Improving Pediatric Dental Sedation

Main Category: Dentistry
Also Included In: Pain / Anesthetics;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 10 Jul 2013 - 1:00 PDT

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Improving Pediatric Dental Sedation

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Healthcare Prof:		3 (2 votes)
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Research led by Priyanshi Ritwik, DDS, MS, LSUHSC Associate Professor of Pediatric Dentistry at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, reports important findings about side effects and how long they linger after discharge of common oral drugs used to sedate some children during dental procedures. The results of the study, published in the current issue of Anesthesia Progress, provide pediatric dentists and parents with new information on this previously little-investigated aspect of children's dental health care.

The prospective study, conducted at the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Dentistry, compared the incidence and duration of side effects of meperidine and hydroxyzine versus midazolam alone at 8 and 24 hours after sedation. The researchers found that while most adverse reactions occurred within eight hours, some continued up to 24 hours. They noted that children sedated with meperidine and hydroxyzine experienced vomiting, but not those sedated with midazolam. Prolonged sleep at home was significantly higher in the children sedated with meperidine and hydroxyzine. Irritability was more common in the midazolam group in the first eight hours, declining thereafter, while the number of irritable children in the meperidine and hydroxyzine group increased in the 8- to 24-hour period. They also report that 50% of the children in both groups slept in the car on the way home. This is a potential risk for airway obstruction because while sleeping in a car seat, the child's head can tilt down to the chest. It has been found that children and infants sleeping in car safety seats have a significantly lower oxygen saturation. The research team recommends that parents bring another adult along to monitor and reposition the child's head if necessary on the drive home.

"It is critical to know the effects of these medications beyond the time spent by the child in the dental office, so that parents can be appropriately cautioned about the expected effects and how to distinguish them from any potential emergencies such as airway obstruction," says Dr. Ritwik.

The team also recommends that parents be educated about which medications can safely be used to manage postoperative pain and fever as well as how to use them correctly. Additionally since some children do not want to eat in the first eight hours after sedation, they advise that parents be informed to anticipate this and encouraged to support their child to take liquids to maintain hydration.

Research Into Special Degradable Particles To Reduce Tooth Decay Wins Venture Prize Award - Could Bring Toothache Relief To Millions

Main Category: Dentistry
Article Date: 12 Jul 2013 - 2:00 PDT

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Research Into Special Degradable Particles To Reduce Tooth Decay Wins Venture Prize Award - Could Bring Toothache Relief To Millions

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Researchers have developed new degradable particles, about the same size as small holes in teeth, which are designed to enter these holes and physically block and repair decayed teeth.

These particles are special glasses and can be incorporated into toothpaste and will dissolve in the mouth releasing calcium and phosphate that form tooth mineral. This reduces tooth pain, cuts back on the incidences of tooth decay and repairs teeth.

This could bring relief to the estimated 20 million adults in UK (40 per cent of the UK adult population) who are prone to tooth sensitivity. Indeed, untreated tooth decay or cavities in permanent teeth is the most common of all 291 major diseases and injuries assessed in the latest Global Burden of Diseases study. It affects 35 per cent of the world's population.

The team behind this development, led by Professor Robert Hill from Queen Mary, University of London have won the £25,000 materials science Venture Prize, awarded by the Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers.

"These new particles dissolve faster than existing ones and are also softer than tooth enamel," said Professor Hill. "They have a more expanded open structure and this allows water to go into the glass structure faster and the calcium and phosphate ions to come out faster. Also, while existing particles are significantly harder and abrade away the enamel during brushing, our new particles will be softer."

Tooth pain is associated with hot, cold or mechanical stimulation and is caused by fluid flow within small tubes located within the tooth. These tubes can become exposed as a result of the gums receding, hence the expression "long in the tooth" or through the loss of the outer enamel coating as a result of tooth decay, acid erosion or mechanical wear associated with tooth brushing. These new bioactive particles can also re-mineralise the holes via the release of calcium and phosphate ions.

"This is a hugely exciting development which could benefit millions of people not only throughout the UK and Europe but right across the world," said Professor Bill Bonfield, chairman of the Armourers & Brasiers Venture Prize judging panel. "It meets our aim to encourage innovative scientific entrepreneurship in the UK and provide funding, which is often difficult to source, to bring new materials science research like this to market."

In addition to Professor Hill, who is head of dental physical sciences at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary. The team comprises: Dr David Gillam clinical lecturer and dentist, Dr Natalia Karpukhina an expert on bioactive glasses and Dr Pushkar Wadke from Queen Mary Innovations.

"This award will enable us to get our research from the laboratory into a prototype toothpaste, said Professor Hill. "The difficult step is getting money to enable the translation of research in the laboratory into commercial products. This is what the Venture Prize Award will enable us to do."

This development has come at an appropriate time. The latest Global Industry Analysts report outlined that the total world market for toothpaste is forecast to reach US$12.6 billion (£8.1billion) by the year 2015. This increase it outlines will be led by product innovations, rising population levels and greater awareness about oral hygiene.

'Recognition And Response In Child Protection' Course To Be Offered To Specialist Paediatric Dentists, UK

Main Category: Medical Students / Training
Also Included In: Dentistry
Article Date: 15 Jul 2013 - 2:00 PDT

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'Recognition And Response In Child Protection' Course To Be Offered To Specialist Paediatric Dentists, UK

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A child protection course highly regarded by paediatricians and A&E doctors is to be offered to specialist paediatric dentists in order to help them identify children at risk of abuse.

The nationally recognised Safeguarding Children: Recognition and Response in Child Protection (CPRR) course, run jointly by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), Advanced Life Support Group (ALSG), the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) and the NSPCC, will be expanded to include a 'dental stream'.

This stream will build on the knowledge specialist dentists already have in child protection and will further train them to recognise and respond to a range of indicators of possible abuse or neglect by looking at the child's general health as well as the mouth and teeth, so they can be confident both in their own practice and also when called on to advise general dental practitioners.

The course consists of:

• Online pre-course learning which is split into four sections:
  
  • Comprehensive background information
  • DVD with scenarios based on real-life cases, images with commentaries and interviews with professionals
  • A copy of the Child Protection Companion - a resource compiled on behalf of the RCPCH by an expert group
  • Additionally for the dental stream, a copy of Child Protection and the Dental Team - guidance specific for dental professionals
• One day face-to-face course: lectures, workshops and role play with specially developed dental scenarios

The course takes place at centres across the UK with highly experienced local paediatricians, nurses and specialist paediatric dentists facilitating.

Participants are required to pass an assessment to successfully complete the course.

Ben Cole, BSPD President and Consultant in Paediatric Dentistry at Newcastle Dental School and Hospital said:

"We know that dentists are in a good position to recognise signs of child maltreatment but it is not an area that any of us find easy. We welcome this opportunity to better train our future Specialists and Consultants in Paediatric Dentistry, who are often called upon to give advice on child protection to colleagues.

"Protecting children who are at risk of maltreatment requires health professionals to work together. We are hopeful that training together on this course will improve communication between doctors and dentists back in the workplace."

Lucy Williams, a participant in one of the first dental stream courses said:

"The course was invaluable in reinforcing the important role we have as paediatric dentists in protecting children from harm, leading our dental teams and working together with paediatricians and other key professionals."

Neela Shabde of the RCPCH, and the Consultant Paediatrician who chaired the working group for development of the original course in 2006, said: "I am delighted that the BSPD has played a key role in driving safeguarding training for dentists in conjunction with RCPCH, ALSG, and NSPCC.

"I believe this course will strengthen the skills and knowledge of the dental trainees in understanding the challenges and barriers, identifying child abuse and preventing children from suffering further abuse. Most importantly dentists treating children will be able to come forward as advocates in protecting children from abuse and work jointly with other agencies to safeguard children."

The dental stream of the CPRR course is currently only open to Paediatric Dentistry Trainees, either NTN or FTTA or GDC-registered Paediatric Dentistry Specialists.

The latest dental news on April Fool's Day!

As is known to all, April Fool's Day is the 1st of April, the day on which people traditionally play tricks on each other.  I guess some of us would be fooled on such special day! As for me, I played jokes on my friends this morning! To my surprise, they believed me without question! Lol, because of these, I found it’s not funny at all! Meanwhile, it’s the first day this month! Which means the new beginning for all of us!

Despite of the April Fool’s Day itself, I want to share something refers to the dental news! At the 35th International Dental Show (IDS) in Cologne (12 - 16 March 2013), Hu-Friedy, leading manufacturer of dental instruments will present numerous product innovations for the fields of periodontology, diagnostic, composite restoration, dental surgery, orthodontics and instrumental management solutions. For Hu-Friedy, it is a matter of course that the comfort of the treating dental professional and the patient as well as higher precision and working efficiency are the focus of all instrument solutions. At the IDS, Hu-Friedy will present its entire product range, including numerous innovative instrument solutions. The International Dental Show (IDS), which takes place every two years, is the world?s leading trade fair for the dental sector, as the products presented reflect the entire global dental market. Decision-makers from the dental profession, the dental technician trade, the dental retail trade and the dental industry, as well as appliances and technologies attend it for experiencing the latest developments.

Well, the news above comes from the dentalnews recently! Another one: Mar. 18, 2013 — Microbes from the human mouth are telling Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists something about periodontitis and more after they cracked the genetic code of bacteria linked to the condition. "So far, no one has been able to isolate and cultivate this type of bacterium," said Podar, who noted that there are bugs in our mouth that we have no clue about and, until now, this was one of them. "The genetic information obtained by sequencing one single cell may offer researchers a key to 'domesticating' these organisms and studying them in the laboratory." We should pay more attention on this problem! Don’t let the unnecessary diease s happen on us someday!

In the end, thanks for the introduction about International Dental Show on dental news! Any suggestions appreciated! Best recommended: http://www.zetadental.com.au/

Arrange the time for oral health each week!

Dear friends, good afternoon, what’s the weather in your place? It’s sunny in my city now! that’s not the most significant, because tomorrow is the weekend! I love the weekends after graduation, I plan to see a dentist with my best friend! My friend told me that the details for life is inevitable! Especially for the oral health! Sometimes we will neglect the important thing, for example, we would have a toothache when we got a cold! Is it not significant? I don’t think so!

Well, before I see a doctor, I searched for the related information on the internet this morning! Good oral health involves more than just brushing. To keep your teeth and mouth healthy for a lifetime of use, there are steps that you should follow. Here's what you should consider:

Meanwhile, Talk with your dentist, other oral health care specialist, or hygienist about any special conditions in your mouth and any ways in which your medical/health conditions affect your teeth or oral health. For example, cancer treatments, pregnancy, heart diseases, diabetes, dental appliances (dentures, braces) can all impact your oral health and may necessitate a change in the care of your mouth and/or teeth. Be sure to tell your dentist if you have experienced a change in your general health or in any medications you are taking since your last dental visit.

Thanks again for the recommendation above! Have a nice time at weekend! Arrange the time for oral health each week!

The inevitable part for us-oral health!

What a cool spring in 2013, the sunshine outside is comfortable for us to enjoy the whole day! I believe that most of us have a special feeling for this season! It made me think of the spring outing! It seems that I did not have such wonderful acativity after graduation! Those days were unforgettable! We are always busy working for our future, is it really the era of money talks?

Last week I paid a visit to my friend at hospital, she suffered the operation, I mean the oral health! You know, oral health now gets more and more important! If we don’t develop a good habbit into this, we will get the pain for a long time! Meanwhile, what I want to say is the opsigenes, somebody tell me that Paracetamol for pain relief after surgical removal of lower wisdom teeth!

Paracetamol has been commonly used for the relief of postoperative pain following oral surgery. In this review we investigated the optimal dose of paracetamol and the optimal time for drug administration to provide pain relief, taking into account the side effects of different doses of the drug. This will inform dentists and their patients of the best strategy for pain relief after the surgical removal of wisdom teeth. To assess the beneficial and harmful effects of paracetamol for pain relief after surgical removal of lower wisdom teeth, compared to placebo, at different doses and administered postoperatively.

The result like this: Twenty-one trials met the inclusion criteria. A total of 2048 patients were initially enrolled in the trials (1148 received paracetamol, and 892 the placebo) and of these 1968 (96%) were included in the meta-analysis (1133 received paracetamol, and 835 the placebo). Paracetamol provided a statistically significant benefit when compared with placebo for pain relief and pain intensity at both 4 and 6 hours. Most studies were found to have moderate risk of bias, with poorly reported allocation concealment being the main problem. Risk ratio values for pain relief at 4 hours 2.85 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.89 to 4.29), and at 6 hours 3.32 (95% CI 1.88 to 5.87). A statistically significant benefit was also found between up to 1000 mg and 1000 mg doses, the higher the dose giving greater benefit for each measure at both time points. There was no statistically significant difference between the number of patients who reported adverse events, overall this being 19% in the paracetamol group and 16% in the placebo group.

Finally we got the conclusion: Paracetamol is a safe, effective drug for the treatment of postoperative pain following the surgical removal of lower wisdom teeth. From the introduction above, it’s persuasive for all of us that who care about the wisdom teeth! In my eyes, most of us would experience that one day! Then knowing more details about oral health is essential! It’s the inevitable part for us!

When talked about the latest dental news!

Before I open this conversation about the latest dental news, I would like to share something refers to our life with you all here! The country developed well with time went by, people get accoustomed to the pressure from the life, such as the marriage, carrar, study and so on! Well, we can say that we all want to have a nice and wonderful life in 21st century, right?

However, when we have a nice life, we are busy with different triffles and promotions! We forgot to care about our health, for example, teeth problems. In fact, we should have a physical examination every year! We ought to be resonsible for ourselves! Then in my eyes, know more information about the teeth is necessary, because it belongs to our body, what a silly conversation!

Well, let’s get back to the topic today, the latest dental news and the dental equipment. A common test used to determine mercury exposure from dental amalgam fillings may significantly overestimate the amount of the toxic metal released from fillings, according to University of Michigan researchers. Scientists agree that dental amalgam fillings slowly release mercury vapor into the mouth. But both the amount of mercury released and the question of whether this exposure presents a significant health risk remain controversial.

Public health studies often make the assumption that mercury in urine (which is composed mostly of inorganic mercury) can be used to estimate exposure to mercury vapor from amalgam fillings. These same studies often use mercury in hair (which is composed mostly of organic mercury) to estimate exposure to organic mercury from a person's diet.

I am not sure whether this infoamtion is the truth or not, I just know everything has two sides, the advantage and disadvantage! While it’s better to know every details! Here: "These results challenge the common assumption that mercury in urine is entirely derived from inhaled mercury vapor," said Laura Sherman, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and lead author of a paper in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. A final version of the paper has been published online. Since these scientisets began to discuss, which means that these pronlems worth our attention!

In the end, what I want to share with you is the zeta dental, probably it’s weird for you to read this recommendation, I can’t say that I know it 100%, while it helps me a lot, I got the perfect items from zeta dental last month! Thanks for your attention! Meanwhile, any suggestions appreciated!