Ven Griva, Contributor
DENTISTS FROM across the United States and Canada exchanged vital information recently showing that dental X-rays can help detect some potentially deadly blockages in the carotid artery that can lead to stroke.
The findings were presented in July by Dr. Laurie Carter, professor and director of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and director of Graduate Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry at the Academy of General Dentistry's 53rd Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Periapical or bitewing radiographs are commonly used by dentists to observe the entire structure of the mouth, including a patient's teeth, roots, jaw and facial placement. More importantly, a patient's carotid arteries, located on each side of the neck, pass through the region shown on the panoramic X-ray, making it possible for a dentist to view these significant blockages, which appear as patchy white spots.
"These findings demonstrate the increasingly important role that a general dentist can play in the management of a person's overall health," Carter said. "They also show the importance of routine visits to your general dentist to promote early detection of potentially life-threatening events like heart attack and stroke."
In a survey commissioned by the Academy of General Dentistry, 63 per cent of baby boomers, ages 45-64, with an oral symptom considered to be a key indicator of a more serious health condition were unaware of the symptom's link to the condition. In that same study, 49 per cent of boomers indicated that they do not visit the dentist every six months and almost 31 per cent never go to the dentist or only go in an emergency.
BAD BREATH CURE
Also at the July meeting of the Academy of General Dentistry in Washington, dental experts unveiled a treatment that can be beneficial to the 90 million Americans with chronic bad breath.
"Bad breath is no laughing matter and can actually be an indication of more serious health concerns such as infections," said general and cosmetic dentist Dr. Louis J. Malcmacher.
The research showed that using low concentrations of carbamide peroxide, an odourless ingredient used to bleach and disinfect teeth, can effectively treat chronic bad breath. The treatment costs approximately $500 and requires a visit to a dentist's office to get started.
Once a special tray is made for a dental patient and the first treatment is performed, follow-up treatments can be performed at home. After approximately three treatments, the patient will notice a significant change in their breath.
Dentists before could only offer temporary treatment plans that reduced, but not treat, bad breath, using various types of mouthwash and toothpaste that did not stay in the mouth long enough to significantly impact bad breath.
"If you are suffering from chronic bad breath it is important to work closely with your dentist to rule out other health concerns associated with this condition and to identify the most appropriate treatment plan," said Malcmacher. "This new treatment provides dentists with an effective option to actually kill the odour-causing bacteria, rather than simply mask the problem."
Bad breath may occur in people who have an infection, gum disease, diabetes, kidney failure or a liver malfunction. Xerostomia (dry mouth) and tobacco also contribute to this problem. Even stress, dieting, snoring, ageing and hormonal changes can have an effect on breath.
SOAP AND WATER
Hand washing with soap could halve the incidence of diarrhoea and lower respiratory infections in children in developing countries, concludes a recent study published in the British medical journal The Lancet.
Every year more than 3.5 million children age five or younger die from diarrhoea and acute lower respiratory tract infection, making these two clinical syndromes the largest cause of childhood deaths globally.
Dr. Stephen Luby of the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and colleagues did a randomised controlled trial in adjoining squatter settlements in Karachi, Pakistan, to measure the broad health benefits brought about by improvement of hand washing and bathing with soap.
The investigators recruited 36 neighbourhoods to take part in the study. Six hundred households in these neighbourhoods were assigned to hand washing promotion and 300 to control. Half the households in the hand washing promotion group were given antibacterial soap and half received plain soap.
"Our data show that regular hand washing with soap is very effective in preventing diarrhoea and respiratory disease, two of the leading causes of global childhood death," Luby said.
Visit Copley News Service at www.copleynews.com.
