Dental Opioid Prescriptions after Covid: A Slowdown in Decline

An interesting article titled Association between the COVID-19 outbreak and opioid prescribing by U.S. dentists written by Jason Zhang and et. al. appears in PLoS ONE, published on November 2, 2023, vol. 18, no. 11, pp. e0293621. The authors sought to evaluate the association between the COVID-19 outbreak and the rate of opioid prescribing by U.S. dentists The opioid crisis in the United States has cast a long shadow, reaching even into the realm of dental care and widom teeth removal. While national efforts have led to a gradual decline in opioid prescribing overall as discussed in the post Oral Surgeon Opioid Prescribing Habits in the US during 2016 to 2019, the study reveals a worrying trend: the COVID-19 pandemic may paused the efforts on progress in the dental field. For many years, the number of opioid prescriptions give out … Read more

Exploration of Postoperative Abscess Formation after Wisdom Tooth Removal

An interesting article titled “A Retrospective Analysis of Postoperative Abscess Formation Following Wisdom Tooth Removal and Their Clinical Condition and Localization,” written by Jakob Fehlhofer and et. al. appears in the Journal of Contemporay Dental Practice (vol. 23, n. 11, pp. 1079-1084, 2022). The article conducts a study on deep tissue abscesses after wisdom teeth removal to determine potential associated factors. Specifically the authors conduct a study with 88 patients who had wisdom teeth removed that resulted in a postoperative abscess formation who were treated at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the FAU in Germany from October 2012 to February 2017. There were 44 male and 38 female patients, who were split into two groups Group A (removal of asymptomatic wisdom teeth) that had 14 male and 19 female patients and Group B (removal of symptomatic wisdom … Read more

How soon can you go swimming after wisdom teeth surgery

After having teeth extracted it may be tempting to want to head right back to the pool, especially if one is a competive swimmer. However, if you had teeth extracted, it is possible your dentist or oral surgeon cut part of the gum or even given you stitches to close the hole where your tooth was. Having a tooth extracted can potentially result in an infection. Going in a pool or a lake may cause bacteria to enter the wound. Particulary if one surbmerges their face in the water. Therefore, it’s best it is best to wait until the wound is healed to go back in the water. If you had wisdom teeth surgery, you should wait at least 2 weeks before swimming. For single-tooth non wisdom tooth extractions, 24 to 48 hours may be enough time for the wound … Read more

How Often Do Problems Occur with Dental Sedation in Children

An interesting article titled “Assessing the safety of deep sedation in outpatient pediatric oral health care,” written by Henal Alpesh Gandhi and et. al. appears in the Journal of the American Dental Association (2023). The article assesses the safety of deep sedation supported care with pediatric dental treatment carried out in an outpatient setting. It is estimated that in the US, 100,000 through 250,000 cases of pediatric dental procedures with sedation occur each year. Most of the cases of among kids 3 to 5 years old. Children are predisposed to deep sedation and d general anesthesia related respiratory problems because of age-related variations in anatomy and physiology. Some of the reasons children need deep sedation for dental health care include extent of dental disease and amount of treatment needed,limited ability of the child to cooperate, and intent to protect the … Read more

Tragedy in Southern Manitoba Canada: Young Woman Dies Following Dental Procedure

A heartbreaking incident has occurred in southern Manitoba Canada, where a 23-year-old woman tragically passed away following a routine dental appointment. The Manitoba Dental Association confirmed the news stating that the woman, residing in the Morden-Winkler area, experienced a medical emergency during the procedure on November 27th. Despite being transported to the hospital immediately, the young woman sadly passed to her condition. Investigation Underway The Manitoba Dental Association has launched a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding this tragic event. The association’s president, emphasized their commitment to uncovering the facts. The specific nature of the dental procedure or whether anesthesia was involved was not disclosed yet in this case. It was however confirmed that information is being gathered from both the dental clinic and the Southern Regional Health Authority. Rare but Serious While deaths following dental procedures are thankfully rare, … Read more