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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Text messaging to reduce failed appointments

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The opportunity costs to health care providers of failed appointment are considerable.  The aim of this trial was to assess whether the use of text messaging would reduce missed appointments at a university paediatric dental clinic. 318 pairs (caregiver/child dyads) were randomly assigned (59 percent response) to receive a short message service (SMS) text message [read the full story…]

Limited available evidence on dental implant treatment in diabetics

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Diabetes mellitus has long been considered a relative contraindication to dental implant therapy.  The aim of this review  was to assess the impact of diabetics glycaemic control on dental implant survival. The authors conducted a search of the Medline database and the references of identified articles that assessed implant survival or failure for patients with [read the full story…]

Fluoride varnish can be used as an effective caries preventive measure for high-caries-risk children

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We recently reported on a other fluoride varnish study in a similar age group  conducted in the UK.  The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of 5% sodium fluoride (NaF) varnish application in reducing caries increments in the permanent dentition of rural Brazilian school children over the course of 12 months. Children [read the full story…]

Lack of valid, reliable, and responsive instruments to measure patient-reported outcomes in cleft lip and palate surgery

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Cleft lip and palate is one of the most commonly encountered congenital abnormalities.  Traditional outcomes measures have focussed on measures such as anatomical measurements  morbidity and mortality. Increasingly patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs) such as aesthetic results, speech and quality of life are being used.  The main aim of this review  was to identify existing cleft [read the full story…]

Evidence suggests immediate loaded single implant crowns have higher failure risk

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This review originally published in 2009 has now had a critical summary of it prepared under the auspices of the American Dental Association Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry The  appraiser considered that this was a good systematic review that had used accepted methods and applied rigourous selection criteria.  There was homogeneity among  the 5 studies included  [read the full story…]

Which type of fissure sealant lasts longest?

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Fissure sealants are a recommended procedure for the prevention of occlusal caries in permanent molars. The aim of this review was to assess the clinical retention of pit and fissure sealants in relation to observation time and material type. The authors searched the Embase, Medline and CENTRAL (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials)  databases for [read the full story…]

No strong evidence that any topical treatment is effective for relieving the sensation of dry mouth

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The prevalence of persistent dry mouth varies but a conservative estimates is that about 20% in the general population, with increased prevalence in women (up to 30%) and in the elderly (up to 50%). The aim of this Cochrane review was to determine which topical treatments for dry mouth are effective in reducing this symptom. [read the full story…]

Fluoride supplements have a preventive effect on caries in permanent teeth

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In the past 30 years most developed countries have seen a decrease in the prevalence and severity of dental caries in children, with most disease now found in children often characterised by a low socioeconomic status. The aim of this Cochrane review was to evaluate the efficacy of fluoride supplements for preventing dental caries in [read the full story…]

People who brush and floss regularly have less gum bleeding compared to toothbrushing alone

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The daily use of dental floss in addition to toothbrushing is frequently recommended for the prevention of caries and periodontal diseases. The aim of this Cochrane review was to assess the effects of flossing in addition to toothbrushing, as compared with toothbrushing alone, in the management of periodontal diseases and dental caries in adults. A [read the full story…]

Use of higher magnification provides better outcomes in endodontic microsurgery

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This systematic review is the second part of a review we first highlighted in Dental Elf on the 7th July. The  aim of this part was to assess whether root-end surgery techniques with microinstruments but only loupes or no visualization aids (contemporary root-end surgery [CRS]) compared with endodontic microsurgery using the same instruments and materials [read the full story…]