High Amount of Suicide Ideation Among Australian Dental Professionals

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An interesting article titled “Factors associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts by Australian dental practitioners,” appears in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology published on February 22, 2023, and written by Matthew S. Hopcraft and et. al. The article seeks to investigate factors in Australian dental practitioners and their association with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Previously on this site it has been discussed how medical and dental students, dentists, and medical doctors have an increased risk of suicide, see for example the posts Medical School Student Costs in the U.S. are Affecting Mental Health, Designing a Predoctoral Dental Curriculum To Help With Therapy Issues such as Stress Management and Suicide Prevention, and Medical Students Are At Risk For Suicide. In the article the authors mention how health practitioners have higher rates of suicidal ideation and death by suicide and … Read more

Oral Bacteria May Lead to More Heart Disease

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An interesting article titled “Associations of genetic and infectious risk factors with coronary heart disease” appears in eLife published on February 14, 2023, written by Flavia Hodel and et. al. The article discusses how common bacteria that has been linked with periodontal disease, oral cancers, and bad breath increase the chance of developing heart disease. In the past it has been discussed on this site how Brushing Teeth Twice a Day to Help Prevent Heart Disease and Bacterium goes from the mouth to the heart to cause disease. In the current article, the authors mention how cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of mortality in the world and it is believed 17.9 million people die from CVD each year. The authors performed multiplex serological testing for persistent or frequently recurring infections and genome-wide analysis in a prospective population study. … Read more

Melatonin to Reduce Pain and Swelling Following Wisdom Teeth Removal

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An interesting article titled “The Effect of Local Melatonin Application Following the Removal of an Impacted Mandibular Third Molar” appears in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery written by Shaimaa Mohsen Refahee and et. al. The article seeks to measure the effect of applying melatonin in the socket of an impacted lower wisdom tooth with osteogenic activity, painkilling effect, and anti-inflammatory effect. A prior article exploring the use of melatonin after wisdom teeth extraction has been discussed on this site before see Should Melatonin be Used for Wisdom Teeth Surgery?. In the current article, the authors conducted a prospective, randomized, blinded trial comprised of patients who required removal of the impacted lower wisdom tooth. Melatonin has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and promotes osteoblast differentiation and bone formation, which could potentially limit problems like intrabony defects and bone loss associated … Read more

Periodontitis has a relationship to atrial fibrosis in atrial fibrillation

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An interesting article titled “Relationship Between Periodontitis and Atrial Fibrosis in Atrial Fibrillation: Histological Evaluation of Left Atrial Appendages” appears in the JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology written by Shunsuke Miyauchi and et. al. (Volume 9, Issue 1, January 2023, Pages 43-53). The article seeks to explore the relationship of periodontitis with atrial fibrillation (AF) and atrial fibrosis. Periodontitis (periodontal disease) is an inflammatory disease where bacteria accumulates at the gum line. The likelyhood of periodontal disease occurring later in life in the wisdom tooth region is a reason dentists and oral surgeons give to support removing healthy wisdom teeth in the teenage and twenty years of age. Various associations to periodontitis has been showed over the years as covered before on this site see for example the posts Omega 3 Fatty Acids Inversely Proportional to Periodontitis, Blueberry extract could help treat periodontitis, Estrogen … Read more

Recreational Marijuana Uses Effect on Vital Signs and Anesthetic Requirements During Oral Surgery

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An interesting article titled “Is Recreational Marijuana Use Associated With Changes in the Vital Signs or Anesthetic Requirements During Intravenous Sedation?” appears in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in January 18, 2023, written by Pooja Gangwani and et. al. The article sough to explore the association of cannabis’ psychoactive element tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) use on the vital signs and anesthetic requirements during sedation procedures. The study was the first to explore this findings on THC and its effects on sedation in the oral and maxillofacial surgery literature. In the article the authors used a retrospective cohort of 53 patients who were treated at an oral and maxillofacial surgery department between July 2018 and May 2022. The patients included in the study had undergone toxicology screening due to their history of recent drug use and received IV sedation. THC status was … Read more