Most popular Dental Elf Blogs Apr – Jun 2023

Cherry Blossom

Between April and July our most popular blogs looked at chewing gum for orthodontic pain, mouthwashes to promote gingival healing and the impact of malocclusion on quality of life.

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Chewing gum for pain during and after orthodontic appliance installation

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This review of the efficacy of chewing gum in reducing pain intensity in patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment included 16 RCTs. The findings suggest , chewing gum was significantly more effective than both pharmacologic agents and placebo in reducing orthodontic pain 24 hours. However the evidence is of very low certainty.

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Sugar free gum and streptococcus mutans levels

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This review of the impact of sugar-free gum (SFG) on the level of oral micro-organisms, specifically Streptococcus mutans included 13 studies 11 of whihc were RCTs. The findings indicated that SFG reduces the load of Streptococcus mutans in the oral cavity compared to controls but noe of teh included studies were at low risk of bias.

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Sugar-free chewing gum – does it reduce caries?

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This review of the effect of sugar-free chewing gum(SFG) on dental caries included 12 studies 11 of which were RCTs. None of the included studies was at low risk of bias and ther findings suggest there is evidence to support the use of SFG in the control of dental caries in children.

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Halitosis: What are the best methods of prevention and control?

According to this review, Venlafaxine, Pregabalin, Escitalopram, and Duloxetine are viable alternatives to traditional drug treatment for generalised anxiety disorder.

44 RCTs were included in this Cochrane review assessing interventions for the prevention and control of halitosis. Only low to very-low cetrainty evidence was identified so conclusions regarding the superiority of any intervention could not be drawn.

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Tooth whitening with home-based bleaching products

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This Cochrane review update of the effects of home-based tooth whitening products dispensed by a dentist or over-the-counter included 71 RCTs. However, most of thetrials were small single studies of interventions of highly variable nature providing very low-certainty evidence over short time periods to support the effectiveness of home-based chemically-induced whitening.

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Xylitol in toothpaste may provide small additional benefit over fluoride toothpastes

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This Cochrane review included 10 studies and found low quality evidence that fluoride toothpaste containing xylitol may be more effective than fluoride-only toothpaste for preventing caries in the permanent teeth. The evidence for other xylitol products is insufficient to assess effectiveness.

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Xylitol gum reduced mutans streptococci transmission

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This review identified 5 trials reported in 11 publications and found that the chewing of xylitol gum by mothers significantly reduced transmission of mutans streptococci to their children. However the effects on caries were inconsistent.

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Weak evidence for positive effect of medicated sugar-free chewing gum on plaque indices

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A recent review conducted by the same group as this new review (see Dental Elf 9th July 2012) suggested that the use of sugar free chewing gum used as an adjunct to toothbrushing provided a small but significant reduction in plaque scores.  The aim of this review was to assess the clinical effects of medicated, [read the full story…]

Weak evidence shows small effect of sugar-free chewing gum on plaque

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Chewing gum is a activity enjoyed my consumers (particularly teenagers) around the world and is a now multi-billion dollar industry. Historically gums were flavoured with sugar but increasingly sugar substitutes are used, the most common of these being the polyols, sorbitol and xylitol. Chewing stimulates salivary flow and using gum has been recommended when it [read the full story…]