Statistically, we might be living longer in the U.S. today than ever before, but we are developing chronic diseases that significantly interfere with the quality of our golden years. You’ve probably seen this in some of your long-term patients; they are in distress and pain for decades before succumbing to one of these chronic diseases. This is not the way the human body was designed or evolved to be. We
Dear Anesthesia & Pain Management Insider, Is intravenous (IV) acetaminophen a viable pain management option after third-molar extraction? In a recent study, researchers tested this treatment against a placebo of IV saline in 72 patients to find out. Read our Insider Exclusive. In the Anesthesia & Pain Management Community, we’ve brought you ongoing coverage of the opioid pain medication epidemic: ul.editorialList li {margin-bottom:12px;} The ADA has announced a new policy
Whether it be in a public health setting or a private practice environment, the main barriers to access to care are time, distance, efficiency, and cost. It is possible to overcome these barriers in an efficient, affordable, and secure manner by using the promising technology of teledentistry. Marty Jablow, DMD. Teledentistry is a growing subset of the much broader digital dentistry category, which most associate with more mature technologies such
Should restorations be added to school-based sealant programs? A new study found that a school-based caries prevention program in which hygienists place interim therapeutic restorations and sealants may be more effective than placing sealants alone. Researchers from New York University (NYU) followed more than 8,000 U.S. children for 10 years to determine whether interim restorations could be a reasonable addition to school-based caries prevention programs. Their findings were published in
Dentists are writing fewer opioid prescriptions than other practitioners, but prescribing patterns differ by a patient’s race, ethnicity, and sex, as well as by provider type. That’s according to a new study of Medicaid recipients published in the April issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association. The researchers examined Medicaid claims for oral health-related conditions in 13 U.S. states and found that 23% of patients received an opioid
The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) has awarded researchers from the New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry and the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) Dental Medicine a $2.2 million, five-year grant to study diabetes-related periodontal disease and bone loss. The researchers will use the grant to investigate the role of succinate, an inflammatory and metabolic mediator crystal, in the development and progression of periodontal disease in patients with
The number of opioids prescribed by dentists appears to be increasing over time, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Dental Association. Dentists prescribed more opioids in 2015 than they did in 2010, the researchers found. Opioid prescriptions also increased the most for adolescents ages 11 to 18. The researchers published their full findings in the April issue of JADA (April 2018, Vol. 149:4, pp. 237-245).
Dear DrBicuspid Member, Dentists wrote more prescriptions for opioids in 2015 than they did in 2010, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Dental Association. Researchers also reported that opioid prescriptions increased the most for adolescents ages 11 to 18. Learn more here. To address the ongoing opioid epidemic and dentists’ role in it, the ADA announced a new policy on opioids this week. The policy
Tooth-related factors are linked to periodontal disease but systemic factors aren’t, according to research presented at the recent American Association of Dental Research (AADR) meeting in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Results also indicated that older patients with mild to moderate disease are still vulnerable to bone loss, but minimally invasive treatments may reduce this risk. Researchers analyzed patient- and tooth-related factors in periodontal maintenance patients. They found that those with progressive
A pediatric dental office in Bartonsville, PA, sent a letter to a mother stating the practice may report her to that state’s child protective services for not bringing her child in for follow-up care. The mother, Trey Hoyumpa, claimed that she brought her two children to the Smiles 4 Keeps dental office in December 2017, according to a Pocono Record article. The office refused to treat both of her children
When creating aesthetic restorations with CAD/CAM blocks, finding a close match to the shade and color of a patient’s teeth is crucial. Researchers tested the aesthetic values of three hybrid CAD/CAM blocks and found some differences among the materials. Rather than recommending one of the materials, the researchers noted that dentists should focus on a material’s chromatic values to get the best outcome for each patient. “Nanoceramic and polymer-infiltrated-feldspathic ceramic-network
Does providing postoperative local anesthetic in addition to intravenous analgesics improve comfort in children undergoing dental surgery under general anesthesia? Research presented on March 24 at the 2018 American Association of Dental Research (AADR) meeting in Fort Lauderdale, FL, took a look. Investigators administered one of two established pain management options to children who underwent dental treatment under general anesthesia: ul.editorialList li {margin-bottom:6px;} Intravenous analgesics with gingival local anesthetic interpapillary