Mental imagery in dentistry: Phenomenology and role in dental anxiety.

Dental anxiety is a prevalent problem with marked psychological, physical and public health implications. Based on cognitive theory and evidence, we hypothesized that vivid, sensory image-based cognitions play a role in dental anxiety. A quantitative online survey (N = 306) and qualitative semi-structured interviews (N = 18) found that vivid sensory images were common irrespective of dental anxiety levels, but that their content, associated distress and responses varied.

Injectable local anaesthetic agents for dental anaesthesia.

Background: Pain during dental treatment, which is a common fear of patients, can be controlled successfully by local anaesthetic. Several different local anaesthetic formulations and techniques are available to dentists.

Objectives: Our primary objectives were to compare the success of anaesthesia, the speed of onset and duration of anaesthesia, and systemic and local adverse effects amongst different local anaesthetic formulations for dental anaesthesia.

The Soothing Sea: A Virtual Coastal Walk Can Reduce Experienced and Recollected Pain.

Virtual reality (VR) distraction has become increasingly available in health care contexts and is used in acute pain management. However, there has been no systematic exploration of the importance of the of VR environments. Two studies tested how interacting with nature VR influenced experienced and recollected pain after 1 week.

Autism and primary care dentistry: parents' experiences of taking children with autism or working diagnosis of autism for dental examinations.

Background: Accessing and receiving preventative dental treatment can be difficult for children with autism due to sensory processing disorders and/or challenging behaviours coupled with a reported reluctance by dentists to treat these children.

Aim: To gather dental experiences of UK parents of children with autism or working diagnosis of autism and explore how they feel primary care dental services can be improved.

Design: A total of 17 parents of children with a diagnosis or working diagnosis of autism took part in semi-structured interviews.

WITHDRAWN: Hypnosis for children undergoing dental treatment.

Background: Managing children is a challenge that many dentists face. Many non-pharmacological techniques have been developed to manage anxiety and behavioural problems in children, such us: 'tell, show & do', positive reinforcement, modelling and hypnosis. The use of hypnosis is generally an overlooked area, hence the need for this review.

WITHDRAWN: Occlusal interventions for periodontitis in adults.

Background: Occlusal interventions may be used in adults with periodontitis. At present there is little consensus regarding the indications and effectiveness of occlusal interventions in periodontal patients.

Objectives: To identify and analyse the evidence for the effect of occlusal interventions on adults who have periodontitis in relation to tooth loss, probing depths, clinical attachment level, adverse effects and patient-centred outcomes.

Preoperative analgesics for additional pain relief in children and adolescents having dental treatment.

Background: Fear of dental pain is a major barrier to treatment for children who need dental care. The use of preoperative analgesics has the potential to reduce postoperative discomfort and intraoperative pain. We reviewed the available evidence to determine whether further research is warranted and to inform the development of prescribing guidelines.

The psychological cycle behind dental appointment attendance: a cross-sectional study of experiences, anticipations, and behavioral intentions.

Objectives: This study explored a promising theoretical model to explain dental patients' experiences and planning behavior for future appointments. The model predicts that patients pass through a 'psychological cycle' when undergoing a course of dental care: past appointment experiences influence their anticipations for future dental visits, which in turn affect behavioral intentions to attend appointments.

Methods: Variables representing the hypothesized model stages and other potentially relevant context variables (dental anxiety, subjective oral health ratings, general anxiety, stress) were assessed by means of a cross-sectional online survey (n = 311).

Treatment of periodontal disease for glycaemic control in people with diabetes mellitus.

Background: Glycaemic control is a key issue in the care of people with diabetes mellitus (DM). Periodontal disease is the inflammation and destruction of the underlying supporting tissues of the teeth. Some studies have suggested a bidirectional relationship between glycaemic control and periodontal disease.

Sedation versus general anaesthesia for provision of dental treatment to patients younger than 18 years.

Background: A significant proportion of children have caries requiring restorations or extractions, and some of these children will not accept this treatment under local anaesthetic. Historically this has been managed by the use of a general anaesthetic in children; however, use of sedation may lead to reduced morbidity and cost. The aim of this review was to compare the efficiency of sedation versus general anaesthesia (GA) for provision of dental treatment to children and adolescents younger than 18 years.

The dental development in patients with Aperts syndrome.

Objectives: The aim of this retrospective study was to quantify the level of dental developmental delay in a group of patients with Aperts syndrome when compared to matched controls.

Methods: Twenty-six Dental Panoramic Tomographic (DPT) radiographs of patients with Apert syndrome attending Great Ormond Street Hospital were compared to controls (n = 29) from the Eastman Dental Hospital, UK. Dental development was assessed using the staging systems of Demirjian and Haavikko, and dental age (DA) was estimated using the weighted averages method.

Patient-centred care in general dental practice--a systematic review of the literature.

Background: Delivering improvements in quality is a key objective within most healthcare systems, and a view which has been widely embraced within the NHS in the United Kingdom. Within the NHS, quality is evaluated across three key dimensions: clinical effectiveness, safety and patient experience, with the latter modelled on the Picker Principles of Patient-Centred Care (PCC). Quality improvement is an important feature of the current dental contract reforms in England, with "patient experience" likely to have a central role in the evaluation of quality.

Can virtual nature improve patient experiences and memories of dental treatment? A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Dental anxiety and anxiety-related avoidance of dental care create significant problems for patients and the dental profession. Distraction interventions are used in daily medical practice to help patients cope with unpleasant procedures. There is evidence that exposure to natural scenery is beneficial for patients and that the use of virtual reality (VR) distraction is more effective than other distraction interventions, such as watching television.

Improving dental experiences by using virtual reality distraction: a simulation study.

Dental anxiety creates significant problems for both patients and the dental profession. Some distraction interventions are already used by healthcare professionals to help patients cope with unpleasant procedures. The present study is novel because it a) builds on evidence that natural scenery is beneficial for patients, and b) uses a Virtual Reality (VR) representation of nature to distract participants.

Adult orthodontics in the absence of orthognathic treatment: a hospital perspective.

Objective: To examine adult orthodontic treatment within two hospital settings and ascertain whether any factors have a statistically significant effect on treatment outcomes.

Design: A retrospective observational study.

Materials And Methods: Through the analysis of hospital case notes, variables relating to adult patients undergoing orthodontic treatment that did not involve orthognathic surgery between 1991 and 2008 at the Eastman Dental and Croydon University Hospitals, were studied.

Sedation versus general anaesthesia for provision of dental treatment in under 18 year olds.

Background: A significant proportion of children have caries requiring restorations or extractions, and some of these children will not accept this treatment under local anaesthetic. Historically this has been managed in children by the use of a general anaesthetic, however use of sedation may lead to reduced morbidity and cost. The aim of this review is to compare the efficiency of sedation versus general anaesthesia for the provision of dental treatment for children and adolescents aged under 18 years.

Digital versus plaster study models: how accurate and reproducible are they?

Objective: To compare measurements of occlusal relationships and arch dimensions taken from digital study models with those taken from plaster models.

Design: Laboratory study

Setting: The Orthodontic Department, Kettering General Hospital, Kettering, UK Methods and materials: One hundred and twelve sets of study models with a range of malocclusions and various degrees of crowding were selected. Occlusal features were measured manually with digital callipers on the plaster models.

Preoperative analgesics for additional pain relief in children and adolescents having dental treatment.

Background: Fear of dental pain is a major barrier to children needing dental care. The use of preoperative analgesics has the potential to reduce postoperative discomfort. In addition it might also reduce intraoperative pain.

Motivation for orthodontic treatment investigated with Q-methodology: patients' and parents' perspectives.

Introduction: Motivation and cooperation are vital components of orthodontic treatment if a good outcome is to be achieved. In this study, we used Q-methodology to investigate motivating factors among adolescents seeking orthodontic treatment and parents wanting their children to undergo orthodontic treatment. This technique asks participants to rank a series of statements, and the analysis of this ranking then provides insight into the participants' opinions.

Human herpesvirus 8 shedding in the mouth and blood of hemodialysis patients.

In Saudi Arabia, the prevalence of transplantation-associated Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is high, and there is disparity in the prevalence rates of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) infection between patients with renal disease and the general population. It was hypothesized that oral HHV-8 transmission among patients undergoing hemodialysis treatment contributes to the high prevalence of infection in renal disease patients. The detection rates of anti-HHV8-IgG in plasma and HHV-8-DNA in CD45(+)-peripheral blood cells of 72 hemodialysis patients were compared first with those of 178 blood donors and 60 pregnant women.

Radiographic study of delayed tooth development in patients with dental agenesis.

Introduction: The aims of this study were to compare the radiographic development of permanent teeth in a group of children affected by dental agenesis with an unaffected control group and to determine the effects of confounding factors including the severity of the dental agenesis, age, sex, ethnicity, and the number of stages used to estimate dental age.

Methods: A single-center retrospective cross-sectional study of dental panoramic tomographs was undertaken between July 2007 and April 2008 in a postgraduate teaching school. A total of 139 patients (aged 9-18 years) were recruited from the orthodontic clinic on the basis of predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria to either a dental agenesis group or a control group.

Assessment of motivation and psychological characteristics of adult orthodontic patients.

Introduction: In recent years, the demand for adult orthodontic treatment has grown rapidly; yet there is a paucity of information on this subgroup of patients. It is well known that understanding the psychological characteristics and motives of any patient is fundamental and that these factors might affect patient satisfaction and adherence with treatment. There is therefore a need for clinicians to improve their understanding of this subgroup to enhance the patient's experience of treatment delivery and to increase the potential for a successful treatment outcome.

The relationship between base dimensions, force to failure, and shear bond strengths of bondable molar tubes.

Objectives: To compare forces versus failure and shear bond strengths, and to explore their association with the base dimensions of four currently available bondable molar tubes.

Materials And Methods: Tubes were bonded to hydroxyapatite discs using a conventional light-cured adhesive and were tested to shear failure with the Instron Universal testing machine. Results were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test and regression and survival analyses.

Evaluation of pediatric dentistry guidelines using the AGREE instrument.

Purpose: Guidelines are used to inform clinical practice and improve the quality of health care. Poorly developed guidelines may emphasize the incorrect intervention. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the quality of pediatric dentistry guidelines using the AGREE instrument.