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ISSN : 0376-4672
IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a rare immune-mediated inflammatory disorder that can involve salivary glands and mimic benign tumors radiologically. This report presents a case of IgG4-RD of the parotid gland initially suspected as pleomorphic adenoma. A 66-year-old female patient presented with swelling and pain in the left temporomandibular joint region. Magnetic resonance image and ultrasonography-guided fine needle aspiration suggested a benign cystic tumor, and both parotid lesions were initially suspected to be bilateral pleomorphic adenomas. Excisional biopsy was performed on the larger lesion in the left parotid gland. Histopathological ex amination revealed a lymphoepithelial cyst with storiform fibrosis and dense infiltration of IgG4-positive plasma cells (72/HPF). Serum IgG4 level was elevated (141 mg/dL), satisfying the diagnostic criteria for IgG4-RD. The patient was referred to rheumatology for systemic evaluation and steroid therapy was considered. This report highlights the diagnostic challenge of differentiating IgG4-RD from benign parotid tumors.(J Korean Dent Assoc 2026; 64(5): 151-156)
Focal osteoporotic bone marrow defect is an asymptomatic condition characterized by localized areas of de creased trabecular bone density within the jaw and is often detected incidentally on radiographic examination. Although it generally does not require treatment, it may increase the risk of complications during dental implant placement due to insufficient primary stability in areas of low bone density. This report describes three clinical cases of implant fixture displacement into focal osteoporotic bone marrow defects in the posterior mandible. Radiographic examinations revealed ill-defined radiolucent lesions without cortical expansion at the implant sites. One patient experienced inferior alveolar nerve injury following displacement, whereas no postoperative complications were observed in the remaining cases. These findings indicate that focal osteoporotic bone mar row defects may represent an underrecognized risk factor for implant displacement, and highlight the importance of careful preoperative radiographic assessment and cautious surgical planning in areas of suspected low bone density.(J Korean Dent Assoc 2026; 64(5): 157-162)
Future dental care will evolve based on evidence-based diagnosis and treatment, which requires advancements in the field of laboratory and diagnostic dentistry. However, the current diagnostic tests specialized in dentistry are very limited, and the field's development is still in its infancy. The most important factor hindering progress is the long-term unchanging lack of awareness within the dental community regarding the use of diagnostic tests. This in turn affects education on laboratory and diagnostic dentistry, lack of interest and research in related fields, insufficient development of diagnostic test items, and the inactivity of the dental industry related to laboratory and diagnostic dentistry. To overcome these barriers, a shift in the mindset of dental professionals is necessary to shake off this lack of awareness. Furthermore, in the short-term, it is necessary to explore ways to revitalize the application of existing dental diagnostic tests and to expand the application of existing diagnostic tests by modifying them to be useful in dentistry. In the long-term, revitalizing research and development in the field of laboratory and diagnostic dentistry is essential. (J Korean Dent Assoc 2026; 64(5): 163-168)
Preoperative laboratory testing is an essential yet frequently overlooked component of safe dental surgical prac tice. As the aging population increases the prevalence of systemic diseases among dental patients, structured preoperative evaluation prior to routine procedures such as tooth extraction and implant surgery has become increasingly important. Clinical cases demonstrate that blood tests play a decisive role in preoperative decision making, enabling detection of previously undiagnosed conditions including uncontrolled diabetes, renal tubu lar dysfunction, and hematologic malignancies. Although no universally accepted protocol currently exists, the necessity of routine preoperative blood testing should be carefully considered in an aging society - not only to optimize surgical outcomes, but also to ensure the safety of both patients and clinicians. Routine preoperative laboratory evaluation should be regarded as a fundamental safeguard in ambulatory oral and maxillofacial surgi cal care. (J Korean Dent Assoc 2026; 64(5): 169-173)
This review comprehensively examines the current status, clinical applicability, and future directions of artificial intelligence (AI) in diagnostic and laboratory dentistry. Dental AI primarily utilizes deep learning models based on radiographic and histopathological images to assist in diagnosis of conditions including dental caries, periodon tal disease, periapical lesions, implant-related assessments, temporomandibular disorders, and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), enhancing diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. Recently, AI applications have expanded to salivary and blood biomarker analyses, integrating inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNF-α, MMP-8), OSCC-related proteins (CYFRA 21-1, SCC-Ag, p53), salivary microbiome profiles, and blood-based indicators such as C-reactive protein, HbA1c, and bone metabolism markers, enabling predictive and personalized diagnostic modeling. The potential use of large language models (LLMs) has garnered attention, offering capabilities for analyzing elec tronic health records and clinical text data to support diagnosis, recommend treatment strategies, and assist in patient counseling and education. In the United States, several dental AI platforms, including Pearl Inc.’s Second Opinion®, have received FDA 510(k) clearance and are entering clinical practice, while in Korea, commercializa tion is progressing through Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approvals. Nevertheless, challenges remain, includ ing insufficient data standardization, limited multi-institutional datasets, legal and ethical considerations, and in tegration with clinical workflows. To address these issues, multi-institutional prospective validation, development of generalizable models, multimodal AI research, and implementation of explainable AI are necessary. Overall, dental AI is evolving beyond image interpretation toward a multimodal clinical decision support system that in tegrates imaging, biomarkers, clinical information, and LLMs to support personalized diagnostics and treatment planning after validation.. (J Korean Dent Assoc 2026; 64(5): 174-183)
