Health

Reducing Anxiety among Pediatric Dental Patients

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An interesting article titled “an Anxiety Reduction Program as an Alternative to General Anesthesia for the Anxious Pediatric Dental Patient” was presented on July 23, 2021, at the virtual session of the 2021 International Association for Dental Research (IADR)/AADR/CADR General Session written by Suher Baker and et al. The research set to investigate the efficacy of a systematic Anxiety Reduction Program (ARP) using progressive desensitization to reduce anxiety in children to a level that would allow dental treatment to be performed in-office without the use of general anesthesia. Dental anxiety has been covered on this site before see for example the post Dental Anxiety and Fear: Impact on Oral Health. Children are more likely to experience an unfavorable and unforeseen incident caused by an error or omission during dental treatment that has negative health consequencies. This is because children do … Read more

Dentists Seek new Guidelines for Gum Disease

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An interesting article titled “When is periodontal maintenance not enough?: The need for clinical guidance,” appears in the Journal of the American Dental Association published on January 21, 2023, written by Stephen K. Harrel and et. al. The article discusses how dentistry should seek to make new guidelines that address the management of periodontal patients who have continued inflammation. In the article discussion is made of how scaling and root planing is typically the first treatment for periodontal disease does not always eliminate inflammation. The initial treatment of periodontal disease consists of the removal of biofilm and calculus and patient education to help them continue to maintain oral hygiene in the future. The authors feel that in the case when inflammation persists, dentists should discuss to the patient advanced therapies and the risks of not undergoing these therapies while also … Read more

Does Medicare Cover Dental Services in 2023?

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In the U.S. when Americans turn 65 they are eligible for medical services and health insurance under the program called Medicare. Unfortunately Medicare doesn’t cover most dental care such as procedures and supplies like tooth extractions, cleanings, fillings, dentures, dental plates, or other dental devices. Recent surveys have shown that most people are in favor of expanding Medicare to include services like dental an vision. Many are also in favor of lowering the age of eligibity to less than 65. As of 2023. As of January 1, 2023, Medicare has now been expande to cover medically necessary conditions requiring dental services. According to the ADA the following dental services are now covered under Medicare: Such care can be performed in both an inpatient and an outpatient setting. Further, coverage applies to X-rays, anesthesia, or the use of an operating room … Read more

Cinematic and Volume Rendering of the Facial Skeleton CT can aid Visualization

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An interesting article titled “Three-dimensional perception of cinematic rendering versus conventional volume rendering using CT and CBCT data of the facial skeleton,” written by Tobias Steffen and et al. appears in the April 2022 edition of the Annals of Anatomy (151905). The article sought to explore if three-dimensional cinematic rendering image re-constructions offer advantages over conventional volume rendering to visualize cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and computed tomography (CT) images of the facial skeleton. In the study, ten dentists reviewed 10 different patient cases of CT or CBCT exams of reconstructed cinematic rendering or volume rendering of the orofacial skeleton. The dentists were given a questionnaire to assess objective and subjective criteria of image perception. To assess objective criteria, predefined questions on the visual perception of anatomical image characteristics, were given to the denists. To assess subjective criteria, a visual … Read more

The Relationship Between Bruxism and Vitamin D

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An interesting article titled “Association between bruxism severity and serumconcentrations of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels” appears in the 2022 edition of Clinical and Experimental Dental Research written by B. Allaf and M. Abdul-Hak (pp. 1-9). In the article discussion is made of a study that was conducted to investigate the relationship between bruxism, when someone unconsciously clenches or grinds their teeth, and blood levels of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D, commonly known as Vitamin D. Vitamin D is an essenetial vitamin found in foods, like salmon, eggs, and dairy products. Vitamin D can also be obtained from mainly through skin exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. Obtaining a low amount of vitamin D has been linked to greater risks of diseses ike cancer and heart diasese and could help prevent gum disease. In the study, 100 patients who had dental treatment peformed at Damascus … Read more