Dental Did You Know: Initial Newborn Evaluation Protocol-Tethered Oral Tissues

All newborn infants should have an oral assessment as early as birth. Infants having difficulty in achieving a deep, comfortable and efficient latch onto a mother's breast should be examined by a lactation consultant within (24-48 hrs) after birth and should have an evaluation of the oral tissues, especially of the tongue and upper lip attachments completed.

Source: (Modified quote from) Kotlow L, TOTS-Tethered Oral Tissues; The Assessment and Diagnosis of the Tongue and Upper Lip Ties in Breastfeeding, Oral Health, March 2015, Vol 105, No3, pg 64-68.

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada (905) 273-7100
Plattsville Dental
43 Albert St. West, Unit 8, Plattsville, ON, Canada (226) 656-1000

Dental Did You Know: Codeine for Pediatric Pain is now an Unsafe Practice

As of June 6th 2013, Health Canada released an update recommending that codeine not be used in children less than 12 years of age. It appears that the use of NSAIDs (Advil) and Acetaminophen (Tylenol) along with Morphine (in cases of severe pain) are the recommended routes to treat pain in pediatric cases.

Source: Wong M, Prescribing Codeine for Pediatric Pain: An Unsafe Practice, Oral Health, June 2014, Vol 104, No 6, pg 62-66.

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada (905) 273-7100
Plattsville Dental
43 Albert St. West, Unit 8, Plattsville, ON, Canada (226) 656-1000

Dental Did You Know: 100th Anniversary of Dental Care at Sick Kids Hospital Toronto

Yes, the 100th anniversary of the Department of Dentistry at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto (SickKids) was celebrated in May 2013. Congrats to this fantastic hospital and department! The hospital itself was established by a group of women led by Elizabeth McMaster in 1875.

Source: Kenny D and Wencer G, Dentistry at SickKids, Toronto, Ontario Dentist, March 2014, Vol 91, No 2, pg 14-19.

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada (905) 273-7100
Plattsville Dental
43 Albert St. West, Unit 8, Plattsville, ON, Canada (519) 998-7153

Dental Did You Know: Number of Day Surgeries for Early Childhood Cavities

There are approximately 19 000 day-surgeries to treat early childhood caries (cavities) in children under the age of 6 every year in Canada.

Source: Adams A, Trends in Paediatric General Anesthesia in Canada, Oral Health, Feb 2014, Vol  104, No 2, pg 38-41.

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada (905) 273-7100
Plattsville Dental
43 Albert St. West, Unit 8, Plattsville, ON, Canada (519) 998-7153

Dental Did You Know: CDA Position on Breast Feeding and Early Childhood Caries.

The quote below is now the position of the Canadian Dental Association as of June 2013:

The Canadian Dental Association supports breastfeeding as it provides nutritional benefits to the infant and is recognized as an effective preventive health measure.

In the absence of daily oral hygiene care, breastfeeding is one of the many risk factors that may contribute to the development of dental caries. Therefore, it is vital that mouth cleaning or tooth brushing be part of the daily routine for all infants, including those who are breastfed.

CDA Board of Directors - Approved June 2013

Source: CDA Board of Directors, Does Breastfeeding Increase Risk of Early Childhood Caries, JCDA, June 2013, Vol 79, No 5, pg 280-281.

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

Dental Media: Brushy Brush Video From Sesame Street

Although not two minutes in length, I've found this video entertaining for me and hopefully other young toddlers/children. The best take home point for the kids is getting familiar with how long a (close to) 2 minute clean up actually is. (Ok, Elmo is cool and the tune is quite nice too ;)

Here's the link: Sesame Street Brushy Brush PSA

Source: Youtube, Sesame Street: Healthy Teeth, Healthy Me: Brushy Brush PSA, seen on Nov 11, 2013, http://youtu.be/wxMrtK-kYnE


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

Dental Did You Know: The Rate of Infections at Pediatric Emergency Room Visits

47% of all dental-related attendances at pediatric emergency rooms in the United States were due to dental abscesses.

Source: Jundt J and Gutta R, Characteristics and Cost Impact of Severe Odontogenic Infections, PEAK, Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario, Supplement to May/June issue of Dispatch Magazine.

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

Dental Did You Know: Pedialyte and the Preservation of Knocked Out Teeth

Yes, storing avulsed (knocked out) teeth in Pedialyte solution showed a significantly higher periodontal ligament (PDL) cell survival (p<0.001) versus tap water. It also supported less bacterial growth.

Source: Macway-Gomez S and Lallier TE, Pedialyte Promotes Periodontal Ligament Cell Survival and Motility, J Endod 2013;39: 202-207.

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

Dental Did You Know: The Eruption Time of Permanent First Molars

It takes 12-18 months for permanent molars to erupt to occlusion.

Source: Antonson D, Imagine a World Without Occlusal Caries: Are Glass Ionomer Sealants the Answer, Oral Health, Dec 2012, Vol 102, No 12, pg 31-36.


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

Dental Did You Know: The Eruption Time of Premolars

It takes 3-6 months for permanent premolars to erupt to occlusion.

Source: Antonson D, Imagine a World Without Occlusal Caries: Are Glass Ionomer Sealants the Answer, Oral Health, Dec 2012, Vol 102, No 12, pg 31-36.

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

Dental Did You Know: Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Children

The prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (associated with oxygen desaturation, gas exchange abnormalities and disrupted sleep) is 2-4% in children with at a peak incidence occurring at 2-8 years old.

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

Dental Did You Know: The Increasing Rate of Caries (Cavities) in Children

The prevalence of dental decay in the United States (and presumably in Canada) in children aged 2-5 has increased 15.2% according to recent data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Factors that influence this rate include:

1. Active dental caries in the primary caregiver
2. Socioeconomic status  
3. Dental IQ  
4. Medical history 
5. Dietary habits

Source: Cohn C, Why Does My Child Get So Many Cavities? What Can I Do About It?, Oral Health, January 2012, Vol 102, No 1, pg 46-53.

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

Dental Did You Know: Children's Visits to the Dentist

Hi everyone,

In an unfortunate statistic: 1 in 4 children in California have not seen a dentist. Here's the teaser quote:

A new study from UCLA researchers has one in four California having never seen a dentist.

There's a lot of illuminating, and heartbreaking findings in the study, published in the journal Health Affairs. There were significant disparities shown between races and whether the family had private insurance or some sort of public insurance such as Medicaid or CHIP:

For instance, 54 percent of privately insured children and 27 percent of publicly insured children had seen the dentist in the past six months, compared to 12 percent of children without dental coverage. (Fairly heroic on the part of the one-in nine uninsured families who managed to get their kids to the dentist.)

Source: http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/health/one-in-four-california-kids-ha/  July 8, 2010, Read on July 22, 2010  One in four California kids has never seen a dentist, Original Study Link http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/29/7/1356?ijkey=OR9Zf6tmdgyb2&keytype=ref&siteid=healthaff


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

PepsiCo Pulls its Sugary Drinks from Schools (finally!)

I've been waiting for this day for a long time. Finally, as reported in the Toronto Star article below, sugary drinks are been removed from schools worldwide. Here's the teaser quote:

The world's No. 2 soft drink maker, PepsiCo Inc., has pledged to pull high sugar soda from schools around the world by 2012. The company said Tuesday it is "voluntarily adopting" the global policy following discussions with the World Heart Federation in Geneva. The decision to pull the calorie-laded mainstay of the company's product line from every school marks the first such move by a major soft drink producer. 

It comes after years of campaigning by public health agencies to limit children's access to foods linked to the rising tide of childhood obesity.

You can read the rest of the article here: PepsiCo Will Pull Sugary Drinks

Source: Toronto Star Online,  PepsiCo Will Pull Sugary Drinks, March 17 2010,  Read March 17, 2010, http://www.thestar.com/business/article/780921--pepsico-will-pull-sugary-drinks


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

Dental Did You Know: Early Childhood Caries and Body Weight

Studies have shown that children with early childhood caries (cavities-ECC) are at risk of weighing less than 80% of their ideal weight, fitting into the criteria of failure to thrive.

Source: Ezer M et al, Early Childhood Caries: The Dental Disease of Infants, Oral Health, Jan 2010, Vol 100, No 1, pg 8-12.

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

Dental Did You Know: Early Childhood Caries (Cavities)

Dental caries (cavities) is a chronic disease that in children is five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever.

Source: Ezer M et al, Early Childhood Caries: The Dental Disease of Infants, Oral Health, Jan 2010, Vol 100, No 1, pg 8-12.

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

Dental Did You Know: First Visit to the Dentist

According to the Canadian and American Academies of Pediatric Dentistry (CAPD and AAPD), all children should have their first visit to the dentist to establish a dental home no later the 12 months of age.

The concept of a dental home refers to the establishment of an early relationship between the child, parents and the dentist. This initial meeting allows the dentist to record a thorough medical and dental history, oral exam, establish the child's risk of developing dental disease, establish a patient-specific recall interval and educate the parents early on to prevent dental disease. (edited for brevity-HS)

Source: Farkouh D, Infant Oral Health-Establishing a Dental Home, Oral Health, Jan 2010, Vol 100, No 1, pg 3.

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

Second hand (Passive) Smoking and Caries

Hi everyone, I saw this review of a study comparing children exposed to passive smoking (PS) and those that were not. It was found that:

1. The PS group had few caries free children
2. PS children had a mean DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) score two times higher
3. PS children had higher counts of S Mutans and lactobacilli
4. PS children had declines in salivary pH, flow rate and buffering capacities

Source: Sevels I, Clinical Abstracts, Cigarettes and Cavities, Ontario Dentist, Nov 2009, Vol 86, No 9, pg 14-15.

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

Free Dental Care for Kids: The CINOT Program

Here in Mississauga, the municipal and provincial governments have teamed up to provide free dental care to children in need (certain financial eligibility is required). How do you get into this program for your kids? Simple:

1. Call Peel Region Public Health at 905-799-7700 to book a screening appointment. A dental hygienist will determine if the child qualifies for the dental service. Ask for the Fairview screening clinic at 325 Central Parkway Unit 21, Mississauga, ON L5B 3X9. This screening office is the closest to Promenade Court Dental.
2. Paperwork will then be provided to see us at Promenade Court Dental (2233 Hurontario, south of Hurontario and Queensway) for treatment at no charge to you. You can call us when you receive the paperwork at 905-273-7100 to book an appointment for your child.

Cheers!

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

Formocresol Blood Levels in Children

Formocresol is a solution used by dentists for over 100 years as a medicament in baby teeth requiring the removal of pulpal tissue (pulpotomies). The solution used by most dentists is composed of 19% formaldehyde, 35% cresol in a vehicle of 15% glycerin and water. Concern has always been expressed about the exposure of these chemicals to young children and the impact on their health.

In a great study by Jeff Kahl and his colleagues, he showed that:

1. Formaldehyde is undetectable above baseline physiologic concentrations in plasma
2. Cresol is undetectable in plasma in patients receiving treatment
3. Benzyl alcohol was detected in plasma but in levels far below the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) recommended daily allowance
4. It is unlikely that formocresol when used in doses typically employed for vital pulpotomoies pose any risk to children

Source: Kahl J et al, Formocresol Blood Levels in Children Receiving Dental Treatment Under General Anesthesia, Pediatr Dent, 2008;30:393-9.

Take care

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