Rheumatoid arthritis linked to dental disorders

by

An interesting article titled “Increased dental visits in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a secondary cohort analysis of population based claims data,” appears in BMC Oral Health written by Ching-Ya Juan, Chia-Wen Hsu, and Ming-Chi Lu (published December 15, 2022). The article sought to eplore the use of dental care in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and explore the incidence of dental disorders in patients with and without RA. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that characterized by persistent joint infammation. RA can affect not only the joints, but it can also involve other organ systems, such as the lung and lead to systemic comorbidities. In the article the authors selected 1,337 patients newly diagnosed with RA between January 2000 and December 2012 and 13,370 patients without RA. The authors found that patients with RA had a higher prevalence (70.3% vs. … Read more

Traveling Oral Surgeon Performs Wisdom Teeth Extractions and Other Procedures for Those in Need

by

Rural residents in the U.S. are less likely to have access to specialized dental health care treatments. One New York based oral surgeon decided early on in his career to travel to provide oral surgery for those in need. The oral surgeon was inspired to practice medicine since a trip he took to South Africa when he was younger. When he was there he saw packed waiting rooms and numerous patients holding their mouths in need of dentistry. When the oral surgeon started practing he had an idea, why shoud he be limited to one office when he moves around and open up a business and spread himself around. For over eight years the oral surgeon has traveled to parts of Upstate New York and western Connecticut to work out of other dentist’s offices. Using their equipment the oral surgeon … Read more

Doctors are feeling pain from prolonged mask use

by

An interesting article titled “Is Prolonged Mask Wearing Associated With Orofacial Pain?” appears in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery written by Vicky Yau, Hong-Yu Liang, and Chenyu Sun (vol. 80, pp. 1875-1877, 2022). The article discuses how with the prolonged use of face masks and surgical respirators, issues of mask associated orofacial pain are now happening for oral and maxillofacial surgeons. This is a new issue due to the use of surgical N95 respirators (also called medical respirators) used by healthcare providers for protection from airborne and fluid transmission and protection from COVID-19. The article discusses how healthcare workers have reported masks-associatedorofacial pain, in the areas of temporalis, zygomaticus, nasalis, and auricularis muscle with the use of N95 masks. N95 masks have a tight facial fit, and provide enhanced filtration against 95% or more of 0.3-mm particles. Orofacial … Read more

A case of bilateral kissing molars

by

An interesting article titled “Bilateral ‘kissing’ molars: A case report” appears in Clinical Case Reports written by Bilal Aslam- Pervez and Emma Carr (2022;10:e06407). The article discusses a case of a 20 year old man who had a very rare bilateral kissing molars impaction. Kissing molars occur the occlusal surfaces of impacted molars are united by the same follicular space and the roots point in the opposite direction. This typically occurs between wisdom teeth and second molars, but can also occur between wisdom teeth and the fourth molar. In the article discussion is made of the 20 year old man who went to a hospital in Scotland complaining of a dull ache for the last year. The patient was healthy but did smoke around 10 cigarettes a day for the last few years. Upon examination a total of 7 teeth … Read more

Dentists Report Half of Their Patients Show up High

by

An interesting study from the American Dental Association (ADA) suggests patients show up to dental visits high on marijuana or another drug. As of November 2022, recreational marijuana can be used legally in over 20 states in the U.S. and also Washington D.C., while medicinal use is legal in nearly 40 states. Dentists now report that more patients use marijuana reguarily because it is now legal in many states. However, showing up at the dentist high on marijuana can hinder the effectiveness of the appointment. The ADA conducted two surveys of in 2022: 1) a survey of 557 dentists and 2) a survey of 1,006 consumers. The survey of dentists found 56% limit treatment to patients when they are high. Further 46% of dentists in a survey reported needing to increase anesthesia amount to treat patients as a result of the … Read more