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

Virtual reality distraction interventions for dental anxiety in paediatric patients

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This review of virtual reality (VR) distraction interventions in alleviating dental anxiety in paediatric patients included 12 RCTs. The findings suggest VR could be an effective approach to alleviating dental anxiety in paediatric patients.

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Fluoride varnish for prevention of white spot lesions during orthodontic treatment

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This review evaluating the preventive effect of regular applications of fluoride varnish (FV) on the development of white spot lesions (WSL) during orthodontic treatment included 7 RCTs. Meta-analyses demonstrated a reduction in the risk of WSL with regular FV applications but the certainty of evidence was very low.

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Smartphone application for dental anxiety in adolescents

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In this blog we look at a RCT investigating the effect of a smartphone App on dental anxiety, communication, cooperation, and satisfaction among Brazilian adolescent patients. The findings show a reduction in anxiety from 22.8% to 6.5% in the test group compared with a reduction form 20.7% to 18.8% in the control group.

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Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and oral health

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

This review of the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) exposure and oral health among adults included 4 cross-sectional studies with the findings indicating an association between ACEs and poor oral health.

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People with severe mental health difficulties are more likely to have poor dental health and dental disorders

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Masuma Pervin Mishu summarises an umbrella review on the prevalence of dental disorders among people with severe mental illness.

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Mouthwashes, microorganisms and gingivitis in orthodontic patients

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This review of the efficacy of mouthwashes on oral microorganisms and gingivitis in orthodontic patients included 32 RCTs. While the findings suggest short-term benefits with adjunctive mouthwash use the findings should be intertpreted cautiously as only one RCT was at low risk of bias and for almost all outccomes the certainty of evidence was rated as very low to low.

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Is a chewable toothbrush effective in children?

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This review comparing the effectiveness of a chewable toothbrush (CTB) with a manual toothbrush (MTB) in terms of plaque reduction included 7 RCTs. While no significant differences were found between CTB and MTB the availabel studies were small of short duration and of very low certainty.

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Tools for measuring oral health and orofacial pain in dependent adults

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

A group of Scottish Specialty Registrars in Special Care Dentistry look at a recent review of available measurement tools for assessing oral health and orofacial pain in dependent adults, which can be used by the non-dental caregivers. Nine tools were identified and despite a lack of comprehensive testing a number demonstrate reliability and validity.

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Refugee dental care – factors associated with access

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In this new blog Rrbecca Manson looks at a review of the factors associated with determining access to dental care among refugees worldwide. Nine observational studies were included and a number of factors influencing access at an individual level are identified.

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Probiotics for the management of oral halitosis

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This review of the efficacy of probiotics in reducing halitosis of dental origin, when compared to a placebo intervention included 8 RCTs. Only one of the study was considered to be at low risk of bias with the authos assessing the evidence as not suggestive of a convincing benefit for the use of probiotics for treatment outcomes of halitosis.

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