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

New Cochrane Protocol – May 2014

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The aim of this review is to assess the effects of behavioural techniques, pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for management of gagging in patients undergoing dental procedures. As the authors note gaging-related problems contributed to about 20% of dental avoidance cases and a wide range of methods have been describe for management of the gaging patients. [read the full story…]

The use of motivational interviewing to improve oral health has potential but needs more research

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The use of motivational interviewing is increasing in dentistry and the recent SIGN guideline (Dental Elf  18th March 2014)  recommended that  oral health promotion interventions should be based on recognised health behaviour theory and models such as motivational interviewing. The aim of this review was to analyze the effectiveness of motivational interviewing in changing oral [read the full story…]

Trial showed similar oral health improvements in nursing-home residents with manual and powered toothbrushes

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The 2010 Cochrane review of powered toothbrushes (Deacon et al) provided some evidence that rotational oscillation powered toothbrushes are more effective than other designs. However, the available evidence was based on short-term studies and the differences were small, so the clinical importance was unclear.  The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of [read the full story…]

Review suggests increased risk of enamel defects in children born pre-term

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Enamel defects and other oral abnormalities have been reported in premature children. The aim of this review was to assess whether there is any association between premature birth and enamel opacities or hypoplasia. A search was conducted in PubMed  and Embase for follow-up, case control or cross sectional studies  published in English German, Danish, Swedish [read the full story…]

Is this toothache or am I having a heart attack?

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Pain from cardiac ischaemia can have a range of presentations. This can include chest, arm, shoulder pain, face or jaw pain.  While sudden chest pain that may travel down the arm is a typical presentation classic teaching is that cardiac ischemia can present with tooth, jaw, or facial pain as its sole symptom.  The aim [read the full story…]

New Cochrane Protocols January 2014

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Two more protocols for reviews are now available on the Cochrane Library The first one is:- El-Angbawi A, McIntyre GT, Bearn DR, Fleming PS. Non-surgical adjunctive interventions for accelerating tooth movement in patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment (Protocol). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2013, Issue 12. Art. No.: CD010887. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD010887.  The aim is to [read the full story…]

No evidence to support or refute the practice of six-monthly dental check-ups

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Having your teeth regularly examined by a dentist seems to have been recommended back as far the 18th Century (Richards 2002) and subsequently the six-monthly visit became de rigueur.  The scientific basic for this interval was challenged by Sheiham in 1977  and there has subsequently been much debate about the clinical and cost-effectiveness of recall [read the full story…]

Positive association between alcohol drinking and upper aerodigestive tract cancers

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Mouth cancers form part of a wider group of upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) cancers (oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, and oesphagus), which are strongly associated with smoking and alcohol. The aim of this review was to quantify the association between alcohol drinking and UADT cancer mortality The Medline and ISI Web of Science databases were searched [read the full story…]

Cochrane Protocols December 2013

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Shortly before Christmas two new protocols for Cochrane review from the Oral Health Group appeared on the Cochrane Library. The first one is:- Taylor J, Brocklehurst P, Glenny AM, Walsh T, Tickle M, Lewis MA, Riley P, Yates JM, Pemberton MN. Topical interventions for recurrent aphthous stomatitis (mouth ulcers) (Protocol). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews [read the full story…]

Only low quality evidence available for effectiveness of interdental toothbrushes

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Good oral hygiene to ensure the effective removal of dental plaque is key to maintaining good oral health.  While toothbrushing is the most commonly used method, dental floss and interdental brushes are both widely available and recommended adjuncts to toothbrushing.  A 2011 Cochrane review by Sambunjak et al assessed the evidence for dental floss (Dental [read the full story…]