The Journal of the American Dental Association
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Meta Analysis Comparative Study
The pulpal anesthetic efficacy of articaine versus lidocaine in dentistry: a meta-analysis.
The authors evaluated published evidence from controlled clinical trials regarding the efficacy of two local anesthetic solutions in providing successful pulpal anesthesia. ⋯ Research evidence supports using articaine versus lidocaine for achieving pulpal anesthesia when the infiltration mode of administration is used. It is premature to recommend articaine for mandibular block anesthesia in cases involving irreversible pulpitis.
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Treating periodontal disease during pregnancy to improve outcomes is controversial, and the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are conflicting. The authors performed meta-analysis of these RCTs to assess the overall effect of treating periodontal disease during pregnancy. ⋯ Pooled results from the highest-quality RCTs do not support the hypothesis of a reduction of PTB or LBW in women who are treated for periodontal disease during pregnancy.
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Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, has become a valuable adjunct in wound healing in dentistry. Postsurgically, blood clots initiate the healing and regeneration of hard and soft tissues. Clinicians and scientists are investigating the use of PRP in dentistry as a way to enhance the body's natural wound-healing mechanisms. TYPES OF ARTICLES REVIEWED: The authors reviewed scientific articles that discuss the basic knowledge of wound healing mechanisms and that directly studied the growth factors shown to be concentrated in PRP. They also reviewed articles written by clinicians and researchers in dentistry fields, including oral and maxillofacial surgery and periodontics to determine applications of PRP in the field of dentistry. ⋯ PRP has proven to be effective at improving surgical results in a variety of procedures in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery. PRP also shows promise in periodontal regenerative therapy and should continue to be studied by scientists and clinicians alike.