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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Dental implants: Does crown-to-implant ratio influence treatment outcomes?

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This review of the influence of crown-to-implant ratio on single-tooth,non-splinted implant outcomes includes 8 observational studies and suggests no impact with crown-to-implant ratios ranging from 0.86 to 2.14.

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Palatal canines: open or closed surgical approaches?

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Two surgical approaches ( open and closed) for palatally displaced canines were compared in this multi-centre RCT. No differences in operating time was seen between the two approaches but those in the open group had more pain.

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Dental general anaesthesia in children: Impacts on the family

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This review suggests that children in kinship foster care may do better than those in traditional foster care, in terms of their behavioural development, mental health functioning, and placement stability

21 quality of life studies were included in this review of the family impacts following children’s dental treatment under general anaesthesia. The findings suggest a significant positive impact on parental emotions, activity, and conflict.

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Dental implants: immediate placement in infected sockets and survival rates

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9 observational studies were included in this review comparing the immediate placement of implants in an infected site compared to a health site. The findings suggest no difference although the quality of the evidence is low to very low.

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Nano-hydroxyapatite for dentine hypersensitivity?

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8 RCTS were included in this review of the clinical effectiveness of nano-hydroxyapatite (n-HAP)-based desensitising agents with the findings suggesting a benefit.

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Aligners v fixed appliances for orthodontic treatment

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8 mainly observational studies were included in this review of he effectiveness of clear aligners compared with fixed appliances for orthodontic treatment. The findings suggest no difference between to two approaches however the quality of the availabel evidence is low to very low.

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Intra-articular injection for temporomandibular joint arthralgia: Methylprednisolone or saline?

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54 patients with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthralgia were randomised to recieve either methylprednisolone or saline to reduce pain. Findings suggest no difference in TMJ pain

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Caries risk assessment tools for young children

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10 studies reporting on 8 caries risk assessment tools (CRATs) were identified in for this review of evidence to inform the selection of CRATs. The current evidence is limited.

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