Month: November 2014

Practice Based Wisdom Teeth Removal Study

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An interesting article titled “Recommendations for Third Molar Removal: A Practice-Based Cohort Study,” appears in the April 2014, issue of the American Journal of Public Health (Vol. 104, No. 4, pp. 728-734), by Joana Cunha-Cruz and et. al. In the article a dental practice based research network Northwest Practice-based REsearch Collaborative in Evidence-based DENTistry (PRECEDENT) is used. A total of 50 general dentists enrolled patients from May 2009 to September 2010.  In the study a total of 797 patients who had wisdom teeth (third molar) recommendations from their general dentist were used who were aged 16 to 22. However, the patients were asked to take a survey every 8 months and then a clinical visit 24 months later.  From this sample of 797 patients only 516 completed at least one follow up questionnaire. In the study the general dentists reported that … Read more

Bringing Rapid HIV Testing to Dentistry

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An interesting study has been performed by the University of Sydney in 2014, looking at the possibility of using rapid HIV testing before dental surgery. The study assessed 521 Sydney based dental patients and their willingness to undergo rapid HIV testing in dental settings, their preference for HIV testing type, and their willingness to pay for the HIV test. More than 80% of the patients in the study were found to be willing to undergo rapid HIV testing before a dental procedure. The technology behind a rapid HIV test has been around for more than a decade but it not currently available in dental settings. The test can be done as a finger prick or a saliva swab. The results of the HIV test can be determined within 20 minutes. The Australian Federal government announced in July 2014, that they … Read more

Migraine Sufferers that are Old could have Silent Brain Injury

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An interesting study appears in the May 2014 issue of Stroke titled “Migraine, White Matter Hyperintensities, and Subclinical Brain Infarction in a Diverse Community: The Northern Manhattan Study,” written by Teshamae Monteith and et. al exploring migraine headaches. The article finds that older migraine sufferers are more likely to have silent brain injury. The study found that people who have a history of migraine headache had a double the chance likelihood of having ischemic silent brain infarction compared to those who did not suffer from migraine headache. A silent brain infarction is a type of brain injury that is mostly likely caused when a blood clot interrupts blow flow to brain tissue. These type of injuries occur without any symptoms and is believed to play a role in future strokes. The risk of this occurring is considered small; however, those … Read more

New Drugs to Help Prevent Migraine in Development

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Earlier this year at the American Academy of Neurology’s 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, two studies were presented which may be intriguing for those who suffer from migraine headaches. The studies explored the use of potential drugs to prevent migraine attacks from occurring. In both studies monoclonal antibodies were explored which target the calcitonin gene related peptide CGRP. Researchers have believed that CGRP is useful for migraine but drugs were never developed for it previously. One of the studies looked at 163 people who suffered from migraine between 5 and 14 days per month. These individuals received either a placebo or a IV dose of a drug ALD403. The individuals were followed for a period of 24 weeks. Those who received ALD403 had an average of 5.6 fewer migraine days per month compared to 4.6 fewer migraine days per month for … Read more

Exploring the Alternative to Medical Injury Claims in New Hampshire

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In a post last year I dicussed briefly the early offer system in New Hampshire see The Optional Alternative to Medical Injury Claims. This is the first of the kind system in the United States that is an alternative to the traditional medical malpractice system. An article in the 2013 issue 4 of the American Journal of Law and Medicine has explored this titled “Evaluating New Hampshire’s First-In-The-Nation Early Offer Alternative to Medical Malpractice Litigation,” and written by John W. Masland. The article states “Many states have enacted medical malpractice reforms, recognizing that their tort systems result in protracted litigation, high costs, and a large number of uncompensated victims. One proposed reform, an “early offer” system, allows a medical provider to make a financial offer covering an injured patient’s economic damages, which, if the patient accepts, precludes litigation…On June 27, 2012, … Read more