This diagnostic test review included 11 studies the majority from 2 research groups. The findings suggest that ultrasonography could be useful for diagnosing anterior disk displacement in patients with temporomandibular disorders.
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Clarissa Giebel writes her debut Mental Elf blog about a recent Cochrane systematic review of the Mini-Cog for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease dementia and other dementias within a community setting.
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Raphael Underwood summarises a recently updated Cochrane systematic review, which aimed to systematically evaluate the accuracy of first rank symptoms for diagnosing schizophrenia.
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Early detection of oral cancer improves prognosis so methods to improve diagnosis are welcome. The review we look at today looks at two light-based systems: chemiluminescence or autofluorescence. 25 studies were included and they are well summarised but few were tested in primary care. Neither system provided much improvement on the level of sensitivity and specificity achieved by conventional oral examination. Therefore it is suggested that these tools are better suited to specialist clinics in which there is a higher prevalence of disease and where experienced clinicians may better discriminate between benign and malignant lesions.
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Josephine Neale blogs about a systematic review of screening tools for anxiety disorders, which concludes that the GAD-7 and PHQ instruments are appropriate for use in primary care.
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The Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP) has just launched its latest guidance on the Prevention and Treatment of Periodontal Diseases in Primary Care. The focus of the guidance is on the prevention and non-surgical treatment of periodontal diseases and implant diseases in primary care. It includes advices on diagnosis and management of periodontal and [read the full story…]
Liaison psychiatry brings together medical and psychiatric staff in hospital wards and emergency departments, with the aim of more adequately addressing comorbidities between physical and mental health. It’s something that’s been discussed in the Woodland before, with recommendations for wider implementation. The Guardian recently published an article discussing the findings of a recent study and [read the full story…]
Last July I wrote a blog (Helping patients and carers deal with a diagnosis of dementia: one size doesn’t fit all) about a systematic review of qualitative evidence (Bunn, 2012) relating to patients and carers experiences of reaching and adapting to a diagnosis of dementia. That blog was heavily influenced by personal experience of my [read the full story…]
Depression in teenagers is a significant problem, with serious and potentially fatal consequences. Estimates of how many teenagers have depression at any one time vary between countries, but overall about 4-5% of mid to late teens worldwide are thought to experience clinical depression every year (Thapar et al, 2012). Much of the current knowledge of [read the full story…]
Lateral cephalometric radiographs were introduced in the 1930s and together with their related analysis have been a standard element of orthodontic treatment planning. However their role in assessment and treatment planning has been questioned. The aims of this review were to evaluate the existing evidence about the validation of lateral cephalometric radiograph in orthodontics and [read the full story…]
