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Objective: High blood pressure is the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The hypertension care cascade (HCC) is increasingly being used to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. This systematic review aims to examine HCC in low-income settings. Methods: The search strategy included articles published between January 2010 and April 2023. We excluded studies with incomplete HCC, on fragile patients or aged <18 years, reviews. We used the MOOSE guideline. Five researchers retrieved data on the survey year, country, population, HCC and diagnostic methods for hypertension. We used JBI Critical Appraisal Tools for quality assessment. Results: Ninety-five articles were analyzed. Average hypertension prevalence was 33% (95% CI: 31%–34%), lower in LICs than in LMICs (25% vs. 34%). The overall mean awareness of hypertension was 48% (95% CI: 45%–51%), its treatment was 35% (95% IC: 32%–38%) and its control 16% (95% CI: 14%–18%). In almost all steps, percentages were lower in LICs and in Sub-Saharan Africa. Conclusion: Trends in HCC vary between countries, with poorer performance in LICs. This review highlights the need for interventions tailored to low-income settings in order to improve hypertension care.

Background Preventive dental care, despite its well-established benefits, is underutilized in many jurisdictions, including Italy, where a curative approach often prevails. An international KAP survey (Italy, Switzerland, Serbia, India, Argentina, Spain) was planned to assess the dentists’ knowledge, attitudes, and barriers to preventive care, exploring the influence of age and gender, alongside factors like revenues and time. The present study specifically reports on the data collected from the Italian cohort, serving as a pilot within this broader international endeavour. Methods A cross-sectional survey on Italian dentists was conducted. The questionnaire, originally in English, underwent back-translation to ensure linguistic accuracy before evaluating knowledge, attitudes, and barriers. The data collected via Google Forms were analysed using STATA ® 18.0, with descriptive statistics, contingency table analysis, Cuzick’s test and multinomial logistic regression being used. Results Three-hundred-twenty-two questionnaires were completed (65.8% male, 34.2% female), with the 46–65 age group being the largest (50%). The distribution of participants across dental specialties varied significantly by gender: female dentists predominated in Pediatric Dentistry (84.6%) and Orthodontics (61.1%), while males were more prevalent in Oral Surgery (87.18%). Age significantly impacted knowledge of sugar intake ( p  = 0.04) and fluoride use ( p  < 0.01), with younger dentists showing higher knowledge. Knowledge on sealant application was significantly higher among males compared to females ( p  = 0.04). Age affected attitudes toward smoking cessation and providing oral hygiene instruction ( p  < 0.01). Males reported higher remuneration concerns ( p  = 0.03). Multinomial logistic regression identified female gender, first visit age, sugar consumption knowledge, and perceived knowledge deficit as significant predictors of the age-knowledge interaction. Conclusions Statistically significant age and gender disparities exist in knowledge, attitudes, and barriers to preventive dental care among Italian dentists. Younger dentists demonstrated superior preventive knowledge, while older dentists perceived greater knowledge deficits. Gender influenced knowledge and remuneration concerns. Educational interventions and policy changes are needed to integrate preventive practices, addressing age and gender-specific needs.

Background/Objectives: Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly evolved from experimental algorithms to transformative tools in clinical dentistry. Between 2020 and 2025, advances in machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) have reshaped diagnostic imaging, caries detection, prosthodontic design, and teledentistry, while raising new ethical and regulatory challenges. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive bibliometric and conceptual review of AI applications in dental care, highlighting research trends, thematic clusters, and future directions for equitable and responsible integration of AI technologies. In addition, the review further considers the implications of AI adoption for patient-centered care, including its potential role in supporting shared decision-making processes in oral healthcare. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus and Embase for articles published between January 2020 and October 2025 using AI-related keywords in dentistry. Eligible records were analyzed using VOSviewer (v.1.6.20) to map co-occurrence networks of keywords, authors, and citations. A narrative synthesis complemented the bibliometric mapping, emphasizing conceptual and ethical dimensions of AI adoption in oral health care. Results: A total of 50 documents met the inclusion criteria. Bibliometric network visualization identified that the largest and most interconnected clusters were centered around the keywords “artificial intelligence,” “machine learning,” and “deep learning,” reflecting the technological backbone of AI-based applications in dentistry. Thematic evolution analysis indicated increasing interest in generative and multimodal AI models, explainability, and fairness in clinical deployment. Conclusions: AI has become a core driver of innovation in dentistry, enabling precision diagnostics and personalized care. However, responsible translation requires robust validation, transparency, and ethical oversight. Future research should integrate interdisciplinary approaches linking AI performance, patient outcomes, and equity in oral health.

The Central African Republic, one of the world’s most fragile nations with a critically human development index, is facing escalating rates of noncommunicable diseases, including oral diseases. This study aims to comprehensively assess the oral health status of schoolchildren in Bangui, the capital city. A cross-sectional epidemiological survey was conducted during November–December 2023 on 556 schoolchildren aged 5 to 13 years old, (41.5% female and 58.5% male). Data were collected under standardized conditions (using dental mirrors, CPI probes, and headlamps) and oral health status was assessed using WHO dmft/DMFT indices. A questionnaire captured socio-economic indicators, including sex, age, school, district, household composition, parental occupation, oral hygiene, and dietary habits. Logistic regression in STATA18 ® identified determinants of caries experience (dmft/DMFT > 0). Schoolchildren in Bangui displayed a moderate prevalence of dental caries with a mean DMFT of 0.58 ± 1.3 and dmft of 1.92 ± 2.7. Females had lower odds of caries in deciduous teeth (OR 0.47 95% CI 0.33, 0.67). Diverse breakfast diets reduced the risk (OR 0.58 95% CI 0.42, 0.82), while snack consumption increased it (OR 1.41 95% CI 1.10, 1.80). Females had a higher prevalence of caries in permanent teeth (OR 1.47 95% CI 0.88, 2.25), and poor brushing correlated with increased caries prevalence (OR 1.33 95% CI 0.97, 1.77). The study underscores the association between caries experience and modifiable behaviours, emphasizing the vulnerability of specific populations, such as males with high snack consumption. Targeted interventions addressing these behaviours could yield significant long-term benefits. The absence of dental treatment history raises concerns about the consequences of untreated dental diseases in children.

Background and objectives: There are no data on oral health in the population of Burundi. This study aimed to describe the oral health status of schoolchildren in Burundi using the dmft/DMFT index for the first time. Materials and methods: The study was designed as a cross-sectional population-based epidemiological survey. The survey was designed according to the WHO methodology for oral health surveys. Oral examinations were conducted in school rooms using a dental mirror, probe, and headlight. The following characteristics of primary dentition status were recorded: decayed (d/D), missing (m/M), and filled (f/F) teeth, and the dmft/DMFT (d + m + f t/D + M + F T) index was calculated for each subject. Quantitative and qualitative variables were represented by measures of position and variability. One-way ANOVA was used to assess differences between parametric variables. Logistic regression was performed for total caries experience and gender, age groups, living area, and geographical provinces. Results: A total of 1902 children were examined, 1007 (52.94%) six-year-olds and 895 (47.06%) in the older group. The dmft/DMFT and subgroups were statistically significantly different in terms of age groups, living areas, and geographical regions (dmft/DMFT d-subgroup and D-subgroup p < 0.01), but only for DMFT for sex. The ORs estimated by logistic regression by total caries experience showed a protective effect for 12 year old subjects and those living in southern provinces, an OR of 0.52 (95%CI 0.43–0.64) and an OR of 0.26 (95%CI 0.21–0.32), respectively. Conclusions: Dental caries in African countries, including Burundi, remains a major problem affecting the general health and wellbeing of the population. Tackling untreated caries requires a multifaceted approach, including strengthening oral health infrastructure, promoting oral health education, providing affordable dental services, and encouraging healthier eating habits.

Untreated oral diseases are detrimental to overall well-being and quality of life and are in close relationship with social and economic consequences. The presence of strong evidence for caries primary and secondary prevention is a compulsory tool for the development of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs). This paper was aimed to assess systematically the importance of clinical practice guidelines in caries prevention management considering both the adult and pediatric populations and evaluate them using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) Checklist. Records were extracted from EMBASE, SCOPUS, PubMed/Medline and seven other relevant guideline databases between 6 January and 14 February 2023. Two reviewers independently conducted the appraisal using the web-based platform My AGREE PLUS. Twenty-one guidelines/papers met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed. Eight CPGs included both primary and secondary prevention interventions, whereas thirteen presented a single preventive model. Overall, 12 guidelines were published in the USA. The mean AGREE II scores ranged from 35.4% to 84.3%. Of the total twenty-one included guidelines, twelve were classified as “Recommended”, ranging from 56.3% to 84.3%, the others were described as “Recommended with modification”, ranging from 35.4% to 68.9%. From the AGREE II analysis carried out, the CPGs included in this survey adopted a punctual methodological rigor but lacked applicative power. The present survey showed that the public, as the primary beneficiary, played a limited role in the development of the twenty-one CPGs. Hence, methodological improvement can better support high-quality CPG development in the future.

IntroductionInternationally, the Triple Aim agenda (improved health of populations, improved patient experience, and reduced per capita health care expenditures) is gaining momentum in reforming healthcare systems. Towards implementing accountable care, policymakers, insurances, and managers need information about population health status to allocate resources, set priorities, plan interventions, and measure outcomes. To this extent, consolidated tools from public health research are attracting renewed interest.This paper aims to analyze the Burden of Diseases (BoD) tool and how it could be deployed to pursue the Triple Aim agenda, nationally or regionally.The Global BoD (GBoD) was introduced in the 1990s and then developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), relying on aggregated data, population samples, and surveys. Nevertheless, to achieve more accurate and calibrated estimates, several countries have started to develop the BoD with different methodologies, which could influence the results and the tool's deployment within accountable care.MethodsAn Arksey and O'Malley approach was used in this scoping review. Electronic database MEDLINE and search engine Google were searched from January 2010 to February 2021. National BoD reports were included, and data and methodologies were extracted. The scoping review addressed three main goals: 1) benchmarking international and national or local development of the BoD; 2) analyzing and comparing the methods and data sources; 3) comparing the deployment strategies and the tool's scope.ResultsThe IHME and WHO approaches are the most consolidated hitherto. National experiences are increasing, while local applications are still limited to pilot research. Calculation methods vary based on age-weighting, discount rates, the number of included diseases and risk factors, reported advantages and disadvantages, data sources, and data computations. The deployment strategies are very fragmented and still at an embryonic stage compared to the debate on accountable care.DiscussionWhereas the utilization of a nation-based BoD is promising, experiences are still limited. The national implementation could be more reliable and calibrated on targeted populations to guide health interventions and measure population health outcomes. Multiple factors hamper the tool's development, such as costs, human and time resources, less meticulous methodology, and health analytics availability and robustness at the country level. Also, population health strategies and outcomes measurement are not yet institutionalized within accountable care. The tool deployment is fragmented across multiple entities and governance patterns. National and private insurance players are the most active, pioneering new strategies.ConclusionsThe BoD is an efficient way to assess the impact of diseases and risk factors in populations' life and quality of life. GBoD remains an essential benchmark for researchers and public health institutions worldwide.Lessons LearnedNational tools development is increasing and could be deployed for evaluating and planning healthcare interventions at the national or sub-national level.LimitationsThis study does not use systematic review criteria, and access to tools methodologies and deployment strategies is limited through published sources.Suggestions for future researchAssessment of the development, methods, and deployment of a national-based BoD compared to the accountable care aims and agenda.