We often hear about postnatal depression, a well-recognised depressive episode in mothers occurring after the birth of their baby. However, 54.2% of women suffering from postnatal depression actually developed their depressive symptoms before or during pregnancy (Burt and Quezada, 2009). Around 10% of pregnant mothers have depression and this number increases each trimester. Women are less likely [read the full story…]
It is widely accepted that the occlusal schemes of complete dentures have a direct influence on their success. A Cochrane review by Sutton et al in 2004 only identified one trial that fully met their inclusion criteria; so recommended further well conducted randomised controlled trials (RCTs). The aim of this review was to assess the [read the full story…]
Roughly 33% of stroke sufferers also develop depression at some point. This may be an under-estimate of the problem, as depression is difficult to detect in people with poor physical health. If missed, depression can led to reduced quality of life, increased disability and a worsening of physical symptoms. There are a whole host of [read the full story…]
Oral care is an important element of care for older people in care homes as oral health is often poor and can deteriorate rapidly causing pain discomfort and impacting on nutrition and quality of life. With growing numbers of older people this is an area of increasing demand. This aim of the review was to [read the full story…]
It has been estimated that between 10-26% of men and 10-33% of women experience dry mouth. The subjective sensation of dry mouth is called xerostomia and can be found in people with normal salivary gland function. The normal range of salivary production ranges from 0.5 to 1.5 litres per day. The aim of this Cochrane [read the full story…]
Regular and effective removal plaque is considered to be an efective method of controlling and preventing gingivitis. Toothbrushing with dentifrice is a key method and antiplaque agents (eg chlorhexidine, triclosan/copolymer) have been introduced with the aim of increasing effectiveness. The aim of this review was to see if chlorhexidine (CHX) dentifrice /gel was more effective [read the full story…]
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…]
Just over a third (36%) of the UK population are reported to be moderately anxious of dental treatment with about 12% reporting extreme dental anxiety. Dental anxiety is not just a UK problem but also a global one with figures varying around the world. New to the Cochrane Library is a protocol of a review, [read the full story…]
As previously discussed on the Mental Elf, the rates of tobacco smoking in most developed countries are falling, helped in part by high levels of taxation and bans on smoking in public places. However, over 20% of adults in the UK continue to smoke, and this means that smoking is the greatest single cause of [read the full story…]
Many have suggested a two-way relationship between periodontitis and diabetes mellitus. Poor glycaemic control is associated with an increase risk of periodontal disease and in 2010 a Cochrane review (Simpson et al) estimated a 0.4% reduction of HbA1c associated with periodontal treatment. At that time Simpson et al noted that there were only a small [read the full story…]
