Wisdom Teeth

Link Between Poor Oral Health and Systemic Health

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An interesting article titled “Self-reported oral health is associated with systemic health outcomes and all-cause mortality” written by Yau-Hua Yu and et. al. appears in the Journal of the American Dental Association (vol. 155, no. 3, pp. 233-243, March 2024). There’s a growing body of evidence suggesting a strong link between oral health and overall health. This article explores how just asking people about their oral health can reveal important information about their risk of developing other chronic diseases. People who indicated they had poor oral health may be as likely as those already had gum disease to have negative systemic health outcomes. Image by Dana from Pixabay The Link Between Gums and General Health Researchers have known for some time about the connection between gum disease (periodontal disease) and health problems like heart disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis. This study looked at a different approach: using people’s … Read more

Hydrocortisone Shows Promise in Reducing Pain and Swelling After Wisdom Tooth Removal

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An interesting article titled “Efficacy of Hydrocortisone, Povidone-Iodine, and Normal Saline as an Irrigating Solution During Surgical Removal of Impacted Mandibular Third Molars: A Randomized Controlled Trial” written by Faheem Ahmed and et. al. appears in Cureus published February 01, 2024. The study sought to compare the effects of three irrigating solutions, hydrocortisone, povidone-iodine, and normal saline, on pain, trismus, and edema following removal of impacted lower wisdom teeth. Wisdom tooth removal, also known as the surgical removal of impacted third molars, is a common dental procedure, often accompanied by pain, swelling (edema), and difficulty opening the mouth (trismus). Researchers have been looking for ways to alleviate these post-surgical concers. The study metnioned in this article compared the effectiveness of three irrigation solutions used during surgery. The study involved 105 patients between the ages of 18 and 40 who needed … Read more

Rare Case Highlights Importance of Communication and Follow-up After Dental Procedures

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An interesting article titled “The interplay among a dental procedure, infective endocarditis, and an acute ischemic stroke” appears in the Journal of the American Dental Association by Momodou G. Bah and et. al., published January 24, 2024. The article discusses a case report that shares the importance of communication and follow-up after dental procedures, especially when it comes to potential complications like infective endocarditis and stroke. The Case: A previously healthy 54-year-old woman experienced a cracked tooth while eating, specifically tooth #30 while chewing a popcorn kernel. Her dentist extracted the tooth, but she did not inform the dentist about persistent pain at the site for two weeks, and there were no follow-up calls scheduled. Five weeks later, she developed stroke symptoms and was diagnosed with infective endocarditis, a rare but serious infection of the heart valves. The Connection: Tests … Read more

Comparing the effectiveness of diclofenac, celecoxib and ibuprofen for wisdom teeth removal.

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An interesting study titled “Comparative Effect of Celecoxib, Diclofenac, and Ibuprofen in Controlling Postoperative Pain, Edema, and Trismus After Third Molar Extraction: A Double-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial” written by L. Bassyoni on February 06, 2024 appears in Cureus 16, no. 2, e53687. The study sought to compare celecoxib, diclofenac, and ibuprofen for managing postoperative pain, swelling, and mouth opening ability (trismus) after wisdom teeth surgery. The study included participants recruited from the oral and maxillofacial surgery specialty clinics at King Abdul-Aziz University Dental Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Only one impacted lower wisdom tooth was extracted at the time of surgery. The study was a double-blinded randomized controlled trial which meant that study participants were randomly assigned to one of the three medication groups and neither they nor the researchers the medications received. The study was rather small and only had … Read more

Marijuana derivative might be an alternative for opioids for dental pain

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An interesting article titled “Cannabidiol as an Alternative Analgesic for Acute Dental Pain” written by V. Chrepa and et. al. was published November 1, 2023 in the Journal of Dental Research. The article sought to assess the effectiveness and safety of cannabidiol (CBD) as an analgesic for patients with acute dental pain. The study showed that CBD, a non-addictive and non-psychoactive component of Cannabis sativa, demonstrated potential as a therapeutic analgesic for acute dental pain. CBD may offer a safer and equally efficacious alternative to opioid-based medications. This is believed to be the first randomized clinical trial testing CBD for the management of dental pain. Currently dentists and oral surgeons have switched to anti-inflammatories such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen as the first line of defense for dental pain, see for example the post Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs better than opioids for pain after … Read more