Interventions for treating post-extraction bleeding.

BACKGROUND: Post-extraction bleeding (PEB) is a recognised, frequently encountered complication in dental practice, which is defined as bleeding that continues beyond 8 to 12 hours after dental extraction. The incidence of post-extraction bleeding varies from 0% to 26%. If post-extraction bleeding is not managed, complications can range from soft tissue haematomas to severe blood loss. Local causes of bleeding include soft tissue and bone bleeding. Systemic causes include platelet problems, coagulation disorders or excessive fibrinolysis, and inherited or acquired problems (medication induced). There is a wide array of techniques suggested for the treatment of post-extraction bleeding, which include interventions aimed at both local and systemic causes. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of interventions for treating different types of post-extraction bleeding. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the following electronic databases: The Cochrane Oral Health Group Trials Register (to 22 March 2016); The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; The Cochrane Library 2016, Issue 2); MEDLINE via OVID (1946 to 22 March 2016); CINAHL via EBSCO (1937 to 22 March 2016). Due to the ongoing Cochrane project to search EMBASE and add retrieved clinical trials to CENTRAL, we searched only the last 11 months of EMBASE via OVID (1 May 2015 to 22 March 2016). We placed no further restrictions on the language or date of publication. We searched the US National Institutes of Health Trials Register (http://clinicaltrials.gov), and the WHO Clinical Trials Registry Platform for ongoing trials (http://apps.who.int/trialsearch/default.aspx). We also checked the reference lists of excluded trials. SELECTION CRITERIA: We considered randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated any intervention for treating PEB, with male or female participants of any age, regardless of type of teeth (anterior or posterior, mandibular or maxillary). Trials could compare one type of intervention with another, with placebo, or with no treatment. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Three pairs of review authors independently screened search records. We obtained full papers for potentially relevant trials. If data had been extracted, we would have followed the methods described in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions for the statistical analysis. MAIN RESULTS: We did not find any randomised controlled trial suitable for inclusion in this review. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: We were unable to identify any reports of randomised controlled trials that evaluated the effects of different interventions for the treatment of post-extraction bleeding. In view of the lack of reliable evidence on this topic, clinicians must use their clinical experience to determine the most appropriate means of treating this condition, depending on patient-related factors. There is a need for well designed and appropriately conducted clinical trials on this topic, which conform to the CONSORT statement (www.consort-statement.org/).

Interventions for treating oro-antral communications and fistulae due to dental procedures.

BACKGROUND: An oro-antral communication is an unnatural opening between the oral cavity and maxillary sinus. When it fails to close spontaneously, it remains patent and is epithelialized to develop into an oro-antral fistula. Various surgical and non-surgical techniques have been used for treating the condition. Surgical procedures include flaps, grafts and other techniques like re-implantation of third molars. Non-surgical techniques include allogenic materials and xenografts. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness and safety of various interventions for the treatment of oro-antral communications and fistulae due to dental procedures. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Oral Health Group's Trials Register (whole database, to 3 July 2015), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library, 2015, Issue 6), MEDLINE via OVID (1946 to 3 July 2015), EMBASE via OVID (1980 to 3 July 2015), US National Institutes of Health Trials Registry (http://clinicaltrials.gov) (whole database, to 3 July 2015) and the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (http://www.who.int/ictrp/en/) (whole database, to 3 July 2015). We also searched the reference lists of included and excluded trials for any randomised controlled trials (RCTs). SELECTION CRITERIA: We included RCTs evaluating any intervention for treating oro-antral communications or oro-antral fistulae due to dental procedures. We excluded quasi-RCTs and cross-over trials. We excluded studies on participants who had oro-antral communications, fistulae or both related to Caldwell-Luc procedure or surgical excision of tumours. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently selected trials. Two review authors assessed trial risk of bias and extracted data independently. We estimated risk ratios (RR) for dichotomous data, with 95% confidence intervals (CI). We assessed the overall quality of the evidence using the GRADE approach. MAIN RESULTS: We included only one study in this review, which compared two surgical interventions: pedicled buccal fat pad flap and buccal flap for the treatment of oro-antral communications. The study involved 20 participants. The risk of bias was unclear. The relevant outcome reported in this trial was successful (complete) closure of oro-antral communication.The quality of the evidence for the primary outcome was very low. The study did not find evidence of a difference between interventions for the successful (complete) closure of an oro-antral communication (RR 1.00, 95% Cl 0.83 to 1.20) one month after the surgery. All oro-antral communications in both groups were successfully closed so there were no adverse effects due to treatment failure.We did not find trials evaluating any other intervention for treating oro-antral communications or fistulae due to dental procedures. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: We found very low quality evidence from a single small study that compared pedicled buccal fat pad and buccal flap. The evidence was insufficient to judge whether there is a difference in the effectiveness of these interventions as all oro-antral communications in the study were successfully closed by one month after surgery. Large, well-conducted RCTs investigating different interventions for the treatment of oro-antral communications and fistulae caused by dental procedures are needed to inform clinical practice.

Management of gag reflex for patients undergoing dental treatment.

BACKGROUND: Gag reflex is an involuntary defence mechanism to protect the pharynx and throat from foreign objects. Gagging is a common problem encountered during dental treatment, which makes therapeutic procedures distressing and often difficult or even impossible to perform. Various interventions can be used to control the gag reflex; for example, anti-nausea medicines, sedatives, local and general anaesthetics, herbal remedies, behavioural therapies, acupressure, acupuncture, and prosthetic devices. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for the management of gagging in people undergoing dental treatment. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Oral Health Group's Trials Register (to 7 April 2015), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (the Cochrane Library, Issue 4, 2014), MEDLINE via OVID (1946 to 7 April 2015), EMBASE via OVID (1980 to 7 April 2015), CINAHL via EBSCO (1980 to 7 April 2015), AMED via OVID (1985 to 7 April 2015), IADR Conference Proceedings (online, 2001 to 7 April 2015), clinical trial registries and Google search engine. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs), involving people who were given a pharmacological or non-pharmacological intervention to manage gagging that interfered with dental treatment. We excluded quasi-RCTs and cross-over trials. We excluded trials with participants who had central or peripheral nervous system disorders; who had oral lesions or were on systemic medications that might affect the gag sensation; or had undergone surgery which might alter anatomy permanently. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently selected trials. Three review authors independently extracted data and assessed risk of bias in the included trials. We estimated risk ratios (RRs) for dichotomous data, and mean differences (MDs) for continuous data, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We assessed the overall quality of the evidence using the GRADE approach. MAIN RESULTS: One RCT, a trial on acupuncture at P6 (Pericardium 6 - situated on the anterior surface of wrist), met the inclusion criteria. It included 33 adults who reported previous nausea during dental procedures that hindered or prevented dental treatment from being carried out properly. The trial was at unclear risk of bias. The outcome reported in this trial was reduction in gagging. We obtained data for our primary outcome (successful completion of dental procedure) by contacting the trial author.Successful completion of dental procedure reported by the assessor showed no difference in acupuncture at P6 group compared to sham acupuncture (RR 1.65, 95% CI 0.59 to 4.57). Reduction in gagging as reported by the assessor showed no difference between acupuncture at P6 and sham acupuncture at any stage (stage 1: MD 0.40, 95% CI -0.12 to 0.93; stage 2: MD 0.49, 95 % CI -0.26 to 1.24; stage 3: MD 0.67, 95% CI -0.18 to 1.53). Reduction in gagging as reported by the participant also showed no difference between acupuncture at P6 and sham acupuncture (MD 0.86, 95% CI -1.13 to 2.85). The quality of the evidence for all outcomes was very low.No noteworthy adverse effects were reported.We did not find trials evaluating any other interventions used to manage gagging in people undergoing dental treatment. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: We found very low quality evidence from a single trial that was insufficient to conclude if there is any benefit of acupuncture in reducing gagging and allowing successful completion of dental procedures. We did not find any evidence on any other interventions for managing the gag reflex during dental treatment. More well-designed and well-reported trials evaluating different interventions are needed.