June 18, 2007

New Clinical Guidelines in Dentistry

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the Michigan Quality Improvement Consortium have both recenetly released new clinical guidelines of potential interest to practicing dentists. MQIC has a number of other guidelines on common conditions that might be of interest to clinicians in general practice when encountering non-dental conditions in their patients.

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD): http://www.aapd.org/media/policies.asp

Guidelines for Monitoring and Management of Pediatric Patients During and After Sedation for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures: An Update: http://www.aapd.org/media/Policies_Guidelines/G_Sedation.pdf

Use of Xylitol in Caries Prevention: http://www.aapd.org/media/Policies_Guidelines/P_Xylitol.pdf

Michigan Quality Improvment Consortium(MQIC):
http://www.mqic.org/guid.htm

MQIC: Acute pharyngitis in children: http://www.mqic.org/pdf/REVISED%20MQIC%202007%20Acute%20Pharyngitis%20in%20Children%20Guideline.pdf

Posted by pfa at 12:58 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)

April 13, 2007

Autism Awareness Month

April is Autism Awareness Month. Last year we highlighted some major web resources on autism.

This year, let's look at some resources about dental exams and autistic patients. These articles describe both the practical aspects of providing care to children with autism spectrum disorders as well as describing what the experience feels like to the patient and why it is troubling for them.

Autism Research Institute: Dental Anesthesia for the Autistic Child (Richard John Novak, MD, Stanford): http://www.autismwebsite.com/ARI/info/dental.htm

Neurodiversity.com: Medical & Dental Procedures & Autism: http://www.neurodiversity.com/medical_dental.html

Friedlander AH, Yagiela JA, Paterno VI, Mahler ME.
The neuropathology, medical management and dental implications of autism.
J Am Dent Assoc. 2006 Nov;137(11):1517-27. Review.
PMID: 17082277
http://jada.ada.org/cgi/content/full/137/11/1517

Chew LC, King NM, O'Donnell D.
Autism: the aetiology, management and implications for treatment modalities from the dental perspective.
Dent Update. 2006 Mar;33(2):70-2, 74-6, 78-80 passim. Review.
PMID: 16610261

Posted by pfa at 01:13 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)

September 28, 2006

Guidelines for Parents of Sedated Children

Earlier this week, local news in Chicago reported the story of a child who went for a visit to the dentist, and the sedation went wrong, badly wrong. The little girl first slipped into a coma, and died this morning. As a result of this, the news service posted an article and video describing for parents what they should do and know if their own child is being sedated.

"Dental Guide For Parents When Child Is Sedated: Questions Parents Should Ask Before Dental Procedures" Mary Ann Childers, Sep 25, 2006 5:21 pm US/Central. http://cbs2chicago.com/local/local_story_268182445.html

"No parent wants what happened to 5-year-old Diamond Brownridge to happen to their son or daughter. The young girl remains in a coma after being sedated during a dental procedure."

Posted by pfa at 02:32 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)

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)

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 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)