dental treatment

Can You Use Nitrous Oxide Inhalation combined with Propofol Sedation for Dental Treatment?

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An interesting article titled “A Prospective, Randomized Controlled Trial of Conscious Sedation Using Propofol Combined With Inhaled Nitrous Oxide for Dental Treatment” written by Chizuko Yokoe and et al. appears in the 2015 Journal of Oral and Maxilofacial Surgery (issue 73, pp. 402-409). The article discusses how propofol is one of the most common sedative agents used during dental procedures. However, when used by itself it can lead to adverse complications in patients. The authors set to explore if you can safely combine nitrous oxide with propofol for dental procedures and also improve the quality of the sedation. A total of 90 patients in Osaka, Japan were used in this study. All patients were between 20 and 70 years of age and were not able to undergo their procedure without the use of sedation. After the patients were seated in … Read more

How to Manage Pain Patients in Dental Practice

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An interesting article appears in J Can Dent Assoc 2012;78:c83 titled “Neuropathic Orofacial Pain Patients in Need of Dental Care,” written by Gary D. Klasser and Henry A. Gremillion. It was posted online on August 17, 2012, over at http://www.jcda.ca/article/c83. The abstract of the article states “Dental pain is a common complaint among the general population. Most pain is a result of traumatic injury or bacterial infection in pulpal and periapical tissues, and dental practitioners are successful at diagnosing these conditions and providing prompt relief. However, in some cases, patients continue to complain of persistent pain, which may be categorized as neuropathic. These people may avoid or neglect routine dental treatment or interventions to prevent precipitation, perpetuation or exacerbation of their pain condition, and practitioners may have to modify their procedures when managing the dental needs of this unique population.” … Read more

New Website For Oral Surgeons Group: MyOMS.org

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A new website was launched last month by the Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS), a U.S. based oral and maxillofacial surgeons group, MyOMS.org. The press release for the website launch is located over at http://myoms.org/assets/uploads/documents/myoms.org_website_news_release.pdf and titled Web site Gives Patients New Insight into Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. It was known several months ago that a new website was coming, see the post Upcoming Changes to JOMS and AAOMS in 2014. The website is described in the press release as easy to navigate and designed to allow the public access to vital information on conditions of the face, mouth, and jaw. The press release also describes how videos and illustrations explain many of the procedures offered. Furthermore, a Find a Surgeon feature allows patients to find oral surgeons near where they live or work. Reviewing the website, the design … Read more

Wisdom Teeth: Perspectives from the Military

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In previous discussions on this blog such as Third Molar Morbidity Among Troops Deployed and elsewhere, a discussion has been made about whether or not wisdom teeth should be extracted in those involved in the armed forces. A new article from Hurlbert Field titled “Wisdom teeth: Should they stay or go” provides a perspective by Staff Sgt. Jeff Andrejcik, was written on December 3, 2013, and is located over at http://www2.hurlburt.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123372876. The article is written by a special operations dentist who performs wisdom teeth extractions. He says he has removed over 300 wisdom teeth and once removed 8 in one patient. He says in the article that most people don’t have room for wisdom teeth and they grow in sideways and are not cleansable. Larkin discusses how pericoronitis can occur in patients who have wisdom teeth that erupt but not fully leaving … Read more