Teenager dies after putting braces, Indians do not go to Dentist?

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Teenager dies after fixing colored Braces
A 17-year-old schoolgirl in Khon Kaen (Thailand) died of severe infection resulting from an orthodontic fashion procedure performed by an unauthorised practitioner.
The autopsy report on Juthamas Chaiyason cited "thyroid poisoning" and "cardiac arrest" as the causes of death. She died on Sunday in the emergency unit of a local hospital, after complaining of severe tooth-ache for several days following her trip to have coloured braces fitted. The braces are fitted by dentists as a purely cosmetic procedure with no physically beneficial effects, but unqualified practitioners also offer the service. Poisoning and infection Juthamas's parents took her to hospital on August 20, 10 days after the braces were fitted, where the girl was diagnosed with thyroid poisoning and cardiovascular infection and sent home with medication. Her mother, Niannapha, reports that Juthamas passed out the next day after having trouble breathing. She was taken to hospital, where she was pronounced dead on Sunday night. Link

67 per cent Indians have never visited a dentist: Survey

NEW DELHI: Nearly 67 per cent of Indians have never visited a dentist and around 87 per cent does not believe in visiting one unless there is a problem, a nationwide survey has revealed. The national Consumer Usage and Attitudes Survey (CUAS) reveals that dental problems in India are reflected in the low awareness levels and poor oral hygiene habits. The survey conducted across the country comprised a total of 11,324 interviews by Indian Market Research Bureau (IMRB) and was sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited. According to the survey, 49 per cent of the respondents associate dental problems with lifestyle related reasons such as "improper eating habits" and "not leading a healthy lifestyle". Almost half of the respondents relate dental problems to lack of a daily oral care regimen such as "regular brushing at least twice a day". More Here

Early versus Delayed Loading of Mandibular Implant-Supported Overdentures: 5-Year Results: Clinical Implant Dentistry and Related Research,Published Online: 5 Aug 2009

Because of poor retention of complete removable dentures for edentulous patients, implant-supported mandibular overdentures have lately become a popular alternative for them. The aims of this prospective study were to evaluate treatment outcomes of mandibular overdentures supported by two unsplinted early-loaded implants and compare these results with those for delayed-loaded implants.

Materials and methods: A total of 26 edentulous patients were treated with two unsplinted implants supporting a mandibular overdenture. All implants were placed in the canine regions of each mandible according to the one-stage surgical protocol. There were two groups: test group, in which the overdenture was connected 1 week after surgery, and control group, in which the overdenture was connected 3 months after surgery. Standardized clinical and radiographic parameters were recorded at surgery, and after 3, 6, 12, and 18 months, and 2, 3, 4, and 5 years.

Results: No implants were lost, and 0.93 ± 0.3 mm marginal bone resorption was noted for all implants after 5 years. Clinical implant stability measurements, clinical peri-implant parameters, and marginal bone resorptions showed no statistically significant differences between the two groups over 5 years.
Conclusion: The results of this prospective clinical study suggest that there is no significant difference in the clinical and radiographic state of patients treated with implant supported mandibular overdentures loaded either 1 week or 3 months after surgery.

Retrograde Peri implantitis from Adjacent Endo treated teeth
Clinical Oral Implants Research, Published Online: 25 Aug 2009
Some cases of retrograde peri-implantitis arise from adjacent natural teeth that have peri-radicular infection.
One hundred and twenty-eight patients of ages ranging from of 24–61 years were recruited for this study. A total of 128 ITI SLA implants with adjacent teeth that had received endodontic treatment at least 1 week before were placed in 128 patients. The date of endodontic therapy and the pulp status of the adjacent tooth before endodontic therapy were recorded. The distance between the implant and the adjacent tooth was determined using a radiograph. The stability of all implants was tested by OSSTELL and recorded at implant placement, after 4 and 12 weeks.

Results: The incidence of retrograde peri-implantitis was 7.8%. The duration from endodontic-treated adjacent teeth to implant placement was 12.15±10.1 weeks, and the distance between the implant and the adjacent teeth was 2.99±1.4 mm. Distance and time were found to be related to retrograde peri-implantitis (P<0.05).>0.05).
Conclusions: The incidence of retrograde peri-implantitis may reduce by increasing the distance between the implant and adjacent tooth, and/or the duration from endodontically treated adjacent tooth-to-implant placement.

Menopause and Oral Health Link
Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine, 08/04/09

After menopause, women become more susceptible to periodontal disease. The authors believe the problem is due in large part to estrogen deficiency with resulting bone loss and inflammatory processes. Osteoporosis and periodontal disease are best diagnosed early so that treatment can be started sooner and fractures and tooth loss can be prevented. This article reviews the published studies of the association between menopause and periodontal disease, specifically, the effects of hormonal changes, osteoporosis, and bisphosphonate use on the periodontal status of postmenopausal women. The authors will highlight the interrelationship of dental health and postmenopausal health and underscore the need for cross–communication and patient referral between physicians and dentists. Full Text

Laser helps determine dental health
Dentists can now size up the mineral content of tooth enamel non-invasively with the help of laser-generated ultrasound.

This is the first time anyone has employed such a tool to find the elasticity of our teeth, besides assessing dental health and predict tooth decay and cavities.

Enamel goes through a cycle of mineral loss and restoration, through a lifetime, in which healthy teeth maintain a high mineral content.

If the balance between mineral loss and gain is lost, however, teeth can develop areas of softened enamel -- known as carious lesions -- which are precursors to cavities and permanently damaged teeth.

"The ultimate goal is to come up with a quick, efficient, cost-effective, and non-destructive way to evaluate the mineralisation of human dental enamel," says study co-author David Hsiao-Chuan Wang, graduate student at the University of Sydney (U-S).
These findings were described in the latest issue of Optics Express, Optical Society's (OSA) open-access journal.

New Endodontic Diagnostic Tool
The e-Dx is the next generation in endodontic diagnostic instruments. This instrument can easily cold and fracture test teeth. Using a special open cell foam insert the e-Dx stores dental coolants longer enabling a doctor to easily cold test multiple teeth. The detachable contra-angled pliers are designed to securely hold the foam insert and reach posterior teeth providing improved visibility during cold testing. The built in FracTester™ can be placed onto a tooth cusp to help detect fractures. Link

Ormco and Align Settle Litigation and Become Collaborators

Align Technology Inc and Ormco Corp, a subsidiary of Danaher Corp, have entered an exclusive agreement to jointly develop and market an orthodontic product that will combine Align’s Invisalign system and Ormco’s Insignia custom orthodontic bracket. The agreement is part of the settlement to end the patent infringement case brought by Ormco against Align. Full Link

Want to be an orthodontist? Perhaps you’d like an MBA, too ?

“If they’re running a sound business, they’re going to have a better practice, that’s why we did it,” he said. “They’re going to have more satisfied patients. Nothing drives away patients like a chaotic front office.”

The three-year program is a mix of business and economics courses, orthodontics courses and work in the school’s orthodontics clinic.
Henderson dental school gives students business education with medical training.
USN School of Dental Medicine, Nevada’s newest dental school, is one of about 60 in the United States licensed to provide post-doctoral orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics education (jaw cracking versus teeth wrangling; dealing with face bones in the wrong place versus teeth in the wrong place). UNLV provides a dual MBA-Doctor of Dental Medicine program but no dual MBA-orthodontics program.

USN focuses on advanced and medical education with doctoral programs in pharmacy and now orthodontics, an MBA program and a bachelor’s program in nursing. It has campuses in Henderson and outside Salt Lake City.

The college’s maiden class is full, with 10 residents and three interns working toward the residency program, with a goal of accommodating up to 30 residents.

Greater the number of teeth in your mouth, longer and healthy you Live
Gerodontology,Published Online: 21 Aug 2009

The study population comprised of 523 community-living elderly people who participated in the population-based Kuopio 75+ study. The data for each subject were collected using a structured clinical health examination, an interview and laboratory tests. Linear regression models were used to estimate adjusted mean values and confidence limits.

Results: Edentulous persons and persons with a small number of teeth had lower serum HDL cholesterol and higher triglyceride, leucocyte and blood glucose levels and a higher body mass index (BMI) compared with subjects to a large number of teeth.

Conclusion: The study showed that, in the Finnish home-dwelling population aged 75 years or older, those with a large number of teeth were less likely to have cardiovascular risk factors such as a low serum HDL cholesterol level, a high triglyceride level and a high BMI than did subjects with a small number of teeth or who were edentulous.

Smokers seen twice as likely to develop active TB

A study in Taiwan has found that smokers are twice as likely to develop active tuberculosis compared to people who have never smoked, prompting calls for policymakers to be tougher on smoking.

The study tracked nearly 18,000 people in Taiwan representing a general population for more than three years.

"We found a two-fold increase in the risk of active TB in current smokers compared with never-smokers (those who have never smoked)," wrote the lead author Hsien-Ho Lin, a postdoctoral research fellow from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Full Story

Grape Products and Oral Health
The Journal of Nutrition, 08/05/09
Grape seed extract, high in proanthocyanidins, positively affected the in vitro demineralization and/or remineralization processes of artificial root caries lesions, suggesting its potential as a promising natural agent for noninvasive root caries therapy. Raisins represent a healthy alternative to the commonly consumed sugary snack foods.