What sort of therapy helps children affected by sexual abuse? New Cochrane Review finds that more research is needed

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Childhood sexual abuse has a devastating impact on many of the children and adolescents who are affected by it. It is a significant problem worldwide and has the potential to have serious negative impacts on mental health and physical health. Experiencing childhood sexual abuse often has negative impacts on the individual’s ability to function socially, [read the full story…]

Study suggests that text reminders may improve oral hygiene compliance during orthodontic treatment

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Compliance with oral hygiene measures during orthodontic treatment is important in order to prevent white spot lesions (WSL) developing.  The aim of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between reminding patients of the importance of oral hygiene via weekly text message reminders sent to their parents/guardians and demonstrated oral hygiene compliance. [read the full story…]

Review suggests that counselling may have a role in management of temporomandibular disorders

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Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are a group of disorders with symptoms that include pain, clicking, grating in the jaw joint and/or problems chewing or opening the jaw.   It has been estimated that around 75% of the population have at least one sign of TMD.  The aim of this review was to assess the effectiveness of counselling [read the full story…]

Systematic review of dropout rates from clinical trials of methylphenidate for adult ADHD

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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterised by inattention, excessive activity levels and impulsive behaviours. Although it is an early developmental condition and is associated with childhood, in many instances, it is a lifelong condition. ADHD in adulthood is increasingly being recognised. Clinical guidelines and research suggest that the stimulant drug methylphenidate can reduce ADHD [read the full story…]

Does vomer or palatal flap have less adverse effect on maxillary growth in cleft patients? – No good evidence available

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Cleft lip (CL) and cleft palate (CP) are common birth defects that affect around 1 in 700 children born.  Surgery to repair the palate is thought to affect maxillary growth. The vomer flap is assumed to cause less scarring and therefore have less impact on growth. The aim of this review was to investigate the [read the full story…]

No randomised controlled trial evidence on effective methods to treat relapse of lower front teeth following orthodontic treatment

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The tendency for teeth to return to their pre-treatment following orthodontic treatment (relapse) is more common for the lower front teeth.  Ten years after orthodontic treatment between 30-50% of patients no longer have the initial post-treatment alignment and after 20 years only 10% maintain that alignment. The aim of this review was to assess the [read the full story…]

What kind of exercise is best for depression? New Cochrane review says we need more trials before we can be sure

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Some mental health interventions feel intuitively right.  Exercise for depression is a great example.  Of course, people suffering from low mood, poor motivation, lethargy and all of the other symptoms of depression will benefit from a jog around the park and some fresh air, right? The logical explanation for how this might help is fairly [read the full story…]

Atraumatic restorative treatment had good 1-year survival and cost effectiveness in older adults

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The proportion of older people in the population is rising and because of improvement in oral health more of them as retaining their teeth. Consequentially more people in this age group will have more teeth at risk of caries. Dental service utilization is also lower in older age groups and chronic medial conditions; poly-pharmacy, frailty [read the full story…]

Some weak evidence is available to guide choice of occlusal schemes for complete dentures.

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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…]

Insufficient evidence for effects of non-pharmacological interventions for the relief of dry mouth

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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…]