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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Third molars: Distal caries development in adjacent second molars

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This review of the prevalence of distal surface caries in second permanent molars associated with retained third molars included 11 mainly retrospective observational studies findins a pooled prevalence of 23% (95% CI; 2% to 44%).

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Pulpotomy for permanent teeth with irreversible pulpitis?

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This review of success rates of coronal pulpotomy in carious teeth with signs and symptoms indicative of irreversible pulpitis included 8 studies only one of which was a RCT. The data suggest this this procedure may be an alternative to root canal treatment.

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Orthodontic bonding: Direct or indirect?

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This review of direct and indirect bonding techniques for orthodontic backet placement included 8 small RCTs of limited quality suggesting no significant difference in bracket placement accuracy, oral hygiene status and bond failure rate.

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Silver diamine fluoride for caries management?

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This umbrella review of silver diamine fluoride (SDF) for the management of carious lesions in children and adults included 11 systematic reviews reporting on 30 unique primary studies. A consistent and growing body of research supports supports SDF’s effectiveness for arresting coronal carious lesions in the primary dentition and arresting and preventing root carious lesions in older adults.

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White spot lesion prevention during orthodontic treatment

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This review of the efficacy of preventive interventions against the development of white spot lesions (WSLs) during fixed appliance orthodontic treatment included 23 RCTs tha majority of which were at high risk of bias. The findings suggest some benefit from sealants and fluoride varnishes but more high quality research is neeeded.

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Overjet and dental trauma risk

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This review of different overjet sizes that present an increased risk for developing dental trauma across different ages and dentition stages included 41 cross-sectional studies showing a a significant association between increased overjet and traumatic dental injury.

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Pulpotomy for permanent teeth

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This review of the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of pulpotomy and associated medicaments in permanent teeth with pulp exposure included 17 RCTs some os which are still ongoing. The findings suggest that pulpotomy may be a potential treatment option for permanent teeth but more research is needed.

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Early childhood caries: modifiable risk factors

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This review of evidence pertaining to the effect of modifiable risk factors on early childhood caries(ECC) includes 133 mainly observational data providing moderate certainty evidence that breastfeeding up to 2 y of age does not increase ECC risk , and that providing access to fluoridated water and educating caregivers are justified approaches to ECC

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Intellectual disability and oral health

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This review of on the oral health of community dwelling adults with intellectual disabilities included 33 mainly cross-sectional studies showing a the continuing high prevalence of oral disease and treatment need

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Fluoride varnish for caries prevention in pre-school children

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This review of the effectiveness of fluoride varnish in reducing the risk of new caries in primary teeth included 20 studies suggesting modest effects in pre-school children.

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