Gingival recession: which surgical treatment technique?

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This Cochrane review of the efficacy of different root coverage procedures for gingival recession included 48 RCTs describing a range of procedures. Most procedures led to a reduction in gingival recession.

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Antibiotics and toothache

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Only 2 RCTs are included in this Cochrane review update of the effects of systemic antibiotics on adults with symptomatic apical periodontitis or acute apical abscess providing insufficient evidence of effectiveness.

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Oral anticoagulant therapy: Preventing bleeding in patients having dental extractions

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This Cochrane review of antifibrinolytic agents for preventing bleeding in people on oral anticoagulants undergoing dental extractions or minor oral surgery included 4 RCTs. Topical tranexamic acid was effective in reducing post-operative bleeding following dental procedures.

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Fixed orthodontic appliances- which type of archwire first?

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This Cochrane review of the effects of initial arch wires for the alignment of teeth with fixed orthodontic appliances includes 12 RCTs and updates a previous review. The review finds moderate quality evidence shows that archwires of coaxial superelastic nickel-titanium (NiTi) can produce greater tooth movement over 12 weeks than arch wires made of single-strand superelastic NiTi.

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Local anaesthetics for preventing pain during dental treatment

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123 RCTs were included in this Cochrane review of local anaesthetic agents for preventing pain during dental treatment. 14 types of local anaesthetic were included evidence to support the use of one over another was limited so further research is needed to clarify the effectiveness and safety of one local anaesthetic over another.

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Pulp treatments in primary teeth

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This Cochrane review of pulp treatments for primary teeth included 87 trials. Pulp treatments were generally successful with many trials having no clinical or radiological failure in either arm.
Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) may be the best medicament to apply after pulpotomy. For pulpectomy there was no conclusive evidence that one medicament or technique is superior to another.

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Dentures: techniques and materials for final impressions

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9 RCTs were included in this Cochrane review of different final-impression techniques and materials for complete and removable partial dentures. The available evidence for the relative benefits of different denture fabrication techniques and final-impression materials is limited and is of low or very low quality.

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Slow-release fluoride devices for caries prevention: insufficient evidence

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This review of slow-release fluoride devices for caries prevention updates an earlier Cochrane review of the topic. However no new trials have been identified providing insufficient evidence to assess their effectiveness.

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Periodontitis- supportive periodontal treatment

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This Cochrane review of the effects of supportive periodontal therapy (SPT) in the maintenance of the dentition of adults treated for periodontitis included 4 RCTs providing is insufficient evidence to determine the superiority of different protocols or adjunctive strategies to improve tooth maintenance during SPT.

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