dentapress

Would you implant or do RCT? – UPDATED

JG — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:59:33 +0000

I work with some great oral surgeons & periodontists. I was recently asked to evaluate tooth #31 by my periodontist colleague. This patient had been referred to him for extraction and placement of an implant. The periodontist realized that the bone loss around this root was not caused by periodontal disease. The patient reported no pain or swelling. He has no senstivity to percussion, normal probing depths (4mm depth on the buccal was the deepest) and when proper vitality testing was completed, the tooth was found to be necrotic. The tooth was diagnosed: Necrotic Pulp w/ Chronic Apical Periodontitis. The patient was given the option of endodontic therapy to retain the natural tooth.

The influence of opaque application methods on the bond strength and final shade of PFM restorations

JG — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:55:17 +0000

The application technique of the opaque did not influence the adhesion between the porcelain and metal. All the application methods demonstrated brittle cracking behaviour through the opaque layer. No visible colour differences were found between the applications methods in the final shade of the porcelain.

Dental Surgery At The Click Of A Mouse, New E-learning Platform For Students Of Dentistry At Mainz University Medical Center

JG — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:56:03 +0000

The new e-learning platform ILKUM (an acronym for “Interaktiver Lernzielkatalog der Universitätsmedizin Mainz” or interactive catalogue of learning objectives of Mainz University Medical Center) is a sign of things to come: Students of dentistry in 2010 now only need internet access to be able to download case studies with film and image material showing disease patterns and surgical procedures directly to their laptop, iPad or iPhone. As Germany’s only e-learning platform, ILKUM is oriented towards the “Profile and Competences for the European Dentist” guidelines issued by the ADEE, the Association for Dental Education in Europe, as the basis for its targeted learning program. The advantage: The tool provides students with a guide structure that ensures they are aware of what is most important in the study of dentistry. Not only that, but ILKUM facilitates extremely rapid access to course-relevant topics and information.

Tray Bleaching May Improve Oral Health of Elderly, Special-Needs Patients

JG — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:39:33 +0000

A tooth-bleaching agent may improve the oral health of elderly and special-needs patients, say dentists at the Medical College of Georgia and Western University of Health Sciences. Standard oral hygiene, such as brushing and flossing, can be difficult or impossible for patients with mental challenges or impaired manual dexterity. Additionally, when health problems or medications cause xerostomia, or dry mouth, the lack of saliva reduces the mouth’s natural protective mechanisms. These problems lead to plaque accumulation, cavities and periodontal disease, and could further impact the patient’s health.

One dentist’s hope for Burma

JG — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:32:05 +0000

Hope 4 the World is a charity training local people in Burma in medical and dental skills that can mean the difference between life and death. Teams of dentists, doctors, nurses and midwives from the UK are sent to the refugee camps in safe zones in the trouble country to provide nationals with basic medical skills. These students can then travel deeper into the jungle, equipped with basic medical and dental kits provided by the charity, to help those in desperate need.

Internal Resorption – Pink tooth of Mummery

JG — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 11:42:27 +0000

Internal resorption is a condition where the slow or fast resorption of the dentin of the pulp, and the internal walls of the root canals occurs. It is named as Pink tooth of Mummery after the anatomist – James Howard Mummery. The cause of this condition is not clearly known, except of few patients complaining about trauma to the teeth. Also, persistant chronic pulpitis may sometimes cause the internal resorption. This is another asymptomatic condition, and a type of Chronic irreversible pulpitis (other types include Pulp Polyp).

Poor Dental Health In Deprived Children Needs To Be Tackled From Birth

JG — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 11:28:32 +0000

Oral health strategies to combat very high levels of tooth decay in children from deprived areas need to start from birth. That’s the conclusion of a large-scale study of the dental health of three-year olds published in the latest edition of the British Dental Journal. Dental inspections of over 4,000 children in Greater Glasgow carried out for the study found tooth decay (caries) in at least a quarter of the children examined. Amongst children from deprived areas, the incidence of decay was even higher, with a third of those surveyed exhibiting evidence of caries.

US Army Dental Care in Africa

JG — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:52:16 +0000

The US Army Dental Corps continues the tradition of service that Dr. J.T. Russell participated in on numerous occasions in Vietnam Medical Civil Assistance Projects. Dr. Russell of Yellow Springs Dental Care was oral surgeon for the Khanh Hoa Provincial Hospital located in Nha Trang, Republic of Vietnam, during his year of service there.

Tooth hypersensitivity study hits the spot

JG — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:47:25 +0000

A new way of treating tooth hypersensitivity has been found. Researchers in the US have identified the new approach that also halts bacteria from causing further harm. The New York University dental study discovered that a coating made from fluoride and zinc ions in a calcium-phosphate matrix proved effective in reversing damage to the tubules caused by Streptococcus mutans.

Cigarettes as mood enhancers increase risk of depression

JG — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:36:33 +0000

While some teenagers may puff on cigarettes to ’self-medicate’ against the blues, scientists at the University of Toronto and the University of Montreal have found that smoking may actually increase depressive symptoms in some adolescents. Published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, the findings are part of the long-term Nicotine Dependence in Teens (NDIT) study based at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre. “This observational study is one of the few to examine the perceived emotional benefits of smoking among adolescents,” says lead author Michael Chaiton, a research associate at the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit of the University of Toronto. “Although cigarettes may appear to have self-medicating effects or to improve mood, in the long term we found teens who started to smoke reported higher depressive symptoms.”