Dry mouth: Are oral health programmes for community dwelling elderly beneficial?

Older people with learning disabilities need opportunities to speak for themselves

This review of whether oral health promotion programmes for community‐dwelling elderly were effective in improving oral health and oral saliva secretion or in decreasing dry mouth included 9 studies most of which came from a single country

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Halitosis: What are the best methods of prevention and control?

According to this review, Venlafaxine, Pregabalin, Escitalopram, and Duloxetine are viable alternatives to traditional drug treatment for generalised anxiety disorder.

44 RCTs were included in this Cochrane review assessing interventions for the prevention and control of halitosis. Only low to very-low cetrainty evidence was identified so conclusions regarding the superiority of any intervention could not be drawn.

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Top Dental Elf Blogs Jan – Mar 2019

Yes, it's a Christmas kitten. Well this is the internet. Designed to share knowledge. And pictures of kittens.

Our most popular Dental Elf blogs for January, February and March 2019 featuring Sedation, General anaesthesia and fluoride toothpastes.

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Lasers for dentine hypersensitivity a network meta-analysis

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This review of the effects of different types of lasers on dentine hypersensitivity included 11 RCTs suggesting no significant differences between Er,Cr:YSGG, Nd:YAG, Er:YAG, and GaAlAs lasers both in the immediate term and at 1 month.

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Root caries risk predictors

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This review of risk predictors of root caries was based on 16 cohorts. The findings suggest a number of risk predictors but only 4 of the included studies were considered to be of high quality.

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Vegetarian diet and oral health

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This review of the association between a vegetarian diet and (a) non-carious/cervical lesions (NCCL), (b) dental caries and (c) number of natural teeth included 18 mainly cross-sectional studies suggesting a possible link with a higher prevalence of dental erosion.

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Dentine Hypersensitivity: Which agents are most effective?

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This review of treatments used to treat dentine hypersensitivity. 254 different agents were tested with all showing some effectiveness in short term.

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Oral hygiene advice: Use of mobile phone applications in children and adolescents

There's huge potential for smartphones to be used in this kind of research

This review of the effectiveness of interventions delivered by mobile phones in improving adherence to oral hygiene advice for children and adolescents included just 2 small RCTs involving a total of 130 patients. The findings suggest that mobile phones are effective in improving adherence to oral hygiene advice in orthodontic patients.

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Desensitising toothpastes for dentine hypersensitivity a network meta-analysis

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This network meta-analysis comparing the effect of different desensitising toothpastes on dentine hypersensitivity included 30 RCTs. The findings suggest that toothpastes containing nano-hydroxyapatite or arginine may be the most effective. However additional larger studies are required.

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Screen time: Is it linked to intake of cariogenic food in children?

Polls regularly highlight 'growing fears' about children being bullied on the internet.

This review of the association between screen-time behaviour and diet, including a potentially cariogenic diet, in children younger than 12 years old includes 19 cross-sectional studies. All of the included studies suggest a relationship.

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