Interventions for preventing oral mucositis in people receiving cancer treatment: photobiomodulation.

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of photobiomodulation for the prevention of oral mucositis in people undergoing treatment for head and neck cancers, other solid cancers, and haematological cancers.

Topical silver diamine fluoride (SDF) for preventing and managing dental caries in children and adults.

Background: Dental caries is the world's most prevalent disease. Untreated caries can cause pain and negatively impact psychosocial health, functioning, and nutrition. It is important to identify cost-effective, easy-to-use agents, which can prevent or arrest caries.

Water fluoridation for the prevention of dental caries.

Background: Dental caries is a major public health problem in most industrialised countries, affecting 60% to 90% of school children. Community water fluoridation (CWF) is currently practised in about 25 countries; health authorities consider it to be a key strategy for preventing dental caries. CWF is of interest to health professionals, policymakers and the public.

Topical fluoride as a cause of dental fluorosis in children.

Background: This is an update of a review first published in 2010. Use of topical fluoride has become more common over time. Excessive fluoride consumption from topical fluorides in young children could potentially lead to dental fluorosis in permanent teeth.

Orthodontic treatment for prominent lower front teeth (Class III malocclusion) in children.

Background: Prominent lower front teeth (Class III malocclusion) may be due to jaw or tooth position or both. The upper jaw (maxilla) can be too far back or the lower jaw (mandible) too far forward; the upper front teeth (incisors) may be tipped back or the lower front teeth tipped forwards. Orthodontic treatment uses different types of braces (appliances) fitted inside or outside the mouth (or both) and fixed to the teeth.

Interventions for the treatment of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers: surgical treatment.

Background: Surgery is a common treatment option in oral cavity cancer (and less frequently in oropharyngeal cancer) to remove the primary tumour and sometimes neck lymph nodes. People with early-stage disease may undergo surgery alone or surgery plus radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy/biotherapy, or a combination of these. Timing and extent of surgery varies.

Retention procedures for stabilising tooth position after treatment with orthodontic braces.

Background: Without a phase of retention after successful orthodontic treatment, teeth tend to 'relapse', that is, to return to their initial position. Retention is achieved by fitting fixed or removable retainers to provide stability to the teeth while avoiding damage to teeth and gums. Removable retainers can be worn full- or part-time.

Local interventions for the management of alveolar osteitis (dry socket).

Background: Alveolar osteitis (dry socket) is a complication of dental extractions more often involving mandibular molar teeth. It is associated with severe pain developing 2 to 3 days postoperatively with or without halitosis, a socket that may be partially or totally devoid of a blood clot, and increased postoperative visits. This is an update of the Cochrane Review first published in 2012.

Full-mouth treatment modalities (within 24 hours) for periodontitis in adults.

Background: Periodontitis is a highly prevalent, chronic inflammation that causes damage to the soft tissues and bones supporting the teeth. Conventional treatment is quadrant scaling and root planing (the second step of periodontal therapy), which comprises scaling and root planing of teeth in one quadrant of the mouth at a time, with the four different sessions separated by at least one week. Alternative protocols for anti-infective periodontal therapy have been introduced to help enhance treatment outcomes: full-mouth scaling (subgingival instrumentation of all quadrants within 24 hours), or full-mouth disinfection (subgingival instrumentation of all quadrants in 24 hours plus adjunctive antiseptic).

Antibiotic prophylaxis for preventing bacterial endocarditis following dental procedures.

Background: Infective endocarditis is a severe infection arising in the lining of the chambers of the heart. It can be caused by fungi, but most often is caused by bacteria. Many dental procedures cause bacteraemia, which could lead to bacterial endocarditis in a small proportion of people.

Interventions for the treatment of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer: chemotherapy.

Background: Oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers are the most common cancers arising in the head and neck. Treatment of oral cavity cancer is generally surgery followed by radiotherapy, whereas oropharyngeal cancers, which are more likely to be advanced at the time of diagnosis, are managed with radiotherapy or chemoradiation. Surgery for oral cancers can be disfiguring and both surgery and radiotherapy have significant functional side effects.

Direct composite resin fillings versus amalgam fillings for permanent posterior teeth.

Background: Traditionally, amalgam has been used for filling cavities in posterior teeth, and it continues to be the restorative material of choice in some low- and middle-income countries due to its effectiveness and relatively low cost. However, there are concerns over the use of amalgam restorations (fillings) with regard to mercury release in the body and the environmental impact of mercury disposal. Dental composite resin materials are an aesthetic alternative to amalgam, and their mechanical properties have developed sufficiently to make them suitable for restoring posterior teeth.

Visual or visual-tactile examination to detect and inform the diagnosis of enamel caries.

Background: The detection and diagnosis of caries at the initial (non-cavitated) and moderate (enamel) levels of severity is fundamental to achieving and maintaining good oral health and prevention of oral diseases. An increasing array of methods of early caries detection have been proposed that could potentially support traditional methods of detection and diagnosis. Earlier identification of disease could afford patients the opportunity of less invasive treatment with less destruction of tooth tissue, reduce the need for treatment with aerosol-generating procedures, and potentially result in a reduced cost of care to the patient and to healthcare services.

Electrical conductance for the detection of dental caries.

Background: Caries is one of the most prevalent, preventable conditions worldwide. A wide variety of management options are available at different thresholds of disease, ranging from non-operative preventive strategies such as improved oral hygiene, reduced sugar diet, and application of topical fluoride, to minimally invasive treatments for early lesions which are limited to enamel, through to selective removal and restoration for extensive lesions. The cornerstone of caries detection is a visual and tactile dental examination, however, an increasing array of methods of caries lesion detection have been proposed that could potentially support traditional methods of detection and diagnosis.

Imaging modalities to inform the detection and diagnosis of early caries.

Background: The detection and diagnosis of caries at the earliest opportunity is fundamental to the preservation of tooth tissue and maintenance of oral health. Radiographs have traditionally been used to supplement the conventional visual-tactile clinical examination. Accurate, timely detection and diagnosis of early signs of disease could afford patients the opportunity of less invasive treatment with less destruction of tooth tissue, reduce the need for treatment with aerosol-generating procedures, and potentially result in a reduced cost of care to the patient and to healthcare services.

Examining the effectiveness of different dental recall strategies on maintenance of optimum oral health: the INTERVAL dental recalls randomised controlled trial.

Objective To compare the clinical effectiveness of different frequencies of dental recall over a four-year period.Design A multi-centre, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial with blinded clinical outcome assessment. Participants were randomised to receive a dental check-up at six-monthly, 24-monthly or risk-based recall intervals.

Examining the impact of oral hygiene advice and/or scale and polish on periodontal disease: the IQuaD cluster factorial randomised controlled trial.

Objective To compare the clinical effectiveness and cost benefit of different frequencies of scale and polish (S&P) treatments in combination with different types of oral hygiene advice (OHA).Design Multi-centre, multi-level cluster randomised factorial open trial with blinded outcome evaluation. UK dental practices were cluster randomised to deliver OHA as usual or personalised.

The reporting quality of split-mouth trials in orthodontics according to CONSORT guidelines: 2015-19.

Objectives: To assess the reporting quality of split-mouth trials (SMTs) in orthodontic journals, and to identify factors associated with better reporting.

Materials And Methods: Seven leading orthodontic journals were hand searched for SMTs published during 2015-19. The CONSORT 2010 guideline and CONSORT for within-person trial (WPT) extension were used to assess the trial reporting quality (TRQ) and WPT-specific reporting quality (WRQ) of included SMTs, respectively.

Transillumination and optical coherence tomography for the detection and diagnosis of enamel caries.

Background: Caries is one of the most prevalent and preventable conditions worldwide. If identified early enough then non-invasive techniques can be applied, and therefore this review focusses on early caries involving the enamel surface of the tooth. The cornerstone of caries detection and diagnosis is a visual and tactile dental examination, although alternative approaches are available.

Oral hygiene care for critically ill patients to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Background: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is defined as pneumonia developing in people who have received mechanical ventilation for at least 48 hours. VAP is a potentially serious complication in these patients who are already critically ill. Oral hygiene care (OHC), using either a mouthrinse, gel, swab, toothbrush, or combination, together with suction of secretions, may reduce the risk of VAP in these patients.

Fluorescence devices for the detection of dental caries.

Background: Caries is one of the most prevalent and preventable conditions worldwide. If identified early enough then non-invasive techniques can be applied, and therefore this review focusses on early caries involving the enamel surface of the tooth. The cornerstone of caries detection is a visual and tactile dental examination, however alternative methods of detection are available, and these include fluorescence-based devices.

Risk-based, 6-monthly and 24-monthly dental check-ups for adults: the INTERVAL three-arm RCT.

Background: Traditionally, patients are encouraged to attend dental recall appointments at regular 6-month intervals, irrespective of their risk of developing dental disease. Stakeholders lack evidence of the relative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different recall strategies and the optimal recall interval for maintenance of oral health.

Objectives: To test effectiveness and assess the cost-benefit of different dental recall intervals over a 4-year period.