Health

Adverse Sedation Events and Impact on Provider Specialty in Pediatrics

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Recently an article was published in Pediatrics titled Impact of Provider Specialty on Pediatric Procedural Sedation Complication Rates with authors Kevin G. Couloures, Michael Beach, Joseph P. Cravero, Kimberly K. Monroe and James H. Hertzog.   (2011, 127, pages e1154-e1160).  The conclusion presented in the abstract of the article is “In our sedation services consortium, pediatric procedural sedation performed outside the operating room is unlikely to yield serious adverse outcomes. Within this framework, no differences were evident in either the adjusted or unadjusted rates of major complications among different pediatric specialists.” The authors mentioned in this article another study conducted in Pediatrics which found over a 27 year period there were 60 cases identified in which death or severe neurological injury occurred of children 0.08 years to 20 years old. However, this study presented different conclusions in the abstract of the … Read more

How does Flouride really Protect Teeth from Cavities?

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A recent study that appeared in the journal Langmuir looked into the role of fluoride and their protection on teeth. The researchers who published the journal article found the protective shield fluoride forms on teeth is up to 100 times thinner than what was previously thought. It is well known that fluoride is found in toothpaste, mouthwash, and public drinking water in many areas in the world. The use of fluoride of course is to help prevent tooth decay which causes cavities to form. Researchers found the fluorapatite layer created by fluoride on the hard white substance covering teeth’s surface called enamel is only 6 nanometers thick. This layer is very small and over 10 times thinner than what was indicated in any prior studies. Hence the researchers raise questions about how a layer so thin can protect teeth from … Read more

Allergic To Your Partner

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Recently, the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology which is headquartered in Arlington Heights, IL, had their annual scientific meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, in November 11, 2010 to November 16, 2010. They discussed some unfortunate allergies that some people experience. These allergies include kissing someone even hours after they have eaten a food or taken a medicine to which you are allergic to. According to Sami Bahna, M.D. “If you have food allergies, having an allergic reaction immediately after kissing someone who has eaten the food or taken oral medication that you are allergic to isn’t highly unusual. But some patients react after their partner has brushed his or her teeth or several hours after eating. It turns out that their partners’ saliva is excreting the allergen hours after the food or medicine has been absorbed by their body.” … Read more

Raven Maria Blanco Foundation

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I thought I would make a quick post here to make readers aware of the Raven Maria Blanco Foundation. “The mission of RMBF is to increase the awareness of medical emergency preparedness in dental offices across the United States.” The foundation has a focus on pediatric dental patients and came about due to an 8 year old girl named Raven Maria Blanco who passed away unexpectedly after having her teeth cleaned and calcium deposits removed by a general dentist. She was given an overdose of chloral hydrate. The foundation released a Six Links of Survival Public Service announcement and has numerous dental and other partners. The foundation is headed by Mario Blanco and has teamed up with Larry J. Sangrik D.D.S. You can view the Public Service announcement, some news segment features on Raven and the foundation, along with other … Read more

Lactobacillus Reuteri Helps Oral Health

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A recent study by researchers at Malmö University in Sweden show that the lactic acid bacteria called Lactobacillus reuteri improves oral health. Lactobacillus reuteri was first discovered in the 1960s and at this time 30-40% of the population had it naturally in their bodies. Today this number is down to around 10-20% of the population and this is believed to be due to changes in lifestyle and food consumption. Many preservatives found in foods today kill the bacteria. Gabriela Sinkiewicz a researcher at Malmö University also found that Lactobacillus reuteri occurs naturally in breast milk of women but that on average women in Japan and Korea have higher concentrations. Gabriela Sinkiewicz says that Lactobacillus reuteri is important for infants as it help’s their intestinal system and immune system. In addition, she determiend that that the occurrence of both plaque and … Read more