Oral Health
One slide says it all
“Increasing evidence has shown that the oral microbiota is closely related to the physical state of humans, such as diabetes, obesity, and cancer. In the future, oral microbiota will become a new target for improving the physical state of humans“. Lu, M et al. 2019. Science Direct. So what does this mean? Have a look…
Read MoreStroke & oral health
Since 2016, we have known that a type of oral bacteria, Streptococcus mutans, is directly linked to cerebral micro-bleeds, a precursor to a stroke.
Read MoreHenry the Dentist
We’ve all heard about the social service’s dental bus traveling to shopping centres and community centres offering affordable dentistry to those with dental pain or those who can’t afford the dentist. Hamilton, Ontario as one. And there are others.
Read MoreUnmet needs
Two stories recently crossed my desk to underscore the need for Prevora.
The first story in the Washington Post was about children and adults with Special Needs having limited access to effective preventive oral health services,
Read MoreFailure to keep up with the times
A family relative recently sent me an email about her dental plan and its failure to keep up with the times. read below:
Read MoreMillennials’ complex relationship with oral health services
The American Dental Association estimates that less than 1 in 3 Millennial (those in their 20s and 30s) visit the dentist each year – the lowest visit rate among any generation except for those over age 75.
Read MoreRethinking geriatric oral healthcare
Hygienists often tell me their “horror stories” in serving older patients in retirement residences and nursing homes. These stories cover the waterfront – rampant decay among those with dementia, can’t get past the front door, gross inflammation in the mouth, preoccupation by the nursing team and unwillingness by the family to pay for better oral health until it is too late.
Read MoreReducing medical costs
In this new age of containing medical costs, it seems the ultimate argument and purpose for oral health services is better overall health. For example, note this excerpt form a recent blog in Health Affairs, an influential journal in organizing the healthcare system: “Periodontal disease treatment can reduce medical costs in patients with diabetes, coronary artery disease, and cerebral vascular disease. Gum disease is strongly linked to poor cognitive brain function among patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The risk of developing dementia has been found to be higher in those with periodontitis than those without it.”
Read MoreTargeting high risk patients
A recent assessment from the Cochrane Reports concluded that regular hygiene visits for scaling and polishing (a routine procedure for preventing gum disease and tooth decay) had no clinical benefit. Here’s the data which supports this conclusion:
“Healthy” patients with no scaling and polishing over 3 years had 39.3% of their teeth with bleeding gums.
Read MoreTo improve health disparities, focus on oral health
That’s the recommendation on a new blog from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. How so? well, here’s an argument.
Let’s begin by recognizing chronic diseases such as diabetes and COPD have a much higher prevalence in poorer communities than rich ones. For example, about 4 in 100 adults in Rosedale (high income) in Toronto have diabetes, whereas, 3 kilometers away in St. Jamestown (low income), 12 in 100 are diabetic.
