Background The exponential growth of digital technology in dentistry is inherently accompanied by a significant expansion of 2D and 3D dental image records. Traditional stone models are impractical to keep long-term due to storage volume and fragility. Comprehensive and accurate models offer an excellent record of the preoperative dentition for the complete restoration of a … Read more
It became painfully obvious to those of us practicing in the 1980s that those new-fangled “posterior” composites were just never going to handle like amalgam. For starters, composites cannot be “condensed” or “packed.” Ever since then, clinicians, academics, and manufacturers have sought to create or re-design the successful armamentarium for direct esthetic posterior restorations. Most … Read more
Practicing dentistry at a distance, utilizing instantaneous virtual mobile technology, was the stuff of science fiction just a few decades ago. We were taught in dental school that our capacity to diagnose disease and to perform dentistry relied entirely upon our hand instruments and our clinical abilities. Thus, the stereotype of the dentist holding a … Read more
It is vitally important to look past stereotypes and get into the real data about millennial behaviour that can inform how you interact with them as a potential customers and patients. Is your practice ready to meet this generation where they are? Mapping out this new patient journey is what keeps Paul Intlekofer, CEO of … Read more
The health, social and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have already had a dramatic impact on the prevailing oral health care model and will continue to do so. The paper “Advocacy for a Digital Oral Health That Leaves No One Behind,” published in the JDR Clinical & Translational Research (JDR CTR), promotes the use of digital … Read more
A new study “Oral health and oral health care of Canadians” led by Prof. Paul Allison of McGill University’s Faculty of Dentistry, has received $3.3 million of funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to support a collaboration with Statistics Canada’s existing Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) to gather data and address oral … Read more
The British Dental Association has welcomed leadership from footballer Ronaldo, in shunning UEFA Euro 2020 sponsor Coca-Cola, but warned that sustained effort is required UK and worldwide to remove the deep-rooted and pernicious influence of junk food brands across sport. The captain of the Portuguese national team has promoted KFC – together with its partner … Read more
A Nunavut woman says her 12-year-old son lost 15 pounds while waiting to have a tooth removed this year. The boy in Rankin Inlet was recently one of more than 1,000 children on the territory’s waiting list for dental surgery. “He cried day and night, he stopped eating,” the woman, who did not want to … Read more
It’s not everyday that a recently graduated dentist gets the opportunity to build a dental clinic from scratch. What seemed like a far-fetched dream for Dr. Ayman Awad, who received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Dalhousie University in 2019, has now become a reality. Awad’s clinic, Handala Dental, opened in late June on the … Read more
Children with limited exposure to fluoridated water and a high sugar intake are 70 per cent more likely to develop cavities in their permanent teeth, according to University of Queensland-led research. Professor Loc Do from UQ’s School of Dentistry said a study of 24,664 Australian children raised particular concerns for young Queenslanders. “The coverage of water fluoridation in … Read more
Patients who had their wisdom teeth extracted had improved tasting abilities decades after having the surgery, a new Penn Medicine study published in the journal Chemical Senses found. The findings challenge the notion that removal of wisdom teeth, known as third molars, only has the potential for negative effects on taste, and represent one of the first studies to analyze … Read more
According to the World Health Organization’s March 25th, 2020, report on oral health, dental caries remains the number one dental issue globally to this day. While we are seeing a decrease in dental caries in both fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities in Canada, there is still much work to be done. Dental decay occurs when the … Read more
Slightly more than half of restored teeth in the U.S. contained amalgam as of 2015 and 2016, according to a study from the American Dental Association Science & Research Institute. Published online in May by the Journal of Public Health Dentistry, “Dental Amalgam Restorations in Nationally Representative Sample of U.S. Population Aged ≥15 Years: NHANES 2011-2016” analyzed … Read more
A new study demonstrates that many younger adult dental patients are taking medications and highlights the importance of dental providers reviewing medication histories regardless of age. The study from Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University School of Dentistry looked at dental records from 11,220 dental patients over the age of 18. The results showed: 53 … Read more
More than four out of 10 patients who received dental implants suffered complications within a nine-year period, according to new Swedish research. In Sweden, more than 30,000 patients receive implant-supported restorative therapy on an annual basis. Good long-time results have been reported, but different types of complications can occur. These complications may affect the tissues surrounding … Read more
The American Heart Association (AHA) has issued an update to its 2007 guideline entitled Prevention of Viridans Group Streptococcal Infective Endocarditis: A Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association. The statement concludes there are no recommended changes to the 2007 guidelines for the prevention of viridans group streptococcal infective endocarditis (VGS IE). The College is updating members … Read more
The new leave code 698 – Medical and dental appointments has been activated in HRMS, which is to be used for dental and medical appointments, including COVID-19 vaccination appointments, in accordance with Treasury Board Secretariat’s Directive on Leave and Special Working Arrangements. When using leave code 698 – Medical and dental appointments, employees do not need to divulge the reason … Read more
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons and, indeed, all of the dental profession have been living with the COVID-19 pandemic for over sixteen months. The first few months were particularly difficult. Oral and maxillofacial surgical care, and dental care in general, was limited to emergency management only. Despite lockdown and severe restrictions, the ethical commitment in our … Read more
I wish to thank Joan Hutchings for her timely article but perhaps not for the reasons that she might think. She offers a quote from the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO) which states adamantly that, “…dental offices are at high risk for spreading COVID-19 given the aerosol generating nature of dental procedures…” … Read more
As you enjoy this issue of Oral Health, I would ask that you all observe a moment to honour and celebrate the life of a champion of our Profession. An Oral Health consultant and contributor for over a decade, Dr. Howard Ian Holmes, passed away peacefully on April 18, 2021. Many of you that are … Read more