Dental screening: a role for hygiene-therapists?

shutterstock_45382273

This study compared the diagnostic accuracy of dental screening by hygiene-therapists with dentists. The results show that they could be used to screen for caries and periodontal disease. This could allow for a change in the traditional model of dental care seen in the UK.

[read the full story...]

Third molars: risk of future extraction when retained estimated

shutterstock_75860806

This review of asymptomatic retained third molars included 7 prospective studies and found that the cumulative incidence for M3 extraction varied from 5 to 64% and was associated with the follow-up duration.

[read the full story...]

Distraction osteogenesis: little evidence available of effectiveness in maxillary hypoplasia in cleft lip and palate patients

shutterstock_246532594

This review only found 1 study reported in 5 articles at high risk of bias that compared distraction osteogenesis to conventional orthognathic surgery for the treatment of maxillary hypoplasia in cleft lip and palate patients. More high quality trials are needed.

[read the full story...]

Increased overjet: increases risk of dental trauma suggests review

shutterstock_81871846

This systematic review of a 54 observations studies involving >10,000 patients suggested that overjet over 3-4mm double the risk of traumatic dental injuries (TDIs). With 22% of TDIs being attributable to increased overjet.

[read the full story...]

Root canal retreatment: review suggests microsurgery better than retreatment

shutterstock_17046487- endodontic treatment

This new review of root canal retreatment indirectly compares the outcomes of two approaches, non-surgical retreatment and microsurgery. Only 4 of the studies were RCTs but these did not involve direct comparison of the two approaches. Pooled success rates suggest better outcomes for the microsurgical approach.

[read the full story...]

Dentine hypersensitivity following periodontal treatment reduced by use of desensitising paste

shutterstock_2584741

In this small trial the use of either an 8% arginine desensitising paste or prophy paste reduced dentine hypersensitivity after scaling but the arginine base paste was significantly better than the standard prophy paste.

[read the full story...]

Implant overdentures improve satisfaction, chewing and bite force, suggests review

shutterstock_24108289

While 53 studies were included in this review of implant overdentures only a narrative summary of the outcomes of chewing ability, bite force and patient satisfaction could be presented. While all the studies were prospective, information about the quality and risk of bias in the included studies is not reported.

[read the full story...]

Dentine hypersensitivity: most desensitising toothpastes provided benefit finds review

shutterstock_89901511

31 RCTs were identified for this review of desensitising toothpastes for dentine hypersensitivity. A wide range of agents were tested and most were found to be effective although the number of trials available for each agent was relatively small range from 3-8 studies.

[read the full story...]

Oral hygiene: professional cleaning and motivation helped during orthodontic treatment

shutterstock_60699226

Eight RCTs were summarised in this review suggesting that regular patient motivation sessions and cleaning by a hygienist helped maintain good oral hygiene. No quantitative summaries was conducted so the magnitude of the benefit is unclear.

[read the full story...]