Last week the media reported widely on a study of ketamine for depression (McShane et al, 2014). As usual the headlines made bold assertions, the Telegraph running with “Horse tranquilliser Ketamine could cure severe depression” (Knapton, 2014). But what did the paper authored by an Oxford group and published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology really [read the full story…]
Background There are relatively few randomised controlled trials in interventions to support people with learning disabilities. There are often significant difficulties in design in multi-element real-life interventions, along with a range of ethical issues to consider. The researchers in this Turkish study however were keen to use the methodology to look at responsive teaching for [read the full story…]
Despite the improvements in oral health the management of dental caries still presents challenges particularly in children. While some guidelines still recommend complete removal of caries there is growing interest in more conservative approaches. The aim of this study was to compare children’s behaviour and pain perception when approximal dentinal caries lesions in primary molars [read the full story…]
Pain and discomfort is often reported by patients undergoing orthodontic treatment and has been cited as a reason for failure to complete treatment. Removal of fixed appliances could be painful and it has been suggested that an intrusive bite force may stabilize teeth allowing greater resistance of torsional forces. The aim of this study was [read the full story…]
Depression is a common problem in adolescence, with statistics showing that around 20% of young people will go through at least one clinically depressive episode by the age of 18 years. Given the significant impairment and deleterious consequences of depression, sustained efforts have been dedicated to preventive and early intervention. In a recent large trial [read the full story…]
The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare two different white MTA cements as pulpotomy medicaments in human primary teeth, Pro-Root MTA and MTA Angelus. Child patients with deep occlusal carious lesion, which presented potential risk of pulp exposure during complete removal of carious dentin, as determined by clinical and radiographic assessment were [read the full story…]
Dental fluorosis is characterised by bilateral, diffuse, thin and horizontal white striations and stained plaque areas, with pitting and discolouration of the enamel in more severe case. It is caused by excess fluoride ingestion during tooth development and can have an impact on quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the [read the full story…]
The restoration of teeth following root canal treatment (RoCT) can present challenges and posts inserted into the root canal can provide support to enable restoration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the survival of glass fibre and cast metal posts used to restore endodontically treated teeth with no remaining coronal wall. Patients with [read the full story…]
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…]
Failure to maintain good oral hygiene during fixed appliance orthodontic treatment can lead to the development of demineralised white lesions (DWLs) around the orthodontic brackets. The incidence of this adverse effect of treatment has bee reported as being between 15-85. A recent Cochrane review by Benson et al (see Dental Elf 27th Jan 2014) found [read the full story…]
