ScienceDaily accurate and factual when reporting the findings of a gum disease treatment on individuals with cirrhosis

Reviewed by: Celina Tang and Jena Ryoo

Average Score: 4.5 / 5

In Summary: A recent study found that individuals with cirrhosis, when treated for their gum disease periodontitis, had higher levels of bacteria that reduce inflammation and had improved cognitive function. The news story by Science daily discusses these findings in an accurate and straightforward manner, albeit without additional outside sources to back up statements made.

Original News Story

Research Article

Image by: Katherine Jiang

Celina Tang

          The ScienceDaily article discusses the findings surrounding the effects of gum disease treatment on individuals with cirrhosis. Those with cirrhosis suffer from scar tissue on their liver that may or may not lead to liver failure and severe cognitive effects. It was discovered that those that were treated for their gum disease, periodontitis, had higher levels of good bacteria that helped to reduce inflammation and improved cognitive function in comparison to the control group of patients that were not treated. Subsequently, information between the article and original publication do indeed align.
 
           In regard to areas of weakness, the article only uses the original journal article as a source, quoting one sentence from the publication, thus providing no outside sources or perspectives. This may be due to the style of ScienceDaily however. Furthermore, there is no information about the author, be it any contact information, biography, or access to past publications. Other than these drawbacks, the ScienceDaily article presents the research in an informative and understandable way.

Jena Ryoo

          ScienceDaily’s article regarding the effects of gum disease treatment on cirrhosis symptoms is overall well written and factual. The information from this article accurately represents the major findings of the journal article, although the author does minimize some aspects of the findings.

          There are some issues surrounding accessibility, as there is no author information available, and the original research article is paywalled. Furthermore, there are no other sources used and there is jargon that may be difficult for the average reader to understand. Despite these drawbacks, the article is overall effective at delivering the message of the original research article.

Index for Review

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