Derek Richards

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Derek Richards is a specialist in dental public health, Director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Dentistry and Specialist Advisor to the Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP) Development Team. A former editor of the Evidence-Based Dentistry Journal and chief blogger for the Dental Elf website until December 2023. Derek has been involved with a wide range of evidence-based initiatives both nationally and internationally since 1994. Derek retired from the NHS in 2019 remaining as a part-time senior lecturer at Dundee Dental School until the end of 2023.

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New Cochrane Protocols March 2013

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The March issues of the Cochrane Library includes two new protocols relevant to Oral Health. The first  protocol :-  Arora A, Foster JP, Gillies D, Moxey AJ, Moody G, Curtis B. Breastfeeding for oral health in preschool children (Protocol). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2013, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD010416. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD010416. Has the main [read the full story…]

Review recommends fissure sealants for caries prevention in permanent teeth

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Fissure sealants have been in use since the 1960s and previous reviews have shown them to be effective in reducing caries.  This review is the 4th update of the Cochrane review by Ahovuo-Saloranta et al and includes studies up November 2012.  The main aim of the review was to compare the effects of different types [read the full story…]

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Easter Break

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The Dental Elf is taking a break for Easter  and will be back on the 8th April.

Small trial suggests no difference between chlorhexidine rinse and amoxicillin in reducing bacteraemia during third molar extractions

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As bacteraemia occurs during toothbrushing  (Dental Elf 5th Oct 2011) it is to be anticipated during more invasive activities such as flossing, scaling (Dental Elf 9th Jan 2013) and dental extractions.  The main aim of this study was to directly compare and determine the effect of a pre- procedure rinse of 0.12% chlorhexidine on the [read the full story…]

Absence of evidence on quality of life after different treatment options for fracture of mandibular condyles

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Fractures of the mandibular condyle account for between a quarter and a third of mandibular fractures. However, there is still controversy about the best method of treatment . A recent meta-analysis by Kyas et al ( Dental Elf 20Apr 2012)  suggested that open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) may be as good if not better [read the full story…]

Another critical summary from American Dental Association Centre for Evidence-based Dentistry – March 2013

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This latest critical summary prepared under the auspices of the ADA Center for Evidence Based Dentistry looks at a 2012 meta-analysis by Kühnisch et al that looks at the retention rates of pit and fissure sealants. The results of the meta-analysis suggest that resin-based sealants have the highest retention rates at 5-years. The appraiser notes [read the full story…]

Is there a ‘standard’ biologic width for periodontal health?

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When restoring teeth the placement of the margin of the restoration is considered to be important for periodontal health.  This position may be a factor in the initiation or progression of periodontal disease.   Biologic width has been defined as the junctional epithelium and supracrestal connective tissue attachment surrounding every tooth. it is suggested that his [read the full story…]

Critical Summary from American Dental Association Centre for Evidence-based Dentistry – March 2013

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This ADA critical summary looks at a 2012 review by van Vlijmen et al  of the evidence to support the use of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in orthodontics The reviewer highlights the extensive range of databases searched for the use of CBCT for orthodontic purposes.  There was also an independent assessment of study quality. The [read the full story…]

Lack of reliable evidence for the effectiveness of remineralizing agents for the treatment of post-orthodontic white spot lesions

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White spot lesions (WSLs) are a common adverse effect of orthodontic treatment. The incidence of these lesions is high with some estimates as high as 97%.  The aim of this review was to assess the evidence regarding the effect of remineralizing agents on post-orthodontic WSLs and to evaluate which remineralizing agents are effective for the [read the full story…]

Is treatment of class II malocclusion with class II elastics effective?

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The class II malocclusion is a common problem that people attend for orthodontic treatment. The main aim of this review was to assess whether Class II elastics are effective in correcting Class II malocclusions PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, Medline, and Cochrane databases, were searched. This was complemented by a hand search, with no [read the full story…]