It was relatively recently that every Tom, Dick and Harry in the scientific community was popping vitamin E supplements in the hope that this antioxidant would help protect them from the damaging effects of free radicals. Us elves get our vitamin E from the vegetables, fruits and whole grains that make up our naturally healthy diet. Many single [read the full story…]
Diet is a contributory factor to both obesity and dental caries and a number of studies have linked these two global public health problems. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate and quantify the relationship between obesity and dental caries in children. Searches of the Embase, MedLine, ScienceDirect, Ovid and PsychInfo [read the full story…]
A link between vitamin D and dental caries was suggested back in the 1920s as it has an important role in calcium and phosphate metabolism. The aim of this study was to review the available trial data on supplementation with vitamin D for dental caries prevention compared with no such supplementation, in any population. The [read the full story…]
As you’ve probably gathered by now, we Musculoskeletal Elves are pretty keen to promote psychosocial interventions in the management of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). In a previous post I looked at behavioural change interventions, such as, motivational interviewing (MI) with individuals with rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. But how effective is MI, as ‘‘a directive, client-centred counselling style for eliciting behaviour change by [read the full story…]
With our 5×50 worldwide exercise flash-mob challenge about to start on Friday 23rd November (see earlier post) we thought we would have a look at evidence related to physical activity and exercise for people with musculoskeletal conditions. The majority of research on people with RA has focused on the effect of exercise training with benefits [read the full story…]
The stigma and shame associated with mental illness can prevent people from seeking help. This can lead to much poorer outcomes as patients may often miss out on vital treatment early on in their illness. A number of theories have been put forward to explain why certain groups (e.g. young people, men, refugees) seem less [read the full story…]
Tooth extraction is probably the most commonly conducted surgical procedure. Teeth are normally extracted because of severe dental caries or periodontal (gum) infection, although they are also removed because they are poorly aligned or developed. To aim of this Cochrane review was to determine the effect of antibiotic prophylaxis on the development of infectious complications [read the full story…]
Yesterday (Dental Elf 13th Nov 2012) we looked at a systematic review assessing failure rates of mini-screw implants for orthodontic anchorage. Today we are looking at a review consider whether recommended maximum insertion torque values of 5 to 10 Ncm were associated with higher success rates of orthodontic mini-implants than those inserted with torque values [read the full story…]
Orthodontic mini-screw implants have become a popular method of providing anchorage reinforcement during orthodontic treatment. The aim of this review was to assess the failure rates for mini-screw implants used for orthodontic anchorage purposes and to identify any significant risk factors possibly affecting these failure rates. A wide range of databases (19 in all) were [read the full story…]
Early intensive behavioural intervention (EIBI) involves 20-40 hours of individualised instruction each week for children with autism. The therapy usually begins at age 4 or younger and continues for 2-3 years. The technique was pioneered by Dr. Ivar Lovaas and colleagues in the 1970s. A new systematic review from the Cochrane Developmental, Psychosocial and Learning Problems [read the full story…]
