Single-cell RNA sequencing（scRNA-seq）technology，a powerful tool able to analyze gene expression at single-cell resolution，has been widely used in periodontitis research in recent years，greatly advancing the understanding of cellular heterogeneity and mechanisms of pathological progression in periodontal tissues.Herein，we review the development of scRNA-seq technology from early attempts to maturity and diversification，and focus on the present progress of its application in periodontitis research.By constructing a single-cell atlas of periodontal tissues，the researchers revealed cellular heterogeneity and identified key cellular subpopulations and molecular markers associated with disease progression and repair.Cellular heterogeneity analysis and pseudotime analysis further elucidated the functional properties of different cells in periodontitis and the dynamic course of the disease.The cellcell communication analysis resolved the intercellular signaling network，which provided new perspectives for disease diagnosis and treatment.These studies revealled the periodontitis -associated cell subpopulations and the key molecular mechanisms，which provided important clues for precise diagnosis and targeted treatment of the disease.In addition，this review provides an insight into the future direction of scRNAseq in periodontics，including spatial transcriptomics，multiomics integration，the application of big data and artificial intelligence，and the prospects for precision diagnosis and treatment.Although scRNA-seq still faces challenges such as high cost and data complexity，through technical optimization，data integration and interdisciplinary cooperation，this technology is expected to further advance the development of periodontitis research and strongly contribute to precision medicine and health management.

Objective

To investigate the role of insulin-like growth factor 2-binding protein 2（IGF2BP2），an important effector of N⁶-methyladenosine（m⁶A），in the development and progression of oral cancer.

Methods

The transcriptome data and clinical information related to oral cancer were selected from the cancer genome atlas（TCGA）and gene expression omnibus（GEO）databases from 2012-2024.Genome enrichment analysis（GSEA），Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes（KEGG）analysis，gene ontology（GO）analysis，correlation analysis，and Cox regression analysis were performed on the data using the R package.Pathological sections of oral cancer were obtained from Xiangya Stomatology Hospital，Central South University.The expression level of IGF2BP2 was verified by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence analysis，and the results were statistically analyzed based on t test.

Results

The dysregulation of m⁶A-related protein played an important role in the development of tumors.It was found that the higher the expression of the m⁶A-related molecule IGF2BP2，the lower the overall survival rate of patients with oral cancer（P＜0.05）.IGF2BP2 was the most upregulated m⁶A-related protein in oral cancer（P＜0.001），and the ROC curve showed that the coefficient of IGF2BP2 in predicting oral cancer was 0.839.Immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence analysis showed that the expression of IGF2BP2 in oral cancer was significantly higher than that in the normal oral tissues（P＜0.05）.High expression of IGF2BP2 was positively correlated with high grade（P＜0.05），stage（P＜0.05），and primary site（P＜0.05）of oral cancer.Univariate（P＜0.05）and multivariate（P=0.074）regression analysis showed that IGF2BP2 had independent prognostic value in oral cancer.GSEA，KEGG，GO，and correlation analysis further demonstrated that upregulated IGF2BP2 affected immunity by altering the distribution of macrophage M0 and regulatory T cells（Tregs）and interacting with immune checkpoint genes，thereby affecting the efficacy of immunotherapy.

Conclusions

Upregulated IGF2BP2 was positively correlated with higher tumor stage and poorer prognosis of oral cancer.IGF2BP2 played an important role in the occurrence and development of oral cancer.

The detection of pathogenic microorganisms is a common method for clinical diagnosis of infectious diseases，and its efficient and accurate detection is particularly important in the identification of etiology，diagnosis and treatment.With the continuous development of biotechnology and sensor technology，intelligent and portable biosensors have made great contributions to human health in microbial detection.At present，scholars have discovered an Argonaute protein from Pyrococcus furiosus，which is widely used in the detection of pathogenic microorganisms.Compared with the traditional microbial detection technology，Pyrococcus furiosus Argonaute（PfAgo）enzyme has outstanding advantages and is suitable for rapid and accurate detection of pathogenic microorganisms in various complex environments.This article briefly introduces the development，principle and advantages of PfAgo enzyme，and expounds the application cases of biosensors based on PfAgo enzyme in the detection of pathogenic microorganisms.Comprehensive analysis shows that the biosensor detection technology based on PfAgo enzyme has the advantages of simple operation，low reagent consumption，fast detection speed，low false positive rate and high automation，and has a very broad development space and application prospect for pathogenic microorganism detection.

Objective

To identify shared hub genes between periodontitis（PD）and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis （NASH） using bioinformatics methods，and to explore potential common pathogenic mechanisms of the two diseases.

Methods

Gene expression datasets related to the diseases were obtained from the gene expression omnibus（GEO）database between 2008 and 2016.GSE16134 and GSE89632 were selected as training datasets for PD and NASH，respectively. Differentially expressed genes（DEGs）were identified，and overlapping DEGs were extracted by intersecting the two datasets.Gene ontology（GO）and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes（KEGG）enrichment analyses were performed on the overlapping DEGs.Hub genes were further screened through weighted gene co-expression network analysis（WGCNA）and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator（LASSO）regression analysis. Subsequently，the expression levels of hub genes were validated in independent datasets（PD：GSE10334；NASH：GSE33814），and their diagnostic performance was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic（ROC）curve analysis.

Results

A total of 36 overlapping DEGs were identified from GSE16134 and GSE89632，including 19 upregulated and 17 downregulated genes. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis indicated that these genes were associated with cell adhesion，cytokine and chemokine signaling pathway. By intersecting overlapping DEGs with module genes from WGCNA，eight candidate hub genes were identified：ANXA6，CD48，GIMAP2，GPR34，HAL，ITGAL，PTPRCAP，SLC19A2. Among them，ANXA6，CD48，GIMAP2，GPR34，ITGAL and PTPRCAP were significantly upregulated in disease groups（P＜0.05），while HAL and SLC19A2 were significantly downregulated（P＜0.05）. Further LASSO regression analysis identified four potential shared hub genes（ANXA6，GIMAP2，HAL and SLC19A2）. Among these genes，ANXA6，GIMAP2 and SLC19A2 consistently exhibited stable differential expression and considerable diagnostic performance（AUC＞0.7）across multiple datasets，and were ultimately identified as shared hub genes between PD and NASH.

Conclusions

This study identified three potential shared hub genes between PD and NASH based on bioinformatics analyses，providing novel insights into their common pathogenic mechanisms and offering potential targets for future therapeutic strategies.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma （NPC） is a prevalent oral-maxillofacial head and neck cancer in China.Radiotherapy，the radical treatment for NPC，often causes oral adverse effects including osteoradionecrosis， mucositis，xerostomia and radiotherapy related caries. Inadequate pre -radiotherapy oral preparation not only impairs patients' oral health and subsequently reduces the quality of life，but also increases the complexity and difficulty of subsequent dental treatment，thus hindering optimal therapeutic outcome. Preradiotherapy oral preparation is of positive significance for both patients and dentists，but most dentists have limited knowledge of the content and timing of pre-radiotherapy oral preparation currently. This review summarizes common oral complications of radiotherapy，the significance，objectives and specific measures of oral preparation for NPC，aiming to provide clinical reference.

Objective

To investigate the molecular pathological mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease（AD）through transcriptome analysis using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism，aiming to provide an in vivo experimental platform for oral-neural disease research.

Methods

Transcriptome sequencing was performed on wild-type N2 and AD model worms（CL2355）expressing pan-neuronal human Aβ_1-42 using Illumina HiSeq platform.Differential expression analysis，gene ontology（GO）enrichment analysis，Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes（KEGG）pathway analysis，and gene set enrich analysis（GSEA）were conducted to systematically detect changes in gene expression.

Results

Compared to wild-type，1 899 upregulated and 2 018 downregulated genes were identified in the AD model. GO analysis revealed significant enrichment of upregulated genes in neurite guidance and cell differentiation，while downregulated genes were enriched in mRNA splicing and DNA repair. KEGG analysis showed significant upregulation of drug and xenobiotic metabolism pathways，and downregulation of RNA surveillance and endocytosis pathways.GSEA revealed significant downregulation of the apoptosis pathway［normalized enrichment score（NES）=-1.775，P = 0.008 1］with decreased expression of key genes including ced-9 and ced-3.

Conclusions

This study revealed systematic changes in gene expression in the C.elegans AD model，providing an ideal experimental model for investigating the role of oral infection factors in AD pathogenesis.

Craniofacial duplication is a kind of extremely rare birth defect.This congenital deformity demonstrates significantly various phenotypes and must be treated with personalized protocol based on the extent of soft and osseous tissue involvement and affected physiologic functions.Here we report a case of complete unilateral cleft lip complicated with maxillary duplication.Its clinical manifestation and surgical procedures are described.The literature covering its etiology and management is also systematically reviewed.

Obstructive sleep apnea（OSA）is a sleepdisordered breathing condition characterized by the recurrent collapse of the upper airway during sleep，resulting in ventilation dysfunction and disruption of sleep architecture.Advances in medical imaging and computational technologies have facilitated the application of computational fluid dynamics（CFD）as a critical tool for investigating the fluid dynamics of the upper airway in OSA patients.CFD is particularly valuable for simulating changes in upper airway flow fields under different treatment modalities and for predicting treatment efficacy，demonstrating significant potential in clinical applications.This review summarizes the research progress in CFD-based comparative analysis of upper airway flow fields in OSA patients before and after treatment，so as to provide a reference for the management and therapeutic optimization of OSA.

Polymer-infiltrated-ceramic-network（PICN）composites have been given increasing attention as dental restorative materials due to the excellent combination of the mechanical compatibility with natural teeth，the lifelike aesthetic property stemmed from ceramics and the good machinability ascribed to the resin.This article presents a stateof-the -art review on PICN composites regarding their key properties，such as mechanical properties，aesthetic properties，biocompatibility and adhesive properties，as well as the changes of the above properties under different environment conditions，and finally provides an outlook for their future development trend.The main purpose of this article was to provide valuable instructions for researchers to further optimize the design of material properties，and also to offer a basis for dentists to reasonably select and use PICN composites according to patients′ personal preferences and practical use scenarios in clinical applications.

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate changes in occlusal function in adolescent patients with mandibular retrusion using clear functional aligners before orthodontic treatment，after mandibular advancement（MA）treatment and at the end of orthodontic treatment.

Methods

This ambispective cohort study was conducted in the Department of Orthodontics，the Fourth Military Medical University from 2022 to 2024.A total of 18 adolescent patients with mandibular retrusion［mean age（13.22 ± 1.17）years］were included.This study was divided into three stages：before orthodontic treatment（T0），after MA treatment（T1）［treatment duration：（12.62±0.66）months］and at the end of orthodontic treatment（T2）［treatment duration：（22.76±0.63）months］.The intercuspal position（ICP），protrusive occlusion and lateral occlusion were recorded by T-Scan occlusion analysis system.Friedman test was used to compare the occlusal function before orthodontic treatment，after MA and at the end of orthodontic treatment.

Results

The difference of the relative occlusal force and occlusal contact area of the left and right sides of the dental arch before orthodontic treatment in ICP was 21.03（15.00，26.05），20.62（15.08，23.05）at T0，9.90（5.37，11.75），9.71（8.23，11.61）at T1，and 11.20（9.62，12.44），10.01（6.67，11.96）at T2，respectively.The difference of the relative occlusal force and occlusal contact area of the left and right sides of the dental arch at T1 and at T2 was smaller than that at T0（P＜0.001），but there was no significant difference between them（P＞0.05）.In ICP，the size of the total relative occlusal force in the full arch at T1 was smaller than that at T0，and it gradually increased at T2 stage，but it was still smaller than at T0 stage（P＜0.001）.In ICP，the relative positions of the center of force（COF）of the left and right sides of the dental arch were not statistically different between T0，T1 and T2，but they became closer to the ideal COF position；the COF position of the dental arch anterior and posterior segments was statistically different from T0 to T1 stage，moving toward the dental arch anterior segment（P＜0.001），and it was statistically different from T0 to T2 stage，moving toward the dental arch posterior segment（P＜0.001）.The occlusion time of ICP and the disclusion time of protrusive and lateral occlusion were significantly shorter at T1 and T2 than those at T0 stage（P＜0.05）.

Conclusions

In adolescent patients with mandibular retrusion treated with clear functional aligners，differences in left-right occlusal force，occlusion time，and disclusion time in ICP，protrusive，and lateral occlusion were reduced following MA and at the end of orthodontic treatment.These findings indicated an improvement in occlusal function.The occlusion became more balanced and stable after MA and orthodontic treatment.

The Er，Cr：YSGG laser demonstrates significant advantages in the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity.Through its thermal effect，this laser causes the denaturation of organic substances and the melting of inorganic substances within the dentinal tubules，thereby effectively sealing the dentinal tubules and rapidly relieving the symptom of hypersensitivity. At the same time，the treatment process is comfortable，and patients have a high degree of acceptance.This article systematically reviewed the advantages of Er，Cr：YSGG laser in the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity.Combined with the research findings in histology，it deeply expounded on the mechanism of dentinal tubule sealing by this treatment method and the morphological impact on the surrounding tissues. The aim was to provide a theoretical basis and practical guidance for the rational，safe，and efficient treatment of dentin hypersensitivity in clinical practice.

Objective

To explore the impact of saliva and resonance cavities on the stability of prosthetic screws based on resonance frequency analysis.

Methods

Mandibular edentulous gypsum casts with screw-retained definitive fixed dental prostheses supported by 6 implants were used.The control group was placed in a standard indoor environment，while the experimental group was placed in a simulated oral environment with artificial saliva in a dental manikin.Different insertion torques were applied to the screws using a digital torque wrench，forming a parameter matrix related to screw stability.A tapping simulation was directly applied to the buccal side of the tested screw，and a pickup device was used to collect the acoustic signals.The resonance peak frequencies of these signals were extracted by using time-frequencydomain analysis based on short-time Fourier transform.The spectrograms of acoustic signal were plotted，and the coefficients of variation for each prosthetic screw at 15 N·cm were calculated for both groups.Bland-Altman analysis was used to evaluate the consistency of the resonance frequencies related to prosthetic screw stability in both groups.Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between prosthetic screw stability and corresponding resonance frequencies（α = 0.05）.

Results

The spectrograms of acoustic signal showed that both groups had energy concentration bands in the 7 to 9 kHz range，and as the insertion torque value decreased，the energy concentration band shifted left.The coefficient of variation results indicated that the resonance frequencies of the prosthetic screws in the experimental group at 15 N·cm ranged from（7 329±8）Hz to（8 400±8）Hz，with coefficients of variation ranging from 0.001 to 0.002.In the control group，the resonance frequencies ranged from（7 329±6）Hz to（8 463±11）Hz，with coefficients of variation ranging from 0.000 8 to 0.002.Pearson correlation analysis showed that a linear positive correlation between screw stability and resonance frequency in both groups（r=0.483 ～0.937，P＜0.001）and the correlation coefficient values for the same screw were similar.Bland-Altman analysis revealed that the normalized resonance frequencies in the experimental group ranged from 0.569 to 0.892，while those in the control group ranged from 0.585 to 0.881.The differences in resonance frequencies between the two groups were not statistically significant（t=-1.816 ～0.859，P＞0.05），with the absolute difference ranging from 0.001 to 0.016.

Conclusions

The moist and resonant oral environment did not have an adverse effect on the acoustic-vibration characteristics of implant prostheses based on tapping.Acoustic resonance frequency analysis showed good clinical prospects for reflecting the stability of the prosthetic screw.