This review of fixed functional appliances for the treatment of class II malocclusions could only find 11 small studies with methodological problems to assess the effectiveness of this approach. Some benefit was noted but larger higher quality studies are needed.
Chris Pell summarises a recent meta-analysis of prevalence estimates and moderators of low bone mass in people with schizophrenia. The study finds a significantly increased risk of osteoporosis in people with schizophrenia.
Low level laser therapy have been used of musculoskeletal problems and this review looked it is use in temporomandibular disorders. 6 small studies were included and this suggested a small statistical benefit for pain reduction.
This review looked at which internal fixation method for mandibular fractures resulted in lowest complication rate. 20 studies were included and they found use of 1 miniplate is superior to using 2 ; and the transbuccally placed lateral miniplate was better than one placed on the external oblique ridge
This is the most recent review of the link between periodontal treatment and glycaemic control in diabetic. In included 10 trials involving 1135 patients and found and improvement in Hb1Ac levels at 3 months but not at 6 months.
A 2011 Cochrane review found weak evidence from 5 studies that low energy laser therapy (LLLT) may be beneficial in preventing severe mucositis. This new review included 18 studies and found that low level laser therapy reduced overall risk of severe mucositis.
This review looks at a specific aspect of the loading of dental implants following placement, whether they should have immediate functional or non-functional loading. including 6 randomised controlled trials and 5 controlled trials no significant difference was found between the two approaches
Orthodontic treatment is considered to have an impact on an individuals quality of life. This review focuses on the studies using the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 as a measurement tool. A small number of studies were included in a meta-analysis which identified significant improvement in the OHIP-14 scores.
Meg Fluharty summarises a recent systematic review looking at exercise for antenatal depression. The review finds preliminary evidence to suggest that exercise may be effective in reducing depression during pregnancy, but the quality of included trials is low to moderate.
Today we look at a review that was comparing the clinical outcomes between locking and non-locking plates for the fixation of fractures mandibles. The review identified 10 studies, 8 of which were at high risk of bias. They found that there was no difference in the level of post operative complications between teh different approaches.