Preserving pulp vitality: part one - strategies for managing deep caries in permanent teeth.

This is the first article in a series reviewing the current literature surrounding the management of deep caries in permanent teeth. Approaches to caries management are continuing to evolve, with more conservative management increasingly favoured. This philosophy has never been more important than in managing the deep carious lesion.

Making impressions count: An evaluation of the quality of information provided by orthodontic practices in London in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction/objectives: As a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, primary care specialist orthodontic practices have been limited to providing emergency treatment only. This has resulted in a cessation of normal face-to-face services and patient advice can only be offered by remote means. A service evaluation was carried out to assess the quality of information published on websites and social media pages of specialist orthodontic practices in London, against General Dental Council guidance on communication and advertising and the British Orthodontic Society (BOS) COVID-19 specific guidance for orthodontics in primary care in relation to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

The blue palate-A case series of imatinib-related oral pigmentation and literature review.

Pigmented oral mucosal lesions are diverse, and differential diagnosis can range from benign conditions such as oral melanotic macule to malignancies such as oral malignant melanoma. Imatinib mesylate is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor used as a first-line medication in the management of oncohematological conditions such as chronic myeloid leukemia and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Side effects of imatinib therapy are common, and paradoxically imatinib has been associated with both hypo- and hyperpigmented lesions, the underlying mechanism for which is still unclear.

Differences in treatment outcomes of definitive fixed implant-supported restorations with or without an interim restoration: A systematic review.

Statement Of Problem: Guidance to determine whether providing an interim implant-supported restoration is beneficial is lacking.

Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review was to answer the following focused question: "Does the use of interim fixed implant prostheses before placement of a definitive fixed implant-supported prostheses impact esthetics, peri-implant health, and osseointegration in partially dentate adults?"

Material And Methods: A search of electronic databases (Medline and Embase) and the nonpeer-reviewed literature for randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, and cohort studies in the English language was conducted.

Results: Two studies met the eligibility criteria.

Colour fidelity: the camera never lies - or does it?

Digital dental photography has rapidly evolved into one of the most powerful tools in the dental world from documentation of dento-legal information to communication, portfolio creation, advertising and marketing. Human memory has been described as terribly short and decidedly fickle. Photography provides the solution to this, aiming to capture in an image the precise picture seen by the naked human eye.

Plant-based milks: the dental perspective.

Background Consumption of plant-based milk in the UK is increasing at the expense of cow's milk. Cow's milk consumption has traditionally been advocated by the dental profession as 'good for teeth'.Aims To identify the range of plant-based milks available in the UK and compare their nutritional benefits with cow's milk.

Do I consider a career in dental academia and if so how do I go about it?

Medicine has around 450 academic foundation roles available every year involving research and teaching, leadership and management, or quality improvement. However, an academic career in dentistry is not as clearly defined immediately post-graduation. The North East General Professional Training scheme is a two-year longitudinal dental foundation training scheme and this year, for the first time, has conducted a pilot programme allowing two trainees the opportunity to complete a research project.

Dental core training: the trainee perspective.

Dental core training (DCT) is a postgraduate training period, eligible following successful completion of foundation/vocational training, which has multiple entry points and endpoints with a varied duration from one to three years. The introduction of national recruitment in 2017, away from a previous individual deanery-led process, has introduced new variables such as a ranking system for choosing training posts, with the outcome dependent on combined performance at interview and a situational judgement test for which competition is nationally against other applicants. This unique, trainee-led study provides an appreciation and understanding of the motivations and experiences of trainees who pursue DCT, such as the rationale behind location and speciality choice, the perception of national recruitment and the situational judgement test, and the influence of salary variation, alongside trainee perceptions and experiences of the training programme from inside the trainee perspective.

Trends in CBCT current practice within three UK paediatric dental departments.

Introduction: Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is used across all dental specialties and has a number of advantages compared to 2D images. The SEDENTEXCT guidelines provide a number of indications for the use, however there are currently no specific guidelines for paediatric dentistry. The aim of this study was to assess current practice of CBCT imaging within paediatric dental departments in England, audit compliance of CBCT justifications against the standards set by SEDENTEXCT and assess whether the use of CBCT affected the treatment plan for each individual patient.

Mandibular third molars: 'naughty' or NICE?

The 20-year anniversary of the implementation of NICE TA1 - Guidance on the Extraction of Wisdom Teeth - arrived in March 2020. Since its implementation, impaction of erupted or partially erupted mandibular third molars and the associated increased caries risk in second molars has been a topic widely debated in both general practice and hospital settings. This has led to significant variation in the management observed.

Everyone else is using it, so why isn't the UK? Silver diamine fluoride for children and young people.

Introduction: Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is used to prevent and arrest caries across the globe, particularly in the developing world. Whilst its use in the Western World is increasing, it is not yet routinely used in the United Kingdom, nor is it advocated by our national guidelines.

Objectives: To explore the literature surrounding the use of SDF, and consider the reasons why SDF has not yet been widely adopted in the United Kingdom (UK).

Comparison of the efficacy of a standard inferior alveolar nerve block versus articaine infiltration for invasive dental treatment in permanent mandibular molars in children: a pilot study.

Aim: To determine whether there is a clinical difference between an inferior dental block (IDB) using 2% lidocaine and a buccal infiltration (BI) using 4% articaine, when anaesthetising mandibular first permanent molars in children.

Methods: Patients aged 8-15 years who required invasive dental treatment on a lower molar tooth were randomised. The patient and dental operator were blind to the type of LA used.

Guide to paediatric medical emergencies.

Paediatric medical emergencies can be distressing for the child, parent and clinician alike. This paper aims to remind those in primary dental care how to manage these emergencies safely and effectively. Topics covered include paediatric airway management, basic life support, defibrillation, choking, asthma, paediatric emergency drug doses and epilepsy.

Care pathways and provision in bariatric dental care: an exploration of patients' and dentists' experiences in the North East of England.

Introduction Levels of obesity in the UK are increasing. The suitability and safety of dental care delivery can be affected by obesity. When patients' weight exceeds that of a normal dental chair, referral to specialist settings can be appropriate, yet no research has explored the process of care for this group.

Effect of nicotine on human gingival, periodontal ligament and oral epithelial cells. A systematic review of the literature.

Objectives: A systematic review was conducted to evaluate the in vitro effects of nicotine on human gingival, periodontal ligament and oral epithelial cells, specifically: cell viability, cell attachment, cell proliferation and inflammatory mediator production.

Materials And Methods: This report followed the PRISMA statement. Two reviewers performed a literature search up to October 2018 in 3 databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science, supplemented by manual searching.

The two-year longitudinal dental foundation training programme: an option worth revisiting.

Two-year longitudinal dental foundation training (LDFT) programmes are available for dental graduates through a national recruitment process. These two-year schemes have been around for many years and enable foundation dentists to gain valuable experiences in general practice as well as the hospital and community services. However, the LDFT schemes have closed in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales in recent years, leaving the North East England General Professional Training (GPT) scheme and the Yorkshire and Humberside LDFT scheme as the only two LDFT/GPT schemes left.

Are dental professionals more likely to consume sweet snacks, over savoury snacks in the workplace?

Introduction: It has been speculated, but never been formally researched that dental professionals are the most experienced workforce in consuming sweet snacks. This is despite many undergraduate dental courses reinforcing the traditional theory that patients should be advised to avoid snacking on foods which are likely to contain sticky sugars that cause tooth decay.

Design: This was a prospective study, where several dental clinics across England were provided with sweet and savoury snacks during a normal working day.

A guide to treatment planning in complex older adults.

There are a growing number of older patients who are retaining their natural teeth. Though the majority of these patients remain independent, many are affected by frailty, multi-morbidity or dementia. The complexities associated with dementia have led to guidelines being produced by the FGDP, Dementia friendly dentistry, although other features of ageing can similarly increase the risk of dental disease and the consequent complexity, safety and suitability of providing treatment.

Is it the world or is it me!?

Since 2015 the body known as NHS Improvement has published, and this year updated, its list of never events - defined as 'serious incidents that are entirely preventable because guidance or safety recommendations providing strong systemic protective barriers are available at a national level.' How this is interpreted, however, especially in dental terms, has been very poorly managed in my opinion, leading to the potential for increased risk of such events happening and raising anxiety levels among many colleagues, especially the newly qualified, and responses to them both at a local and national level potentially give the lie to the no-blame culture purported to exist within healthcare in the UK. This paper is intended to stimulate debate among those who lead our profession towards a realistic consensus view on management of these issues for the safety of our patients and the peace of mind of the profession.