Here we take a look at what's been published in our fully Open Access journal that you may have missed!

Impact of dental visiting patterns on oral health: a systematic review of longitudinal studies

Khairuddin A N M, Bogale B, Kang J, Gallagher J E. BDJ Open 2024; DOI: 10.1038/s41405-024-00195-7.

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Most of us would assume that there is a positive relationship between going to the dentist and better oral health. However, finding the evidence for that has been surprisingly difficult. This is a systematic review which aims to do just that.

Although oral health, and oral health-related quality of life, were generally associated with increased dental attendance, this wasn't always the case according to the results. The review found, for example, that dental service utilisation did not have a significant influence on periodontal health status, and the results for tooth loss were mixed.

This is a good example of why systematic reviews are important to see the range of studies across a topic rather than relying on a single study. Read the full Open Access article here: www.nature.com/articles/s41405-024-00195-7