Volume 9 • 2022 • Issue 3

Umbrella Review: Best At-Home Tools to Prevent Periodontal Disease W hen she was a dental student at the University of Buffalo, Dr. Eva Volman visited the office of one of her professors, Dr. Frank Scannapieco, and told him she was interested in doing a research project. At the time, Dr. Scannapieco was editing an issue of a prominent journal devoted to the prevention of periodontal disease, one of the most common diseases worldwide. “We came up with the idea of doing an umbrella review, a systemic review of systemic reviews, to consider the evidence behind different preventive interventions and tools,” says Dr. Scannapieco. “We assumed that if there was a systematic review of clinical trials, then there must be robust evidence of whether something works or not.” Along with librarian Liz Stellrecht, they consulted relevant systematic reviews and meta-analyses related to gingivitis, periodontitis, and primary prevention. Dr. Frank Scannapieco Chair and SUNY Distinguished Professor of Oral Biology at the University of Buffalo School of Dental Medicine 39 Issue 3 | 2022 |