Systematic reviews published in higher impact clinical journals were of higher quality.

Objectives: To compare the methodological quality of systematic reviews (SRs) published in high- and low-impact factor (IF) Core Clinical Journals. In addition, we aimed to record the implementation of aspects of reporting, including Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) flow diagram, reasons for study exclusion, and use of recommendations for interventions such as Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE).

Study Design And Setting: We searched PubMed for systematic reviews published in Core Clinical Journals between July 1 and December 31, 2012.

Bmp signalling in filiform tongue papillae development.

Objective: Tongue papillae are critical organs in mastication. There are four different types of tongue papillae; fungiform, circumvallate, foliate, and filiform papillae. Unlike the other three taste papillae, non-gustatory papillae, filiform papillae cover the entire dorsal surface of the tongue and are important structures for the mechanical stress of sucking.

Pre-eruptive coronal resorption of a maxillary canine: a case report.

This paper is the first to highlight a case of pre-eruptive coronal resorption of a maxillary canine in a patient undergoing extraction-based fixed appliance therapy. The etiology, clinical implications, and management of pre-eruptive coronal resorption are discussed.

Antibiotic prophylaxis in dentistry: part II. A qualitative study of patient perspectives and understanding of the NICE guideline.

Background: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommendations in 2008 for antibiotic prophylaxis before dental treatment contradict previous practice. There is a potential difficulty in explaining the new guidance to patients who have long believed that they must receive antibiotics before their dental treatment.

Aim: This study investigated the patient-related barriers and facilitating factors in implementation of the NICE guidance.

Antibiotic prophylaxis in dentistry: part I. A qualitative study of professionals' views on the NICE guideline.

Background: The NICE guideline for antibiotic prophylaxis before dental treatment has made a substantive change and fundamental departure from previous practice that affects long-standing beliefs and practice patterns. There is potential difficulty for healthcare professionals explaining the new guidance to patients who have long believed that they must receive antibiotics before their dental treatment.

Aim: To explore clinicians' attitudes towards the NICE guidance on antibiotic prophylaxis, their use of the guideline in clinical practice, barriers to the implementation of the guideline, and how best to overcome any perceived barriers.

What's wrong with the traditional viva as a method of assessment in orthodontic education?

The oral or viva voce (viva) examination has been a mainstay of assessment throughout the history of medical education and widely used as a component of both undergraduate and postgraduate university examinations and professional examinations conducted by the medical and surgical Royal Colleges in the United Kingdom. This form of assessment has traditionally been chosen for its flexibility and potential for the testing of clinical and academic skills, both of which are closely associated with medical practice. However, in more recent years, the viva has fallen out of favour, leading to a reduction in use as a method of assessment, particularly for examinations conducted by the Royal Colleges.

Expression of Axin2 indicates a role for canonical Wnt signaling in development of the crown and root during pre- and postnatal tooth development.

Previously two reporter mice, TOPgal and BATgal, have been used to uncover the spatial patterns of canonical Wnt activity up to the bell stage of tooth development. To further understand the function of this pathway, not only at the early developmental stages of odontogenesis but also in postnatal teeth, we have used Axin2-lacZ mice a direct reporter of canonical Wnt activity. As tooth development progresses, Axin2 expression becomes localized to the primary and secondary enamel knots, and the underlying mesenchyme.

Paget's disease of bone and osteonecrosis.

Unlabelled: Paget's disease of bone, although common in the long bones and pelvis, is less common in the head and neck. A 20-year follow-up is reported of a patient who was diagnosed with Paget's disease following the investigation of her initial oral complaint. Following surgical extraction of two teeth in her maxilla, the sockets have failed to heal, despite numerous attempted interventions.

Enamel-free teeth: Tbx1 deletion affects amelogenesis in rodent incisors.

TBX1 is a principal candidate gene for DiGeorge syndrome, a developmental anomaly that affects the heart, thymus, parathyroid, face, and teeth. A mouse model carrying a deletion in a functional region of the Tbx1 gene has been extensively used to study anomalies related to this syndrome. We have used the Tbx1 null mouse to understand the tooth phenotype reported in patients afflicted by DiGeorge syndrome.

Oral health acculturation in Albanian-speakers in south London.

Objective: To explore the processes involved in oral health acculturation for Albanian-speakers in south London.

Basic Research Design: A qualitative study utilizing 10 in-depth, semi-structured interviews and two focus groups with a purposive sample of 23 Albanian-speakers. Participants were recruited through community groups and by a snowball technique.

Poly(acrylic acid) modified calcium phosphate cements: the effect of the composition of the cement powder and of the molecular weight and concentration of the polymeric acid.

Polymer modified calcium phosphate cements made with cement powders of varying tetracalcium phosphate [TTCP] content were prepared using two different molecular weight fractions of poly(acrylic acid) at four different concentrations. The ratio of the precursors (TTCP:DCPA) in the cement powder was found to influence the initial setting which decreased with increasing concentration of TTCP in the powder phase. It was also observed that cements derived from the higher molecular weight containing PAA yielded significantly (P < 0.

Psychological interventions to improve adherence to oral hygiene instructions in adults with periodontal diseases.

Background: Adherence to oral hygiene is an important aspect of the treatment of periodontal disease. Traditional educational interventions have been shown to be of little value in achieving long term behaviour change.

Objectives: The aim of this review was to determine the impact of interventions aimed to increase adherence to oral hygiene instructions in adult periodontal patients based on psychological models and theoretical frameworks.

Tooth development: 2. Regenerating teeth in the laboratory.

Tooth loss can occur for a number of reasons and a variety of prosthetic tooth replacement solutions are available to the dental practitioner. This article discusses current approaches in the use of tissue engineering to replace teeth or repair dental tissues. These strategies will depend upon the manipulation of stem cells in the laboratory and, whilst much progress has recently been made, it is likely that successful human tooth regeneration is still some years ahead.

Tooth development: 1. Generating teeth in the embryo.

Teeth are organs that develop in the embryo via a series of interactions between oral epithelium and neural crest-derived ectomesenchyme of the early jaws. These interactions are initiated by the regional production of signalling molecules in the oral epithelium and the transfer of information to the underlying mesenchyme via homeobox gene transcription. This article describes how these interactions are co-ordinated in the embryo during development of the dentition and provides a theoretical basis for the second article in this series; understanding how biologists are attempting to generate teeth artificially in the laboratory.

A review of gagging problems in dentistry: 2. Clinical assessment and management.

A pronounced gag reflex can be a severe limitation to a patient's ability to accept dental care and for a clinician's ability to provide it. It can compromise all aspects of dentistry from diagnostic procedures to active treatment and can be distressing for all concerned. Many 'management' techniques have been described.

Undergraduate orthodontic assessment and examination in UK dental schools.

Aims And Objectives: This paper assesses the current internal assessment and BDS examination of undergraduate orthodontics in UK dental schools, the changes which have occurred in the last three years, and future changes proposed.

Method: Questionnaires were emailed to the undergraduate orthodontic course leaders in each of the UK dental schools. Twelve dental schools agreed to participate in the survey.

A review of gagging problems in dentistry: aetiology and classification.

Some people have a pronounced gag reflex that can be a severe limitation to their ability to accept dental care and the clinician's ability to provide it. It can compromise all aspects of dentistry, from diagnostic procedures to active treatment and can be distressing for all concerned. Many techniques have been described that attempt to overcome the problem.

A qualitative analysis of the planning, implementation and management of a PDS scheme: lessons for local commissioning of dental services.

Aim: To identify the experiences of primary care trust employees, the dental teams and other key individuals of the planning, implementation and management of a Personal Dental Services scheme.

Method: A thematic analysis of a series of qualitative interviews with 29 individuals who were involved in the planning, implementation and management of a PDS scheme in South East London.

Findings: Nine key themes were analysed from the data.

How to reduce the stress of general dental practice: the need for research into the effectiveness of multifaceted interventions.

While the practice of dentistry has been demonstrated to be significantly stressful, there have been few published studies describing interventions to reduce the stress of dental practitioners. This article describes research into the prevention and alleviation of stress amongst a variety of healthcare professionals, including dental practitioners, and describes the findings from a small scale study of an intervention aimed at general dental practitioners who reported high levels of work related stress. It is argued that to be effective, interventions should be tailored to the individual needs of the practitioner, within a structured intervention framework.

Diversity of gammadelta T cells in patients with Behcet's disease is indicative of polyclonal activation.

Objective: Behcet's disease (BD) is a multisystemic disease, with vasculitic lesions in the oral and genital mucosa, eyes, joints, skin and brain. We have previously found that gammadelta T cells are increased in peripheral blood of BD patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent of gammadelta T cells in oral biopsies from BD patients with special emphasis on the restriction of Vgamma and Vdelta usage.

Self-inflicted dental injury presenting as localized anterior tooth surface loss.

Unlabelled: A case of localized anterior tooth surface loss (TSL) with an unusual aetiology is reported. Whilst suffering from a bout of acute depression and anxiety, a 29-year-old female caused significant trauma to her anterior dentition with a pair of fabric scissors. The presentation and management of this case is described.

Intrinsic causes of erosion.

Gastric juice entering the mouth causes dental erosion. Common causes for the migration of gastric juice through the lower and upper oesophageal sphincters are reflux disease, eating disorders, chronic alcoholism and pregnancy. Gastro-oesophageal reflux is a common condition affecting up to 65% of the western population at some point in their lifetime.

Mental paresthesia and orthodontic treatment.

This article reports a case of mental paresthesia during orthodontic treatment. It also discusses which cases may be at risk for developing mental paresthesia and its prevention and management.