Mouth care and ventilator-associated pneumonia

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For critically  ill patients  receiving mechanical ventilation, ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a life threatening condition. Incidence rates varies and mortality rates can be as high as 50% . The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects brushing teeth twice daily with purified water on VAP rates and oral health or hygiene in postneurosurgical, [read the full story…]

Bacteraemia due to everyday oral activities

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The aim of this review was to investigate the robustness of the observations on the influence of oral hygiene, gingival and periodontal status on the development of bacteraemia from everyday oral activities (B-EOA), analysing its prevalence, duration, magnitude and bacterial diversity. The authors searched MEDLINE-PubMed, the Cochrane Library and Embase for studies on B-EOA. They [read the full story…]

Compliant high risk children benefited from twice weekly supervised high fluoride gel brushing programme

shutterstock_26227375 toothbrushes and toothpaste

Despite continuing improvements in dental health considerable inequalities remain with highest levels of disease amongst children living in the most materially disadvantaged areas. The main aim this study was to assess the caries-preventive efficacy of  a 2 years  twice weekly supervised brushingprogramme using a self-applied gel containing 12,500 ppm fluoride on schooldays compared with weekly [read the full story…]

No clinical justification for replacing conventional toothbrushes with more expensive models

shutterstock_26227375 toothbrushes and toothpaste

The aim of this single-blind cross-over study was to compare the performance of three different toothbrush models in the control of dental biofilm and maintaining a healthy gingival condition. The sample was randomly divided into three groups (A, B and C), each of which used one of the three toothbrushes tested. The brushes had bristles [read the full story…]

Toothbrushing to reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia pathogens and dental plaque in a critical care unit

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Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a life-threatening condition in critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation. The incidence of VAP in varies between 9% and 45%  with mortality rates of up to 50% . It is accompanied by an increase both in length of stay in intensive care units ICU and healthcare. The aim of this trial [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…]