H1N1 Update

Hi everyone,

OK, here's the official update from the Government of Canada's official flu website: www.fightflu.ca

High Risk Groups:

1. Children under 5
2. Women who are pregnant
3. People with chronic conditions such as: heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, asthma and chronic lung disease, liver disease, blood disorders, severe obesity, immunosuppressed people, neurological disorders

Protect Yourself:

1. Wash your hands frequently (for 20 seconds or use an alcohol based sanitizer)
2. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth
3. Cough and sneeze into your arm
4. Get your H1N1 shot
5. Keep common surfaces clean and disinfected
6. If you get sick...stay home!

For more information, including how to recognise symptoms, go to the Government of Canada's H1N1 Website

Source: Government of Canada website and brochure http://www.fightflu.ca, read on Oct 30/09.

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Diazepam (Valium) Usage in Dentistry: Basic Facts

Diazepam (Valium), a longer acting sedative, has been used on anxious patients to allow dental procedures to be done in a more reliable fashion. The usual use of Diazepam are as follows:

1. Dose range: 2-20mg
2. Tablet form: 2, 5, 10mg
3. Oral Solution: 5mg/5ml and 5mg/ml
   
4. Onset: 20-40 minutes
5. Half Life: >24 hours
6. Best used: in the evening before a sedation appointment and can be followed on the appointment day

Source: Bhalla J, Anxiety and Dental Management, Ontario Dentist, Vol 86, No 8, pg 20-23.

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Shortage of Dentists for our American Friends?

Saw this article in the Canadian Medical Journal Website regarding the possible shortage of dentists in the US. Here's the teaser quote:

Residents of the United States who need teeth extracted may soon have to do it the old-fashioned way — with pliers, whisky and elbow grease — because there may not be enough dentists to go around.

The number of practicing dentists is projected to start declining in 2014, which will likely exacerbate an existing problem: the unwillingness of many to practice in rural areas. Further compounding the problem are such factors as a continuing migration from general practice to specialties like orthodontics, the closure of dental schools, a decrease in the size of graduating classes, the forthcoming mass retirement of older dentists and the growing number of female dentists, who tend to work fewer hours than their male colleagues.

You can read the rest of the article here: United States Faces Dentist Shortage

Source: Canadian Medical Journal Website http://www.cmaj.ca/earlyreleases/21oct09_dentist_shortage.shtml Read on Oct 27/2009

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Triazolam (Halcion) Usage in Dentistry: Basic Facts

Triazolam (Halcion), a shorter acting sedative, has been used on anxious patients to allow dental procedures to be done in a more reliable fashion. The usual use of Triazolam are as follows:

1. Dose range: 0.125-0.5mg
2. Tablet form: 0.125, 0.25mg
3. Onset: 15-30 minutes
4. Half Life: 1.5-5 hours
5. Best used for: short to moderate length dental appointments (2-4 hours)

Source: Bhalla J, Anxiety and Dental Management, Ontario Dentist, Vol 86, No 8, pg 20-23.

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Ativan Usage in Dentistry: Basic Facts

Lorazepam (Ativan), a sedative, has been used on anxious patients to allow dental procedures to be done in a more reliable fashion. The usual use of Ativan are as follows:

1. Dose range: 0.25-4mg
2. Tablet form: 0.5, 1.0, 2.0mg
3. Liquid form: 2mg/ml
4. Onset: 30-60 minutes
5. Half Life: >8 hours
6. Best used for: longer dental appointments (3 hours)

Source: Bhalla J, Anxiety and Dental Management, Ontario Dentist, Vol 86, No 8, pg 20-23.

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Chewing Gum...It Really is Good for you!

Saw this article in the Science section of the www.canoe.ca website. Here's the teaser quote:

London researchers have found the simple act of chewing gum helps people with Parkinson's swallow, reducing a major problem for those with the debilitating disease.

Researchers believe repeated chewing leaves a lingering memory in the brain that can help patients cope a bit better.

"It was very helpful in terms of improving drooling and swallowing," Dr. Mandar Jog, London Health Sciences Centre neurologist and director of the Movement Disorders Centre, said yesterday.

You can read the rest of the article here: Chew gum, it's good for you

Source: http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Science/2009/10/23/11497311-sun.html Read on October 23, 2009, Chew Gum, It's Good for you.

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Poor Hygiene and Orthodontic Treatment Times

Studies have shown that when your dentist marks "poor oral hygiene" in your chart 3 or more times during orthodontic treatment, that it correlates to an increased treatment time of 1.2-2.2 months.

Source: Brown D et al, Systematic Evaluation of Patient Oral Hygiene for Orthodontic Patients, Oral Health Journal, Sept 2009, Vol 99, No 9, pg 52-58.

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100