Should we use antibiotics to prevent complications from the removal of third molars?

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The use of antibiotics to prevent complications from the removal of third molars is a cause of debate. The aim of this review was to assess the efficacy of antibiotics in preventing infectious complications after third molar surgery What did they do The Medline Embase, ,and Cochrane databases were searched together with the references in [read the full story…]

Coronectomy or total removal of third molars which approach give better outcomes

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One of the complications of the removal of lower third molars ( wisdom teeth) is inferior alveolar nerve injury (IANI) .  This has resulted in the use of a new extraction procedure coronectomy (partial odontectomy or root retention) a technique whereby the crown of a tooth is removed but parts of the roots are untouched.  [read the full story…]

No association between periodontal disease and pre-eclampsia found

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Periodontal disease has been linked with a number of general health conditions and we recently covered the review which noted that the evidence does not support an association between periodontal disease and atherosclerotic vascular disease.  This multicentre case control study is the latest published study to look at the link between periodontal disease and pre-eclampsia. [read the full story…]

Dental X-rays and meningioma – is there a risk?

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There have been  a  number of stories in the press  regarding the recent paper  by Claus et al  on dental X-rays and meningiomas.   Meningiomas  are mostly benign tumours which arise from the dura mater and are usually slow-growing.   They are the most common benign brain tumour  although  relatively uncommon with an incidence of around 6 [read the full story…]

Increasing the pH of lidocaine solution decreases pain on injection and improves patient comfort and satisfaction

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This is a critical appraisal of a Cochrane review first published in December 2010.  The appraisal was prepared under the auspices of the American Dental Associations Centre for Evidence-based Dentistry The objective of the Cochrane review was to determine if adjusting the pH of lidocaine had any effect on pain resulting from non-intravascular injections in [read the full story…]

Limited evidence suggests no difference between lingual split and surgical bur techniques for wisdom tooth extractions

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The merits of the lingual split techniques verses the surgical bur for the extraction of impacted mandibular third molars have been debated for many years. The aim of this review was to compare the post-operative outcomes of the lingual split and the surgical bur techniques. The authors searched the PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and Cochrane CENTRAL [read the full story…]

No good evidence for treatments for neurosensory deficit after third molar surgery

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The removal of lower third molars is a very common surgical procedure. Neurosensory deficits ranging from anaesthesia, hypoesthesia, hyperesthesia, or dysaesthesia are a recognised adverse outcomes and have been reported in prevalence ranging from 0.1% to 22% for lingual nerve (LN) and 0.26% to 8.4% for inferior alveolar nerve (IAN). The aim of this review [read the full story…]

acetylsalicylic acid for secondary prevention of cardiovascular events and post extraction haemorrhage

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In patients who use acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular events some dentists recommend suspending its use before dental procedures to reduce bleeding. However, this potentially increases the risk of thromboembolic events. The effect of ASA on the amount of bleeding that occurs during tooth extraction procedures is controversial, and [read the full story…]

No evidence that periodontal treatment during pregnancy prevents adverse pregnancy outcomes

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The latest critical summary from the ADA Centre for Evidence-based dentistry looks at  a systematic review and meta-analysis of obstetric outcomes after periodontal treatment  that was first published in  2010 in the British Medical Journal. A number of studies have associated periodontal disease with adverse obstetric outcomes ( pre term, low birth weight,etc)  The aim [read the full story…]

Powered toothbrushes have no adverse effects on teeth and gums

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Powered toothbrushes have been shown to reduce plaque and gingivitis more than manual brushing (Robinson et al).  This systematic review looked at the the relative soft and/or hard tissue safety outcomes with the use of oscillating-rotating toothbrushes compared to manual toothbrushes. Medline, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Central), and the Embase, were searched [read the full story…]