WASHINGTON - Thousands of dental patients in Oklahoma are anxiously awaiting the results of tests for hepatitis and HIV after health officials revealed an oral surgeon operated his practice under unsanitary conditions.
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DETROIT, Mich., USA: As reported by doctors from the U.S., a female patient's extreme consumption of highly concentrated tea over almost two decades had caused serious bone damage. Upon admission to a clinic, the woman complained about severe bone pain and had lost all her teeth already.According to the case study that was published online in the March 21 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, the woman drank a pitcher of tea made from 100 to 150 tea bags daily for the past 17 years. The doctors estimated that the 47-year-old thus had a fluoride intake of about 20 mg per day. Parents have been chewing up a lot of my time with questions about their children grinding their teeth at night. Let me see if I can grind their concerns to a halt with some information on this problem. In a very rare case, a female in Canada was found to need minimally invasive hepatic resection because she ingested a toothpick. The toothpick moved from the gastrointestinal tract towards the liver causing its damage. A laparoscopy confirmed that the toothpick resulted in a liver abscess. More about this case appeared online on Sept. 10 in the BMJ Case Reports journal. According to a recent study initiated by the British Dental Trade Association, dental patients in the United Kingdom would like to see better communication with dentists in regards to the available dental treatments. The involved population of the study said they are interested in knowing more about the current dental treatment options. A new NIH collaborative research program that focuses on the role of the brain in perceiving, modifying, and managing pain will complement basic science and clinical research efforts of other ongoing intramural neuroscience, imaging, and mental and behavioral health research programs. The program is based in the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). Catherine Bushnell, PhD, an internationally recognized pain and neuroscience researcher from McGill University in Montreal, has been appointed scientific director. The British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF) has recently reported its support for the British Heart Foundation and the Children’s Food Campaign. The latter is a new initiative proposed by the UK government to label certain food items on the front of their packaging. The recent initiative is expected to provide a marked positive effect on the oral health of children. In a recent review, a team of researchers from the US announced that they have identified evidence linking higher levels of fluoride exposure in drinking water to neurodevelopmental delays. The team reviewed 27 studies that were carried out throughout 22 years. The team concluded that children exposed to higher fluoride concentrations have markedly lower IQ scores. Smiles Dental, a provider of dental care based in Dublin, has recently announced the acquisition of the debt of James Hull Associates (JHA). The latter is a dental practice group based in the UK. Smiles Dental is also considering the full purchase of JHA in the near future. JHA operates more than 70 dental settings throughout the kingdom. A new polyclinic is going to provide dental care, along with other services such as eye care to athletes participating at London’s 2012 Olympic Games. The Olympic games are to begin later in July. |