Benzodiazepines are used to treat insomnia, anxiety and chronic back pain due to their sedative and muscle relaxing effects. They’ve got a sting in the tail though and can cause memory disruption, loss of coordination and dependence if used long term. It’s therefore recommended that other treatments, such as psychological interventions, are tried first and [read the full story…]
Diode-lasers have been used for soft-tissue applications such as incision, haemostasis, and coagulation so are considered to have potential for the treatment of periodontal disease. The aim of this review was to assess the adjunctive effect of a diode laser following non-surgical periodontal debridement (SRP) during the initial phase of periodontal therapy on the clinical [read the full story…]
For many years, psychiatry has highlighted that people with epilepsy appear to have an elevated risk for psychosis. However, studies exploring this relationship (of which there are many) seem to disagree on just what the prevalence of psychosis is in this group. For example, Gudmundsson (1966) interviewed every patient with epilepsy in Iceland and concluded [read the full story…]
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…]
In treating orthodontic problems in late adolescents and adults there is pressure to shorten treatment time. Surgical techniques such as corticotomy and dental distraction have been proposed as potential approaches. The aim of this review was to address 3 questions; Does surgically facilitated orthodontic treatment significantly increase the velocity of tooth movement and shorten treatment [read the full story…]
Autotransplantation of teeth has been carried out for many years and the 1990s saw clarification of the prognosis and risk factors together with proposed standard surgical procedures. The aim of this review was to assess the outcomes of autotransplanted teeth with complete root formation and the effects of various influencing factors. Searches were conducted in [read the full story…]
The level of intellectual functioning for individuals with autism spectrum disorders is extremely variable, but estimates suggest that up to half of all those with an autism spectrum disorder also have an intellectual disability. Whilst neurodevelopmental disorders affect children worldwide, it is thought that these might be more prevalent in lower- and middle-income countries compared [read the full story…]
Probiotics have been used in the management of a wide range of conditions and have been shown to have a beneficial effect in gastrointestinal disease for example. A potential role in the prevention of caries has been suggested and the aim of this review was to evaluate the caries preventive effect of probiotics. Searches were [read the full story…]
Reading instruction was once a topic guaranteed to ignite passionate debate among teachers, mostly between proponents of phonics instruction and supporters of whole-language approaches. Although this particular controversy has become less heated in recent years, with many endorsing a hybrid or mixed-methods approach, there remains a great deal of interest in the relative merits of [read the full story…]
In this blog, I’m going to be discussing a recent systematic review and meta-analysis of “peer support for people with serious mental illness” (Lloyd-Evans et al, 2014). It’s something of a personal (as well as an academic) interest, as I am a carer and have been involved in mutual peer support groups myself. I have given [read the full story…]
