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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Interceptive primary canine extraction for palatally displaced permanent canines

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4 RCTs were included in this review of interceptive primary canine extraction. They provide some limited evidence that extractions may facilitate permanent canine eruption but the study quality is low.

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Prednisolone for post-endodontic pain?

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This randomised controlled trial of a single, preoperative oral dose of prednisolone on post-endodontic pain involved 400 patients demonstrating a significant reduction in pain at 6,12 and 24 hours.

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Barriers and enablers to dental care for people affected by mental health disorders

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The study participants may not be representative of the real-world population

This narrative review focuses on the barriers and enablers for patients with mental health problems in accessing dental care. Most of the published work focuses on barriers . More work and resources are needed to improve both access to care and oral health outcomes or this group of patients.

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Periodontal maintenance after specialist treatment: specialist or primary care setting?

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This reviews of the efficacy of periodontal maintenance treatment carried out in primary care compared to the specialist setting following specialist treatment included 8 cohort studies. The quality of the available evidence was limited suggesting outcomes may be poorer in primary care further high quality studies are required

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Scaling and root planing adjuncts for chronic periodontitis

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In 2015 the American Dental Association published a Guideline on nonsurgical treatment of chronic periodontitis. This network meta-analysis re-analyses the included studies providing a complementary appraisal of the data.

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Medication for mental health: Oral health impacts

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This review of the side effects of medications prescribed for the management of mental health highlights their potential impact on oral health. The commonest problems being xerostomia.

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Drugs to prevent salivary gland damage following radiotherapy to the head and neck

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This Cochrane review of drugs for the prevention of radiation-induced salivary gland dysfunction included 39 studies, while a range of agents was tested the evidence found is not sufficient to highlight much promise in terms of effective preventative treatments.

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Fissure sealants effective in preventing caries in children and adolescents

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Fissure sealant

38 trials were included in this updated Cochrane review of the effect of fissure sealants on occlusal caries. The data show a reduction in caries of between 11-51% at 24months compared to no sealant. The benefit was also maintained at longer-term follow up.

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Dental implants: survival rates in patients with osteoporosis

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15 observational studies were included in this review of implant survival in patients with osteoporosis. while the findings suggest no difference compared to healthy patients the quality of the included studies is low so the findings should be interpreted cautiously.

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Periodontal regeneration therapies: Are benefits long-term?

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This review of periodontal regeneration therapies included 52 trials. While the results suggest some statistically significant improvements they may not be clinically important. There is also limited data for outcomes longer than 12 months.

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