Darvon and Darvocet banned in U.S.

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I find it interesting to hear that the drug commonly known as Darvocet and also similarly Darvon has been banned in the U.S. as of November 19, 2010. The formal name of the drug is Dextropropoxyphene and is in the opiod category of drugs. If you know someone who wants to help a drug addicted friend or loved one, refer them to this website so they can see what they can do to help. This ban came by the FDA in response to research that suggests the drug Darvocet can lead to heart problems such as heart arrythmias. The drug is also known to be addictive and is associated with some deaths. It is commonly prescribed in the treatment of pain. I personally was prescribed darovcet in 2008 in an attempt to treat my chronic 24/7 headache caused by the … Read more

Fish Oil Supplements Lower Risk of Gum Disease

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New research shows that consuming  polyunsaturated fatty acids can lower the risk of developing periodontitis. Periodontitis is a gum infection that can lead to tissue and bone loss around teeth. The specific studies I am referring to found that n-3 fatty acid intake such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) are inversely associated with periodontitis in a U.S. sample size of over 9,000 adults. This is useful to know because it is quite easy to incorporate a supplement like fish oil in your diet. However, I do have issues with dietary supplements as they typically do not have to meet tough standards to make it on your local pharmacy store’s shelf. Therefore you need to be careful about which brand you may purchase. There are also others ways to obtain polyunsaturated fatty acids such as by eating nuts, … Read more

One in Four Children Living in California Have not been to a Dentist

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I found this new study called “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Dental Care for Publicly Insured Children” to be quite discouraging which recently appeared in the July issue of the journal Health Affairs.  The study says 25% of children in the state of California (U.S.)  have never seen a dentist. It also goes on to address  disparities which exist across type of insurance coverage, ethnicity, and race. This is not good news as lack of dental care can of course cause children to have to miss school for treatment. The study looks at California kids who are age 11 and under and uses data from the 2005 California Health Interview Survey which contains over 10,000 children. So of course this is slightly dated data that was used. Some highlights on the study include African American and Latino American children with … Read more

Poor Dental Health Linked to Atherosclerosis

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Previous research has shown that poor dental health and periodontitis have been linked to atherosclerosis, which is a condition where fatty material collects along artery walls. This causes the arteries to become narrower and can lead to cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks, angina (chest pain), and stroke. Researchers in Sweden recently tested the hypotheses that bacteria from the mouth and/or the gut could end up in the atherosclerotic plaque and contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease. The researchers found the number of bacteria in the plaque correlated with the number of white blood cells. This meant that this was a cause of inflammation. The researchers used sequencing methods to determine the composition of the bacteria in the mouth, gut and arterial plaque of 15 patients in both a control and a study group. They observed that bacteria were … Read more

The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Fails to Use Basic Statistics in Research on Wisdom Teeth

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I have previously reported how the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) recently had a press conference on wisdom teeth in Washington, D.C. See https://blog.teethremoval.com/third-molar-multidisciplinary-press-conference/ for more information. Shortly after the press conference they issued a press release available at http://www.aaoms.org/docs/media/third_molars/press_release.pdf which is titled “Conventional Wisdom about Wisdom teeth Confirmed: Evidence Shows Keeping Wisdom teeth May be More Harmful than Previously Thought.” One of the additional key findings listed in this press release  is “Most patients (60 percent) with asymptomatic wisdom teeth prefer extraction to retention.” This finding comes from a recent article in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, titled “Most Patients With Asymptomatic, Disease-Free Third Molars Elect Extraction Over Retention as Their Their Preferred Treatment.”  The article is by Brian E. Kinard, BS and Thomas B. Dodson, DMD, MPH.  It appears in the December 2010 … Read more