This review of the efficacy of chlorhexidine (CHX) products in maintaining gingival health in orthodontic patients with fixed appliances included 20 RCTs only 1 of which was at low risk of bias. The findings showed a benefcial effect on gingival parameters with CHX mouthwash at 1-3 months but the findings should be interpreted cautiously.
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This review evaluating the preventive effect of regular applications of fluoride varnish (FV) on the development of white spot lesions (WSL) during orthodontic treatment included 7 RCTs. Meta-analyses demonstrated a reduction in the risk of WSL with regular FV applications but the certainty of evidence was very low.
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In this blog we look at a RCT investigating the effect of a smartphone App on dental anxiety, communication, cooperation, and satisfaction among Brazilian adolescent patients. The findings show a reduction in anxiety from 22.8% to 6.5% in the test group compared with a reduction form 20.7% to 18.8% in the control group.
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This review of pulpotomy ( partial or full) v root canal treatment (RoCT) in permanent teeth with pulpitis included 2 RCTs involving 957 teeth. The findings suggests no difference in pain at 7 days or in success rates at 1 and 5 years but the evidence is limited.
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This review of the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) exposure and oral health among adults included 4 cross-sectional studies with the findings indicating an association between ACEs and poor oral health.
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This review of the efficacy of chewing gum in reducing pain intensity in patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment included 16 RCTs. The findings suggest , chewing gum was significantly more effective than both pharmacologic agents and placebo in reducing orthodontic pain 24 hours. However the evidence is of very low certainty.
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This review investigating the incidence of and influential factors on pulp necrosis and periapical pathosis of vital teeth following indirect restorations included 37 studies. The findings suggest an overal incidence of pulpal necrosis of 5.02% (3.70 to 6.52%).
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This review of the efficacy of mouthwashes on oral microorganisms and gingivitis in orthodontic patients included 32 RCTs. While the findings suggest short-term benefits with adjunctive mouthwash use the findings should be intertpreted cautiously as only one RCT was at low risk of bias and for almost all outccomes the certainty of evidence was rated as very low to low.
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The Dental Elves will be taking a short break over Easter. Our next blog will appear on the 17th April.
This review comparing the effectiveness of a chewable toothbrush (CTB) with a manual toothbrush (MTB) in terms of plaque reduction included 7 RCTs. While no significant differences were found between CTB and MTB the availabel studies were small of short duration and of very low certainty.
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