet, buccal mucosa samples were collected from seven patients in Indonesia. We acquired 43 comet assay images containing 73 comets. GamaComet can give an accuracy of 81.34% for the detection task and an accuracy of 66.67% for the classification task. Furthermore, we also compared the performance of GamaComet with an existing free software tool for comet detection, OpenComet. The experiment results showed that GamaComet performed significantly better than OpenComet that could only give an accuracy of 11.5% for the comet detection task. Downstream analysis can be well conducted based on the detection and classification results from GamaComet. The analysis showed that patients owning comet assay images containing comets with class 3 and class 4 had a smoking habit, meaning they had more cells with a high level of DNA damage. Although GamaComet had a good performance, the performance for the classification task could still be improved. Therefore, it will be one of the future works for the research development of GamaComet.

DNA is the information carrier in cells that are susceptible to damage, either naturally or due to external influences. Comet assays are often used by experts to determine the level of damage. However, the comet assays gathered with swab technique (Buccal Mucosa for example) often produced a higher noise level compared to ones that are cell-cultured, thus, making the analysis process more difficult. In this research, we proposed a novel way to assess the degree of damage from Buccal Mucosa comet assays using a hybrid of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Extreme Learning Machine (ELM). The CNN was used to capture and extract spatial relation from every comet, while the ELM was used as a classifier that can minimize the risk of vanishing gradient. Our hybrid CNN-ELM model scored 96.96% for accuracy, while the VGG16-ELM scored 88.4% and ResNet50-ELM 76.8%.

Aim: Dental imaging has been widely used for diagnosis in dentistry. However, dental X-ray may induce cytotoxicity leading to apoptosis in oral mucosa cells. The present study aimed to observe the maturation pattern of buccal and gingival cells after exposure to X-ray radiation from analog/digital panoramic scanning and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods: The research samples were 40 subjects who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The subjects were divided into the exposed (patients who received analog/digital panoramic radiography or CBCT) and controlled (patients who had no radiography examinations) groups, with 10 subjects in each group. Exfoliative cytology smears were obtained from buccal mucosa and gingiva before exposure (or on day 0 for the control group) and 10 days later. The cells were stained with the Papanicolaou method. Then, the superficial, intermediate, and parabasal cells were counted in each glass slide. Results: No significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed among all cell types between day 0 and 10 in the control group. Meanwhile, after exposure to three kinds of radiography examinations, the frequency of intermediate cells in buccal mucosa and gingiva increased (p < 0.05), but that of superficial cells decreased (p < 0.05) significantly. No significant difference was found in the parabasal cells (p > 0.05). The frequency differences between intermediate and superficial cells showed no significant difference between the buccal mucosa and gingiva. Conclusion: Analog/digital panoramic radiography and CBCT exposure can induce cytotoxicity by altering the maturation pattern of buccal mucosa cells and gingiva, so it is strongly recommended to only perform these procedures if necessary and avoid repeated exposure to the same patient.

Objectives: The purpose of this narrative review is to discover radiographic images in panoramic and periapical radiographs that are used as identifiers and to compare the use of panoramic and periapical radiographs in identification based on DVI. Review: The databases used in this narrative review are Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct. A total of 1258 search results appeared based on keywords. The search results were selected by title and abstract according to their relevance to the review topic, then results are selected again based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Total of 38 literatures were reviewed. This review shows radiographic identifiers used in panoramic radiographs are tooth restorations, crown, Root Canal Treatment (RCT), dental bridge, dental implants, maxillary sinus, rectilinear metal plate, orthodontic brackets, tooth anomaly, and root morphology. The radiographic identifiers used in periapical radiograph are tooth restorations, PSA, tooth anomaly, and root morphology. In this review, 53.8% of the literatures used panoramic radiograph for identification, whereas 46.2% used periapical radiograph. Conclusion: This review concluded that the most used radiographic identifier in panoramic radiograph is tooth restoration (57,1%) whereas in periapical radiograph is RCT (83,3%). Panoramic radiography were used in 53,8% of the literatures in this review, it was used more than periapical radiography.

Panoramic X-ray is well known to cause DNA damage and induces cellular death. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the cytotoxicity of radiation exposure from panoramic radiography on human buccal mucosa cells by assessing the cell viability using the simple-trypan blue exclusion test. The genotoxicity effect was evaluated by assessing comet assay score. This research included a total of 20 healthy patients who had panoramic radiography for a routine dental examination. Buccal mucosa cells were collected from all participants before X-ray exposure and at 30 min or 24 h after exposure in Groups 1 and 2, respectively, and subjected to a comet assay and trypan blue exclusion test to assess cell viability and DNA damage. Cell viability was calculated as the ratio of live (translucent) to total counted cells. Comet assay output images were analysed using OpenComet software and a visual score by measuring the percentages of tail DNA and summing the visual score, respectively. A statistically significant (p < 0.05) reduce in cell viability was observed at 30 min after exposure, furthermore there is no more reduction after 24 h. Both comet assay measurements showed a significant (p < 0.05) increase in the percentage of tail DNA and visual score at 30 min after exposure, then tend to decrease after 24 h of exposure, although it was not significant (p > 0.05). The results showed that panoramic radiography interfered cell viability and induced DNA damage in buccal mucosa cells within 30 min after exposure, but these effects were ceased after 24 h.

Objectives: The aims of this review is to describe thyroid shield function and to look the dentists’ perceptions considering the application in dental radiographic examination, particularly in cephalometric and Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) examination. Literature Review: The utilization of thyroid shield has been signified reduction of radiation dose about 34% in cephalometric examination and 18-40.1% in CBCT. The absence of universal guidelines has led to minimal perception of dentists on the importance of using thyroid shield as indicated by the low utilization of thyroid shield among patients. This low perception can be improved through adequate education and applied training in the use of thyroid shield. Conclusion: Dentists’ perceptions regarding the application of thyroid shield need to be improved so that the application of thyroid shield can be increased in order to protect patients from the risk of dental radiation exposure.

Free radicals generated during ionization process of X-rays can damage biological tissues. Radiation exposure to gingival sulcus area will damage endothelial cells and increase permeability of blood vessels under sulcular and junctional epithelium. That inflammation will increase gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) volume. Repeated periapical radiographs often occurs due to the unfulfillment of quality assurance and leads to an increase amount of radiation dose received by the patient. Previous studies have shown that β-carotene mucoadhesive gingival patch can penetrate mucous membrane and provide protection against radiation by reducing the number of gingival epithelial cells micronuclei. The aims of this study was to observe β-carotene mucoadhesive gingival patch effect in GCF volume from patient exposed to repeated periapical radiographs. We recruited 10 participants from patients who receive repeated periapical radiographs in instalation of dentomaxillofacial radiology, Prof Soedomo dental and oral hospital Faculty of Dentistry UGM. The teeth of the subjects are divided into control and treatment group. β-carotene mucoadhesive gingival patch was applied to treatment group. GCF was collected using an absorbing paper strip before and after exposure, then measured bysliding caliper. Paired T-test showed significant differences (p<0.05) between GCF volume before and after radiographic exposure in each group. Independent T-test showed significant differences (p<0.05) of GCF volume between control and treatment group. Conclusion of this study is β-carotene mucoadhesive gingival patch significantly reduce GCF volume after repeated periapical radiographic exposure.

The purpose of the study was to obtain basic data to identify problems in radiation education in a situation where confidence in nuclear power has fluctuated over time and fear of nuclear power has increased globally due to nuclear power plant disasters at Chernobyl and Fukushima. We conducted a questionnaire survey on understanding and risk perception of radiation and atomic power, before and after lectures, for 107 Japanese and 137 Indonesian dental students. Thirty-six phrases were extracted from two supplementary texts about radiation created by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and 30 events commonly used in research on risk perception were used. The students were asked to rate their level of understanding of 36 phrases and risk perception of 30 events. Moreover, the students were asked to answer 6 general questions about radiation. For Japanese students, understanding of radiation increased and risk perception for both nuclear power and X-rays decreased after lectures (p < 0.05). Concerning nuclear power, the risk-value declined as the level of understanding increased (p < 0.01). However, for Indonesian students, who had lectures on only radiation excluding nuclear power in dental radiology, risk perception increased for X-ray after lectures (p < 0.05). This indicates that thought and custom, in the absence of knowledge, are influenced by lectures. In general, it is said that increase in knowledge will lower risk perception, but even if radiation education is imparted, risk perception may rise if the lectures are not understood properly. It was concluded that educators need to incorporate sufficient knowledge in their teachings, and correct thinking, to mitigate the risk of future radiation education giving the opposite of the intended effect.

Comet assay or single cell gel electrophoresis assay (SCGE) is a method which is frequently used to measure the damage of DNA. The results of comet assay is a set of comet images, then the comet images are classified to measure the level of DNA damage. Currently, there are several softwares for comet assay image analysis, both free and commercial. Commercial software is quite expensive, while free software is limited, especially for buccal mucosa cell and super tiny comet image dataset. In this research, we propose a classification model for comet assay with super tiny image dataset which is taken from buccal mucosa cells. We propose a transfer learning based convolutional neural network (CNN) model. We have compared the transfer learning model with CNN-support vector machine (SVM) and ordinary CNN. In our experiments, we use super tiny dataset consisting of 73 images. Our transfer learning model gives an accuracy 70.5%, while CNN-SVM gives 62.3% and ordinary CNN gives 63.5%. We also compare our transfer learning model with most frequently used, free comet assay analysis software, OpenComet. Open-Comet gives an accuracy 11.5%. Our transfer learning model is promising for comet assay for buccal mucosa cell and super tiny dataset.

Ionizing radiation (IR) presents a risk to human health via DNA damage even when administered at low doses, such as those used in panoramic radiography. Objectives : This study used the comet assay to assess DNA damage in buccal mucosa cells consequent to X-ray radiation from panoramic radiography. Methods : Twenty participants were recruited from among patients who underwent panoramic examinations at Prof. Soedomo Dental Hospital, Universitas Gadjah Mada, and divided into two groups of 10. Buccal mucosa cells were collected from all participants before exposure to IR and at 30 min or 24 h after exposure in groups 1 and 2, respectively, and subjected to a comet assay to assess DNA damage. Assay output images were analyzed using OpenComet software. Double-strand breaks (DSBs) were assessed by comparing the percentages of tail DNA in output images obtained before and after X-ray exposure. Results : A statistically signifcant ( p =0.014) increase in the percentage of tail DNA was observed at 30 min after exposure, but not at 24 h ( p =0.29). Conclusion : Panoramic X-ray radiation may induce DSBs in human buccal mucosal cells within 30 min after exposure.