A very interesting conclusion to this study MJ
Available online 22 July 2017
AbstractObjective
This study describes caries progression at tooth-surface level in children from 1-3 years of age and the impact of biannual treatment with fluoride varnish.
Methods
Children who participated in a cluster-randomized controlled trial and had shown signs of dental caries were included in this study (n = 801). International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) was used to classify dental caries. The present study compared children receiving a standard yearly intervention to children receiving the same standard preventive intervention supplemented with an application of fluoride varnish every half year.
Results
The maxillary incisors were the first teeth to develop cavitation (ICDAS 3–6) and also mostly affected. Further analyses focusing on maxillary incisors buccal surfaces showed that sound surfaces had least progression and that progression to extensive decay was more common in teeth that had exhibited moderate decay. A summarizing progression index (PI) was calculated for the buccal surfaces of the maxillary incisors. Between 1 and 2 years of age PI was 26% and between 2 and 3 years of age PI was 21%. The progression on buccal incisors and on occlusal first primary molars did not differ between intervention groups (p ≤ 0,05).
Conclusion
No impact on caries progression for biannual treatment with fluoride varnish was found. Clinical significance: Using fluoride varnish as a complement to standard intervention in toddlers did not add in the prevention of dental caries or its progression. The education of parents in the use fluoride toothpaste as they start brushing the teeth of their children is essential.
via Blogger Impact of biannual treatment with fluoride varnish on tooth-surface-level caries progression in children aged 1–3 years
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The American Dental Association (ADA) has a great site for both patients *and* doctors. It’s called mouthhealthy.org and is great resource for all things dental. For patients, I feel the best part of the site is that it is truly information that you can trust from a scientific point of view.
For several years now there has been a great deal of discussion regarding if oral health can be linked to problems with cardiac health. The mouth and heart are part of the same organism, so many feel that one can affect the other and I happen to be one of those doctors. Oral bacteria has been cultured from atherosclerotic plaque and that is just one of the things that concern me.
Here are a few things dealing with this subject. The entire web page from the ADA is available from this link:
Take care of your gums...help your heart? The American Heart Association published a Statement in April 2012 supporting an association between gum disease and heart disease. The article noted that current scientific data do not indicate if regular brushing and flossing or treatment of gum disease will decrease the incidence, rate or severity of the narrowing of the arteries (called atherosclerosis) that can lead to heart attacks and strokes. However, many studies show an as-yet-unexplained association between gum disease and several serious health conditions, including heart disease, even after adjusting for common risk factors. Gum disease is an infection of the tissues that support the teeth and is a major cause of tooth loss in adults. The ADA and MouthHealthy believe that the most important thing you can do to avoid gum disease and maintain good oral health (including prevention of tooth decay or cavities) is:
via Blogger More Links Between Oral Health and Heart Disease Sweet Taste Perception and Dental Caries in 13- to 15-Year-Olds: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study7/28/2017
Caries Res 2017;51:443-450
AbstractDietary habits and, in particular, the intake frequency of sucrose are of major importance for the development of dental caries. The perception of sweet taste is believed to have an influence on sucrose intake and therefore affects the predisposition to dental caries. The aim was to study the caries experience and sweet taste perception and to further analyze the possible relationship between the 2 tested variables in 13- to 15-year-old children from 3 different geographical areas. A cross-sectional survey comprising 669 children (220 Italian, 224 Mexican, and 225 Saudi Arabian) was conducted. The children were examined in their school setting. A sweet taste perception level was determined by the sweet taste threshold (TT) and sweet taste preference (TP). The sweet test was performed with sucrose solutions varying in concentration from 1.63 to 821.52 g/L. The International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) and DMFS indices were used to diagnose caries. The highest mean value for TT was found for Italian children followed by Saudi and Mexican. Saudi schoolchildren showed the highest mean values for TP and DMFS, followed by Italian and Mexican. A statistically significant difference for TP, TT, DMFS, and initial caries was found between the 3 countries. A weak yet positive correlation was found between taste perception (TT and TP) versus DMFS and manifest caries in all 3 countries (r = 0.137-0.313). The findings of the present study showed a variation in sweet taste perception between the 3 countries, which may influence the caries outcome of the children in the individual countries.via Blogger Sweet Taste Perception and Dental Caries in 13- to 15-Year-Olds: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study
On August 1st (next Tuesday) at 1:00pm EDT, 12:00pm CDT, 11:00 MDT, and 10:00 PDT I will be doing a webinar sponsored by Dentrix on the benefits of using digital devices to increase your efficiency, decrease your stress, and give you better clinical results. Take an hour out of your day to learn about these incredible technologies without the costs and hassle of travel. Personally, I can’t wait to help all of you learn how to make dentistry more fun and less stressful for all involved.
Here is all of the info for those of you interested:
Are you interested in pushing your practice to be all that it can be?
Are you looking for strategies to help you use the systems and technologies in your office to reach their full potential? Let Dr. John Flucke, “Dentistry’s Technology Evangelist,” help you get the benefits of a digital workflow. During this one hour webinar, Dr. Flucke will cover the following topics:
This webinar is for dentists, office managers, and staff who want to learn how to get the most out of a digital workflow in the dentist office. Sponsored by Dentrix, for offices using other practice management systems. via Blogger FREE Digital Workflow Webinar Next Week on August 1st at 1:00pm EDT
NexHealth is a HIPAA-certified, patient relationship management suite that nicely compliments Curve Hero. You can retain and delight more patients with automated email/SMS recall messages and appointment reminders, one-tap appointment scheduling, digital wait-list management, and other patient-pleasing features.
To learn more, give NexHealth a call at 888-397-6399 or send them a message at [email protected]. I asked NexHealth for a savings specifically for Curve Dental customers and they were happy to oblige. Just mention this email and you'll receive a 10% discount on your NexHealth subscription.
via Blogger Curve Dental and NexHealth are working together to strengthen your practice!
San Jose, CA, June 28, 2017 - Sikka Software, The Practice Optimizer Company®, announced the Beta release of Practice Assistant today. Practice Assistant is an Amazon Alexa Skills integration that allows Dentists and Veterinarians to access key practice data via the Amazon Echo and Echo Dot. With Practice Assistant, Retail Healthcare Professionals can get the information they need to make management decisions, track practice growth and run daily operations without having to take time away from clinical activities to check data in their practice management system.
The provider simply says, “Alexa, open my practice” which activates the Echo device and connects it to Sikka’s Platform Cloud. The cloud is HIPAA and HITECH compliant and is compatible with 96% of practice management systems on the market.
Practice Assistant shares the following data with providers:
Performance Metrics: Get ready for the day with Morning Meeting Report, a comprehensive overview of the practice that facilitates dentists and veterinarians in planning for a successful day. Providers can also ask Alexa for important Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track financial and clinical practice health. With Practice Assistant, providers can hear their accounts receivable balance, month–to–date production and scheduled production for the month, among other important metrics.
Schedule: With Practice Assistant, providers can access their daily schedule, including total number of remaining appointments, and the time of first, last and next appointments. Practice Assistant also provides key data on the patient population, including pending treatment plans, new patients, inactive patients and patients seen month–to–date.
Vijay Sikka, CEO of Sikka Software
“Practice Assistant represents the next phase of Artificial Intelligence for retail healthcare professionals. Dentists and Veterinarians can now ask their Echo device for all the information they need to run their practice smoothly and efficiently without looking at a screen or opening their practice management system.”
The Practice Assistant Skill is now available for purchase at https://store.sikkasoft.com/pa. Simply sign up for Practice Assistant, only $35 each month, to activate your Amazon Echo product.
About Sikka Software
Sikka Software Corporation is revolutionizing the retail healthcare industry via its platform cloud, analytical tools, apps and big data leadership. The retail industry includes over 2.1 million providers worldwide and over 600,000 in the United States. The Sikka Platform Cloud allows seamless compatibility with over 96% of the dental, veterinary, vision care and hearing care markets in the United States. Sikka Software Corporation has over 24,000 installations and is experiencing strong growth and market presence in the retail healthcare big data space. For more information, please visit www.sikkasoftware.com.
via Blogger New Practice Assistant for Amazon Echo Delivers Key Data to Dentists and Veterinarians
Read the entire DPR article where I discuss digital dentistry now and in the future
Each month, Dr. Lou Shuman consults with a dental technology specialist to discuss the latest developments in digital dentistry, data security, social media trends, SEO strategies, website optimization, online reputation management, marketing and more.
This month, Dr. Shuman sat down with Marty Jablow, DMD to discuss the future of digital dentistry, and how it will affect dental practice workflows and diagnostics.Where is digital dentistry heading in the dental office in 2017?
The progression continues. Front office staff are still migrating to the paperless office but are now incorporating many more online digital technologies. We’ve gone from just reminders to online reputation management, reviews and overall office efficiencies and production goals. The back office continues to evolve with patient treatment enhancements, such as digital caries detection and diagnostic devices, to digital impressions, CAD/CAM and 3D printing.
via Blogger The future of digital dentistry Dental Hygiene KOL Patti DiGangi Launches the Dental Codeologist Community Membership Program7/25/2017
The First Subscription-Based Program Providing Ongoing Education, Value and Interaction for Those Dedicated to Accurate Dental Coding
Addison, IL – July 20, 2017 – Patti DiGangi, RDH, BS, a prominent dental hygiene thought leader, recently launched The Dental Codeologist Community Membership Program.
The latest brand extension of her DentalCodelogybook series and her ROMA Manual on Dentistry, DiGangi is taking a member’s only approach to providing dental professionals with the latest news, tips and continuing education credits regarding CDT codes.
Also included are exclusive discounts on products and services from Dental Codeologist Partners such as GC America, Young Dental, Curaprox USA, ph2OH, MouthWatch, Xlear/Spry ACTEON North America, DentalPost, Crown Seating, Phaal, Air Techniques, LexiComp, Solutionreach and others.
According to DiGangi, “We developed a program that keeps the importance of accurate dental procedure coding top of mind in a continuous, interactive way while also providing ongoing dividends via CE credits, virtual consultation and some cool deals. I guess you can call me The Chief Dental Codeologist.”
For a nominal $8.25 a month (annual membership paid in full for only $99.00 a year), Dental Codeologists will receive the following member’s only benefits:
· A monthly e-newsletter, The Dental Codeologist
· Discounts on DentalCodeology and ROMA books
· Discounted live and online CE credits at participating dental and hygiene meetings and via DentalPost
· Discounts on products and services provided by a growing network of Dental Codeologist Partners
· Invitation to join the private Dental CodeologistFacebook group for community interaction and discussion
Dental professionals interested in learning the finer points of accurate dental procedure coding, for elevating the standard of patient care and improving practice profitability should join The Dental Codeologist Member Community by visiting www.DentalCodeology.com. For more information, send an email to [email protected].
About Patti DiGangi:
Patti DiGangi, RDH, BS is an international speaker who is passionate about prevention and working with dental professionals to improve practice profitability. Patti is the author of the recently-published book A Gingivitis Code Finally! - The fifth installment in the DentalCodeology series of bite-size books for busy dental professionals. She also recently published The ROMA Manual of Dentistry – A Light-Hearted Yet Deadly Serious Look at The Dental Profession.
Patti’s latest endeavor is the just-launched Dental Codeologist Community – a member’s only program providing ongoing education, value and interaction for those dedicated to accurate dental coding for elevating the standard of patient care and improving practice profitability.
Patti holds publishing and speaking licenses with the American Dental Association for Current Dental Terminology and SNODENTDiagnostic Coding and recently authored a chapter in the American Dental Association’s CDT 2017 and CDT 2018 Companion entitled “D9000 – D9999 Adjunctive General Services.”
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via Blogger Dental Hygiene KOL Patti DiGangi Launches the Dental Codeologist Community Membership Program At your service: Kulzer Service Organization launched to provide unprecedented customer support7/25/2017
Kulzer today announced the launch of the Kulzer Service Organization to significantly enhance the support the company provides to customers of its rapidly evolving products and solutions in the United States and Canada. “As we continue to launch highly innovative, service-oriented equipment and software products, it is essential that we provide our valued customers with a level of support that enables them to take full advantage of these products’ unique benefits,” said Mathew Mulherin, Kulzer Vice President, Sales & Marketing, USA & Canada. “We believe the design of the Kulzer Service Organization reflects the innovation of the award-winning products it’s been created to support.” Over the past several months, Kulzer executives and managers have worked to design a new kind of organization to give its customers an exemplary service experience regardless of whom in the organization they are speaking to or what issue they are trying to resolve. The Kulzer Service Organization Mission Statement reads as follows: To provide unprecedented service to our customers by combining our unsurpassed product knowledge, digital expertise and long-standing experience to resolve customer concerns, technical issues and questions with exceptional efficacy, efficiency and warmth. “Having a single service organization encompassing various areas of focus and expertise will allow us to better manage the service experience holistically and deliver a truly world-class customer experience,” said Mr. Mulherin. “We pride ourselves on our loyalty to our customers, and we feel the support we’ll be providing with the Kulzer Service Organization, coupled with the quality of our products, will only enhance the Kulzer experience for our loyal customers.” The new service organization will be available to answer questions from dental practices and labs, distributor sales representatives, the Kulzer sales team, and even patients. The reduction in touch points will make the customer support experience much more efficient, and the improvement in outcomes will make the experience much more fruitful. “Everything we do at Kulzer starts with the question, ‘How can we provide better value to our customers?’,” said Mr. Mulherin. “We are confident that the Kulzer Service Organization will be of great benefit to our customers in the immediate future, and of even greater benefit as it grows and evolves over time.” About Kulzer GmbH Kulzer GmbH is one of the world’s leading dental companies with its headquarters in Hanau, Germany. As a trusted partner, the company supplies dentists and dental technicians with an extensive product range, covering cosmetic dentistry, tooth preservation, prosthetics, periodontology and digital dentistry. More than 1,400 employees at 26 locations worldwide are driven by their expertise and passion for the dental market and embody what the name Kulzer stands for: service, quality and innovation. Kulzer, which changed its name from Heraeus Kulzer as of July 1, 2017, has been part of the Japanese Mitsui Chemicals Group since July 2013. Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (MCI) is based in Tokyo, and has 131 affiliates with more than 13,400 employees in 27 countries worldwide. Its innovative, practical chemical products are as much in demand in the automotive, electronics and packaging industries as they are in other fields such as environmental protection and healthcare. via Blogger At your service: Kulzer Service Organization launched to provide unprecedented customer support |
Alice Pacheco
Alice Pacheco is a dental health professional who believes in the power of a beautiful smile. Visit her blog for dental care tips! |