Third molars: Regenerative techniques for preventing periodontal defects

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This review of the effectiveness of regenerative periodontal treatment for preventing periodontal defects following third molar surgery included 21 RCTs and suggested that these approaches were effective. However a majority of the included studies were at high risk of bias so the findings should be interpreted cautiously.

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Metformin as an adjunct to periodontal treatment

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This review of metformin as an adjunct to scaling and root planing for chronic periodontitis included 5 RCTs that were of limited quality and mainly from one research group. The findings suggest benefit.

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Periodontal health: no additional benefit from 6 monthly Scale and Polish

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This large multicentre, cluster randomised controlled compared the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of theory-based, personalised oral hygiene advice or scale and polish’ with routine care in improving periodontal health in dentate adults attending general dental practice.

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Statins as an adjunct to periodontal treatment?

This well conducted Cochrane review found no evidence that statins

This review of the adjunctive effect of statins on mechanical periodontal therapy included 15 studies 12 of which were RCTs. The findings suggest a positive effect on probing pocket depth, clinical attachment level, and intrabony defects but the overall quality of evidence is considered to be low.

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Orthodontic treatment with fixed appliance had no impact on clinical attachment level

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This review of the impact of fixed appliance orthodontic treatment on clinical attachment levels included 9 small prospective studies finding no no clinically relevant detrimental effect. However the overall level of evidence is low to very low.

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Interdental cleaning aids

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This network meta-analysis of the comparative efficacy of interproximal oral hygiene aids included 22 RCTs and suggests that interdental brushes and water-jets ranked highest for the reduction of gingival bleeding. Although the quality of the available evidence is limited.

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Chlorhexidine-fluoride mouthwash efficacy

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This review of the efficacy of a chlorhexidine mouthwash containing sodium fluoride compared to a chlorhexidine mouthwash alone includes 10 small short term studies that suggests the findings are similar for both preparations.

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Antiseptic oral sprays: Do they improve oral health?

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20 RCTs involving a total of 720 patients were included in this review of antiseptic oral sprays in the control of dental plaque and gingivitis. The findings suggest then can reduce plaque levels in the short term.

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Non-surgical periodontal therapy – which antibiotic regime?

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This review of amoxicillin & metronidazole as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal treatment included 18 trials . A small benefit was seen with antibiotic use but no clinically meaningful difference between different doses or duration of amoxicillin-plus-metronidazole at 3 months post-treatment.

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