Light gradient boost tree classifier predictions on appendicitis with periodontal disease from biochemical and clinical parameters.

Introduction: Untreated periodontitis significantly increases the risk of tooth loss, often delaying treatment due to asymptomatic phases. Recent studies have increasingly associated poor dental health with conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, obesity, pneumonia, cardiovascular disease, and renal illness. Despite these connections, limited research has investigated the relationship between appendicitis and periodontal disease. This study aims to predict appendicitis in patients with periodontal disease using biochemical and clinical parameters through the application of a light gradient boost tree classifier.

Methods: Data from 125 patient records at Saveetha Institute of Dental College and Medical College were pre-processed and analyzed. We utilized data preprocessing techniques, feature selection methods, and model development approaches to estimate the risk of appendicitis in patients with periodontitis. Both Random Forest and Light Gradient Boosting algorithms were evaluated for accuracy using confusion matrices to assess their predictive performance.

Results: The Random Forest model achieved an accuracy of 94%, demonstrating robust predictive capability in this context. In contrast, the Light Gradient Boost algorithms achieved a significantly higher accuracy of 98%, underscoring their superior predictive efficiency. This substantial difference highlights the importance of algorithm selection and optimization in developing reliable predictive models. The higher accuracy of Light Gradient Boost algorithms suggests effective minimization of prediction errors and improved differentiation between appendicitis with periodontitis and healthy states. Our study identifies age, white blood cell count, and symptom duration as pivotal predictors for detecting concurrent periodontitis in acute appendicitis cases.

Conclusions: The newly developed prediction model introduces a novel and promising approach, providing valuable insights into distinguishing between periodontitis and acute appendicitis. These findings highlight the potential to improve diagnostic accuracy and support informed clinical decision-making in patients presenting with both conditions, offering new avenues for optimizing patient care strategies.