The Updated Canada Food Guide This year marked the first update to the Canada Food Guide (CFG) since 2007. The highly recognizable rainbow showing different food groups was replaced with a plate of food – known as the ‘Eat Well Plate’–representing proportions of different foods that Canadians should be putting on their plates to conform … Read more
Why do I need to use special custom abutments for the restoration of my implants? I have been using stock abutments for a long time and I have cases that are 20 years old. I am not having any problems. Stock abutments are cheap, and I use the prosthesis to develop the emergence profile for … Read more
Introduction Modern implant dentistry has been shown to yield excellent well-documented long-term results, with 10-year success and survival rates above 95%.1 Dentists now have the choice of using an array of preoperative planning tools, both conventional and computer-aided, to help them assess potential rehabilitative treatment solutions for their patients. Diagnostic wax-ups have been a critical … Read more
It has been eight years since we published our Supportive Periodontal Implant Maintenance Protocol1 which has been shared and implemented in dental practices and hygiene colleges across the globe. With the exciting new periodontal and peri-implant classifications published simultaneously by the American Academy of Periodontology and European Federation of Periodontology, we felt it was necessary … Read more
In 2017, the world of periodontology was redefined with significant updates to the classification system for periodontal and peri-implant disease. The work of more than 170 leading clinicians, scientists, and educators from around the globe culminated in the publication of 17 articles and four consensus statements summarizing a contemporary, evidence-based and clinically relevant system. This … Read more
Over the years our profession has managed to confuse patients by what we call ourselves. Can you tell the difference between dentists with various letters after their names? What is a bona fide (Latin for “in good face”; legal meaning “sincerely, without deception”) specialist and a generalist? Today, I am afraid, we may have confused … Read more
Exposure to ionizing radiation and its potential risks are often major concerns of our patients. Ambiguity and confusion exist among the general public, mainly due to the risks discussed in the media and from spurious online information. This leads to confusion, fear, and avoidance by the patient. Therefore, this review aims to attenuate the ambiguity … Read more
Knowledge is forever advancing. In my early days when my computer froze, I used to think “What did I do wrong now.” Today I think “What is wrong with this computer!” No, it’s not always the clinician that is to blame for problems. Many systems that we have come to use daily, are simply flawed. … Read more
Preamble Recently, the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO) welcomed comments on its draft document “Standard of Practice: Infection Prevention and Control in the Dental Office.” This critique is based on a thorough reading of the proposed Standard of Practice (referred to as the Standard) and its accompanying references. In addition, the author … Read more
In 2013 the RCDSO introduced the mandatory Practice Enhancement Tool (PET) for licenced Ontario dentist to be exercised every five years: “a computer based self-assessment program … that allows members to evaluate and assess their practice, knowledge, skill and judgement”. 1 At the same time the RCDSO introduced the mandatory requirement for 15 Category 1 … Read more
Introduction With advances in dental materials, instruments, imaging and minimally invasive surgical techniques, one may question the use of the intra-oral block autograft as a practical and relevant method of ridge augmentation. This article will discuss a case report outlining pre-operative and surgical protocols for performing the mandibular ramus block autograft and shed new light … Read more
Editor’s note: Please click tables to see an enlarged version. These are exciting times in the world of periodontology. The 2017 World Workshop, a combined collaboration by the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) and the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP), has culminated in a new classification system for periodontal and peri-implant diseases and conditions. This … Read more
Introduction Periodontal regenerative medicine encompasses a spectrum of procedures that restore lost tooth-supporting hard and soft tissue, thereby reversing some of the damage caused by periodontal disease. This is in contrast with repair of periodontal tissues that was the staple of periodontal treatment for decades. Regenerative surgery involves the reflection of the gingival tissue and … Read more
Iran this line by ten colleagues. All – with the exception of one – interpreted it in a negative way. They felt that it referred to a gloomy future; when things have gotten worse rather than get better. In their view, the future will be darker than their memory of the past. Yet, the statement … Read more
Long-term exposure to periodontal disease bacteria causes inflammation and degeneration of brain neurons in mice that is similar to the effects of Alzheimer’s disease in humans, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The findings, which are published in PLOS ONE, suggest that periodontal disease, a common but preventable … Read more
The American Academy of Periodontology (AAP), the leading professional organization dedicated to the dental specialty of periodontics, has published its “best evidence consensus” (BEC) panel proceedings on the topic of laser usage. The proceedings are the result of the AAP’s second BEC meeting, a model of scientific inquiry rooted in the best available published research … Read more
The American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) will hold its 104th Annual Meeting Oct. 27-30, 2018, at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia. The event is presented in collaboration with the Canadian Academy of Periodontology, the Japanese Academy of Clinical Periodontology, and the Japanese Society of Periodontology. All dental professionals—including students, early-career periodontists, hygienists, … Read more
Introduction Over the past several decades, dentistry has come to realize that: (a) Periodontitis is the most common progressive, chronic inflammatory disease known to mankind – more common than rheumatoid arthritis, chronic inflammatory bowel disease, chronic inflammatory skin disease, etc., and (b) although the dental plaque, i.e., the oral microbial biofilm (and its metabolic products), … Read more
There is an association between tongue piercings and periodontal inflammation, according to two studies presented at EuroPeri9, the annual meeting of the European Federation of Periodontology, held from June 20 to 23 in Amsterdam. Clemens Walter, from the University of Basel in Switzerland, and colleagues examined the correlation between oral piercings and periodontal health or inflammation in … Read more
The American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) has published the official proceedings from the 2017 World Workshop on the Classification of Periodontal and Peri-Implant Diseases and Conditions. These proceedings provide a comprehensive update to the previous disease classification established at the 1999 International Workshop for a Classification of Periodontal Diseases and Conditions. Highlights from the 2017 … Read more