Wisdom Teeth

Lessons from Medical litigation in oral surgery practice

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I have previously touched on, such as in the post How to Improve Your Chances to Win a Dental Malpractice Lawsuit, some of the issues surrounding medical litigation from a dental and oral surgery standpoint. In the article “Medical litigation in oral surgery practice: Lessons learned from 20 lawsuits,” by Hesham F. Marei, currently in Press at the time I have reviewed this, Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, 2012, an investigation into lawsuits occurring in an oral surgery setting over three years (2009-2012) in Saudi Arabia is explored. Over 100 lawsuits were looked at with 20 fitting in the inclusion criteria. Marei states: “The most common cause for litigation was oro-antral communication, followed by neurological deficit associated with the surgical removal of wisdom teeth and placement of dental implants. Bleeding after extraction was the third most common cause for … Read more

The Effect of Acne Medication on Wisdom Teeth Removal

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In a research letter in the October 2012 issue of J AM ACAD DERMATOL titled “The effects of isotretinoin on wisdom tooth extraction,” by Jyoti Sharma, Diane M. Thiboutot, and Andrea L. Zaenglein (pp. 794-795), a discussion is made of of the medicine more commonly known as Accutane. Accutane has since be removed from use in the U.S. due to legal issues but the generic form of isotretinoin remains available. See more discussion on the Wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotretinoin. In the study, 328 patients between 12 and 27 were contacted who were on isotretinoin. 26 of these patients had wisdom teeth extraction, with all but 1 of the patients still being on isotretinoin at the time of the surgery. 3 patients suffered from a dry socket but none of the other patients had a complication after wisdom teeth removal. One of these … Read more

Exploring Giving Antibiotics Before Third Molar Surgery (Wisdom Teeth Removal) in Spain

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An issue that one asks when having third molar surgery (wisdom teeth removal) is one whether should have antibiotics administered before or after surgery (or not at all). See for example http://www.teethremoval.com/antibiotic_resistance.html In a recent article appearing in J Evid Base Dent Pract 2012, issue 12, pp. 149-150, Manal A. Awad, reviewed a study exploring amoxicillin administration to those who were having wisdom teeth extracted. The original study was titled “Efficacy of amoxicillin treatment in preventing postoperative complications in patients undergoing third molar surgery: a prospective, randomized, double-blind controlled study,” by Lopez-Cedrun JL, Pijoan JI, Fernandez S, and Santamaria J, Hernandez G and appeared in the electronic 2011 version pages 5 -14, issue 69, number 6. It is well known that amoxicillin is useful in treating oral infections. In the study 123 healthy patients between the ages of 18 and … Read more

Oklahoma Dentist Disciplinary Database

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A lot of media publicity has occurred regarding a case that appeared last month where patients of an oral surgeon in Oklahoma were asked to get tested for HIV and hepatitis after it was found that potentially lax sterilization procedures were used. More on this case is discussed over at Dental Patients Warned of Possible HIV and Hepatitis Exposure Due to Oral Surgeon’s Practices for example. The Tulsa World has been prompted to publish a searchable database of all disciplinary actions taken against dentists, in the state of Oklahoma from January 2000, to January 2013, after the case involving lax sterilization procedures came to light. In that case one patient had four third molars (wisdom teeth) removed and was allegedly given sedation by a dental assistant who should not have been giving sedation. She later developed an infection and liver … Read more

Looking at the Concept of Prevention in Dentistry

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An interesting article written by Jay W. Friedman, DDS, MPH, appears in J Evid Base Dent Pract, vol. 12, pp. 53 – 54, 2012. In the article a discussion of three different types of prevention is made. primary prevention secondary prevention tertiary prevention Primary prevention is described as the well known prevention in which one attempts to not have any dental caries, not have any periodontal disease, and not have any loss of teeth. This form of prevention is when one regularly brushes their teeth, flosses, has a dental cleaning, and radiographs performed. The author discusses how typically dentists recommend 6 month intervals between examinations and cleanings. He then says “Patients who form minimal calculus and have no periodontal disease likewise do not need semiannual prophylaxis, or additional service…Lacking evidence of need, this is not prevention but rather FUN (functionally … Read more