Phytotherapy as an adjunct to nonsurgical periodontal treatment?

shutterstock_2584741

7 small RCTs that majority of cross-over design were included in this review of phytotherapy as an adjunct to scaling and root planing for chronic periodontitis. While the findings suggest a benefit these should be viewed with caution until results from larger high quality studies are available.

[read the full story...]

Dementia and oral health

we need to ensure even more so that care staff feel capable and happy in doing what can be a stressful and demanding, as well as rewarding job, so that the residents with dementia are also well looked after and happy

This review of the oral health status of dementia patients included 36 observational studies and highlights the high levels of plaque and many soft tissue related oral health problems suffered by this group of patients.

[read the full story...]

Periodontitis- supportive periodontal treatment

shutterstock_2584741

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.

[read the full story...]

Intrabony periodontal defects – does combining bone substitutes and enamel matrix derivatives improve outcomes?

shutterstock_28627237

This review of combining bone substitutes and enamel matrix derivatives for the management of intrabony periodontal defects only identified 5 small RCTs of limited quality. The addition of EMD to bony substitutes was not seen to be beneficial but the results should be interpreted cautiously due to limitations in the available evidence.

[read the full story...]

Powered toothbrushes for orthodontic patients

shutterstock_274582559

This review of powered toothbrushes for periodontal health in orthodontic patients included 9 small RCTs. A small statistically significant benefit was noted in short term use.

[read the full story...]

Statins as an adjunct to scaling and root planing

shutterstock_129331361

11 RCTs were included in this review of statins as an adjunct to scaling and root planing. The findings suggest improvements in pocket depth and clinical attachment levels with statin use.

[read the full story...]

Halitosis: effect of periodontal treatment

We'd like to see the 'C' word (Committing Suicide) eradicated from all discussions about suicide.

Eight low quality studies were included in this review of the effect of scaling and root planing, professional tooth cleaning together with oral hygiene instructions on halitosis. All the studies demonstrated a positive effect but the findings need to be interpret cautiously.

[read the full story...]

Treating periodontitis to prevent heart disease – evidence unclear

heart attack

Only 1 trial at high risk of bias was included in this recent update of a 2014 Cochrane review of periodontal therapy for preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD) providing insufficient evidence to support or refute whether periodontal therapy can prevent the recurrence of CVD in the long term in patients with chronic periodontitis.

[read the full story...]

Dementia and oral health status

Caring for a loved one with dementia can be stressful at times.

28 observational studies were included in this review of the oral health status of people with dementia. The findings suggest that compared with people without dementia those with dementia have poorer oral health.

[read the full story...]

Children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities: oral health status

shutterstock_104583155

This review of oral health status in people with intellectual disabilities included 39 studies. Higher level of dental plaque, worse gingival status, and fewer decayed and filled permanent teeth were seen than in patients without intellectual disabilities.

[read the full story...]