Dental Did You Know: The Development of Peer Review

One of the first instances of peer-review happened in 1731 when the editor of Medical Essays and Observations, published by the Royal Society of Edinburgh, forwarded submitted articles to those they considered "most versed in these matters".

Source: Hardie J, Is This Article Worth Reading? A Critical Analysis of Peer Review, Oral Health , Vol 100, No 9, Sept 2010, pg 70-77.

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 Image Library: Supernumerary (Extra) Palatal Tooth

Supernumerary (Extra) Palatal Tooth (Summer 2010)

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 Image Library: Enamel Pearl on a Premolar

An Enamel Pearl on a premolar tooth. (Excess Enamel)

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...its relationship to health and dental treatment options

Sleep apnea is the cessation of breath for 10 seconds or more and is correlated with:

• hypertension 40-50%
• coronary heart disease 34%
• congestive heart failure 34%
• diabetes 65%
• erectile dysfunction 50%
• renal disease 50%
• nocturnal strokes 84%

Mild to moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea (5-30 events per hour) can be treated through 3 options:

• oral appliances (like a SUAD device, which repositions the mandible)
• CPAP (continuous positive air pressure)
• surgical intervention

You can call us at Promenade Court Dental for a consult. A sleep study is required before seeing us, consult your physician for the appropriate appointments at a sleep clinic.

Source: Rondeau B, Teamwork, June 2010, Vol 3, No 4, pg 50-58. 

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

Dental Did You Know: Oral Cancer Rates in the US

The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimated that there would be 23,100 cases of oral cancer in 2009 with 5,370 deaths from the disease.

Source: Rethman M et al, Evidence-based clinical recommendations regarding screening for oral squamous cell carcinomas, PEAK, RCDSO, August 2010, pg 1-15.

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

Dental Did You Know: High Fluoride Toothpaste and Cavity Reduction

The use of high fluoride toothpaste (5000ppm) caused the re-hardening of 76% of non-cavitated root caries lesions. In contrast, toothpastes that had only (1100ppm) caused the re-hardening of only 35% of lesions.

Source: Sevels I, Clinical Abstracts, Ontario Dentist, Vol 87, No 6, pg 20.

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 Male Hygienist in Ontario

The first male hygienist in Ontario, Master Warrant Officer Hans E. Franzgrote, CD, RDH, (Royal Canadian Dental Corps) was first licensed in June 1970.

Source: Morana C, Dateline: Dentistry 1970, Ontario Dentist, Sept 2010, Vol 87, No 7, pg 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

Dental Did You Know: The First Ongoing Dental Journal

The first ongoing dental journal, the Dental Cosmos, was published by Samuel Stockton White (the founder of the SS White Company) in 1859. This eventually became the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA).

Source: Freedman G, Dental Education...As You Like It, Oral Health, July 2010, Vol 100, No 7, 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

Practice Info: Dr. Andrew El-Faizy Recruited to PC Dental

We are pleased to introduce Dr. Andrew M. El-Faizy to our practice. Andrew will be applying his expertise in molar endodontics and oral surgery to some of our difficult cases. In addition, his experience in restorative dentistry will be a welcome benefit to our practice. Our practice has grown to a family of five...with more to come. Thanks to our patients for their great support during our growth!

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: Calcium Hydroxide and Deep Fillings

Sometimes, we run into cavities that are exceptionally deep, often exposing a pinpoint area of the pulpal (nerve) area of the tooth. This often necessitates a root canal. However, we can attempt to recover and rehabilitate the tooth by capping a small exposure with calcium hydroxide, followed by a well-sealed restoration. The success levels can be quite good: a review of 14 studies have shown success rates of up to 90% with experienced clinicians.

Source: Hilton T, Keys to Clinical Success with Pulp Capping: A Review of the Literature, RCDSO Peak Publication, May/June 2010, pg 1-16.

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 Healing Rate of Root Fractures

Hi everyone,

When pulp vitality is maintained, root fractures heal spontaneously in 70-80% of cases.

Source: Gen Dent 57: 442-443, 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 News: Winston Churchill's Teeth Fetch $24 000 at Auction

Saw this amusing article in the Toronto Star, here's the teaser quote:

LONDON—A partial set of dentures used by former British leader Winston Churchill — described as the teeth that saved the world — sold at auction Thursday for £15,200 ($24,556).

The upper dentures, one of several sets specially made for the wartime prime minister, were used to maintain his distinctively slurred speaking style. They were bought by a British collector of Churchill memorabilia at an auction in England at three times the estimated price.

The set of dentures were unique because they were designed to be loose-fitting so that Churchill could preserve the diction famous from World War II-era radio broadcasts, experts said.

You can read the rest of the article here: Winston Churchill's Teeth Fetch $24 000 at Auction

Source: Toronto Star Online, Read and Published July 29, 2010 http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/841628--teeth-that-saved-the-world-fetch-24-000-at-auction


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

Case Report: Supernumerary Teeth

Hi everyone,

Ran into this case of a young man who will be undergoing orthodontics, but has not one but two extra teeth between the natural central incisors. One is visible on the physical exam, the other is in a retrograde orientation on the radiograph. It is a fairly simple procedure to remove the teeth at an oral surgery office and to then proceed with the orthodontics. He will have an outstanding smile in the not so distant future :)

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

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

Dental Video: How to Brush Your Teeth

This video on how to brush your teeth was created by the Colgate Professional Website. Our thanks to them for the use of the video:




Source: http://www.colgateprofessional.ca, July 13, 2010
Disclaimer: as usual we do not specifically recommend any products seen on this or any other video. Contact us for more information on a particular product. We'll give you the latest information and our  current recommendations.


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 Websites: Colgate Professional Website

Hi everyone,

Colgate has recently introduced a new professional site. The site contains some nice patient education material, professional education opportunities and product information. I'm not a fan of the layout and the small font, but it's worth a quick look: Colgate Professional Website.

Source http://www.colgateprofessional.ca/ read on July 13, 2010

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

News Article: A miracle treatment for cancer discovered in the mouth of the North American shrew

I saw this article online about an interesting potential treatment for cancer. The headline tho' is a bit over the top for such an early stage in the research.  Here's the teaser quote:

A miracle treatment for cancer may have been discovered in a very bizarre place-the mouth of the North American shrew. With its saliva, "we were able to reduce the growth of ovarian, breast and prostate cancer tumours at least as well as standard chemo," says Dr. Jack Stewart, who discovered the cancer-fighting properties of the furry mammal's paralytic venom-which it uses to stun prey-when he was working as a biochemist at Mount Allison University. Now he's the scientific adviser for Soricimed Biopharma, a small New Brunswick pharmaceutical company he founded to get the drug onto the market.

The venom contains soricidin, a peptide, that bonds to a calcium channel that's activated in the human body when cells turn cancerous. It then clogs up the channel, causing the diseased cells to self-destruct. The peptide only targets one chemical, produced by very few cells in the body, so it has almost no side effects, and is also very effective at locating tumours and detecting cancer early. "We attached a fluorescent tag to our drug and injected it into mice. Within two hours the tumours were lighting up."

Source: Tom Henheffer, Open up and say "aah":  A miracle treatment for cancer discovered in the mouth of the North American shrew, from Maclean's Online Magazine, no original date given, http://lifestyle.ca.msn.com/health-fitness/health/rogers-article.aspx?cp-documentid=24795680 Read July 10, 2010

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

Trucker attempts to remove tooth while driving - Weird News - Canoe.ca

I saw this article reading the morning news and to be honest, I nearly fell off my seat. Here's the teaser quote:

Trucker attempts to remove tooth while driving - Weird News - Canoe.ca: "

A Kitchener truck driver is facing a careless driving charge but on the bright side, his tooth doesn't hurt anymore.

Lambton County OPP say they stopped a big rig driver doing some driving dentistry along Hwy. 402 on Wednesday.

Const. John Reurink told QMI Agency Saturday it's the first time he's ever heard of a driver being pulled over performing dental surgery.

'I've never heard of this sort of thing occurring before,' Reurink said, adding he has stopped drivers doing their make-up, reading a map or talking on a cellphone. 'Somebody doing an amateur tooth pulling? That's a first.'"

You can read the rest of the article here: Trucker Attempts to Remove Tooth While Driving,

Source: Canoe.ca, Read July 4th 2010 Published July 3rd 2010 http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2010/07/03/14599611.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 Did You Know: Alcohol and Maxillofacial Fractures

In a study of 2581 patients that presented with facial fractures in New Zealand,  49% were alcohol related. Males accounted for 88% while 59% were males in the 15-29 age group. 78% of the fractures were due to interpersonal violence and 13% to motor vehicle accidents.

Source: Lee K et al, Role of Alcohol in Maxillofacial Fractures, Oral Health, Vol 100, No 6, pg 40-49.

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 Central Core Theory

This theory stated that in the mandible, the outer nerves innervated molars while the inner nerves supplied incisors. The theory was suggested when studies showed that local anaesthetic failure after a mandibular block was highest in incisors, followed by premolars and  molars.

Source: Lecture from David Isen, May 26, 2010 (d.isen@rogers.ca) from a Powerpoint Slide referencing Kanaa et al, J of Endo, 32:919-923, 2006.

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