Tools for measuring oral health and orofacial pain in dependent adults

This study is the first of its kind from an RCT perspective which clearly shows that treating major depression in older adults using interventions in primary care settings can extend life

A group of Scottish Specialty Registrars in Special Care Dentistry look at a recent review of available measurement tools for assessing oral health and orofacial pain in dependent adults, which can be used by the non-dental caregivers. Nine tools were identified and despite a lack of comprehensive testing a number demonstrate reliability and validity.

[read the full story...]

Homelessness and trauma: a vicious cycle

Spiral,Shaped,Graph,With,Arrow.,Stagnation,,Inefficiency,,Standstill,,Hopelessness,And

In her debut blog, Peter Boyd-Piercy summarises a recent report for Oasis Community Housing on the prevalence of trauma among people who have experienced homelessness in England.

[read the full story...]

Connecting with parents and carers to discuss childhood mental health: does ‘universal’ actually mean targeted?

Little,Girl,And,Her,Father,Are,Returning,Home,From,A

Educational practitioner and researcher, Aleem Nisar, writes about the people and places in our communities that can help to diversify our research and ensure that mental health services reach those most in need.

[read the full story...]

Clear aligners v fixed appliances for periodontal health

diana-polekhina-fmB7IdFjhTM-unsplash

This review of periodontal health maintenance and gingival recessions development in patients undergoing an orthodontic treatment with clear aligners (CA) or fixed appliances (FA) included 12 studies. The limited amount and quality of evidence was insufficient to assess whether CA were bettern than FA at maintaining periodontal health.

[read the full story...]

Income inequality and poor mental health: should we be focusing more on young people’s own perceptions?

Portrait,Of,Confident,Young,Black,Woman,Looking,Serious,At,Camera.

In her debut elf blog, Kadra Abdinasir from Centre for Mental Health explores the relationship between perceived income inequality, adverse mental health and interpersonal difficulties in UK adolescents.

[read the full story...]

Nocebo response in third molar analgesic trials

hal-gatewood-nhG5gix93es-unsplash

This review estimating the nocebo response in dentistry from trials of analgesic treatment following third molar surgery included data from 50 RCTs. Adverse events (AEs) were roughly the same in placebo and active arms suggesting AEs may be attributed to the nocebo phenomenon.

[read the full story...]

The negative effect of the climate crisis on the mental health of millions of people: projections in the region of South Florida

mohit-kumar-tmdIzj9n7Bg-unsplash

Dafni Katsampa, Francesca Bentivegna and Ivar Maas reflect on a recent study exploring the impact of extreme climate events on mental health of people located in South Florida, USA.

[read the full story...]

Acute pain management following dental extraction

volodymyr-hryshchenko-m1Hq4ibP9rc-unsplash

This review and network meta-analysis (NMA) of pharmacological treatments for the management of pain subsequent to simple and surgical tooth extraction included 85 RCTs. There was moderate- and high-certainty evidence that for surgical dental extractions that ibuprofen 200 to 400 mg plus acetaminophen 500 to 1,000 mg was the most effective for pain relief.

[read the full story...]

Is cognitive behavioural therapy the best we’ve got for depression?

Closeup,Portrait,Of,Young,Woman,Scratching,Head,,Thinking,Daydreaming,Deeply

Camilla Babbage and Maria Loades summarise the largest meta-analysis to date on the effectiveness of CBT for depression.

[read the full story...]

Exploring coping strategies used by Black adults affected by racism in North America

Smiling,African,Senior,Woman,,Face,Portrait

Yasmin Ahmadzadeh considers a systematic review of the coping strategies employed by Black adults in North America to navigate experiences of racism.

[read the full story...]