Contribution Of Dentistry Research Articles

Contribution of dentistry in the diagnosis of systemic disorders related to erosive tooth wear

Erosive tooth wear (ETW) is the irreversible loss of dental hard tissue resulting from the chemical-mechanical process. The aim of the present case report was to present two clinical cases of patients affected by ETW arising from different etiological factors. The patients, of the male gender, 9 and 10 years of age presented to the pediatric dental clinic, for routine evaluation. On clinical exam, both patients had no caries lesions, but some lesions suggestive of ETW, which had aspects such as a translucent halo around the occlusal surface of teeth, in addition to "cupping” lesions - mainly in the cusp region, and loss of tooth enamel (by volume). The lesions were restricted to enamel, and the patients showed no dental hypersensitivity. From the dental clinical exam and anamnesis, the two patients were found to have similar tooth structure loss, with diagnosis of ETW. However, in one patient the etiology was extrinsic due to diet, and in the other, it was intrinsic due to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The latter patient was referred to a specialist for evaluation of the systemic condition, and GERD was diagnosed. It was concluded that dentists play an important role, as coadjuvant in the diagnosis of health problems related to ETW. Therefore, meticulous clinical exams must be performed to establish the correct diagnosis, because swift intervention in the clinical cases presented had a positive impact on halting the erosive process.

Current prescribing Practices for Antibiotic Prophylaxis: A Survey of Dental Practitioners.

Antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines have been developed for health care and dentistry. The authors examined whether dentists were following the 2007 American Heart Association (AHA) and the 2012 American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) recommendations for antibiotic prophylaxis. A survey was sent to 600 dentists in the south-central region of the United States. The survey examined dentists' prescribing practices for patients with cardiac and prosthetic joint replacements, antibiotic regimen prescribed, confidence in their prescription decisions, and dentistry's contribution to antibiotic resistance. The response rate was 28.7% (n = 172). Dentists followed the 2007 AHA guidelines for patients with a history of infective endocarditis (95%), and cardiac valves repaired with prosthetic materials (76%) or animal/donor tissue (61%). For prosthetic joint replacement, 72% prescribed antibiotic prophylaxis within the first 2 years after placement and 58% continued to prescribe after 2 years. Amoxicillin was the most frequently prescribed antibiotic for cardiac conditions (92%) and prosthetic joint replacements (77%). No significant differences were found in relation to dentists' gender (p = 0.75), year of graduation (p = 0.71), scope of practice (p = 0.30), and their confidence in their prescription decisions; 73% believed taking multiple doses of antibiotics leads to antibiotic resistance. The majority of dentists were following the 2007 AHA guidelines. Confusion regarding the 2012 AAOS guidelines for prosthetic joint replacement was evident. Keeping current with changing antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines ensures dentists are providing the best evidence-based dentistry for their patients.

Contributions to dentistry honoured

Contributions to dentistry honoured

Sedation: A Guide to Patient Management, 4th Edition

This book, as described in its preface, is designed for the student of medicine or dentistry on a doctoral, postdoctoral, or continuing-education level. It provides the basic concepts needed to fully understand the drugs and techniques for all aspects of conscious sedation, deep sedation, and general anesthesia, as well as the potential complications and emergencies that may arise. This book is neither a physiology nor a pharmacology text and, as such, is designed to be used in conjunction with appropriate texts and clinical training. At times the text can appear rather wordy and repetitive. However, when one considers the audience to which it is intended, this is hardly a criticism and is usually of benefit. This softcover book is composed of 8 major sections: “Introduction;” “Spectrum of Pain and Anxiety Control;” “Oral, Rectal and Intramuscular Sedation;” “Inhalation Sedation;” “Intravenous Sedation;” “General Anesthesia;” “Emergency Preparation and Management,” and a final section titled “Special Considerations,” which discusses the pediatric, geriatric, and medically compromised patient and which involves all body systems. These major sections are further divided into 39 chapters, an appendix, and 3 addendums. The sections cover almost 600 individual topics as outlined in the index. This book relies heavily on Dr Malamed's extensive experience and insight with respect to all aspects of sedation. For example, an excellent chapter on iatrosedation illustrates this point and is often anecdotal and clearly emphasizes his comment that “an attitude of caring must become an integral part of office philosophy.” The chapters on nitrous oxide conscious sedation are particularly well illustrated and also contain a nice discussion on respiratory physiology as well as a review of the history of anesthesia and sedation and the invaluable contribution of dentistry, both past and present. To further illustrate the depth of this book, chapter 9, which discusses sublingual, transdermal, and intranasal sedation, contains an excellent description of various transdermal delivery systems. Similarly, the chapter on geriatrics is especially timely and well written. Of course, some points could be argued. For example, Dr Malamed reports that fentanyl should be used with caution in patients taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors within 14 days. This certainly applies to meperidine (Demerol). Also, the cautious use of atropine in asthma is certainly now controversial. The suggested use of Innovar for premedication would often alarm many anesthesiologists! In addition, there is no mention—however controversial—of droperidol causing prolongation of the QT interval. Similarly, many anesthesiologists could argue about the notion that isoflurane “has a pleasant odor” and “is non-irritating.” Also, from my experience, a 10- to 25-mg intravenous dose of ephedrine would generally be excessive. These are rather minor points in an otherwise excellent book that has frequently been called—and rightfully so—a “gold standard,” especially for the undergraduate dental student. Superbly illustrated, the body of the text is summarized by numerous “boxes.” Each chapter is referenced directly in the body of the text and is followed by an up-to-date list of references, which often contains classic papers and texts as well as up-to-date clinical and scientific papers. The book concludes with an index. This book clearly emphasizes proper patient evaluation, preparation, and technique regarding the conduct of every aspect of the patient's overall dental experience. It is written and illustrated in an almost step-by-step fashion. I was pleased to see the word reserve used frequently when discussing the patient's physiology, but the newer term metabolic equivalents is not used. This book should be an integral part of any education program that involves any consideration of patient management in either dentistry or medicine.

The Crash of LOT Flight 007: Dental Identification

The authors record the contribution of dentistry to the identification of American victims of one of the most significant aircraft tragedies involving American athletes-the March 1980 crash of a Soviet-made Ilyushin 62 Polish jetliner and the deaths of 31 Americans including a 22-member U.S. amateur boxing team with several U.S. Olympic team candidates. Preparedness was a factor in the dental team's ability to resolve many notable and unexpected problems. Jurisdictional restraints that Polish authorities imposed on the U.S. investigative team hindered its efforts to identify American passengers. The team used dental and fingerprint methods of identification whenever possible and obtained further evidence from anthropologic methods, visual recognition, and personal effects. Dental readiness, organization, methodology, and lessons learned are documented in this paper.

Jonestown Tragedy Revisited: The Role of Dentistry

The authors record the contribution of dentistry to the identification of victims of one of the most significant tragedies of the 20th century--the mass suicide of members of a religious cult, which initially resulted in 913 deaths and ultimately in 923. Though forensic dentistry played a significant part in identifying victims, the only report by members of the United States identification team did not examine dentistry's valuable role. Furthermore, the dental-investigation aspects have been mentioned merely in passing by the news media despite an infinite number of stories on the tragedy ranging from factual to expose. The dental team's organization, methodology, and significant contributions to forensic dentistry and a variety of remarkable problems that the team encountered and the lessons learned from them are documented in this paper.

Expanding the Boundaries: Enhancing Dentistry's Contribution to Overall Health and Well‐Being of Children

The Surgeon General's Report, Oral Health in America, is the first comprehensive assessment of oral, dental, and craniofacial health in the history of our nation. The intent of this report is to alert all Americans to the full meaning of oral health and its importance to general health and well-being across the life span. Moreover, the report has been released at a time of enormous changes in human history as well as opportunities. The convergence of public health policies, "quality of life" expectations, global informatics, a new century of biotechnology, the advent of nanotechnology, the completion of the human genome project, changes in the management of health care, and the acknowledgment of enormous health disparities heralds a call to action. These changes affect children and their caregivers and the elderly. They also affect the social, economic, and health issues associated with special patients, including those with developmental disabilities. This paper highlights dentistry's future and how oral health is broadening the impact on patient and community health and dental practice, with a focus on children's oral health. The paper provides recommendations and suggests a call to action.

Tenerife Revisited: The Critical Role of Dentistry

The authors record the contribution of dentistry to the identification of victims of one of the most significant disasters in the history of aviation-the March 1977 collision of two Boeing 747 jumbo jets in the Canary Islands, which resulted in 583 fatalities. Dental identification was the primary method of victim identification because a high percentage of the bodies were severely burned. Virtually all aspects of the U.S. identification efforts have been reported with the exception of the valuable role of dentistry. The dental team's organization, methodology, and significant contributions to forensic dentistry and a variety of remarkable problems that the team encountered are documented.

An evaluation of mouthguard programs in Texas high school football

Recent publications have indicated the interest in and controversy surrounding mouth protectors in sports dentistry. Mouth protection for athletes has been and continues to be dentistry's contribution to sports. Perhaps no other item of protective equipment is more effective in reducing injury to football players than a mouthguard. Although protection is no longer doubtful when a mouthguard is worn, there are still many mouthguards used that are not acceptable to the athletes in terms of comfort, durability, and speech. It is the responsibility of the dental profession to develop and dispense the best mouthguards available. From the present study it may be concluded that a properly constructed custom-made mouthguard will minimize the common complaints coaches and trainers have concerning mouthguards. It is apparent that more education about the types of mouthguards, their merits, and their availability is needed.

Biological Effects and Radiation Protection in the Dental Office

In conclusion, it is important to point out that dentistry's contribution to the United States population's radiation exposure is small. Significant improvements have been made, but since dentistry is only one of the contributors to the population's total exposure to radiation, it is important that we make every effort to keep our contribution as low as is practical. Unnecessary exposure should be reduced whenever possible but this should not be used to deter the practitioner from obtaining radiographs when they are clinically indicated. It is very likely that the risk to the United States population resulting from failure to obtain adequate diagnostic information when radiographs are indicated is considerably greater than any risk resulting from their use.