Miswak use for periodontal health in adults

Miswak2

This review of the effectiveness of the miswak in reducing plaque and gingivitis in adults included 9 RCTs. The included studies were small with the findings indicating that the miswak reduced plaque and gingivitis scores to a level comparable to toothbrush in the short term.

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Power toothbrushes – Sonic or oscillating-rotating?

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This review of the efficacy of oscillating-rotating power toothbrush compared to high-frequency sonic power toothbrush includes 32 RCTs. The findings show moderate certainty evidence in favour of the oscillating-rotating however the clinical relevance may not be important.

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Dietary omega-3 fatty acids as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal treatment

Fatty acid supplementation may have involved omega - 3 or -6 oils or both.

This review assessing the impact of dietary omega-3 fatty acids as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal treatment when compared with periodontal treatment alone included 10 trials ivolving a total of 467 patients. The studies found statistically significant improvements in clinical attachment level (CAL) and periodontal probing depth (PPD) but the studies are generally small and short-term.

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Mobile applications and behaviour change in orthodontic patients

This RCT looked at whether Mentalization Based Treatment for Adolescents reduced self-harming beahviour

This review of the effectiveness of mobile applications and social media-based interventions in inducing behaviour change among orthodontic patients included 16 RCTs. While the findings suggest some limited beneficial changes in orthodontic patients the interventions are very hetrogeneous and not based on clear behavioural change theory.

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Curcumin as an adjunct to scaling and root planing for chronic periodontitis

Tumeric, curcumin

This review of the effectiveness of oral curcumin products in reducing gingival inflammation and probing pocket depth in adults included 27 RCTs.The findings suggest that curcumin products were as effective as other products. However, a majority of the studies are small and none are at low risk of bias.

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Periodontitis: Locally delivered anti-microbials as an adjunct to surgical periodontal treatment

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This review of the effectiveness of locally delivered adjunctive antibiotic treatment during periodontal surgery on clinical outcomes included 9 RCTs. While the findings suggested that adjunctive locally delivered antibiotics could improve some clinical sutcomes they evidence was limited and of very low certainty.

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Diabetes and periodontal status in children and adolescents

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This review comparing the periodontal status of normal children with those living with diabetes regardless of type included 11 studies. While the findings suggest that children and adolescents with diabetes have poorer periodontal status the quality of the evidence is low.

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Orthodontic ligation methods and biofilm formation

iStock_000002551343XSmall colourful braces on teeth

This review comparing elastomeric ligation with self-ligation and steel wire ligation for orthodontic appliances and their effect on clinical outcomes included 11 RCTs. The findings suggest no significant differences although the trials were small with a majority at high risk of bias.

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Orthodontic retainers and periodontal health

shutterstock_69850990- vacuum splint

This review comparing the effects of vacuum-formed retainers (VFR) and Hawley retainers (HR) on periodontal health included 6 RCTs. While the findings suggests a statistical benefit in favour of HR in the short term the studies are small, short-term and most ( 5) were considered to be at high risk of bias.

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Probiotics and gingival inflammation

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This review of the effect of probiotics on gingival inflammation and oral microbiota in patients suffering from plaque-induced gingivitis included 11 RCTs. No clear evidence was found to indicate that oral probiotics have a positive effect on gingival inflammation and oral microecological environment of patients with gingivitis.

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