Clinical

Laura Dorr is the former executive editor of DPR's Modern Dental Network and a regular contributing author.

Articles

Mouthbreathers beware: Annoying your spouse isn’t the only downside of breathing through your mouth while you sleep. A new study has found that people who breathe through their mouth while sleeping are at a higher risk for tooth decay.

Mouthbreathers at higher risk of tooth decay

Read about the research two doctors will conduct to relieve the chronic inflammation and neuropathic pain symptoms of oral cancer.

NIH awards NYU, UCLA funds to study effect of cannabinoids on cancer pain

In a recent study published by the Journal of Dental Research, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that at 52.79% and 51.10% respectively, New Mexico an d Hawaii have the United States’ highest prevalence of periodontal disease.

New CDC study finds high periodontal disease prevalence in Southern U.S. states

Founded in 1910, the Forsyth Institute is the only independent research organization in the United States dedicated to understanding the important connections between oral health and overall wellness. Forsyth scientists are shaping the direction of personalized medicine through pioneering biomedical research and its direct application to new diagnostics, devices and therapies. Forsyth combines its expertise in oral and associated systemic diseases with a relentless drive to ask - and answer - critical questions about how to best alleviate daily health challenges for billions. Forsyth is a not-for-profit organization that is also committed to treating underserved populations in local communities and on a national and global scale. To learn more about Forsyth, visit http://www.forsyth.org.

Bacteria are a well-known cause of oral disease and infection, but new research is examining the relationship between different bacteria in the mouth to see how they interact and, ultimately, tell researchers how bacteria combine to affect overall health.

Scientists map mouth microbes to pinpoint oral disease origin

Kara Vavrosky, RDH is an Editorial Director at Modern Hygienist, a part of the Modern Dental Network. She is best known for running the popular Facebook page, Dental Hygiene with Kara RDH, and is the founder of DentalHygieneAnswers.com, a Q&A site for dental hygienists. Kara also serves on multiple advisory boards for dental-related companies and is a 2015-2016 ADHA Governance of Tomorrow Steering Committee member. You can learn more about Kara at KaraRDH.com.

We're a few weeks into the new year, and it's likely that some of us have already slacked off our New Year's resolutions.

5 dental New Year’s resolutions

Founder of PerioLinks, LLC, and dental team coach, speaker and author, Kathryn Gilliam, RDH, BA, delivers practical protocols to integrate knowledge of the oral-systemic link seamlessly into clinical practice. Her presentations empower dental professionals to develop dental wellness practices, to achieve outstanding results through extraordinary patient care and to create exceptionally productive dental hygiene departments. A practicing clinician, Kathryn delivers powerful presentations based on her passion for the early detection of head and neck cancer and the critical role of the oral-systemic connection in clinical practice. Kathryn combines her passion for patient care with her love of writing. Her articles and continuing education courses have been published in numerous respected industry journals, including The Journal of the Academy of General Dentistry, AGD Impact, Dental Economics, RDH, Dentistry Today and Hygiene Mastery Magazine.

Vibrant, energetic and fitness-conscious, Sandy Wexler, a pediatric nurse who appeared to be in perfect health, was shocked to learn during her routine dental check up that she had a large suspicious lump on the right side of her neck. Sandy had not noticed anything different about her neck until that moment and thought it must be simply a swollen lymph node due to a subclinical infection of some kind. She assumed a course of antibiotics would easily remedy the situation.

What you need to know about HPV, oral cancer and your dental patients

Midge Chiantella Junghans, CRDH, BS, is a practicing dental hygienist who lives in Venice, Florida. She also practices orofacial myofunctional therapy. Her goal is to promote early detection and treatment of orofacial myofunctional disorders in order to prevent comorbidities later. Midge has been a volunteer with Remote Area Medical as well as Senior Friendship Center. Memberships include AAMS, ADHA, FDHA, and AAOSH. She can be reached at mcjung@verizon.net.

Is it possible that our patients would be better served if we observed characteristics we assess on a daily basis through a fresh, clear lens? With the beginning of the New Year, we can achieve this one goal as a team of dental professionals.

Everything old is new again: How fresh eyes in the operatory could save lives

Periodontal disease has been linked to a host of medical problems, but now researchers say there’s another risk to be added to the list: breast cancer. Recent research discovered that postmenopausal women with periodontal disease are more likely to develop the cancer than those without the oral health condition.

Study finds link between periodontal disease and increased risk of breast cancer

Patti DiGangi, RDH, BS, believes dentistry is no longer just about fixing teeth. Dentistry is oral medÂ­icine. Her work helps dental professionals embrace the opportunities and understand the metrics that accurate insurance coding provides. The ADA recognized her expertise by inviting her to write a chapter in its CDT 2017 Companion book and again for its CDT 2018 Companion. She is the author of the DentalCodeology series of easy-to-read, bite-size books. Her latest book, "Teledentistry: Pathway to Pathology" was co-written with Cindy Purdy, RDH, BS. She can be reached at patti@dentalcodeology.com.

"It isn’t difficult, but it takes team cooperation, new thinking, and practice." That's the mantra from author Patti DiGangi in this article.

How thinking like Twitter can reduce your dental practice's insurance frustration

Christine Taxin is the founder and president of Links2Success, a practice management consulting company to the dental and medical fields. Prior to starting her own consulting company, Taxin served as an administrator of a critical care department at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City and managed an extensive multi-specialty dental practice in New York. With over 25 years of experience as a practice management professional, she now provides private practice consulting services, delivers continuing education seminars for dental and medical professionals and serves as an adjunct professor at the New York University (NYU) Dental School and Resident Programs for Maimonides Hospital. She can be reached through www.links2success.biz.

Dental professionals are a patient’s primary source of screening within the oral cavity; thus attention must be paid to the most common oral malignancy: squamous cell carcinoma. Historically such malignancies were attributed only to patients with a history of extensive alcohol and tobacco use. However, other risk factors such as human papilloma virus and medication use are shifting the profession’s perception of who may be at risk for oral cancer.

Oral Care