May 15, 2007

MI-Info: Public Health Informatics

MI-Info is an NIH grant funded project to bring core information and informatics skills to the public health workforce in Michigan through skills building tutorials and highlighted resources. Major tutorial topics include:

* Evidence Based Public Health
* Finding Health Statistics Online
* Searching the Internet
* Searching the Public Health Literature
* Staying Informed
* Health Education Resources

While the primary focus is on the public health workforce, these clear and easy-to-follow tutorials cover information skills much need by all health care workers and highlight both free resources as well as those limited to residents of the state Michigan. Highly recommended.

Michigan Informatics (MI-Info): informatics for the public health workforce: http://www.sph.umich.edu/mi-info/

Posted by pfa at 02:18 PM | Comments (0)

April 30, 2007

Preschool Tooth Decay On the Rise

New from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), the most recent statistical report on oral health trends in America has as its most publicized finding the increase of caries in preschool children.

Oral Health Improving for Most Americans, But Tooth Decay Among Preschool Children on the Rise: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/07newsreleases/oralhealth.htm

Trends in Oral Health Status: United States, 1988-1994 and 1999-2004. Series 11, Number 248. 104 pp. (PHS) 2007-1698. Preliminary Report. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_11/sr11_248.pdf [PDF 2.8MB]

Posted by pfa at 12:54 PM | Comments (0)

March 08, 2007

Entry #200!: International Women's Day & Exhibit: Women & Children First

In honor of International Women's Day, the Dentistry Library would like to direct your attention to our current exhibit:

Women and Children First: The Origins of Hygiene and Preventive Care in Dentistry.

Preventive care in dentistry was inspired in large part by the needs of children and through the determination and inspiration of women. In short, dentistry would not be what it is today without women and children.

If you haven't had a chance to see it yet, please stop by the library to see our exhibit. If you can't make it to the library, you can find a selection of some of the images here.

Women and Children First: The Origins of Hygiene and Preventive Care in Dentistry: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosefirerising/sets/72157594577380706/

International Women's Day: http://www.internationalwomensday.com/

"Celebrated on 8 March, International Women's Day (IWD) is the global day connecting all women around the world and inspiring them to achieve their full potential. IWD celebrates the collective power of women past, present and future."


My thanks to Valentina G. for bringing this event to my attention.

Posted by pfa at 12:11 PM | Comments (0)

March 06, 2007

Headline: Untreated Toothache Leads to Death

In today's headlines, articles are focusing on how financial problems in Medicaid led to a child's death.

ABC News: Toothache leads to boy's death, Tragedy underscores the need for better dental services among U.S. children (by Laura Owings): http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2925584&page=1

"A simple toothache can be fatal. That is the sobering message a 12-year-old Maryland boy left when, after his dental problems went untreated, he succumbed to a severe brain infection."

The news is relating the death to problems in Medicaid that make it difficult for both the parent and dentist to provide care.

"In fact, experts say the low rates Medicaid offers to cover dental services are less than what it costs the doctor to do the actual treatment."

Posted by pfa at 09:07 AM | Comments (0)

March 03, 2007

New From CDC: The Burden of Oral Disease

The Burden of Oral Disease: A Tool for Creating State Documents:
http://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/library/burdenbook/index.htm

Highlights include: National and State Objectives on Oral Health; The Burden of Oral Diseases; Risk and Protective Factors Affecting Oral Diseases; Provision of Dental Services.

"The Burden of Oral Disease tool was created to assist states with creating a comprehensive document that describes the state's burden of oral disease. ... It focuses on the indicators contained in the National Oral Health Surveillance System and other recommended elements using Healthy People 2010 indicators. The tool includes an outline, example text, national data, and references that can be used to document the prevalence of oral disease, unmet dental needs, and disparities in oral health."

Posted by pfa at 09:34 PM | Comments (0)

January 17, 2007

New: Gum Disease Associated with Pancreatic Cancer

In today's issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, there is an article extending the range of diseases now known to be associated with poor oral health.

Dominique S. Michaud, Kaumudi Joshipura, Edward Giovannucci, and Charles S. Fuchs
A Prospective Study of Periodontal Disease and Pancreatic Cancer in US Male Health Professionals
J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 2007 99: 171-175; doi:10.1093/jnci/djk021
http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/99/2/171

Posted by pfa at 05:29 PM | Comments (0)

January 13, 2007

Dentistry in the News, Recent Highlights

Just a few selections showing how dentistry is being portrayed in recent news articles.

(1)

NEWS ARTICLE:
Pacifier Use Assists In Reducing Incidence Of SIDS, Study Finds (January 11, 2007): http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070111104340.htm

SOURCE:
Soxman, Jane A. Non-nutritive sucking with a pacifier: Pros and cons.
General Dentistry, January/February 2007, pages 59-62
http://www.agd.org/library/articles/?ArtID=631

(2)

NEWS ARTICLE:
Dentists Sink Their Teeth Into Fighting Alcoholism - Patients Approve
Wednesday January 10, 4:10 pm ET (Yahoo News): http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070110/clw153.html?.v=2

SOURCE:
Alcohol screening in dental patients: The prevalence of hazardous drinking and patients’ attitudes about screening and advice
Peter M. Miller, Michele C. Ravenel, Abigail E. Shealy, and Suzanne Thomas. J Am Dent Assoc 2006; 137: 1692-1698.
http://jada.ada.org/cgi/content/abstract/137/12/1692

(3)

NEWS ARTICLE:
Take Precaution - Stop Fluoridation: http://www.openpr.com/news/14406/Take-Precaution-Stop-Fluoridation.html


SOURCE:
"The precautionary principle calls for preventive actions in the face of uncertain information about risks."

What Does the Precautionary Principle Mean for Evidence-Based Dentistry?
Joel Tickner, ScDa, Melissa Coffin, BAb
Journal of Evidence-based Dental Practice, Volume 6, Issue 1, Pages 6-15 (March 2006)
www.jebdp.com/article/PIIS1532338205002393/abstract

Posted by pfa at 03:16 PM | Comments (0)

December 24, 2006

Avian Influenza Resources

The Health Sciences Libraries (Dentistry, Taubman Medical, and Public Health) have partnered to provide the following collection of online resources about avian flu and pandemic response / preparedness.

Health Sciences Libraries: Guides: Avian Influenza Resources: http://www.lib.umich.edu/hsl/guides/avianflu.html

The links on the page above take you to sections within a collection of resources in del.icio.us -- a free bookmarking and productivity tool. The main sections we are highlighting for you are these:

- Major Avian Flu Portals
- Overviews of Avian Flu
- Disaster Planning
- Personal and Family Planning
- Local Michigan Information
- News and Travel Information
- Research

You can either go directly to one of those sections and browse the links available there, or you can browse the entire collection of over 40 recommended links. Each link includes a brief note describing why the resource is useful as well as terms (called "tags" in Del.icio.us) that you might think of as subject headings. The tags or subject headings describe the resource in a little more detail, and help you decide if you want to visit that site.

There is additional information on how to use Del.icio.us at their help page.

Del.icio.us: http://del.icio.us/

Del.icio.us: Help: http://del.icio.us/help/

Posted by pfa at 12:14 PM | Comments (0)

December 09, 2006

NIDCR/CDC Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Data Resource Center

For those of you not aware of this resource, it is worth checking out. The NIDCR/CDC DOCDRC contains a large amount of collated data on topics of interest, including:

- Dental Caries
- Dental Visits
- Oral and Pharyngeal Cancers
- Self-Assessed Oral Health Status
- Periodontal Assessment/Disease
- Usual Source of Dental Care
- Sealants
- Orofacial Pain
- Smokeless Tobacco Lesions
- Tobacco Use
- Tooth Loss
- Dental Insurance

They also include test instruments, a search engine to locate specific queries or data sets, and links to recommended resources. One example of these useful links is this new report from MMWR.

Surveillance for Dental Caries, Dental Sealants, Tooth Retention, Edentulism, and Enamel Fluorosis -- United States 1988-1994 and 1999-2002. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5403a1.htm

You may have previously encountered this useful resources as:

National Oral Health Information Clearinghouse: The Oral health database at the no longer functional URL of
http://www.nohic.nidcr.nih.gov/data.html

This was a subsection of the Combined Health Information Database, which was discontinued September 2006.

We recently received notice that there is a new location for this, so please update your bookmarks!

-----------------------------------
The NIDCR/CDC Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Data Resource Center (DRC) is moving to a new server!

During the transition to the new server, people attempting to access the DRC Web site may receive an error message, instead of being redirected to the new Web address.

Please update your bookmarks for the DRC's new URL -- http://drc.hhs.gov/ .

For more information please contact:
Pamela Martinez, MLS
Senior Research Librarian
NIDCR/CDC Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Data Resource Center
2101 Gaither Rd., Suite 600
Rockville, MD 20850
pamela.martinez@ngc.com
301-527-6670

Posted by pfa at 08:23 AM | Comments (0)

December 01, 2006

AIDS Day Posters

World AIDS Day is a time for awareness of how this disease has changed all of our lives, whether we know someone with AIDS, someone who died of AIDS or not.

Today's highlight is a collection of public health posters from the Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library from UCLA.

UCLA: Darling Biomedical Library: AIDS Posters: http://digital.library.ucla.edu/aidsposters/

Here are some other interesting resources from libraries about AIDS & HIV.

UCSF Library: Galen: AIDS History Project: http://www.library.ucsf.edu/collres/archives/ahp/

BUMC Medical Library: Boston AIDS Information Outreach Project: Finding HIV/AIDS Information on the Web Tutorial: http://med-libwww.bu.edu/library/tutorial/index.html

Posted by pfa at 11:48 AM | Comments (0)

November 17, 2006

Health Statistics and Trends: New EBook Available

There is a new electronic book available that provides very useful information on the health statistics and trends in America. It is a chartbook, so includes presentation-ready graphics to illustrate the concepts included. The content is available both in an interactive and searchable online version as well as a formatted PDF version for downloading. Just as a small sampling of the topics included are trends in dental visits, untreated dental caries, mothers who smoked during pregnancy, and much much more.

Health, United States, 2005 (With Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans) [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Michael O. Leavitt, Secretary; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Julie Louise Gerberding, M.D., M.P.H., Director; National Center for Health Statistics, Edward J. Sondik, Ph.D., Director]:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=healthus05.chapter.trend-tables
PDF Version: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bookres.fcgi/healthus05/healthus05.pdf

Posted by pfa at 11:20 AM | Comments (0)

October 25, 2006

Bisphosphonates and Osteonecrosis of the Jaw

In support of yesterday's excellent and well attended presentation by Dr. Joseph Helman, we would like to offer the following selected resources on bisphosphonates and osteonecrosis of the jaw. Sections below include information for patients, for practitioners, and articles from the professional literature.

Please note that while links to articles and abstracts are provided as possible, to get access to the full article you may need to navigate to the article from a UM Library service. One way to do this would be to enter PubMed from a UM web page, log in if off campus, and then enter the PMID number. Go to the bottom of the resulting page, and click on the block-M.

For those who would like more information, custom searches in PubMed are provided.


* INFORMATION FOR PATIENTS

ADA: Oral Health Topics: Osteonecrosis of the Jaw: http://www.ada.org/public/topics/osteonecrosis.asp

AGD: Treatment drug may cause jaw bone to die: http://www.agd.org/media/2006/june/treatment.asp

NIAMS: Oral Health and Bone Disease: http://www.niams.nih.gov/bone/hi/oralhealth_bone.htm


* INFORMATION FOR PROFESSIONALS

ADA: A-Z Topics: Osteonecrosis of the Jaw: http://www.ada.org/prof/resources/topics/osteonecrosis.asp

ADA Council on Scientific Affairs. Expert Panel Recommendations: Dental Management of Patients on Oral Bisphosphonate Therapy. June 2006. [PDF, 159K]

Migliorati CA, Casiglia J, Epstein J, Jacobsen PL, Siegel MA, Woo SB. Managing the care of patients with bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis: an American Academy of Oral Medicine position paper. Abstract.
J Am Dent Assoc. 2005 Dec;136(12):1658-68. Review. Erratum in: J Am Dent Assoc. 2006 Jan;137(1):26.
PMID: 16383047

NIDCR: Oral Care Provider's Reference Guide for Oncology Patients: http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/HealthInformation/DiseasesAndConditions/CancerTreatmentAndOralHealth/Oral%20Care%20Providers%20Reference%20Guide%20for%20Oncology%20Patients.htm


* ARTICLES

Badros A, Weikel D, Salama A, Goloubeva O, Schneider A, Rapoport A, Fenton R, Gahres N, Sausville E, Ord R, Meiller T.
Osteonecrosis of the jaw in multiple myeloma patients: clinical features and risk factors. Abstract.
J Clin Oncol. 2006 Feb 20;24(6):945-52.
PMID: 16484704

Lacy MQ, Dispenzieri A, Gertz MA, Greipp PR, Gollbach KL, Hayman SR, Kumar S, Lust JA, Rajkumar SV, Russell SJ, Witzig TE, Zeldenrust SR, Dingli D, Bergsagel PL, Fonseca R, Reeder CB, Stewart AK, Roy V, Dalton RJ, Carr AB, Kademani D, Keller EE, Viozzi CF, Kyle RA.
Mayo clinic consensus statement for the use of bisphosphonates in multiple myeloma.
Mayo Clin Proc. 2006 Aug;81(8):1047-53. Review.
PMID: 16901028

Marx RE, Sawatari Y, Fortin M, Broumand V.
Bisphosphonate-induced exposed bone (osteonecrosis/osteopetrosis) of the jaws: risk factors, recognition, prevention, and treatment. Abstract.
J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2005 Nov;63(11):1567-75.
PMID: 16243172

Nase JB, Suzuki JB.
Osteonecrosis of the jaw and oral bisphosphonate treatment. Abstract.
J Am Dent Assoc. 2006 Aug;137(8):1115-9; quiz 1169-70.
PMID: 16873327

Ruggiero SL, Mehrotra B, Rosenberg TJ, Engroff SL.
Osteonecrosis of the jaws associated with the use of bisphosphonates: a review of 63 cases.Abstract.
J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2004 May;62(5):527-34.
PMID: 15122554

Scully C, Madrid C, Bagan J.
Dental endosseous implants in patients on bisphosphonate therapy. Abstract.
Implant Dent. 2006 Sep;15(3):212-8.
PMID: 16966893


* WANT MORE?

Pubmed Search: Bisphosphonates and Osteonecrosis of the Jaw

Pubmed Search (Free Full Text Only): Bisphosphonates and Osteonecrosis of the Jaw

Posted by pfa at 01:12 PM | Comments (0)

October 20, 2006

US Water Fluoridation Maps Available

New from the CDC, an interactive map of the United States that allows you to check local water fluoridation levels.

"My Water’s Fluoride allows consumers in currently participating states to learn the fluoridation status of their water system."

To use this map, click first on the state, then on the county, and lastly on the city. Many city entries will also include the option to view the operational reports for that jurisdiction.

CDC: My Water's Fluoride: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/MWF/Index.asp

Posted by pfa at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)

October 10, 2006

More Dental Statistics from the CDC

Our previous entry on statistics focused primarily on international resources. What if you want to know the percentage of edentulous persons in Utah? The US data is available in various forms from the CDC. Here are some examples of information available.

CDC: National Oral Health Surveillance System: http://www.cdc.gov/nohss/

Beltran-Aguilar ED, Barker LK, Canto MT, Dye BA, Gooch BF, Griffin SO, Hyman J, Jaramillo F, Kingman A, Nowjack-Raymer R, Selwitz RH, Wu T. Surveillance for Dental Caries, Dental Sealants, Tooth Retention, Edentulism, and Enamel Fluorosis. MMWR Surveillance Summaries 2005;54(03);1–44. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5403a1.htm

Eke, PI, Thornton-Evans GO, DDS, Beckles GL. Dental Visits Among Dentate Adults with Diabetes—United States, 1999 and 2004. MMWR, November 25, 2005;54(46):1181–1183. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5446a3.htm

Gooch BF, Eke PI, Malvitz DM. Public Health and Aging: Retention of Natural Teeth Among Older Adults -- United States, 2002. MMWR;52(50):1226–29. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5250a3.htm

Macek M, Matte T, Sinks T, Malvitz D. Blood Lead Concentrations in Children and Method of Water Fluoridation, United States, 1988–1994. Environmental Health Perspectives 2005. Available from http://dx.doi.org/* using code: 10.1289/ehp.8319.

Surveillance for Use of Preventive Health-Care Services by Older Adults, 1995-1997. MMWR, December 17, 1999;48(SS08):51–88. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss4808a4.htm

Total Tooth Loss Among Persons Aged Greater Than or Equal to 65 Years — Selected States, 1995-1997. MMWR, March 19, 1999;48(10):206–210. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00056723.htm

For more, check the CDC's Oral Health page [http://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/index.htm] and their collection of Data Systems [http://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/data_systems/index.htm]. The latter includes Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Data Resource Center (DRC), My Water's Fluoride, Oral Health Maps, and Synopses.

Posted by pfa at 08:29 PM | Comments (0)

August 15, 2006

News Flash: Nicotine ... Protects?

The Parkinson's Institute: Nicotine Found to Protect Against Parkinson's-Like Brain Damage:
http://www.thepi.org/altruesite/files/parkinson/News/TPI%20Nicotine%20Research%20Press%20Release.html

Chronic oral nicotine treatment protects against striatal degeneration in MPTP-treated primates / Journal of Neurochemistry: (Online Early: Published article online 01 Aug 2006)
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1471-4159.2006.04078.x

Posted by pfa at 02:25 PM | Comments (0)

July 18, 2006

Periodontitis or Biofilms as a Source of Disease?

As a break from the Omics blog series, I'd like to just mention an interesting article recently released from the CDC.

O'Connor SM, Taylor CE, Hughes JM. Emerging infectious determinants of chronic diseases. Emerg Infect Dis 2006 Jul. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no07/06-0037.htm

To my mind, this sounded like it really ought to mention some of the recent research in dentistry linking periodontal infections and heart disease. This article doesn't do that, but it does mention biofilms as being related to this line of research. More generally, it is a very interesting overview of research in many different areas of medicine linking various infectious agents with chronic diseases, including cancer. Worth a look.

Posted by pfa at 05:55 PM | Comments (0)

May 26, 2006

Most Requested Dental Statistics

There are two particular statistics I am asked for on a fairly frequent basis -- 1) caries prevalence in various countries; and 2) distribution of dentists comparied to population for various countries. I thought perhaps it would help folks find them more easily if I post them here.

Global Statistics about Caries

WHO Oral Health Country/Area Profile Programme: http://www.whocollab.od.mah.se/index.html

International Statistics about the Dental Workforce

Global Atlas of the Health Workforce: http://www.who.int/globalatlas/DataQuery/default.asp

More International Health Statistics

FYI, WHOSIS, the statistical system from the World Health Organization, is in the process of a substantial change. For a brief time, you can still access both systems.

WHOSIS (WHO Statistical Information System): World Health Statistics 2006: http://www.who.int/whosis/en/

Posted by pfa at 04:10 PM | Comments (0)

May 24, 2006

Free Bilingual Children's Book from Crest

This press release announces a book by actress and former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres published with the partnership of Proctor and Gamble and endorsed by the Hispanic Dental Association.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060523/cltu041.html?.v=51

Dayanara Torres Co-Authors Children's Book Exclusively for Crest Healthy Smiles Program: Bi-lingual Book Delivers Positive Oral Health Message and is Available To Consumers for Free for a Limited Time

"The book, written in English and Spanish, chronicles the experiences of a brother and sister as they take their first trip to the dentist. It will be released in limited quantity for free beginning May 23, 2006 through July 29th, just in time for summer reading. Consumers can order their free copy by calling toll-free 1-866-989-9968 or by logging onto www.cresthealthysmiles.com for details."

Posted by pfa at 06:52 AM | Comments (0)

May 04, 2006

Free Life Science and Health Books Online

Taken a look at the PubMed Bookshelf lately? Not only are there are several new books (free, fulltext) about public health and global health issues, but you can also search the content of their entire collection of books. For example, a search for matrix metalloproteinases brings back 72 results in 9 books; while a search for ("antibiotic prophylaxis" OR "SBE prophylaxis") gives 90 results in 8 books. Worth checking out. Meanwhile, here are those new books I mentioned.

Posted by pfa at 01:48 PM | Comments (0)

April 24, 2006

Financial (and Related) Resources for Patients

General Information about Financial Resources for Health Treatment and Care

General Information about Financial Resources for Michigan Residents

See also our Guide to Online Drug Information Resources, which includes a section on Patient Assistance Programs and Compassionate Use.

Posted by pfa at 09:09 AM | Comments (0)

April 18, 2006

JAMA's New Studies on Amalgam's Health Impacts

The prestigious medical journal JAMA released today two randomized controlled clinical trials on the longterm health effects of amalgam restorations in children. Both trials found no measurable ill effects of amalgam.

Neuropsychological and Renal Effects of Dental Amalgam in Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial
David C. Bellinger, PhD, MSc; Felicia Trachtenberg, PhD; Lars Barregard, MD, PhD; Mary Tavares, DMD, MPH; Elsa Cernichiari, MS; David Daniel, PhD; Sonja McKinlay, PhD.
JAMA. 2006;295:1775-1783:
FREE ARTICLE: http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/295/15/1775

"Conclusions In this study, there were no statistically significant differences in adverse neuropsychological or renal effects observed over the 5-year period in children whose caries were restored using dental amalgam or composite materials. Although it is possible that very small IQ effects cannot be ruled out, these findings suggest that the health effects of amalgam restorations in children need not be the basis of treatment decisions when choosing restorative dental materials."

Neurobehavioral Effects of Dental Amalgam in Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Timothy A. DeRouen, PhD; Michael D. Martin, DMD, PhD; Brian G. Leroux, PhD; Brenda D. Townes, PhD; James S. Woods, PhD, MPH; Jorge Leitão, MD, MS; Alexandre Castro-Caldas, MD, PhD; Henrique Luis, MS; Mario Bernardo, DMD, PhD; Gail Rosenbaum, MS; Isabel P. Martins, MD, PhD
JAMA. 2006;295:1784-1792.
UM Only: http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/295/15/1784

"Conclusions In this study, children who received dental restorative treatment with amalgam did not, on average, have statistically significant differences in neurobehavioral assessments or in nerve conduction velocity when compared with children who received resin composite materials without amalgam. These findings, combined with the trend of higher treatment need later among those receiving composite, suggest that amalgam should remain a viable dental restorative option for children."

Posted by pfa at 09:36 PM | Comments (0)

April 15, 2006

National Child Abuse Prevention Month

April 2006 is the National Child Abuse Prevention Month. The UM School of Dentistry has highlighted this issue with its own local research by D2 student, John Thomas.

The White House proclamation on this shows that the importance of this topic is recognized nationwide.

More information on this topic is available from various government agencies.

Where to report suspected abuse for Michigan dentists:

Posted by pfa at 04:02 PM | Comments (0)

April 13, 2006

Autism Awareness Month 2006

In honor of Autism Awareness Month, we would like to draw your attention to the following resources on oral health and autism spectrum disorders.

More about Autism-Spectrum Disorders and Autism Awareness Month.

Posted by pfa at 03:14 PM | Comments (0)

April 12, 2006

LactMed: A New Database on Drugs and Lactation

"LactMed, a free online database with information on drugs and lactation, is one of the newest additions to the National Library of Medicines (NLM) TOXNET system, a Web-based collection of resources covering toxicology, chemical safety, and environmental health. Geared to the healthcare practitioner and nursing mother, LactMed contains over 450 drug records. It includes information such as maternal levels in breast milk, infant levels in blood, potential effects in breastfeeding infants and on lactation itself, the American Academy of Pediatrics category indicating the level of compatibility of the drug with breastfeeding, and alternate drugs to consider. References are included, as is nomenclature information, such as the drugs Chemical Abstract Services (CAS) Registry number and its broad drug class."

LactMed: http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?LACT

Posted by pfa at 11:06 AM | Comments (0)

April 07, 2006

World Health Day 2006: Working Together for Health

Today is World Health Day, an annual event sponsored primarily by the World Health Organization. This year, the event focuses on a celebration of the health care workers and professionals throughout the world and an acknowledgment of a lack of much needed professional expertise and health care workers in many parts of the world.

World Health Organization (WHO): World Health Day: Working Together for Health: http://www.who.int/world-health-day/2006/en/

"Health workers - the people who provide health care to those who need it - are the heart of health systems. But around the world, the health workforce is in crisis - a crisis to which no country is entirely immune. The results are evident: clinics with no health workers, hospitals that cannot recruit or keep key staff."

Related links from WHO:

Posted by pfa at 11:04 AM | Comments (0)

March 28, 2006

A Health Professional’s Guide to Pediatric Oral Health Management

New from the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center, this online training tool addresses the core question of appropriate referral to pediatric dentists from family medicine care providers.

National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center: A Health Professional’s Guide to Pediatric Oral Health Management: http://www.mchoralhealth.org/pediatricoh/index.htm

"These modules provide health professionals with information to help them prevent oral diseases, which still afflict many U.S. children, especially children from families with low incomes, children in certain minority groups, and children with special health care needs. The modules assist health professionals in performing an oral screening to identify infants and children at increased risk for oral health problems, offering referrals to oral health professionals, and providing parents with anticipatory guidance."

Posted by pfa at 01:18 PM | Comments (0)

March 24, 2006

HON offers free personalized tool about smoking cessation

Health on the Net Foundation (HON): HON Dossier: Quit Smoking: Your online smoking cessation adviser: http://www.hon.ch/QuitSmoking/step0.html

"A few seconds after answering this questionnaire, you will receive a personal evaluation report based on your answers. ... Participation is free of charge."

Other similar resources available for promoting public health initiatives include:

These are all available from the HON Dossier page:

http://www.hon.ch/Dossier/110_HONDossier.htm

Posted by pfa at 11:13 AM | Comments (0)

March 20, 2006

Availability of Software Program to Assess Total Fluoride Exposure

----------- QUOTED MATERIAL ---------------

The NIDCR and NHLBI wish to announce the availability of the Nutrition Data System for Research with Fluoride (NDS-R Fluoride), the first software designed to assess total fluoride exposure of humans from both dietary and non-dietary sources. The software was developed as a new functional model for the Nutrition Data System for Research (NDS-R), a well established computerized database and interview system used by nutrition researchers for collection of dietary information and calculation of nutrient intakes.

The NDS-R Fluoride software is available on a CD-ROM accompanied by a comprehensive Online User Manual fully documenting its features and functionality and providing instructions for its use in a research setting. Training seminars also can be arranged. For information on how to license the NDS-R Fluoride software and the fee schedule contact, please see:
http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-DE-06-002.html

For additional questions or information, contact:
María Teresa Canto, DDS, MPH
Director, Health Promotion and Comunity-based Research Program
Center for Health Promotion and Behavioral Research
NIDCR/NIH/DHHS
Phone: 301-594-5497, E-mail: maria.canto@nih.gov

----------- QUOTED MATERIAL ---------------

Posted by pfa at 03:51 PM | Comments (0)

March 14, 2006

Mercury in the Legislative News

The BBC today reported on efforts by the European Parliament to reduce mercury in the environment, in part by limiting the use of mercury in dental fillings.

BBC News (Tuesday, 14 March 2006, 18:05 GMT): Euro MPs back mercury crackdown: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4801434.stm

Discussion was substantially based on the following document.

EUROPA: European Commission: Communication from the Commission: Community Strategy Concerning Mercury [COM (2005) 20 final]: http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/lex/LexUriServ/site/en/com/2005/com2005_0020en01.pdf

Posted by pfa at 03:27 PM | Comments (0)

March 08, 2006

New Reports on Tobacco from World Health Organization

(1) World Health Organization (WHO): Tobacco Free Initiative (TFI: Why is Tobacco a Public Health Priority?: http://www.who.int/tobacco/en/

"Tobacco is the second major cause of death in the world. It is currently responsible for the death of one in ten adults worldwide (about 5 million deaths each year). If current smoking patterns continue, it will cause some 10 million deaths each year by 2020. Half the people that smoke today -that is about 650 million people- will eventually be killed by tobacco."

(2) Best Practices in Tobacco Control - Regulation of Tobacco Products Canada Report: http://www.who.int/tobacco/global_interaction/tobreg/canadian_bp/en/index.html

"The Tobacco Free Initiative announces the release of a best practices report highlighting Canadian tobacco product regulation. The Canadian tobacco regulatory regime, identified as one of the best by TFI and the WHO Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation (TobReg), incorporates mandatory periodic emissions testing, emissions disclosure based on all characteristics of the tobacco product, and labelling requirements which mandate large, clear health warnings and informational messages. And most noteworthy, this best practice shows how Canada, in an effort to promote public health goals, creatively maneuvered around the limitations of the ISO smoking machine testing protocol by amending their regulation to require manufacturers to additionally test using a more intense testing regimen."

(3) TobReg - Advisory Note Waterpipe Tobacco Smoking: Health Effects, Research Needs and Recommended Actions by Regulators (in English and Arabic): http://www.who.int/tobacco/global_interaction/tobreg/waterpipe/en/index.html

"This advisory note addresses the growing concerns about the increasing prevalence and potential health effects of tobacco smoking using waterpipes, a practice which dates back for at least four centuries in Africa and Asia."

Posted by pfa at 03:46 PM | Comments (0)

March 07, 2006

FDI: "Live, Learn, Laugh" A Global Public Health Initiative

FDI / World Dental Federation: Live.Learn.Laugh: http://www.fdiworldental.org/public_health/4_3LLL.html

"Unilever and the FDI have created a unique partnership - Live. Learn. Laugh. - with the aim of increasing oral health education and promotion in countries around the world. The partnership enables National Dental Associations (NDAs) to propose oral health projects for their countries. Funding will be available to implement projects locally. The partnership has been made possible because of both organisations' deeply held conviction that good oral care is a building block for health and well-being - and that improved oral care begins at grassroots level."

Posted by pfa at 10:58 AM | Comments (0)

March 02, 2006

American Academy of Pediatrics Promotes Dentistry

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) promotes dentistry in a recent news article.

Prevent early childhood caries: Integrate oral health activities into routine pediatric care. Boulter and Romano-Clarke AAP News.2006; 27: 21.

The article discusses recommendations from the AAPD and Bright Futures (Georgetown University). Additional information is available from both.

Bright Futures in Practice: Oral Health: http://www.brightfutures.org/oralhealth/pdf/index.html

Past AAPD President’s Editorial Addresses Epidemic of Early Childhood Caries: http://www.aapd.org/media/pediatricdentistryarticles.asp?NEWS_ID=401?

Also of interest would be the AAP policy statement on early childhood caries.

Oral Health Risk Assessment Timing and Establishment of the Dental Home [PEDIATRICS Vol. 111 No. 5 May 2003, pp. 1113-1116]: http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;111/5/1113

Posted by pfa at 11:12 AM | Comments (0)

February 19, 2006

SPIRAL: Selected Patient Information in Asian Languages

SPIRAL is a resource developed jointly by the South Cove Community Health Center and Tufts University Hirsh Health Sciences Library. It includes patient information in Cambodian/Khmer, Chinese, Hmong, Korean, Lao, Thai, and Vietnamese. It includes information for patients on many diseases or areas of the body, including dental health. The types of guides available for Asian patients in the area of dental health range from hygiene, diseases, treatments, pregnancy, anatomy, infant oral health care, and concerns about dental bills or insurance.

SPIRAL: Selected Patient Information in Asian Languages: http://spiral.tufts.edu/

Posted by pfa at 05:40 PM | Comments (0)

February 10, 2006

National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center

National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center (OHRC),
Georgetown University:
http://www.mchoralhealth.org/

Released just in time for Children's Dental Health Month in February, OHRC's newest resource collection is for the public.

OHRC: Knowledge Path: Oral Health and Children and Adolescents: http://www.mchoralhealth.org/knwpathoralhealth.html

Knowledge Path contains a wide variety of critically selected links for consumer health information for parents and families. Also for families, their Bright Futures Toolbox contains more links and includes materials in languages other than English.

OHRC: Bright Futures Toolbox: http://www.mchoralhealth.org/Toolbox/families.html

Also of interest would be the resources for health professionals, including sections for medical clinicians who encounter dental concerns in their patients, distance learning resources, and a dental clinic manual.

Posted by pfa at 06:00 PM | Comments (0)

February 06, 2006

Smokefree.gov

Smokefree.gov is the highlighted website this month from NIH News in Health.

Smokefree.gov: http://smokefree.gov/

Smokefree includes information on quitting smoking (also known as smoking cessation) for both the general public and health professionals. Featured on the site is a list of cessation studies. Other interesting tidbits are news releases, "Do You Know" facts about smoking, and instand messaging support from National Cancer Institute experts.

Posted by pfa at 06:19 PM | Comments (0)