Programmes may cut plaque a little, but gum inflammation didn't clearly change.

The review

1. 01

   Who took part

   644 adults with gum disease took part in 9 studies, 33 to 167 in each. Most were over 50, and in most studies about half were men.

2. 02

   What they did

   Each study compared programmes against usual care, which was basic teaching and standard dental treatment. Most programmes used motivational interviewing or parts of it, a way of talking that helps people find their own reasons to change. Programmes ran from one session to several, over up to a year.

3. 03

   What happened

   The plaque score dropped a little more with the programmes than with usual care, though the authors doubted it matters much. Gum bleeding, gum inflammation and the share of tooth surfaces with plaque did not clearly change. The studies disagreed a lot and were low quality, and the authors rated the evidence as low certainty.

What the review found

1. No difference

   Across 4 studies, the programmes did not clearly cut gum bleeding more than usual care did.

   • Action: Talk through your mixed feelings about changingtested
   • Rule: With a coach or therapistused

   Pooled analysis of 4 studies with 235 people · vs people who got usual dental care · the authors rated their certainty low · ⚠ most studies had serious flaws; the studies disagreed a lot; whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

2. No difference

   Across 2 studies, programmes did not clearly cut gum inflammation more than usual care did.

   • Action: Talk through your mixed feelings about changingtested
   • Rule: With a coach or therapistused

   Pooled analysis of 2 studies with 148 people · vs people who got usual dental care · the authors rated their certainty low · ⚠ most studies had serious flaws; the studies disagreed a lot; whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

3. No difference

   Across 3 studies, the programmes did not clearly cut plaque on teeth more than usual care did.

   • Action: Talk through your mixed feelings about changingtested
   • Rule: With a coach or therapistused

   Pooled analysis of 3 studies with 121 people · vs people who got usual dental care · the authors rated their certainty low · ⚠ most studies had serious flaws; the studies disagreed a lot; whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

4. Helped

   Across 3 studies, the programmes gave a small drop in the plaque score more than usual care did.

   • Action: Talk through your mixed feelings about changingtested
   • Rule: With a coach or therapistused

   Pooled analysis of 3 studies with 173 people · vs people who got usual dental care · the authors rated their certainty low · ⚠ most studies had serious flaws; the studies disagreed a lot; whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

Source