BMC Oral HealthPub Date : 2025-07-19DOI: 10.1186/s12903-025-06604-z
Mürşide Süheda Incekara, Muhammet Karadas
{"title":"Clinical comparison of direct and indirect class II composite restorations: a prospective 12-month follow-up study.","authors":"Mürşide Süheda Incekara, Muhammet Karadas","doi":"10.1186/s12903-025-06604-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12903-025-06604-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>This study evaluated the clinical performance of posterior restorations made with direct and indirect composite materials.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In 74 participants, 79 class II cavities were restored using direct composite (Filtek Ultimate) and indirect composite (Crea.lign) materials. Indirect composite restorations were placed to cavity preparations when the isthmus width exceeded two-thirds of the intercuspal distance or teeth had a cuspal loss. Evaluations were conducted using modified World Dental Federation criteria during the first week and at 6 and 12 months. The data were analyzed statistically using Fisher's exact test and chi-square tests.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>After 12 months, 58 restorations were evaluated in 54 participants. None of the evaluation criteria showed significant differences between Filtek Ultimate and Crea.lign restorations (p > 0.05). At the 12-month, slight marginal discoloration was found in one Filtek Ultimate and two Crea.lign restorations (p > 0.05). Small marginal gaps were observed in two of the Crea.lign restorations. Post-operative sensitivity was detected within one week for six (13.9%) Filtek Ultimate and three (8.3%) Crea.lign restorations, with no significant difference between the two materials (p = 0.298).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>At the 12-month evaluation, indirect and direct composite resin materials showed similar clinical performance. Crea.lign indirect composite material demonstrated acceptable clinical performance in large class II cavities, both with and without cuspal loss.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>Retrospectively registered on NCT06667271. Data of registration: 30 October 2024.</p>","PeriodicalId":9072,"journal":{"name":"BMC Oral Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"1217"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12276707/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144667097","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BMC Oral HealthPub Date : 2025-07-19DOI: 10.1186/s12903-025-06300-y
Oksana Mishler, Cailin Trembley, Thomas W Oates, Se-Lim Oh
{"title":"Dental providers' perceptions toward mental health screening at routine practices: a mixed-methods approach.","authors":"Oksana Mishler, Cailin Trembley, Thomas W Oates, Se-Lim Oh","doi":"10.1186/s12903-025-06300-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12903-025-06300-y","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9072,"journal":{"name":"BMC Oral Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"1208"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12276696/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144667100","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BMC Oral HealthPub Date : 2025-07-19DOI: 10.1186/s12903-025-06553-7
Yijun Li, Shan Huang, Jingyun Du, Jing Huang, Xiaojing Huang
{"title":"In vitro evaluation of tolerance ability of cross-kingdom biofilm towards oral dynamic fluctuations.","authors":"Yijun Li, Shan Huang, Jingyun Du, Jing Huang, Xiaojing Huang","doi":"10.1186/s12903-025-06553-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12903-025-06553-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The aim of this study was to investigate the resilience of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and Candida albicans (C. albicans) cross-kingdom biofilms in response to environmental stresses.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>The growth kinetics of S. mutans, C. albicans, and their co-culture in planktonic form were assessed using a BioScreen system. Biofilms were established on 96-well plates for a duration of 48 h, after which microbial counts were determined. The biofilms were then subjected to different stress conditions, including oxidative, acid, osmotic, and heat stress, for 2 h. The survival and structural integrity of the biofilms were evaluated through colony-forming unit (CFU) counting and fluorescence microscopy, respectively. Additionally, the transcriptional levels of genes concerning matrix formation, acid tolerance, oxidative tolerance were determined by quantitative real-time PCR (RT-PCR). The data was analyzed by one-way ANOVA, and post hoc Tukey's test (α = 0.05).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Co-culturing S. mutans and C. albicans resulted in an extended logarithmic growth phase compared to monocultures. Dual-species biofilm had higher microorganism counts after biofilm formation, displayed higher surviving cells, and a more complex structure after exposure to various stresses when compared to monospecies biofilm (p<0.05). The transcriptional levels of genes concerning matrix formation (gtfB, gtfC, ftf, bcr1, hwp1), acid tolerance (atpD, fabM, phr1), oxidative tolerance (nox, sodA, sod1, and trx1) were upregulated in dual-species biofilm (p<0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Dual-species biofilm present higher tolerance to various stresses in the oral cavity. The upregulation of genes involved in matrix formation and stress tolerance may partially account for this increased resilience.</p>","PeriodicalId":9072,"journal":{"name":"BMC Oral Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"1216"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12276691/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144667108","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BMC Oral HealthPub Date : 2025-07-19DOI: 10.1186/s12903-025-06543-9
Ali A Elkaffas, Abdullah Alshehri, Abdullah Ali Alqahtani, Abdulellah F Almudahi, Khalid K Alanazi, Feras Abdulqader Alhalabi, Mohammed Ali Abuelqomsan, Ali R Alqahtani
{"title":"Fracture resistance of milled and 3D printed ultra-thin occlusal veneers made of CAD/CAM resin-based ceramics cemented by variable luting approaches.","authors":"Ali A Elkaffas, Abdullah Alshehri, Abdullah Ali Alqahtani, Abdulellah F Almudahi, Khalid K Alanazi, Feras Abdulqader Alhalabi, Mohammed Ali Abuelqomsan, Ali R Alqahtani","doi":"10.1186/s12903-025-06543-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12903-025-06543-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Pathological tooth wear is becoming an increasingly serious societal issue. Occasionally, occlusal veneers can stand in for more conventional prosthetic restorations like crowns, inlays, or onlays. Thus, this study aimed to assess the fracture resistance of resin-based ceramic ultra-thin occlusal veneers made by milling and 3D printing, cemented using various luting techniques, following thermomechanical cyclic loading.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study utilized milled resin-based ceramic (Cerasmart<sup>®</sup>) and 3D printed resin-based ceramic (VarseoSmile Crown plus A3). Sixty specimens were manufactured (n = 60) and allocated into two groups (n = 30) based on the material: milled or 3D printed resin-based ceramic. Subsequently, each group was further divided into three subgroups (n = 10) according to the luting approach. Specimens were luted using adhesive resin cement (RC) (RelyX Ultimate), bulk-fill flowable composite (BF) (Surefil<sup>®</sup> SDR™flow), and preheated bulk-fill nano-hybrid resin composite (PN) (Tetric EvoCeram). The supporting materials were anatomical 3D printed resin dies (Rigid 10 K). Fracture resistance was evaluated with a universal testing machine, followed by a statistical analysis of the results.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The fracture resistance was shown to be significantly affected by both the material type (p < 0.001) and the luting approach (p < 0.001). Statistically significant difference was detected between milled and 3-D printed groups (P = 0.001). A statistically significant difference in fracture resistance was observed between the milled PN group and the RC milled group (P = 0.009). Furthermore, a significant difference was found in fracture resistance between the 3D printed PN and the 3D printed RC groups (P = 0.008).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The resin cement variable strongly correlates with the fracture resistance of 3D printed and milled resin-based ceramics. The highest fracture resistance was observed in milled resin-based ceramics with PN, while the lowest was noted in 3D printed resin-based ceramics with BF.</p>","PeriodicalId":9072,"journal":{"name":"BMC Oral Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"1204"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12275452/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144667105","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BMC Oral HealthPub Date : 2025-07-19DOI: 10.1186/s12903-025-06638-3
Tuba Çatak, Şeref Nur Mutlu, Ali Özgül Saltalı, Yasemin Derya Fidancıoğlu
{"title":"General anesthesia in dental treatments: where and how?","authors":"Tuba Çatak, Şeref Nur Mutlu, Ali Özgül Saltalı, Yasemin Derya Fidancıoğlu","doi":"10.1186/s12903-025-06638-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12903-025-06638-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Patients with physical and/or mental disabilities exhibit higher caries activity and more treatment needs compared with the general population. Thus, the number of patients awaiting dental treatment under general anesthesia (GA) is far from negligible. Factors such as disabilities, presence of comorbidities, underlying medical conditions, and potential drug interactions render these patients a high-risk group for GA. Consequently, meticulous planning is essential when scheduling dental treatment under GA. The objective of the present research was to gather the opinions of anesthesiologists and dentists regarding the prompt treatment of dental patients requiring GA in institutions that offer optimal conditions for patient safety.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were collected using a 28-item questionnaire developed by the researchers based on a literature review and interviews with both dentists and anesthesiologists involved in dental procedures under GA. The survey was administered online via Google Forms.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Nearly all respondents (95.0%) believed that having an in-house operating room would increase their work efficiency and such a facility would meet their expectations. When asked why having an in-house operating room would enhance efficiency, the most common reasons cited were the ability to schedule more surgery days, better communication from working with the same anesthesia team, and the elimination of time lost due to transfers between hospitals. Anesthesiologists stated that the most frequently encountered issues when admitting patients in operating rooms within the faculty of dentistry were the absence of another anesthesiologist in emergencies (46.7%) and difficulty in reaching a consultant physician when needed (20.0%). Furthermore, 79.2% of anesthesiologists expressed that they would not prefer to work in an operating room dedicated solely to dental patients.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>As a result, dentists and anesthesiologists, the two most important members of the team performing dental treatments within GA, prefer to perform the procedures within their own institutions. Considering the high number of patients waiting for dental treatment under GA, the establishment of operating rooms within dentistry can make a positive contribution to the health system by eliminating the hesitations of anesthesiologists.</p>","PeriodicalId":9072,"journal":{"name":"BMC Oral Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"1203"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12275417/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144667106","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BMC Oral HealthPub Date : 2025-07-18DOI: 10.1186/s12903-025-06634-7
Shakeerah O Gbadebo, Promise U Okereke, Gbemisola A Oke, Oluwole O Dosumu
{"title":"\"Since I never felt pain, it didn't occur to me to visit a dental clinic\": a qualitative exploration of social perceptions and influencers of oral care-seeking behaviour among adult Nigerians.","authors":"Shakeerah O Gbadebo, Promise U Okereke, Gbemisola A Oke, Oluwole O Dosumu","doi":"10.1186/s12903-025-06634-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12903-025-06634-7","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9072,"journal":{"name":"BMC Oral Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"1196"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12275304/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144667089","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BMC Oral HealthPub Date : 2025-07-18DOI: 10.1186/s12903-025-06547-5
Eman M Esmael, Amina M El-Hosary, Shaimaa S El-Desouky
{"title":"Association between obesity and permanent teeth eruption in a sample of primary school children from Tanta City.","authors":"Eman M Esmael, Amina M El-Hosary, Shaimaa S El-Desouky","doi":"10.1186/s12903-025-06547-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12903-025-06547-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Obesity is a major health threat of modern civilization with substantially increased prevalence which affects children's health, growth, and development. Also, tooth eruption is certainly linked to the somatic development of the person.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>This study aimed to assess the association between the eruption of permanent teeth and obesity among a sample of primary school children from Tanta City.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A case-control study was carried out on 2520 healthy students aged 6-12 years selected from 10 primary schools in Tanta City (equally included from public and private schools). The selected students were divided into equal sub-groups according to age, gender, and obesity status using a stratified random sampling technique. Obesity was assessed using BMI method while tooth eruption was recorded when any part of the crown was visible through the oral mucosa for twenty-eight permanent teeth. Statistical analysis was done for the collected data.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>All permanent teeth in the maxillary and mandibular arches erupted earlier in private school children, except for the lower right second molar showed earlier eruption in public school children with no significant difference. The mean eruption age of all permanent teeth differed significantly between public and private institutions except for upper and lower right and left second molars, lower right first premolar, and lower right and left central incisors.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This population-specific research revealed a highly significant positive association between the total number of permanent teeth erupted and BMI among school children aged 6-12 years from Tanta City.</p>","PeriodicalId":9072,"journal":{"name":"BMC Oral Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"1198"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12275396/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144667093","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BMC Oral HealthPub Date : 2025-07-18DOI: 10.1186/s12903-025-06580-4
Kevin Muguerza-Guevara, Berta Cortés-Acha, Marta García-García, Rui Figueiredo, Agnès Soler-Ollé, Vanessa Blanc, Eduard Valmaseda-Castellón
{"title":"In vivo analysis of early biofilm development and cell viability on implant-mimicking abutments at 24 h, 48 h, and 7 days.","authors":"Kevin Muguerza-Guevara, Berta Cortés-Acha, Marta García-García, Rui Figueiredo, Agnès Soler-Ollé, Vanessa Blanc, Eduard Valmaseda-Castellón","doi":"10.1186/s12903-025-06580-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12903-025-06580-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The microbiota associated with peri-implant diseases has been described, though information about biofilm formation and development on dental implants remains scarce.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To analyze and compare biofilm formation and distribution at 24 h, 48 h and 7 days on experimental abutments simulating dental implants in peri-implant healthy patients.</p><p><strong>Material and methods: </strong>Experimental abutments with micro-threads and a modified rough surface were placed in healthy dental implants of 10 patients. Instructions were given not to clean the abutments for the duration of the study. Exclusion criteria included the use of antiseptics or antibiotics 30 days prior to recruitment or during the study period. After 24 h, 48 h and 7 days, the abutments were removed and stained using LIVE/DEAD stain, and two sides (buccal and palatal/lingual) and two areas (supragingival and subgingival) were assessed, with measurement of the mean biofilm covering area.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twenty-nine experimental abutments placed in 10 patients were assessed. The total mean biomass coverage areas were 9.3%, 16.2% and 16.8% at 24 h, 48 h and 7 days, respectively, with significant differences being observed between 24 h and the subsequent timepoints (p < 0.05). Significantly greater supragingival biofilm coverage was observed at 7 days in comparison with the subgingival zone (21.85% versus 11.7%; p < 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Biofilm coverage on healthy dental implants increases progressively during the first 48 h and then stabilizes. The biofilm is mainly composed of live cells in the supragingival and subgingival areas. After 7 days, the supragingival areas show significantly greater biofilm coverage.</p>","PeriodicalId":9072,"journal":{"name":"BMC Oral Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"1201"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12275246/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144667109","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Synthesis, physical characteristics, and biocompatibility test of chitosan-alginate-fucoidan scaffold as an alternative material for alveolar bone substitution.","authors":"Nurlindah Hamrun, Nendar Herdianto, Dwi Gustiono, Sri Oktawati, Kusno Kamil, Erni Marlina, Ibriana Ibriana, Tira Nurfaizah, Abdur Rahman Arif, Filzah Azalia, H Hasanuddin","doi":"10.1186/s12903-025-06591-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12903-025-06591-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Bone preservation is a critical procedure in dentistry aimed at maintaining the volume of the alveolar ridge following tooth extraction. Traditional materials used for this purpose, such as unresorbable bovine xenograft, present various drawbacks, including potential complications and limitations in biological interaction. This study explores the potential of natural materials for bone tissue engineering, specifically chitosan extracted from shrimp skin waste, alginate, and fucoidan from Sargassum species.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>These materials were processed into a scaffold using the freeze-dryer method. The physical characteristics of the scaffolds were evaluated through Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy, and porosity tests. Biocompatibility was assessed using the haemolysis method, with scaffolds prepared at various chitosan-alginate-fucoidan ratios.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The scaffold with a chitosan-alginate-fucoidan ratio of 1.00:3.00:0.10 demonstrated significantly lower haemolysis rates and exhibited the largest pore diameter, facilitating cellular activity and nutrient exchange essential for new bone growth. This ratio also achieved the highest total porosity at a mean of 86.86 ± 0.9%.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Utilizing natural materials in scaffold construction for bone preservation offers a promising alternative to traditional grafting methods, potentially enhancing biocompatibility and promoting effective bone regeneration in dental applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":9072,"journal":{"name":"BMC Oral Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"1199"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12275241/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144667113","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Caries status influence GCF MMP-9 in association with serum vitamin D: an exploratory retrospective cross-sectional study.","authors":"Ayse Nur Doğan, Ayla Öztürk, Hatice Saraçoğlu, Fatma Doğruel, Soley Arslan, Cevat Yazıcı","doi":"10.1186/s12903-025-06616-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12903-025-06616-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>MMP-9 contributes to tissue destruction in dental caries, and vitamin D deficiency may exacerbate this by increasing MMP-9 expression.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to compare matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) levels in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) among healthy, carious, and filled teeth, and assess the association between serum vitamin D levels and site-specific GCF MMP-9 concentrations.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>This cross-sectional study enrolled 117 participants with gingival health or gingivitis, excluding individuals with clinical attachment loss. GCF samples were collected from the first molars. Participants' periodontal status was categorized as healthy or gingivitis, and the sampled teeth were classified as healthy (no caries/restorations), carious (active decay), or filled. Serum vitamin D levels were measured using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA), and MMP-9 levels in GCF were assessed via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among the participants, 62 had gingivitis and 55 were periodontally healthy. MMP-9 levels were significantly higher in carious teeth (26.6 ± 9.9 ng/30 sec) compared to healthy (17.4 ± 8.7 ng) and restored teeth (18.9 ± 8.7 ng). No significant difference was observed between healthy and restored teeth. Vitamin D deficiency was prevalent (90%). Regression analysis, adjusted for periodontal status, age, and gender, confirmed that caries status, periodontal condition, and Vitamin D levels significantly influenced MMP-9 levels.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>MMP-9 levels in GCF were significantly elevated in carious teeth, indicating a potential role in caries progression. Vitamin D deficiency may exacerbate this process by enhancing MMP-9 production. Elevated MMP-9 could accelerate tissue breakdown, increasing vulnerability to deeper decay and pulp involvement. These findings suggest a link between Vitamin D levels, MMP-9 activity, and caries severity. Further studies with larger samples are needed to validate these results.</p>","PeriodicalId":9072,"journal":{"name":"BMC Oral Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"1197"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12275353/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144667096","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}