Doctors are feeling pain from prolonged mask use

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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

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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

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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

Anxiety and Pain After Wisdom Teeth Surgery

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An interesting article titled “RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TYPES OF INFORMATION, DENTAL ANXIETY AND POST-OPERATIVE PAIN FOLLOWING THIRD MOLAR SURGERY, A RANDOMISED STUDY” appears in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery written by Ayodele Gbenga Akomolafe and et. al. (published online Nov. 1 2022). The article sought to determine the relationship between information types, dental anxiety and post-operative pain after lower wisdom teeth removal. In the article the researchers recruited 90 patients between the ages of 18 and 35 who had wisdom teeth extracted with local anesthesia. The patients were randomly divided online using a randomization software into to groups based on the method of information they received about the extraction: verbal or audiovisual. The information given included details about the surgery, information about surgical site closure with suture material and possible complications of extraction. Those in the verbal group were given … Read more

Laser therapy can reduce pain after wisdom teeth removal

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An interesting article titled “Extraoral low-level laser therapy can decrease pain but not edema and trismus after surgical extraction of impacted mandibular third molars: a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial,” appearing in BMC Oral Health is written by Ehsan Momeni and et. al. (September 20, 2022, Vol. 22, 417). The article seeks to explore the impact of using a low-level diode laser on pain, swelling (edema), and jaw opening (trismus) following surgery to remove impacted lower wisdom teeth. This topic has been covered before on this site see for example the articles Laser Therapy to Reduce Pain and Improve Healing After Tooth Removal and Using Laser Therapy after Tooth Extraction to Improve Wound Healing. In the article the authors explore laser therapy as a possible alternative to techniques such as medication, cryotherapy, and surgical closure techniques to minizime complications, pain, and … Read more