Derek Richards

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Derek Richards is a specialist in dental public health, Director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Dentistry and Specialist Advisor to the Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP) Development Team. A former editor of the Evidence-Based Dentistry Journal and chief blogger for the Dental Elf website until December 2023. Derek has been involved with a wide range of evidence-based initiatives both nationally and internationally since 1994. Derek retired from the NHS in 2019 remaining as a part-time senior lecturer at Dundee Dental School until the end of 2023.

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Most popular Dental Elf Blogs Oct – Dec 2023

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Digital v confentional impressions for implant supported fixed prosthesis, extraction v non-extraction orthodontics and flap v flappless surgery for implant placement were popular blogs between October and December.

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Most popular Dental Elf Blogs July – Sep 2023

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Blogs on oil pulling for oral health, stress in patients and dentists during root canal treatment and incremental v bulk fill composite resin restorations were the most popular between July and September.

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Most popular Dental Elf Blogs Apr – Jun 2023

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Between April and July our most popular blogs looked at chewing gum for orthodontic pain, mouthwashes to promote gingival healing and the impact of malocclusion on quality of life.

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Most popular Dental Elf Blogs Jan – Mar 2023

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Topics covered in our most popular blogs in the first quarter of the 2023. included , selective caries removal, root canal dressings and pain management following dental extractions

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Articaine v lidocaine for third molar removal

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This review comparing the effectiveness of articaine and lidocaine for lower third molar surgery included 14 RCTs. The findings suggest that articaine is superior to lidocaine for use in lower third molar however the available are small so additional larger high quality studies would be helpful to strengthen the evidence.

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Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy and bacterial load in endodontics

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This review of the efficacy of adjunctive photodynamic therapy (aPDT) on reducing bacterial load in the primary endodontic treatment of teeth with chronic apical periodontitis included 8 studies. While the findings suggest a benefit from aPDT the limited number and quality of the availabel studies mean the findings should be interpreted cautiously.

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Curcumin for treatment of oral submucous fibrosis

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This review of the efficacy of curcumin in improving symptoms in patients with oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) included 13 RCTs. The main findings suggest no significant difference between curcumin and controls although the studies are small and heterogenous.

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Articaine-adverse effects in paediatric dental patients

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This review of the effects and adverse reactions between articaine and lidocaine in paediatric dental procedures included 8 RCTS. Three of the included studies were at high risk of bias 2 at low risk and 3 at unclear risk. The findings suggested no difference in adverse effects between the two anaesthetics with the certainty of evidence being assessed as moderate.

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Self-adhesive flowable composite resins v flowable composite resin for occlusal cavities in permanent teeth

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This review of the clinical performance of self-adhesive flowable composites and flowable composites for occlusal cavities in permanent teeth included 5 RCTs. . While the review found no significant differences between SAFCs and FCs in terms of retention, secondary caries, marginal discoloration, and postoperative sensitivity outcomes the limited number and quality of the small number of available studies mean the findings should be viewed cautiously.

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Digital v conventional impressions for implant-supported fixed complete arch prostheses

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This review comparing digital scans and conventional impressions for complete arch implant-supported fixed prostheses included 6 RCTs. The findings suggest that digital scans significantly reduce the the time required compared with conventional impressions for complete arch implant-supported prostheses. However, there are only a small number of small studies available with only one of the six included being at low risk of bias.

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