New Study On Post-Menopausal Cancer Survivors & Diabetes

Study results indicate that women who have survived breast cancer are more apt to develop diabetes after menopause than women who did not suffer from a bout of breast cancer.  These study results were published in the Diabetologia, The Journal of European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).  The study was headed by Dr. Lorraine Lipscombe,   Women’s College Hospital, Women’s College Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

There have been many published reports where results show a connection between diabetes and cancer, cancer of any form.  In particular, though, there is an estimated 20 percent higher risk of diabetes for women after menopause in those who survived breast cancer.
With better treatment for breast cancer, the survival rate has risen.  With this higher survival rate, there is a clear need for a better understanding of the long-term health of the survivors as they get older.  But, as of this date, there have been few studies that look at the risk of breast cancer survivors and their risk of developing diabetes after menopause.


Dr. Lipscombe, along with colleagues, ran a population-based study which compared the incidence of diabetes among women 55 years of age or older with breast cancer for the period from 1996 to 2008 and compared this population-based study to age-matched women who had not suffered from breast cancer.  Dr. Lipscombe and her team also studied the relationship based or whether or not the patient had undergone chemotherapy.
The study results indicated that of 24,976 breast cancer survivors and 124,880 without breast cancer, 9.7 percent developed diabetes.  This was through a follow-up period of 5.8 years.
After two years, the risk of developing diabetes among the breast cancer survivors compared to the women without breast cancer began to increase two years after diagnosis.  The diagnosis of diabetes in the post-menopausal women increased from 7 percent at the two-year mark to a 21 percent increase at the 10-year mark.  For those patients who had received chemotherapy in the treatment of the breast cancer (4,404), the risk was highest in the first two years after diagnosis (24 percent), yet then decreased to an 8 percent increase after 10 years.  Also, women who undergo chemotherapy treatments tend to be more closely screened by their physicians for any condition on a follow-up basis that continues for an extended number of years and would receive a diagnosis of diabetes at an earlier stage than those who did not undergo chemotherapy treatments.
Dr. Lipscombe advised:  “It is possible that chemotherapy treatment may bring out diabetes earlier in susceptible women.  Increased weight gain has been noted in the setting for adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer, which may be a factor in the increased risk of diabetes in women receiving treatment.  Oestrogen suppression as a result of chemotherapy may also promote diabetes; however, this may have been less of a factor in this study where most women were already post-menopausal.”
Another interesting factor noted in the study was that the use of anti-nausea medication while a patient is undergoing chemotherapy may play a part in the eventual diagnosis of diabetes in breast cancer survivors after menopause.  Anti-nausea medications are known to increase blood sugar levels (acute hyperglycemia).  However, this effect tends to wear off as time passes.
The results of the study indicate that there is a need for continued comparison studies in the connection between breast cancer survivors and the diagnosis of diabetes, as well as close monitoring of breast cancer survivors for diabetes

APHA Policy Regarding Dental Amalgam

ADA Statement on New APHA Policy Regarding Dental Amalgam Dentistry IQ – November 7

The American Dental Association (ADA) supports the recent American Public Health Association (APHA) policy statement affirming that dental amalgam is safe and effective in treating dental cavities. The APHA policy notes that amalgam’s contribution to environmental mercury contamination is minimal, and that limiting or curtailing its availability could have negative health consequences, particularly in low-income areas. The ADA agrees with the conclusions found in the APHA’s interim policy, including its recommendation that dental educational institutions and programs continue to incorporate training in the handling of dental amalgam into their curricula and that local regulatory agencies work with dental professionals to implement best practices for the handling and disposal of amalgam. Review the APHA policy on amalgam.

http://www.apha.org/advocacy/policy

Graphene-based wireless bacteria detection on tooth enamel

Wireless Tooth Tattoo Detects Mouth Diseases SmartPlanet.com – November 11
  
Graphene-based wireless bacteria detection on tooth enamel

Researchers (Nature) have created a unique “tooth tattoo” that could someday help dentists and doctors detect illnesses like gum disease by measuring levels of bacteria in the mouth. The tattoo is made of gold, silk, and graphite and only temporarily attaches to a patient’s tooth. “A sensor like this could give you a panoramic view of what’s happening over a number of hours or even days,” the researchers note. “If you could tell when bacteria levels are spiking, you could shape your course of treatment accordingly.”

http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v3/n3/full/ncomms1767.html

Study Links Obesity With More Cavities in Poor Children

http://www.jpedhc.org/article/S0891-5245%2811%2900411-1/abstract

Dentistry Today – November 14 Obesity and dental cavities become worse as impoverished children grow older, according to a new study (Journal of Pediatric Health Care). Researchers determined that as body mass index went up as children got older, the numbers of cavities increased. The lack of access to healthy food, the inability to refrigerate food, and the lack of running water are just some of the issues impoverished people face, along with the inability to receive dental treatment or the inability to secure transportation to the treatment.

Vitamin D May Lower Rate of Tooth Decay

 Dentistry Today – November 30 A new review (Nutrition Reviews) analyzes several studies that concluded vitamin D may be capable of preventing dental caries or tooth decay. The results show a 50% reduction in tooth decay for those who participated. However, the reviewers note that more research is necessary to definitively determine how vitamin D affects a person’s risk of developing tooth decay.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2012.00544.x/abstract

Oral Health Risk Assessment Tool

Oral Health Risk Assessment Tool

Developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and endorsed by the National Interprofessional Initiative on Oral Health, the Oral Health Risk Assessment (OHRA) Tool is easy to incorporate into your practice. The tool will help you to understand the risk factors, protective factors, and clinical findings that demonstrate risk of dental caries in young children.
Download the tool below:
- Oral Health Risk Assessment Tool and Guidance (English) (1.12 MB)
Instructions for Use
This tool is intended for documenting caries risk of the child, however, two risk factors are based on the mother or primary caregiver’s oral health. All other factors and findings should be documented based on the child.
The child is at an absolute high risk for caries if any risk factors or clinical findings, marked with a sign, are documented yes. In the absence of a risk factors or clinical findings, the clinician may determine the child is at high risk of caries based on one or more positive responses to other risk factors or clinical findings. Answering yes to protective factors should be taken into account with risk factors/clinical findings in determining low versus high risk.
Treatment of High Risk Children
If appropriate, high-risk children should receive professionally applied fluoride varnish and have their teeth brushed daily with an age-appropriate amount of fluoridated toothpaste. Referral to a pediatric dentist or a dentist comfortable caring for children should be made with follow-up to ensure that the child is being cared for in the dental home.

Self Management Goal Sheet

To accompany the OHRA Tool is a Self Management Goal Sheet for Parents and Caregivers. This helps families to decide on simple lifestyle and diet changes that will improve their family's oral health.
- Self Management Tool (English) (326 KB)
- Self-Management Tool (Spanish) (326 KB)
To learn more about the Brightening Oral Health Project in which this tool was tested, visit the Bright Futures Web site. Duplication of the tool for use in practice is encouraged.

http://www2.aap.org/oralhealth/RiskAssessmentTool.html

Nigerian launches National Oral Health Policy

Nigerian launches National Oral Health Policy

Wednesday, 14 November 2012 15:42 Alexander Chiejina

A new policy to promote oral health has been launched, two years after its first draft, even though prevalence of periodontal diseases exceeds 50 percent.

The National Oral Health Policy, which is in line with international standard, focuses on priority areas as oral health promotion, training/human resources development, service delivery, research, monitoring and evaluation, information and communication technology, including oral health information system.

Briefing journalists on the second edition of the National Oral Health Week, Fatimah Bamidele, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, who represented the Minster of Health, said that the policy was endorsed by the National Council of Health and the Federal Executive Council.

The Minister said that the journey to this stage commenced on 18th November, 2010 when the technical working group and the ministerial steering committee on the improvement of oral health in Nigeria was inaugurated.

He said that the 10-man technical working group produced a draft policy, which was duly reviewed by the various stakeholders. The minister said other programmes backing up the approved national policy included re-equipping of federal dental facilities and other oral health promotional activities.

According to the minister, provision of basic dental equipment and instruments are currently being procured for at least one federal tertiary hospital and its outstation in each of the geopolitical zones.

While there is no available statistics to show the prevalence of periodontal diseases in the country, Adebimpe Adebiyi, Head of Dentistry, Ministry of Health lamented that need for oral healthcare across the country was huge and unmet as most people are not aware the mouth is a gateway to the body.

“The mouth is part of the human anatomy, and sometimes symptoms of disease show in the mouth that can be detected by the dentist. Some diseases which have oral manifestations can also be detected, and any further test will just be to confirm,” Adebiyi said.

While visits to dental clinics are not as often as health experts would want, Adebiyi suggests that brushing the mouth twice daily and extra rinses immediately after meals will keep the teeth clean and free from germs.

http://businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/news/284-breaking-news/47635-nigerian-launches-national-oral-health-policy

Sunstar Awards Correction

Hello everyone,

Please be advised that there is a mistake in the file <sunstarawards.com/ WDHAJillVersion.pdf> taken from the website regarding the Sunstar Awards. <http://sunstarawards.com/HowToEnterDentalHygienistAward.html>


On that page it says:

How to Enter: Click HERE for complete entry criteria and information
(which brings one to <http://sunstarawards.com/WDHAJillVersion.pdf>.

In the pdf file referenced above in red, is the following link...which in incorrect.

All submissions must follow the style guidelines as defined by the International Journal of Dental Hygiene <http://www.wiley.com/bw/submit.asp?ref=1601-5029>.

This is the correct link:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1601-5037/homepage/ForAuthors.html

We apologize for any confusion.

Prevalence of oral HPV infection in the United States, 2009-2010

Prevalence of oral HPV infection in the United States, 2009-2010 Full Text
JAMA, 02/15/2012

Maura L. Gillison et al. – Among men and women aged 14 to 69 years in the United States, the overall prevalence of oral HPV infection was 6.9%, and

the prevalence was higher among men than among women.

Results

Men had a significantly higher prevalence than women for any oral HPV infection (10.1% [95% CI, 8.3%–12.3%] vs 3.6% [95% CI, 2.6%–5.0%], P < .001; unadjusted prevalence ratio [PR], 2.80 [95% CI, 2.02–3.88])
Infection was less common among those without vs those with a history of any type of sexual contact (0.9% [95% CI, 0.4%–1.8%] vs 7.5% [95% CI, 6.1%–9.1%], P < .001; PR, 8.69 [95% CI, 3.91–19.31]) and increased with number of sexual partners (P < .001 for trend) and cigarettes smoked per day (P < .001 for trend)
Associations with age, sex, number of sexual partners, and current number of cigarettes smoked per day were independently associated with oral HPV infection in multivariable models.

http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/hpv/pdf/Jama-2012.pdf

The effect of coffee consumption on blood pressure and the development of hypertension

The effect of coffee consumption on blood pressure and the development of hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Journal of Hypertension, 11/19/2012  Clinical Article

Steffen M et al. – Low–quality evidence did not show any statistically significant effect of coffee consumption on BP or the risk of hypertension. Given the quality of the currently available evidence, no recommendation can be made for or against coffee consumption as it relates to BP and hypertension.
Methods

• Ovid, MEDLINE (from 1948), EMBASE (from 1988), and all of Web of Science and Scopus.
• RCTs and cohort studies of at least 1–week duration that assessed BP and/or the incidence of hypertension in coffee consumers compared with a control group that consumed less or no coffee.
• Two authors independently reviewed s and full–text articles for inclusion.
• Data were ed using standardized forms.
• Risk of bias in the RCTs was examined using the method described in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions.
• Quality of the cohort studies were assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa quality assessment scale for cohort studies.

Results

• Six hundred and ten articles were retrieved and a total of 15 (10 RCTs and five cohort studies) met inclusion criteria.
• Meta–analysis of RCTs demonstrated a pooled weighted difference in mean change in SBP of –0.55 mmHg [95% confidence interval (CI) –2.46 to 1.36) and DBP –0.45 mmHg (95% CI –1.52 to 0.61).
• Meta–analysis of the cohort studies demonstrated a pooled risk ratio for developing hypertension of 1.03 (95% CI 0.98–1.08).

FDI 2013 Istanbul: abstract submission now open!

6 December 2012



FDI 2013 Istanbul: abstract submission now open!

Abstract submission is now open for the FDI’s landmark Annual World Dental Congress, to be held in Istanbul (Turkey) from 28 to 31 August 2013 under the theme Bridging Continents for Global Oral Health’.

Submit your abstract today in one of the following areas: General Dentistry and Oral Health; Preventive Dentistry; Dental Treatment & Restorative Dentistry; and Implantology. Other areas of dentistry will also be considered.

The scientific programme of FDI 2013 Istanbul promises to be especially rich and diverse, with the participation of a number of celebrated international experts already confirmed!

Register today for FDI 2013 Istanbul!



For more FDI News, visit www.fdiworldental.org
FDI WORLD FEDERATION - AVENUE LOUIS CASAI 84 - CH - 1216 COINTRIN - GENEVA - SWITZERLAND

World Dental Hygienist Awards

http://sunstarawards.com/World_Dental.html

World Dental Hygienist Awards

In 2007 the Sunstar Foundation, in collaboration with the International Federation of Dental Hygienists (IFDH) and the International Journal of Dental Hygiene (IJDH), established the World Dental Hygienists Awards to recognize and encourage dental hygienists and dental hygiene students who have made important contributions to the dental hygienist community, their profession or to the general public.

The Award is presented every three years in the following categories:

• Research Category: $5,000
• Activity/Project Category: $3,000
• Student Research Category: $2,000
• Student Activity / Project Category: $2,000

With each award, a trophy will also be presented. Winners and/or a representative of each winning group, if submission was made as a group, will be invited to the Award Ceremony at the International Symposium on Dental Hygiene.The next World Dental Hygienist Awards will be presented in 2013 at the International Symposium on Dental Hygiene in Cape Town, South Africa. Plans for the 2013 International Symposium on Dental Hygiene (ISDH) are coming along nicely, thanks to Marie Ferreira, Chair 2013 International Symposium on Dental Hygiene, Elna Shutte, and the rest of the Organising Committee. The call for abstracts is now closed. Symposium website:   http://www.ohasanet.co.za/

American Dental Association Updates Dental X-Ray Recommendations

CHICAGO, Dec. 5, 2012 – In an effort to decrease radiation exposure to patients, the American Dental Association’s (ADA) Council on Scientific Affairs collaborated with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to update the ADA’s recommendations for dental X-ray examinations. The recommendations were released recently.

The ADA’s “Dental Radiograph Examinations: Recommendations for Patient Selection and Limiting Radiation Exposure” are intended to be used in conjunction with dentists’ professional judgment to determine whether and when dental X-rays are needed. Dental X-rays help dentists evaluate and diagnose oral diseases and conditions, but the ADA recommends that dentists weigh the benefits of taking dental X-rays against the possible risk of exposing patients to the radiation from X-rays, the effects of which can accumulate from multiple sources over time.

“As doctors of oral health, dentists are in the best position to make decisions on whether to prescribe dental X-rays after an oral examination and with consideration of the patient’s health history. Prescribing dental X-rays should be an individualized process,” said ADA President Robert A. Faiella, D.M.D., M.M.Sc. Since 1989, the ADA has recommended the ALARA principle in relation to dental X-rays—that radiation exposure to patients is “as low as reasonably achievable.”  

 

Changes to the recommendations include:

 

 

• Updates to patient shielding recommendations
• Addition of a new section on limiting radiation exposure during radiographic examinations
• Including new topics such as receptor selection, handheld X-ray units, technique charts and radiation risk communication  

 

 

The ADA’s Council on Scientific Affairs (CSA) consulted with dental radiology experts about a year ago to update the recommendations. The CSA then sent the recommendations for peer review and for review by non-dental organizations such as the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine.  The recommendations are intended to serve as a resource for dentists and are not intended to be standards of care, requirements or regulations. 

<http://www.ada.org/sections/professionalResources/pdfs/Dental_Radiographic_Examinations_2012.pdf>