Posts Tagged “Dentistry”
Photo courtesy of Matt McGee on Flickr
From the press release:
Attention all 2012 Little League baseball and softball players! Oral Health America’s (OHA) NSTEP® program (National Spit Tobacco Education Program) is teaming with Little League International to launch its eleventh annual slogan contest where players have a chance to win a trip to the Little League World Series! To enter, Little Leaguers ages 8-14 create a ten-word phrase that describes why spit tobacco is dangerous and deadly.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, since 2003 there has been a 36 percent increase in the rate of smokeless tobacco use among high school boys. This alarming statistic is what led parents of the 2011 slogan contest winner, John and Julie Lafakis, to participate with their son Lou. “In addition to being thrilled and proud of Lou’s slogan,” said John Lafakis, “we are equally delighted that the NSTEP contest provided an opportunity for our family to discuss the harms of tobacco use.”
NSTEP works with Little League International to educate families about the risks of spit tobacco use, including oral cancer, gum disease, tooth decay, and nicotine addiction. “The health and well-being of children has been one of Little League’s guiding principles since its founding in 1939. We are proud to partner with NSTEP to educate young people about the dangers of smokeless tobacco,” said Stephen D. Keener, President and Chief Executive Officer of Little League Baseball and Softball.
NSTEP is also part of a coalition of organizations that influenced the limit on use of smokeless tobacco in Major League ballparks. For the first time in history, players are unable to use smokeless tobacco products on field and in front of fans and cameras. “The new limits are a positive step toward reducing the damaging influences of smokeless tobacco,” said Beth Truett, President and CEO of Oral Health America. “NSTEP is proud to have helped influence the ban and will continue to help educate Americans about the dangers of tobacco use.”
To enter the slogan contest, visit www.oralhealthamerica.org. The most creative slogan participant will win an all-expenses paid trip to Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA plus a $500 cash prize. Oral Health America will also make a $500 donation to the player’s Little League organization.
There is no reason for baseball, America’s past time, to be any longer associated with spit or smokeless tobacco.
Programs like this that increase awareness of the dangers of tobacco use should be encouraged.
Tags: Baseball, Dentistry, Locum, Locum Tenens Dentistry, Oral Health America, Tobacco
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The Beastie Boys (L-R) Mike Diamond, Adam Horowitz and Adam Yauch are photographed at the 2006 Sundance film festival in Park City, Utah, January 22, 2006
Quite a shame, but this cancer is rare.
Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch, also known as MCA, died Friday after a long battle with salivary gland cancer, according to multiple reports. He was 47 years old.
Yauch announced in 2009 that he had been diagnosed and was being treated for cancer of the parotid glands and lymph nodes. There are three major pairs of salivary glands – sublingual, submandibular and parotid, the biggest of the glands.
According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, salivary gland cancer is very rare, only affecting two out of 100,000 adults each year in the U.S.
But, recognizing some warning signs is important.
Genden said that while Yauch’s case is tragic, it is still very uncommon. However, he hopes for people to be aware of potential symptoms of salivary gland cancer, which include trouble swallowing, pain or numbness in the face, and most notably, a large lump in the neck.
“It’s not that it’s preventable, but this is the kind of thing that with careful screening and good examinations, you should be fine. The sooner you seek medical attention, the better chance for survival.”
So, if there are any doubts, discuss it with your dentist or physician.
Tags: Adam Yauch, Beastie Boys, Dentistry, Health, Locum Tenens Dentistry, Salivary gland cancer
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According to a new study.
Abstract – Background: Data are lacking to support the contention that Medicaid services improve utilization of healthcare services and result in better health.
Objective: To compare sociodemographic, utilization of healthcare services and health status characteristics among Medicaid-eligible children.
Methods: The third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey included 2821 children 2–16 years of age eligible for Medicaid. The main outcome measures are annual physician visit, annual dentist visit, general health status, oral health status, asthma (second most common childhood disease), dental caries (most common childhood disease), asthma treatment needs, and dental treatment needs. We quantified the association of these outcome measures with Medicaid insurance status and sociodemographic status using multiple logistic regression modeling, taking into account the complex survey design and sample weights.
Results: Among Medicaid-eligible children, 27% were uninsured. Among uninsured Medicaid-eligible children, 62% had an annual physician visit, 32% had an annual dentist visit, 10% needed asthma treatment, and 57% needed dental treatment. Among insured Medicaid-eligible children, 81% had an annual physician visit, 39% had an annual dentist visit, 13% needed asthma treatment, and 42% needed dental treatment. After simultaneously taking into account other characteristics, uninsured Medicaid-eligible children were more likely to not have an annual physician visit (ORNoMDvisit = 2.21; 1.26–3.90), and to need dental treatment (ORDentalNeed = 1.57; 1.13–2.18).
Conclusions: This USA population-based study found disparities exist within Medicaid’s services between utilization of dental and medical services. Medicaid insurance improved utilization of medical services, but did not improve the utilization of dental services. This suggests that Medicaid insurance does not improve access to dental services for poor children.
Once upon a time, when I treated California Denti-Cal (Medicaid) patients, the no show or broken appointment rate was astounding. These folks were getting “FREE” dental treatment and they continued to not show up.
I have to agree with the conclusions of this study.
If the patient or the parents of the child patient do not have any “skin” in the game, it doesn’t matter that much to them.
Tags: Dentistry, Medicaid
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Posted by Flap in Dentistry
Patients can use online resources to shop around for the best price for dental services, but dentists say people shouldn’t pick a provider solely based on price.
Watch the video above and be very cautious.
I prefer patients obtain recommendations from their friends and family members. Be especially weary of corporate dentistry offices that want you to take large lines of credit to pay for “comprehensive” treatment.
Tags: Dentistry
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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. Tags: Dentistry, Influenza, Pertussis, Vaccination
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Posted by Flap in Dentistry
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
Tags: Dentistry, Dr. Tommy Murph, The Daily Extraction
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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.
Tags: Dentistry, Obesity, Soda
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