child and adolescent

Birth – 18 years.

Our child and adolescent Blogs

Does vomer or palatal flap have less adverse effect on maxillary growth in cleft patients? – No good evidence available

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Cleft lip (CL) and cleft palate (CP) are common birth defects that affect around 1 in 700 children born.  Surgery to repair the palate is thought to affect maxillary growth. The vomer flap is assumed to cause less scarring and therefore have less impact on growth. The aim of this review was to investigate the [read the full story…]

CBT may prevent depression in at-risk children whose parents have a history of depression

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The harmful impact of depression extends far beyond the individual sufferer to caregivers, friends and family members.  Children of people with depression are more likely to suffer from depression themselves.  This may be due to both inherited and environmental factors. This new randomised controlled trial (RCT), published earlier this week in JAMA Psychiatry, set out [read the full story…]

Does racial discrimination affect the mental health of children and young people?

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Recent adult mental health policy initiatives, such as the Delivering Race Equality programme (PDF) show the increasing recognition of racial discrimination in NHS mental health services. In 2012 the NHS Confederation issued guidance on achieving race equality in mental health, which was summarised on the Mental Elf a while ago. These UK policy developments on [read the full story…]

“Commissioners should ensure sustained and effective delivery of children’s palliative care” says guide

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Caroline De Brún
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Clinical Commissioning Groups, hospices, patients, carers, and all staff who provide palliative care to children. This short guide has been written for Clinical Commissioning Groups, hospices, patients, carers, and all staff who provide palliative care to children. Commissioners need to be aware that palliative care for children is very different to palliative care for adults, [read the full story…]

Atypical antipsychotics can lead to weight gain in children and adolescents, but more evidence needed about metabolic side effects

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Elly O'Brien
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Atypical (second-generation) antipsychotics are used to treat a variety of psychiatric conditions. Although they have fewer side effects than first-generation antipsychotics, weight gain and other metabolic problems (such as high blood pressure and diabetes) remain common side effects of taking atypical antipsychotic medication (Mind, 2012). The Mental Elf has previously blogged about a Canadian report [read the full story…]

Trial finds no changes in arch dimensions following orthodontic treatment with conventional brackets and either active or passive self-ligation

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To produce alignment without extraction. It has been suggested that passive self-ligating brackets can introduce specific, uniquely stable arch dimensional changes. The aim of this trial was to quantify maxillary arch dimensional changes and maxillary incisor and molar inclination changes during orthodontic alignment by directly comparing a passive self-ligating bracket, an active self-ligating system and [read the full story…]

NICE publish new Quality Standard and Evidence Update on ADHD

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Meg Fluharty
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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common behavioural disorder in the UK, with sufferers experiencing inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. It is estimated to affect 3-9% of school aged children and young people in the UK (those aged 3 to 18), and 2% of adults worldwide (DSM-IV criteria). Typically ADHD will continue from childhood [read the full story…]

Open or closed surgical technique for displaced palatal canines did not affect periodontal outcomes in short term

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It is reported that around 13% of upper canines can be displaced, the majority of these being palatally displaced.  Controversy exists on whether a closed techniques of moving a canine into its correct position beneath the palatal mucosa (closed technique) is preferential to an open technique which involves moving the canine into its correct position [read the full story…]

Caries risk assessment programmes in pre-school children

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Identifying children at greatest risk of caries in order to optimize preventive activity has been a goal of  the dental profession for many a long year and a number of reviews of potential risk factors have been conducted ( see Dental Elf 10th Dec 2012).  This study aimed to assess a number of caries risk [read the full story…]

New NICE TA: Aripiprazole for treating moderate to severe manic episodes in adolescents with bipolar I disorder

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NICE has just published a new technology appraisal recommending aripiprazole as a treatment for bipolar disorder in young people. Technology Appraisals are systematic evaluations of the effectiveness of health technologies.  They do not have the broad scope of guidelines, which focus on topics rather than technologies, but they do give guidance for clinical practice on the [read the full story…]