Category: Dentistry

Dentistry

Dentistry

Should Dentists Be Vaccinated Against Influenza and Pertussis?

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Tdap – Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis

Yes, and dentists should also have their Hepatitis B antibodies monitored.

Why?

Read this excellent piece and it explains.

The Italian study also assessed the impact of flu shots and found that while occupational influenza risk among dentists is high, dentists who receive a flu vaccine have half the absenteeism rates of nonvaccinated dentists for influenza-like illness and lower rates of recurrence. Even so, fewer than half of the dentists in the study reported receiving annual flu vaccines.

In the U.S., 10% to 20% of the population becomes infected with the flu each year. Transmission of influenza is possible for 24 hours or more before the sick person shows any symptoms.

“Other than hepatitis B, it’s all about droplets,” J. Michael Hitt, MD, an occupational medicine physician at the University of Arizona, told DrBicuspid.com. “Dental staff are bathed in droplets on a daily basis. Face shields, masks, and gloves are a big help, but innate immunity (by vaccination) will seal the deal.”

Pertussis is another infectious disease that dental care professionals should be prepared for. Based on studies that look at reporting rates, pertussis is estimated to affect 600,000 U.S. adults ages 20-64 annually, and epidemics occur in the U.S. every three to five years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2010, cases of pertussis in California reached the highest reported rate since 1947, and reported cases also rose significantly in Michigan and Ohio, according to the CDC.

For me, I have already been vaccinated against influenza. Remember I was hospitalized for four days a few years ago with the flu and it was not a pleasant experience.

I will return to my physician’s office for my Tdap injection after I run the Las Vegas Half Marathon on December 4th.

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Dentistry

The Daily Extraction: Dr. Tommy Murph’s Costa Rica Extraction Courses

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Video of the Oct. 23-28, 2011 Hands On Extraction Clinic in Flamingo Beach, Costa Rica

Dr. Tommy Murph of Daily Extraction fame is giving another tooth extraction course in Costa Rica.

Here are the details:

  • Saturday March 17 thru Wednesday March 21 in Tamarindo, Costa Rica
  • Saturday June 30 thru Wednesday July 4 (Location not set yet…To be determined by December 5th)

If you really want to learn how to perform simple extractions, surgical extractions and surgical extractions of third molars, give these courses a look.

The details:

 

  • Class:  Hands On Extractions
  • Credits: Forty (40) Hours AGD PACE Approved
  • Dates: Saturday March 17 thru Wednesday March 21
  • Cost: $4000 
  • Lecture will be Given Saturday Night 6:00pm-9:30pm 
  • and all day Sunday 8am-9:30pm
  • and Monday night 7pm-until finished
  • Clinical Hands On will be all day Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
  • Location: Tamarindo, Costa Rica

 

More information can be obtained from Dr. Murph: drtommymurph at yahoo dot com or by phone: 843-488-4357

Dr. Murph’s website is here and his extraction manuals are here on e-Bay.

Previous:

The Daily Extraction Archive

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Dentistry

Chewing Xylitol Gum Decreases Risk for Ear Infection in Children

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According to a new study.

Chewing gum containing xylitol may actually prevent ear infections in kids, researchers say.

In a meta-analysis of three Finnish studies, children who chewed gum — or took other products laden with xylitol, including lozenges or syrup — had about a 25% lower risk of developing acute otitis media compared with control interventions, Amir Azarpazhooh, DMD, of the University of Toronto, and colleagues reported in Cochrane Reviews.

“Based on the studies we reviewed, xylitol seems to be a promising alternative to conventional therapies to prevent acute otitis media among healthy children,” they wrote.

Acute otitis media is the most common infection for which kids are treated with antibiotics, which has spurred concerns over antibiotic resistance. So researchers have searched for alternative means of prevention or treatment, not all of which have been successful.

Xylitol, or birch sugar, has been one such alternative. It’s a five-carbon polyol sugar alcohol found in a number of fruits, which has been shown to inhibit the growth and acid production of certain bacteria, particularly S. mutans.

It is for this feature that some dentists recommend it for preventing cavities, the researchers said.

Since a key step in the pathogenesis of otitis media is the colonization of the upper airway with bacteria that move from the nasopharynx to the middle ear via the eustachian tubes, the researchers hypothesized that it may be effective for preventing middle ear infections.

A win – win here. Prevent tooth decay and ear infections.

Hey, a lot better than taking massive amounts of antibiotics.

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Dentistry

Banning Soda at School Ineffective In Curbing Consumption?

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State bans on sugar-sweetened drinks in middle schools didn’t have much impact on kids’ overall consumption, researchers found.

Although the ban significantly cut down on student-reported access at school, about 85% of students reported having at least one soda or other sweet drink in the prior week whether they could get the beverages at school or not, Daniel R. Taber, PhD, MPH, of the University of Illinois at Chicago, and colleagues reported.

Bans on soda only had even less impact.

These results from surveys at schools across 40 states appeared online in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

“School is only one aspect of a child’s environment,” Taber’s group noted, “and youth have proven to be very adept at compensating for individual changes to their environment.”

The Institute of Medicine and other organizations have urged a universal ban on selling or providing sweetened beverages at school, with the rationale that limiting access at school should reduce overall consumption because students spend a large portion of their day there.

But students who reported at least daily consumption actually slightly increased their intake when the drinks were banned at school, suggesting that they more than compensated with drinks purchased at convenience stores and other locations, the researchers pointed out.

“Any impact of state school-based sugar-sweetened beverages policies on youth dietary consumption may be modest without changes in other policy sectors,” Taber and colleagues wrote.

Schools have to accompany the ban on the selling of sodas with a comprehensive education plan that delineates the problems with obesity and the role of sugary drinks. Of course, the students will simply wait until 2:30 PM and then head to the nearby store and drink their daily sodas or energy drinks.

While I do think a ban on sugary drinks, especially at elementary schools is appropriate, if it is a ban only approach, the change in behavior of drinking more healthy products will not be realized.

It is all about teaching the students what drinking too much soda and energy drinks will do to your health – especially your teeth.

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Dentistry

Bisphenol A (BPA) Exposure In Utero Linked to Behavior and Emotional Problems in Children?

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Yes, especially in female children, according to a new study.

Exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) during gestation appears to affect behavior and emotions measured at 3 years of age, especially among girls, according to a new report.

Joe M. Braun, MSPH, PhD, from the Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health, Boston, Massachusetts, and colleagues published their findings online October 24 in Pediatrics.

According to the researchers, BPA, which is predominantly obtained through the diet, is ubiquitous in industrialized nations and might disrupt the endocrine system. BPA is used in “a variety of consumer products, including dental sealants, food/beverage containers and linings, medical equipment, and thermal receipts.”

The researchers’ previous work indicated that hyperactivity and aggression scores were increased in 2-year-old girls with high levels of gestational BPA exposure in a prospective birth cohort.

The current study sought to “determine whether” previously observed associations remained at 3 years of age, whether executive functions were affected by BPA exposure, and whether gestational or childhood BPA exposures had greater effects on neurobehavior.”

The implications can be many since BPA is contained in many dental materials.

It is best to avoid BPA exposure by avoiding certain canned and packaged food and polycarbonate bottles with the recycling symbol 7.

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