Probiotics – insufficient evidence supporting use to manage caries or periodontal disease

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This review of probiotics use for caries and periodontal disease management identified 50 studies. Most focused on surrogate outcomes (bacterial counts) and the overall quality of the evidence supporting probiotic therapy was graded as very low for all outcomes.

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Psychosocial correlates of oral hygiene behaviour in children and adolescents

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This review included 31 data sets from 24 papers and indicates that ‘self-efficacy’, ‘intention’, ‘social influences’, ‘coping planning’ and ‘action planning’ are potential psychosocial determinants of oral health behaviour.

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Narrow dental implants – good survival at 2 years suggests review

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This review of narrow titanium–zirconium alloy (Ti–Zr) implants included 9 studies ( 2 RCTs) which suggest good survival rates (>95%) after 2 years.

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Post-orthodontic white spot lesions – lack of reliable evidence for management strategies

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Only 8 studies at high risk of bias were available for this review of treatments for post orthodontic white spot lesions (WSLs) . They provide little reliable evidence to support remineralising or camouflaging strategies to manage WSLs.

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Smoking cessation interventions for head and neck cancer patients

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This review of smoking cessation for patients with head and neck cancer included 8 studies ( 3 RCTs) and suggests that those receiving counseling had a 26% higher quit rate than with controls

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Low-level laser as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal treatment-evidence limited

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This review of low-level laser therapy as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal treatment only identified 7 small high risk studies. While results suggest short term improvements there should be viewed with caution.

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Resin-bonded fixed dental prostheses

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5 studies at high risk of bias were included in this review of the impact of framework design on the clinical performance of resin bonded fixed dental prosthesis. While lower failures were seen with cantilever designs the results should be interpreted cautiously.

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Periapical surgery – improved outcomes with regenerative techniques?

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Eight small studies were identified for this review of the use of regenerative techniques as an adjunct to periapical surgery. The findings suggest that they improve outcomes after 1 year, but they should be interpreted with caution.

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Simplified complete denture fabrication can replace traditional approaches suggests review

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This review of simplified approaches for complete denture construction includes 11 studies ( 7 RCTs) The available studies are small but suggest that the simplified approach could replace the conventional approach.

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Corticotomy for facilitating orthodontic treatment – limited research available

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14 studies ( 6 RCTs) were included in this review of corticotomy for facilitating orthodontic treatment. While the results found produce statistically and clinically meaningful temporary increases in the rate of orthodontic tooth movement the studies were small and of low quality.

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