marijuana

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

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

Using Cannabinoids After Wisdom Teeth Extraction

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An interesting article titled “Postoperative Healing Assessment Using Cannabinoids in Oral Surgery” written by Puisys et al. appears in EC Dental Science (18.4, pp. 569-575, 2019). The article seeks to compare the healing after wisdom teeth extraction between using antibiotics or cannabinoids. Cannabinoids are chemical compounds that occur in the resin of the Cannabis sativa plant also known as marijuana.  In the study 60 patients had lower wisdom teeth extracted in Vilnius, Lithuania. The 60 patients were split into two groups with one group receiving the antibiotic amoxicillin (500 mg) three times daily for seven days and the other group receiving phytocannabinoids-cannabidiol in gel form for 7 days. All 60 patients went to the clinic daily for a week to record their satisfaction with the healing process and for the doctor to assess the healing. Specifically the patients answered a … Read more

Gum Disease Risk Doubles With Frequent Marijuana Use

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Marijuana has come a long way from being demonized as an illegal drug. Today, medical marijuana use is legal in 29 states and in Washington D.C. And as of November 2016, eight states made recreational marijuana use legal as well. But despite its praises being sung by millions, marijuana remains illegal under federal law. And for all its purported medical benefits, there are still downsides to marijuana use which advocates conveniently fail to mention in most conversations about the drug. One such downside is the one uncovered by a recent Columbia University study that says frequent pot use doubles the risk for periodontitis, an infection that causes serious damage not only to gum tissue but to the bone that supports the teeth as well. Frequent pot users show signs of periodontitis The study, which was published in the Journal of … Read more

Controversy Surrounding Marijuana

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I recently watched a very controversial documentary shown on Wealth TV (re-run had previously aired) titled Marijuana Miracle Cure 2 Wired for Weed. This came out a few months ago in 2013, and seems to be a follow up to their Marijuana Miracle Cure program from 2012. If you have not seen it, you may be able to catch another re-run on Wealth TV or you may be able to find the entire 1 hour program (including commercials) on YouTube. The documentary raises some interesting points about marijuana (aka cannabis) and it’s potentially medical properties. Now the first question, I have, is why does Wealth TV have a documentary on marijuana? It seems from the documentary that they are genuinely interested in the potential medical issues of marijuana. This is because of the focus and nature of the documentary, but there … Read more