Dental Did You Know: What's in your Toothpaste Part 2

Surfactants (detergents) such as sodium lauryl sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate and lauryl sarcosinate are used to produce a foam that helps clean teeth. The first two have significant antibacterial properties but can irritate oral tissues. To minimize this, lauryl sarcosinate is used in part or in whole as a replacement.

Source: Field S, Why There's Antifreeze in Your Toothpaste: The Chemistry of Household Ingredients, Chicago Review Press, 2008, pg 239-241.

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: What's in your Toothpaste Part 1

Hydrated Silica: also known as Silicic Acid, Silica Gel, and Amorphous Silicon Dioxide

Chemical Formula: SiO2.nH20

Description: Transparent Gel

Use: It is the abrasive used in gel toothpaste or as a secondary abrasive in opaque toothpastes

Source: Field S, Why There's Antifreeze in Your Toothpaste: The Chemistry of Household Ingredients, Chicago Review Press, 2008, pg 239-240.

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: Dental Radiation and Airport Scanners?

Hi everyone,

Ok, it seems that everyone is worked up about the potential for damage from these new airport backscatter radiation scanners. (Which also brings up the topic of radiation doses from dental radiographs). On occasion, certain patients will decline radiographs because they think the doses they are receiving are large.

To clear the record, this chart from the Health Physics Society (http://www.hps.org) gives us the basis of where a dental radiograph is compared to other medical xray procedures:

(Dosage in millirem (mrem))

Skull (lateral): 1

Chest (PA): 2

Skull (PA or AP): 3

Chest (lateral): 4

Chest (PA and lateral): 6

Limbs and joints: 6

Thoracic spine (AP): 40

Thoracic spine (lateral): 30

Lumbar spine (AP): 70

Lumbar spine (lateral): 30

Abdomen (AP): 70

Abdomen: 53

Pelvis (AP): 70

Pelvis or hips: 83

Bitewing dental film: 0.4

As you can see, dental films are *way* down the scale in terms of dosage and provide information that is beneficial to the patient in term of detecting potentially large cavities in between teeth and other pathological conditions.

As another basis of comparison, most people don't know they are getting a dose of radiation from the environment: house, lawn, park, work, airplane, office etc. This dose is in the range of 300 millirem per year. The new airport scanners are 5-10 microrem (not millirem), therefore going through these scanners are about 1/50th of a dental radiograph and 1/30000 background radiation.

Now, any radiation dose is not good for you, but we as health practitioners have to balance out the consequences of not taking a picture vs. taking the pictures. The odds ratios almost always favour taking a radiograph in order to help the patient overall.

As for the airport scanners, I would personally be more worried about crossing the street in traffic.

Cheers,

Hans

Source: Stabin M, Doses from Medical Radiation Sources, Health Physics Society, Dec 18, 2009, Read on Feb 3/10, http://www.hps.org/hpspublications/articles/dosesfrommedicalradiation.html

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 Records for Canadians Missing in Haiti

Hi everyone,

One of the sad aspects of being a dentist is being asked by authorities for chart records to identify victims of disasters such as those in the Haitian earthquake zone. Quoted below is the (edited for brevity) text of an electronic bulletin from the Canadian Dental Association (CDA) with respect to the relief efforts in Haiti:

The massive earthquake that recently struck Haiti has affected an estimated 3 million people according to the Canadian Red Cross, resulting in extreme injuries and significant loss of life. As of January 22, over 300 Canadians are still unaccounted for in Haiti.

Canada is responding to the disaster in several ways including providing troops and personnel for humanitarian aid, search and rescue, and disaster victim identification (DVI). Dental records are one of the most important sources of identification for all DVI efforts. Since Canada has such a high standard of dental care, dental records will form the basis of the positive identification of missing Canadian citizens. Using dental records is a highly accurate and inexpensive method of identifying a person during a disaster.

Original dental records and radiographs of all types are needed to help identify missing citizens. Chief coroners, chief medical examiners and/or police departments in each province will develop a list of missing and presumed deceased persons. They will then attempt to acquire antemortem records for these people, including dental records from treating dentists and data from other sources such as medical records, fingerprints or DNA.

As always your generosity to the people of Haiti is needed at this time...please give generously.

Source: (email) CDA Alert, Jan 22, 2010, Dental Records for Canadian Missing in Haiti, Canadian Dental Association, http://www.cda-adc.ca

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

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

Mobile Dental Website

Hi everyone and Happy New Year!

Hopefully, you had a nice celebration and are ready for the new decade! I'm determined to make this year one where we focus more on the technological side of the practice. My first task was to get a mobile site up. As you know, we are rapidly moving toward a mobile web with the number of iPhones, Blackberries and Google Android devices skyrocketing. The typical website, dental or otherwise, is not designed to take advantage of the smaller screen size and other limitations of these phones.

With this is mind, we've created our mobile site http://pcdentalmississauga.prohost.mobi (best seen on a mobile device) to be simple, with most information no more than a click and a few swipes of your finger away. Phone numbers, hours, a google map and our blog (in a smaller form) are on the first page. Emergency tips, our services offered and the full website are also just a click away.

As usual, I'll be making changes based on your feedback, but as far as I know, I'm one of the first dentists in Mississauga (Toronto?) to have a mobile website.....enjoy! I look forward to your comments in the upcoming months.

Take care,

Hans

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

Have a Merry Christmas and our Holiday Hours

Hi everyone,

First of all, thanks for a record breaking year in terms of patients, procedures and gifts! (wow!). Jodie, Gloria and myself are truly blessed to have a great pool of patients. We are adding another hygienist to accomodate our growth as well as new computers in 2010. Our new flat screens (long anticipated.... should be a reality this year for our operatories). You'll be able to listen to a vast selection of music and shows as well as watch the Raptors and Leafs lose in stunning HD while having a procedure done.

On a more serious note, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Treasure your time with family and friends, life is very fast and getting faster by the day!

Just a reminder that we are closed the 25th and 26th and will return with limited hours on the 28th. We are closed on 29th and 30th as well as the 1st of January. Limited hours continue that week also, (we are closed on the 5th and 6th). Normal operations begin on the 7th.

Have a great holiday!

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

Ministry of Health Website for Health Professionals and Consumers

Hi everyone,

The Ministry of Health in Ontario has a nice website directed to health professionals and consumers that has a wealth of information. I've given a partial screenshot below.

Source: http://www.health.gov.on.ca

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

New Family Health Teams On The Way

December 11 - Ontario is creating 19 new Family Health Teams across the province to provide better access to family health care.

December 4

Ontario Expands Flu Immunization Program

December 1

New Law Increases Access to Health Care

November 29

Ontario Expands Access to Cancer Drug

November 27

Join the Resistance Ad Campaign

Dental Did You Know: Dentists in Canada

Hi everyone,

Some quick facts about dentists in Canada:

1. There are over 18 000 dentists in Canada
2. Approximately 76% of Canadian dentists are male
3. Over 80% of Canadian dentists are 40 years of age or under

Source: Scotts's Dental Directory Profile Page, From the Publishers of Oral Health Journal and Dental Practice Management

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

New York Times Dental Article: A Dental Shift: Implants Instead of Bridges

Hi everyone, I saw this article in the New York Times Online. Here's the teaser quote:

If I have one serious regret about my age, it is that my permanent teeth developed before New York, my hometown, got fluoridated water. I first lost a permanent molar to decay in my early 20s, and the resulting bridge has had to be replaced several times in subsequent decades, ultimately as a four-part apparatus.

Now that has to go as well. Because I could not floss and clean properly under the bridge and between the supporting crowns, I developed a severe periodontal infection.

Dr. Michael Zidile, the young periodontist I consulted, took one look at my mouth and said: “This is not how we do restorations nowadays. A bridge is not a permanent solution and makes it too hard for most people to keep their gums and underlying bone healthy. Now we do implants and individual crowns where needed.”

Read the rest of the article here: A Dental Shift: Implants Instead of Bridges

Source: New York Times, A Dental Shift: Implants Instead of Bridges, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/health/17brod.html?_r=1&ref=health Read on Nov 20, 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

Dental Did You Know: Lung Cancer Risk After Quitting Smoking

The risk of lung cancer is reduced by 50% in recent quitters and 83% in long-term quitters.

Source: Smoking Cessation Rounds Vol 3, Issue 4 (Table 1) 2009, Available at http://www.smokingcessationrounds.ca

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: Dental Services Most Valued by Canadians 40+

Hi everyone,

In a survey on dental services most valued by Canadians 40+ as reported in October's Oral Health Journal:

1. 75% wanted fillings for cavities
2. 74% wanted to prevent gum disease
3. 63% wanted treatment to prevent cavities
4. 40% wanted implants
5. 25% wanted cosmetic treatment
   

Source: Tenenbaum H et al, What Your Older Patients Want from Their Dental Services, Oral Health Journal, Oct 09, Vol 99, No 10, pg 42-53.

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

Web article: How to keep treats from doing scary things to teeth

Hi everyone,

I saw this article online on the CBC.ca website, here's the teaser quote:

Here are a few things to keep in mind before allowing children to dig into a bag of tasty treats.

Read the rest of the article here: How to keep treats from doing scary things to teeth

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2009/10/29/f-halloween-dental-health-candy.html Read on Nov 2, 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

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