International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health Research

Digital Decision-Support System and Orthopedic Dental Rehabilitation in Patients with Periodontitis

2026-09-11T10:44:12+00:00

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by progressive destruction of the periodontal tissues, loss of clinical attachment, alveolar bone resorption, tooth mobility, and, in advanced cases, partial or complete loss of teeth. Functional impairment resulting from periodontal destruction frequently requires multidisciplinary rehabilitation, including periodontal therapy, occlusal stabilization, and orthopedic dental treatment. The increasing application of digital technologies provides new opportunities for individualized diagnosis, treatment planning, and monitoring of patients with periodontal disease.The proposed clinical protocol includes comprehensive periodontal examination, assessment of tooth mobility and periodontal support, digital intraoral scanning, radiographic or cone-beam computed tomography evaluation when indicated, occlusal analysis, and integration of clinical and digital parameters into a decision-support algorithm. The algorithm stratifies patients according to periodontal severity, residual periodontal support, tooth prognosis, occlusal characteristics, and rehabilitation requirements. Orthopedic treatment planning includes selection of splinting, fixed prosthetic rehabilitation, removable prostheses, implant-supported rehabilitation when clinically appropriate, or combined approaches. Clinical outcomes are assessed using periodontal indices, probing parameters, tooth mobility, occlusal parameters, patient-reported outcomes, and digital monitoring. The proposed digital decision-support model enables systematic integration of periodontal, radiographic, occlusal, and prosthetic parameters. Its implementation may facilitate individualized selection of orthopedic treatment, improve communication between periodontal and orthopedic dental specialists, enhance treatment predictability, and support longitudinal monitoring of rehabilitation outcomes.

Evaluation of Sickle SCAN® As A Rapid Point-Of-Care System for Sickle Cell Disease Detection in The Gabonese Population

2026-09-03T03:44:23+00:00

Sickle cell disease (SCD) represents a major inherited hemoglobin disorder with substantial consequences for childhood survival, chronic morbidity, and health-system capacity, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Gabon is characterized by a significant burden of sickle cell trait and documented clinical relevance of SCD, creating a need for diagnostic approaches that are rapid, accessible, and suitable for decentralized healthcare settings. Conventional diagnostic strategies may require laboratory infrastructure that is not uniformly available, whereas point-of-care testing offers the possibility of shortening the interval between presentation, diagnosis, and clinical intervention. This research and review article evaluates the potential role of Sickle SCAN® as a rapid point-of-care system for SCD detection in the Gabonese population. The analysis synthesizes the supplied literature concerning the epidemiology of hemoglobin disorders, the distribution of sickle hemoglobin in Africa and Gabon, the clinical burden of SCD, and the need for accessible diagnostic and monitoring technologies. A conceptual evaluation framework is developed around diagnostic accessibility, analytical performance, operational feasibility, clinical utility, and integration into screening pathways. The literature indicates that the epidemiological and healthcare context of Gabon provides a strong rationale for decentralized SCD detection. However, definitive assessment of Sickle SCAN® requires prospective comparison with an established reference method in representative Gabonese populations. The proposed framework therefore positions Sickle SCAN® as a potentially important component of decentralized screening while emphasizing the need for local validation, quality assurance, confirmatory testing, and appropriate clinical interpretation.