oral surgeon

The Body Fights Gum Disease Better When You Are Not Fat

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An interesting study was conducted by researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine. The study included 31 obese people with gum disease. Half of those in the group with an average BMI of 39 had gastric bypass surgery and had had fat cells from the abdomen removed. This half did better than a control group of people with an average BMI of 35 who did not have gastric bypass surgery or had fat removed. It was stated that “All study participants underwent nonsurgical periodontal treatments of scaling/root planing and oral hygiene instructions for home care. While both groups showed improvement, the surgery group did even better on the measures for periodontal attachment, bleeding, probing depths and plaque levels.” Periodontal disease is a potential risk of keeping wisdom teeth and is discussed in more detail over at http://www.teethremoval.com/risks_of_keeping_wisdom_teeth.html. Periodontal disease has … Read more

Dental Cleanings May Reduce Stroke and Heart Attack Risk

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A study in Taiwan looked at those who have had professional tooth scraping and cleaning performed and found that they had reduced risks of stroke and heart attack. The study showed that more frequent scraping/cleaning was associated with more reduced risk compared to never having teeth cleaned/scraped or occasionally having it performed. The study looked at over 100,000 people and found that if either a dentist or dental hygienist scraped and cleaned teeth those people in that group had a 24% lower risk of a heart attack and a 13% lower risk of a stroke when compared to those who never had a dental cleaning performed. The people in the study were followed for an average of 7 years. The study was conducted using data from the Taiwan National Health insurance data base. One of the researchers was Emily (Zu-Yin) … Read more

Periodontal disease may associate with breast cancer

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An interesting study was published in Breast Cancer Res Treat (vol 127, pages 497 – 502, 2011) titled “Periodontal disease may associate with breast cancer,” by Birgitta Soder and et al. The study evaluated the association between periodontal disease and the incidence of breast cancer in a prospective study of 3273 randomly selected subjects aged 30 to 40 at baseline. The authors open by discussing how periodontal disease is characterized by chronic infection and inflammation leading to destruction of the bone surrounding the teeth. Some studies estimate that between 15 to 35% of the adult population in industrialized countries suffers from periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is initiated by a biofilm of bacteria on the teeth which triggers an immune-inflammatory response in the adjacent host tissues. Periodontal disease is of particular importance when considering whether or not to have wisdom teeth … Read more

Third Molar Morbidity Among Troops Deployed

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A few articles have been recently released in late 2010 discussing third molars (wisdom teeth) among those serving in the military. Guidelines from NICE and SIGN as stated over at http://www.teethremoval.com/wisdomteeth.html due state that those who have a certain occupation such as in the armed forces should certainly strongly consider having wisdom teeth removed before they cause problems due to not being able to easily have access to dental treatment. A paper was put out in December 2010 titled “The Impact of Retained Third Molars on the Deployed Airman.” It is over at this link here. The article is written by Robert E. Langsten and William J. Dunn and states that as many as 22% of all emergency department visits at a deployed Expeditionary Medical Support facility can be attributed to dental problems. The article mentions how there is no … Read more

Evidence Base for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Journals

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An interesting articled titled “The evidence base for oral and maxillofacial surgery: 10-year analysis of two journals,” appeared in the January 2012 edition of the British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (vol. 50, issue 1, pages 45-48) wirrten by Amandip Sandhu. The author opens by discussing an editorial in the Lancet in 1996 which discussed how there is a lack of scientific rigor in surgical research. The author states “There is a well established hierarchy of levels of evidence, and the medical community considers that meta-analyses and randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are the most scientifically stringent means of investigating the efficacy of one intervention against another. Other grades of evidence (in increasing weakness of level of evidence) are case controlled studies, comparative studies, case series, correlation studies and expert committee reports, and the clinical experiences of respected authorities.” The … Read more