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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Resin-retained bridges and oral health related quality of life

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3 small studies of limited quality were included in this review of changes in oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) after tooth replacement with resin-retained bridges. While the findings suggest significant improvement in OHRQoL the findings should be interpreted cautiously.

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Caries management in children. The FiCTION trial

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The FiCTION trail compared 3 caries management strategies for dentinal caries in primary teeth finding no evidence of a difference between the approaches. This emphasises the importance of primary prevention of caries to avoid dental caries althogther.

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Top Dental Elf Blogs Oct – Dec 2019

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The Dental Elf brings you daily updates of evidence-based dentistry research

In October, November and December out most popular blogs were on Molar Incisor Hypomineralisation, local anaesthesia for root canal treatment and long or short dental implants fro restoration of the posterior jaw.

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Top Dental Elf Blogs Jul – Sep 2019

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The Dental Elf brings you daily updates of evidence-based dentistry research

Pulpotomy of permanent teeth with irreversible pulpitis, the management of direct anticoagulant agents for invasive dental treatments and laser preparation of tooth surfaces for fissure sealant placement were out most popular blogs in July, August and September.

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Top Dental Elf Blogs Apr– Jun 2019

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The Dental Elf brings you daily updates of evidence-based dentistry research

The Cochrane review of interdental cleaning devices, whether antibiotics are needed for dental implant placement and oral health programmes for people with intellectual difficulties were our most popular blogs of the spring.

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Top Dental Elf Blogs Jan – Mar 2019

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Yes, it's a Christmas kitten. Well this is the internet. Designed to share knowledge. And pictures of kittens.

Our most popular Dental Elf blogs for January, February and March 2019 featuring Sedation, General anaesthesia and fluoride toothpastes.

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Mandibular angle fractures: Does presence of third molars in fracture line affect postoperative complications?

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This review of whether the presence of the lower third molar in the mandibular angle fracture line is associated with postoperative complications included 34 studies. The quality of teh included studies was low to very low so the findings should be viewed cautiously.

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Periodontal surgery: Is a minimally invasive approach effective for infrabony defects?

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This review of minimally invasive periodontal surgery for the treatment of intra‐bony defects included 25 studies of which 10 were randomised controlled trials. There is limitied evidence comparing minimal and traditional approach but minimal invasive surgery may produce similar outcomes.

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Orthodontics: How much force is needed to move teeth with fixed appliances?

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This review looking at the optimal force magnitude for achieving orthodontic tooth movement included 12 studies suggesting there is weak to moderate evidence showing that forces ranging between 50 cN and 100 cN are optimal for the rate of orthodontic tooth movement.

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Computerised local anaesthesia in paediatric patients

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This review ofwhether local computerised anaesthesia decreases the pain and disruptive behaviour in children when compared to conventional anaesthesia included 20 RCTs and suggested no diference between the two approaches.

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