It’s no secret that Americans are getting sicker, quicker, as evidenced by the alarming statistics of chronic disease reaching even into our youngest population. Today 48.9% of Americans are on at least one pharmaceutical drug, 23.1% on 3 or more and 11.9% on 5 or more.1 More alarming is that 1 in 5 children are classified … Read more
Tooth loss can lead to poor nutrition and is linked to systemic diseases such as diabetes and coronary heart disease. Missing teeth also affects a person’s psychological well-being and ability to function in the workplace. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, nearly 40 million Americans have … Read more
2.25 million Canadians are living with inflammatory diseases such as ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis. And as a new report released today makes clear, many of them lack the critical information necessary to be able to properly understand and evaluate their treatment options. The Biosimilar Focus Group Project Report, … Read more
Three news items crossed my desk in the past month. All seem to point to a future for dentistry which features more specialization around managing the cause of poor oral health. One news item was a video interview with a number of dental opinion leaders in Minnesota, about the emerging role of dental therapists. Dental … Read more
A new study reports that among American individuals newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, a periodontal intervention is associated with lower total healthcare costs (-$1799), lower total medical costs excluding pharmacy costs (-$1577), and lower total type 2 diabetes-related healthcare costs (-$408). The study will be published in the next quarter so details are not … Read more
In his popular new book “Happy Gut,” Dr. Vincent Pedre argues that chronic health problems can often be traced to the digestive system and fixed by changing the microbes in our gut. An upset digestive system is, according to Dr. Pedre, an imbalance between the good and bad bugs in the gut, including bacteria, yeasts … Read more
The easiest and most effective way to highlight your commitment to oral health… Last week, we discussed that the future growth of the hygiene department is based on the foundational truth that oral health is the gateway to overall body wellness. You can’t have a healthy body without a healthy mouth. When you consider the … Read more
A new study in the journal Medicine reports that the bacteria initiating dental decay is also found on the heart valves of patients with heart disease. Nothing new here. Other studies have shown that Streptococcus mutans to be the dominant microorganism in diseased arterial plaque. (The picture above has blue chains of bacteria which are … Read more
The number of new cases of diabetes in the US declined to 1.4 million in 2014 from 1.7 million in 2008, according to a report from the CDC. The report stated that an improvement in healthy eating habits, a decline in the amount of soda drank since the late 1990s and a decrease in the … Read more
As of 2015, for the first time, Canada has more people over the age of 65 than under 15. The age group that now encompasses the boomer generation – 50 to 69 – makes up 27 per cent of the population, compared with 18 per cent in that age group two decades ago. The number … Read more
Two new studies involving older people, show that the following chronic diseases significantly increase the odds of dental decay: cardiovascular disease, rheumatic disease, mood disorders and eating disorders. The connection between diseases, is four or more medications taken regularly; this level of polypharmacy is the threshold for poor salivary flow. Saliva is a preventive agent … Read more
Rheumatoid diseases, a subset of arthritis, are associated with poor oral health. Studies show that if you have rheumatoid disease you likely have other chronic diseases, are older, and have dry mouth and far more dental decay. It’s a package. This association may be bidirectional. It has been reported that gum disease may contribute to … Read more
As the population ages and science marches on, we are seeing significant connections between chronic diseases. One big one is diabetes and dental decay — diabetes increases the risk of having oral health problems two-fold. And another is chronic inflammatory bowel disease and dental decay. A new study which tracked Swedish adults for several years … Read more
A Scottish study of over 11,000 adults tracked over 8 years found that frequent brushing of the teeth significantly lowered the risks of having a coronary event (e.g. heart attack). This association allowed for other risk factors for heart disease such as socio-economic status, obesity and family history. Note that participants who did not brush … Read more
A new study found that Parkinson’s patients have up to 10 times more untreated decay than a healthy peer. And they live in the community on average for 15 years before being institutionalized. So, most every dental team has a few Parkinson’s patients, or at least, patients with preclinical symptoms to Parkinson’s. A recent study … Read more
The needs and wants of Canadian employers for healthcare benefits are surely changing. Now, it is all about managing chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, arthritis and obesity. The days of offering a simple drug plan so that employees could take pills for these ongoing problems are long gone. Employers and their insurers are getting … Read more
Acid reflux (GERD) occurs in as many as 4 in 10 adults. At that prevalence, it is one of the most common chronic or episodic diseases. A new Korean study reports that acid reflux is a significant, independent risk factor for chronic gum disease. A patient with acid reflux is almost 3 times more likely … Read more
This statement concluded an e-mail from a manager of dental benefits at a Canadian company. It shows the commitment by patients to reach a state of better oral health. This same sentiment has been revealed in all our patient surveys — indeed, 1 in 5 patients say they will change dentists to get more preventive … Read more
The saying goes “anything catching on in California, comes to Canada sooner or later”. That is just one reason we should pay attention to the Great American Wellness Experiment, most recently described by the Wall Street Journal. Let me summarize some of its key developments, because there are some real lessons and implications for Canadian … Read more
Have you been watching how American drugstore chains like CVS and Walgreens are redefining themselves? They all want to be part of a healthcare network first rather than a convenient general store dispensing prescription medications. In Walgreens’ case, it is now offering to diagnose and treat chronic conditions. Diabetics are responding – they visit their … Read more