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Minnesota Dental Association elects its President

Friday, October 16th, 2009

The Minnesota Dental Association elected Dr. R. Bruce Templeton, D.M.D. as its President at the association’s annual House of Delegates meeting held this month in Rochester, Minnesota.

Dr. Templeton is a chief of oral surgery and dentistry at the Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center in Minneapolis. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, past president of the Minnesota Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, past president of the Minneapolis District Dental Society, and holds the rank of clinical professor at the University Of Minnesota Faculty Of Dentistry.

He has also been a board member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine and chaired their annual session for two years.

While accepting the new designation as MDA President, Dr. Templeton said in a press release: “I look forward to working with the entire dental community to help pave a future for dentistry that reflects our past excellence, while expanding on opportunities to provide access to quality dental care for all Minnesotans. It is a privilege to serve the dentists and the citizens of Minnesota.”

More information: source website article

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Piled up plaque may turn out to be harmful for heart

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

Neglecting to brush the tooth regularly and piled up dental plaque can be detrimental to your cardiac.

A study conducted by Indiana University of School of Dentistry which was published in the current issue of the Journal of Dental Research reports advocated this proposition.

The research was led by Michael Kowolik, B.D.S., Ph.D., professor of periodontics and associate dean for graduate education at the IU School of Dentistry.

The team studied 128 black and white men and women and found that dental plaque accumulation did not result in a change in total white blood count, a known risk factor for adverse cardiac events.

However, in black males there was a significant increase in the activity of neutrophils, the most common type of white blood cell and an essential part of the immune system.

The unique thing of this study was that the study participants did not have periodontal disease and instead they were asked to neglect oral hygiene as part of the study design.

Dr. Kowolik said in a press release: “While we did not observe higher white blood cell counts as the result of dental plaque accumulation, the increased activity of white blood cells, which we did find, may also carry a higher risk for heart disease,”

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Smile Program brings smile to children of various ages

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

With the help of mobile dentists, the computer lab at South Lawn Elementary celebrated Shine Your Smile Day in which about 30 students participated on Sept. 22. The program was termed as the Smile Program.

Smile Program which has been in operation since 1996 consist of a state-licensed dentist, hygienist and dental assistant who take the necessary equipment into schools and other facilities.

Treatment is provided for children in preschool through the eighth grade. The mission called Mobile Dentists aims to benefit children’s lives through good dental health, which influences good nutrition, self-esteem and overall health.

As part of this program, permission forms are sent home with the students. The program in turn provides exams, cleanings, sealants, X-rays, fluoride and education on dental health.

However, despite of treating children, if there are diseases that cannot be treated by the mobile clinic, parents are informed about those issues.

Smile Programs can provide services such as dental sealants free to families who need financial assistance. It has subsidized fees for those who choose to pay for the preventative care.

The Smile Program by Mobile Dentists will also serve Coshocton Junior High School and Central and Lincoln elementary schools.

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Saltash Dental Surgery turns private

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

Saltash Dental Surgery wrote a letter to patients saying that it has decided to go private in November as it could no longer carry on with its NHS dental contract.

The surgery has operated in the town for about 14 years.

Cornwall’s Primary Care Trust (PCT) said local people had other options and it was planning to open a new practice offering NHS work from next spring.

Former town mayor Bob Austin told the news channel that the situation was “crazy”.

The channel also quoted him as saying: “We’re the sixth largest town in Cornwall and here we are, we haven’t got one NHS dentist left. Ten years ago we had three or four that were NHS-supported, but they’ve gradually just dwindled to nothing.”

The channel also cited a statement issued by Denplan. In the statement, Dr Anthony Coelho said the surgery had made the decision because it had “found it increasingly challenging to provide our patients with the standard of clinical care that they deserve”.

He also said: “We believe it is the best way for us to maintain continuity of care without compromising quality.

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Ahmedabad-based company launches new dental drug

Monday, October 12th, 2009

Troikaa Pharmaceuticals — Ahmedabad-based pharmaceutical company has launched an anaesthetic dosage, Xynova Endo, a Lidocaine lozenge for customised endoscopy procedures in patients.

The company said in its press release that this unique product is useful for anaesthetising a patient’s oral cavity or mouth during endoscopic procedures.

This new drug is an intra-oral anesthetic dosage form comprising a Lidocaine lozenge mounted on a unique holder just like a lollipop.

With the help of the holder, the patient is able to suck the lozenge gradually by rolling it in the mouth. The product is completely soluble, leaves no undissolved residue and provides a clear field of vision.

Dosing can be initiated by a paramedic 10 minutes prior to the procedure, leading to time saving by the doctor.

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Upper Dales to have a permanent NHS service

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

The chiefs of NHS North Yorkshire and York confirmed that Upper Dales will have permanent NHS service in place, facilitating the patients who hitherto had to travel more than 50 miles for treatment.

People in this area were deprived of the NHS services due to the closure of surgeries at Leyburn and Hawes. Some faced traveling 54 miles for treatment at a time when health chiefs were promising to deliver health care to the doorstep.

The contract has been awarded to Alpha Dental Group which will provide new or enhanced NHS dental services on a permanent basis.

Health service officials conducted a county-wide procurement process in 2008 to secure an additional 80,000 NHS dental places, which concluded in February 2009.

However, this process was unable to secure NHS dental services for the Upper Dales area and another process began.

It replaces a temporary arrangement put in place by Alpha to cover rural parts of Hambleton and Richmondshire while the contract was sorted out.

More information: source website article

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MCG to improve access to dental care in Georgia

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a three-year, $1.5 million grant to the Medical College of Georgia School of Dentistry which will enable the School to increase the number of teaching sites in Georgia.

With this increase in teaching sites, there also will be increase in loan forgiveness for graduates who opt to practice in undeserved areas.

With this grant, MCG will improve access to dental care for underserved Georgians by increasing the state’s dental workforce.

Seniors complete two-week rotations where they learn alongside dentists at 13 clinics in eight urban and rural areas, including Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Dalton, Dublin, Folkston, Rome and Savannah. There are 58 single-county or low income Dental Health Profession Shortage Areas in Georgia.

Dr. Carole Hanes, associate dean for students, admissions and alumni in the School of Dentistry and co-investigator on the grant said in a press release: “The need for more dentists and some redistribution of dentists is evident. The goal is to get our students in these areas and be exposed to the needs of these patients.”

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A dentist with a difference takes innovative steps for oral health

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

In an attempt to contribute significantly to oral health, Dr. Sharon Brackelmanns of Randolph has taken some innovative steps.

One of those innovative steps is that Sharon does not hire a dental hygienist. Instead of hiring dental hygienist, she does all the cleaning in addition to the dental examination.

As Sharon has studied Eastern medicine, she offers acupuncture as part of her practice. She also employs a part-time massage therapist for patients in need of such a service.

Though, she does not accept latest words like “holistic approach,” she believes in the principle that an ailment in one part of the body has an effect on the entire person.

Sharon’s inclination toward dentistry can be called a kind of genetic disposition as her grandfather, Angel Georgiewa was a doctor and dentist in Bulgaria in the first half of the 20th century. Among his clients in the 1930s: King Boris III of Bulgaria. Dr. Georgiewa’s wife, Raina, also earned a license to practice dentistry.

Sharon took over her mother’s practice in 1996 and changed the configuration of the office to accommodate two acupuncture rooms.

Though, she continues the legacy, she is not a conformist who believes in clinging to certain traditions just for the sake of those which is why she has been able to implement some new steps to redefine a dental approach towards patients’ oral health.

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Well-trained pediatricians may help reduce ECC

Monday, October 5th, 2009

pediatriciansBoston University of Medicine undertook a new study revealing that well-trained pediatricians may help reduce rates of early childhood caries (ECC) by 77%.

The study was led by Dr Nancy R. Kressin who said the goal of the research was to find ways to reduce the rates of ECC.

The publication quoted Dr. Kressin as saying: “We developed and implemented a multi-faceted pediatric practice based intervention where children especially vulnerable to ECC received enhanced care to prevent this disease from occurring or reoccurring, and it had marked effects on reducing children’s rates of developing ECC.”

Among the other options to help prevent ECC are that the parents watch what their child eats as a way to maintain optimal dental health. It is also advised that parents curtail the amount of sugary foods, as well as cooked starches such as pretzels and potato chips in their child’s diet to avoid developing tooth decay at a young age.

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A new dental device to cure sleep apnea

Monday, October 5th, 2009

New Dental DeviceAccording to sleepapneainfo.com, a simple dental device called a mandibular advancement device can solve the problem of sleep apnea.

This new device comes in the backdrop of the fact that there are about 18 million people nationwide who suffer from sleep apnea. The device fits in your mouth like a retainer or mouth guard and can make a big difference in the way you sleep.

The problem of sleep apnea is much more than just a simple snoring. It is a problem in which people stop breathing in their sleep.

It works by moving the lower jaw slightly forward- which prevents airway constriction. It can help people with snoring or sleep apnea.

A recent study by the Center for Obesity Research and Education estimated that sleep apnea affects more than 18 million people nation wide. It also found that obese people with sleep apnea can improve their condition if they lose just ten percent of their body weight.

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