oral health

The optimal state of the mouth and normal functioning of the organs of the mouth without evidence of disease.

Our oral health Blogs

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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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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Toothbrushing: Are three heads better than one?

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This review of the effectiveness of 3-headed toothbrushes included 15 studies describing 18 comparisons. The quality of the available evidence was low an no differences were seen with self-performed brushing but a benefit was suggested for plaque removal for care-dependent individuals.

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Periodontitis: risk increased by poor oral hygiene

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50 observational studies were included in this review of the effect of oral hygiene on periodontitis. The data suggests that poor oral hygiene increases the risk of periodontitis by around two- to five-fold compared with good OH. However the quality of the data is considered to be of low quality.

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Oral care in nursing homes

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This study is the first of its kind from an RCT perspective which clearly shows that treating major depression in older adults using interventions in primary care settings can extend life

Mark-Steven Howe takes a look at a review evaluating the effectiveness of strategies that nursing home care providers can apply to impove the uptake and delivery of oral care in nursing homes

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 Shortened dental arch: impact on oral health-related quality of life

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This review of the impact on oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) linked with maintaining or restoring a shortened dental arch found limited evidence from 3 studies suggesting a benefit for OHRQoL with maintaining rather than restoring a the SDA with a removable partial dental prosthesis.

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Whitening toothpastes have beneficial effect on staining

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This review of the effect of whitening toothpastes on tooth staining included 21 RCTs and found a significant effect on all aspects of staining in the short term.

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Chlorhexidine mouthrinse: Reduced plaque and gingivitis when used as adjunct to mechanical oral hygiene procedures

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51 studies were included in this Cochrane review of chlorhexidine mouthwash as an adjunct to mechanical oral hygiene measures. The review provides high quality evidence for a large reduction in the build-up of plaque at 4 to 6 weeks or 6 months. There is also high quality evidence of a moderate reduction in gingivitis in patients with mild gingivitis which may not be clinically important.

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Anxiety and pain during dental treatment

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35 studies investigating 47 clinical groups were included in this review of the association between dental anxiety and pain during dental treatment. The findings suggest a consistent impact on pain through the entire period of dental treatment.

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