World Hepatitis Day: More must be done to stop this silent killer

15 July 2013 -- Viral hepatitis – a group of infectious diseases known as Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E – affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, causing acute and chronic disease and killing close to 1.4 million people every year. On World Hepatitis Day, 28 July 2013, WHO and partners focus on the fact that although the burden of disease caused by viral hepatitis is growing, it remains largely ignored or unknown to many policymakers, health workers and the public.

LINK

WHO to launch global policy report

Hepatitis is a silent epidemic that kills two people per minute throughout the world

PAHO/WHO urges everyone to become better informed about hepatitis, to get screened for the disease and to seek treatment, if needed

Washington, D.C., 23 July 2013 (PAHO/WHO) - Viral hepatitis affects some 424 million people throughout the world, killing 1.4 million per year as a result of complications such as acute liver failure, cirrhosis, or liver cancer. The disease is sometimes called a "silent epidemic" because most people who are infected are unaware of their status.

The theme of this year's World Hepatitis Day, July 28, is "This is the hepatitis. Know It. Confront it." This year the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) is marking the day by calling on everyone to become better informed about hepatitis, to get screened for the disease and to seek treatment, if needed.

"People know very little about hepatitis, its potential severity, and its serious consequences for health and quality of life," said PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne. "We therefore need to intensify our information, education and communication initiatives around this disease and take action to promote prevention and early detection so people can get the treatment they need."

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver generally caused by a viral infection. Five principal types of hepatitis virus are known: A, B, C, D and E, which can be transmitted through a variety of routes including unprotected sexual intercourse, unsafe injecting and piercing practices and through contaminated water or food. These cause infection and severe and chronic inflammation of the liver, which in turn can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. In the Americas, between 8 million and 11 million people suffer from chronic hepatitis B infection, and 7 million have chronic hepatitis C.

Read the entire article:  LINK

Variation in Health Care Spending: Target Decision Making, Not Geography

For over three decades, researchers have documented large, systematic variation in Medicare fee-for-service spending and service use across geographic regions, seemingly unrelated to health outcomes. This variation has been interpreted by many to imply that high spending areas are overusing or misusing medical care. Policymakers, seeking strategies to reduce Medicare costs, naturally wonder if cutting payment rates to high cost areas would save money without adversely affecting Medicare beneficiary health care quality and outcomes. Yet, many have cautioned that geographically-based payment policies may have adverse effects if higher costs are caused by other variables like beneficiary burden of illness, or area policies that affect health outcomes.

In 2009, a group of U.S. House of Representatives members asked the HHS to sponsor two IOM studies focused on geographic payments under Medicare, independent of final health reform legislation. The first study evaluated the accuracy of geographic adjustment factors used for Medicare payment. This second study investigates geographic variation in health care spending and quality and to analyze Medicare payment polices that might encourage high-value care that would modify provider payments based on composite measures of cost and quality of geographic-area performance.

Read the Report >>  LINK

Coexistence of Headache Attributed to Airplane Travel and Diving Headache

On-Site Conference Reporting

BREAKING NEWS From the 2013 International Headache Congress—Coexistence of Headache Attributed to Airplane Travel and Diving Headache

BOSTON—The term “airplane headache,” a newly acknowledged clinical entity in the ICHD-3, refers to a recently described headache form whose attacks are strictly related to airplane travel, mostly to the landing phase. According to a report presented at the International Headache Congress 2013 meeting, airplane headache can coexist with a similar headache form associated with diving.

Using a detailed questionnaire, Giorgio Zanchin, MD, Director of the Headache Center, Department of Neurology at Padua University, Italy, and colleagues identified among 85 patients with airplane headache, nine patients with headache attacks also occurring during free or scuba diving. These patients (five females, four males, mean age 37), who complained of airplane headache attacks during landing in more than 50% of their flights, referred to the occasional onset of jabbing, severe, unilateral headaches in the frontotemporal region during free or scuba diving. They described this headache as presenting with the same features as that experienced during airplane landing. No accompanying symptoms were reported. Three patients free dove, attaining the maximum depth of five to eight meters, and six patients scuba dove, reaching an average depth of approximately 20 meters. According to the patient reports, the pain started shortly after the ascent, reaching its peak in a few minutes. No concomitant airway disturbance was reported during diving. In eight of the nine cases, the pain occurred in more than 30% of their dives; one patient complained of the headache occasionally.

Dr. Zanchin and colleagues reported that brain MRI, angio-MRI, and cranial CT-scan for sinuses were normal in these patients.

The coexistence of headache with peculiar, overlapping features triggered by these different situations—airplane landing and ascending after diving—supports the hypothesis of a shared pathophysiologic mechanism: the rapid change of external pressure, which occurs in both conditions, not accompanied by an adequate compensation inside the cranial sinuses.

The FDI African Strategy for Oral Health: addressing the specific needs of the continent

Link to article

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

International Dental Journal 2013; 63: 113–120 doi: 10.1111/idj.12044

The FDI African Strategy for Oral Health: addressing the specific needs of the continent
Patrick Hescot1, Emile China2, Denis Bourgeois3, Susan Maina4, Orlando Monteiro da Silva1, Jean Luc Eisele1, Christopher Simpson1 and Virginie Horn1
1FDI World Dental Federation, Geneve, Switzerland; 2Association des Chirurgiens-Dentistes du Benin, Cadjeˆhoun,Cotonou, Benin; 3Faculte d’Odontologie, Universite Claude Bernard Lyon I, Lyon Cedex, France; 4Kenya Dental Association, Nairobi, Kenya.
The FDI World Dental Federation has defined a strategy for the development of oral health in Africa during the “African Summit” held in Cape Town, South Africa. The summit gathered presidents from 16 African National Dental Associa- tions, FDI stakeholders, the World Health Organisation and government delegates. The outcomes of this summit were stated in a Declaration, defining the functional principles of the African strategy as three priorities:
1. To establish and reinforce the credibility of NDAs
2. To acquire and develop leadership and management skills 3. Effective peer-to-peer exchange of information.
Key words: Oral health, Africa, strategy, leadership, declaration, national dental associations

FDI World Dental Federation is the global voice of the dental profession and diverse by nature; it reflects a wide range of needs and circumstances specific to individual regions and nations. Founded in 1900, its initial membership comprised a small group of mainly Western countries, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bel- gium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Den- mark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. It was not until later that countries of the African continent became members.
Oral health and dentistry in Africa have been afflicted by the problems characterising the world’s developing regions, such as poverty, malnutrition, high incidence of infectious diseases and child mortal- ity, lack of oral health policy and inadequate national budget for oral health. Nevertheless, there are future opportunities for development and strong economic growth. A number of areas have registered significant progress in their transition towards sustainable eco- nomic development. In some large cities, high quality dentistry is being offered through private practices. Dental schools are being built in various countries

and there is an expansion of public awareness pro- grammes on oral health such as the Live.Learn.Laugh (LLL) partnership between FDI and Unilever, now implemented in six African countries.
Of an estimated 80,000 health professionals involved totally or partially in oral health care, some 40,000 are dentists1, with an average ratio across the continent of 0.4 dentist to 10,000 inhabitants2; never- theless there are wide discrepancies: in Egypt, the ratio is 1:2,904; in Kenya it is 1:40,631 in Ethiopia, it is 1:1,278,446. There are also huge disparities in research, as illustrated by the number of publications on oral health from African institutions3.
FDI African members have, through the General Assembly and representatives at the Council, repeat- edly expressed the need for a special effort towards oral health in Africa. In 2004 (Nairobi) and in 2010 (Durban), FDI organised workshops to discuss global activities and supporting principles for an action plan in Africa4.
Within its overall commitment of ‘leading the world to optimal oral health’, FDI’s Vision 2020 has now set very clear goals both for the dental profession and for access to oral health care; these are as applicable 

Suboptimal Treatment of Episodic Migraine Increases Risk of Progression to Chronic Migraine

Link to Article

On-Site Conference Reporting

BREAKING NEWS From the 2013 International Headache Congress—Suboptimal Treatment of Episodic Migraine Increases Risk of Progression to Chronic Migraine

BOSTON—Individuals with episodic migraine may progress to chronic migraine at higher rates without optimal treatment, according to researchers at the International Headache Congress 2013 meeting.

Using data from the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention (AMPP) Study, Richard B. Lipton, MD, and colleagues at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City and Vedanta Research in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, found that patients receiving maximally optimized treatment were more than three times less likely to progress to chronic migraine than were those with poorly optimized treatment.

Study participants with episodic migraine in 2006 who completed the Migraine Treatment Optimization Questionnaire (mTOQ-4) and provided outcome data in 2007 were eligible for the analyses. The mTOQ-4 assesses the frequency of four acute response outcomes: pain free at two hours, sustained pain free at 24 hours, perceived ability to plan daily activities, and perceived control of migraine. Response options include never (0), rarely (0), less than half the time (1), and half the time or more (2). Sum scores ranged from 0 to 8 and were divided into four categories: very poor optimization (0), poor optimization (1 to 5), moderate optimization (6 or 7), and maximal optimization (8). Episodic migraine was defined according to ICHD-2 criteria as 15 or fewer headache days per month on average; chronic migraine was defined as more than 15 headache days per month.

“Of 4,625 eligible subjects with episodic migraine, 48% had very poor or poor treatment optimization,” said Dr. Lipton, lead author of the study. “We found that people in those groups had three times the risk of progression to chronic migraine.”

RATES OF OPTIMIZATION AND PROBABILITY OF TRANSITION FROM EPISODIC MIGRAINE TO CHRONIC MIGRAINE, BASED ON TREATMENT OPTIMIZATION

Level of Acute Treatment Optimization for Migraine	N	Rate of CM Onset in Following Year
Very Poor	308	8.1%
Poor	1,919	4.4%
Moderate	1,132	2.9%
Maximal	1,266	2.5%

“We have seen in the AMPP Study that those with episodic migraine have certain risk factors, such as headache frequency, medication use, and depression, that are associated with increased risk of chronic migraine,” Dr. Lipton said. “This observational study chart shows that as treatment is increasingly optimized, the risk of progression from one year to the next declines.”

Study coauthor, Dawn C. Buse, PhD, noted, “These findings are exciting, as they provide clinical targets for intervention. When we discover factors that increase the risk of progression, health care providers can focus their efforts in those areas to improve care and outcomes. In this case, we have found several factors in acute migraine treatment that may likely improve outcomes, including using medications that work quickly and maintain pain-free results, which allows and empowers people who live with migraine the freedom and confidence to make plans and fully engage in their lives.”

Aged care resources in collaboration with the University of Adelaide

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Aged Care Package

The Dental Hygienists Association of South Australia (Inc) has produced with the support of the National body and in collaboration with the School of Dentistry at the University of Adelaide, a self-contained portfolio of various documents designed to assist oral health professionals in the preparation and provision of training to staff and residents in acute care and long term care facilities.

Contained within the Oral Health for Those Who Care package is a video on how to deliver education sessions together with support documents such as useful references, suggested discussion questions and evaluation forms.

This package is available on a USB with the ability to produce two DVD’s, and an accompanying handbook, to assist health professionals and carers in the provision of oral health care to residents in supportive care facilities. These can be made available to the facilities for in-house training.

The Oral Health for Those Who Care package is relevant to a range of health professionals in various settings and can be used in part, to comply with continuing professional development requirements.

Portfolios offer a unique opportunity to mix and match resources for a variety of audiences- we believe you will find this package a useful adjunct for your presentations and education sessions.

Margie Steffens DDH

Lecturer and Community Outreach Dental Manager

School of Dentistry

University of Adelaide

                                                                                                  Member Price    AU$108.00                                                                                                                          Non-Member Price    AU$126.00                                                                 

AU$108.00

Add to Cart

price does not include tax; shipping costs apply

• Available
• Ships within 3-5 days

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The first needle-free option to dental anesthesia via injection

Renatus to showcase world’s first needle-free option to dental anesthesia via injection, at In3 Boston

Link

http://innovationews.com/science/bioscience/nasal-spray-anesthetic-beats-dental-injections-by-a-nose/

St. Renatus’ nasal anesthetic enters new clinical trials in July

Jim Kelly is cancer free

Link to Article

Posted Jun 24, 2013

Chris BrownLead JournalistEmail @ChrisBrownBills

It was the news Jim Kelly was hoping for following surgery to remove part of his jaw that was stricken with cancer. Last week on a follow-up visit to the physicians that performed his surgery June 7th, Kelly was told he was cancer free and for now would avoid chemotherapy.

“I found out great news on Wednesday,” Kelly said Monday at the opening of his 26th annual Jim Kelly Football Camp. “I don’t have to go through radiation treatment and chemo, which is a blessing. From what I’ve been told everything that they did in surgery, if I had to do radiation or chemo it would put me way back.”

Kelly had the left side of his jaw removed in surgery earlier this month along with all the teeth on the left side of his mouth in addition to several in front. To replace what was removed Kelly had a skin graft performed where tissue was harvested from his left leg to be used in his mouth.

Biofilms play key role in OSCC postsurgical infections

Link to Article

By DrBicuspid Staff

June 26, 2013 -- Biofilms on the surface of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) play a key role in the development of postoperative infections in patients with OSCC, according to a new study in Clinical Oral Investigations (June 22, 2013).

But antibiotics such as azithromycin, telithromycin, levofloxacin, and moxifloxacin used in a prophylactic regime can dramatically reduce the risk of infection in these patients.

New Zealand issues new teeth-whitening rules

Link to Article

By DrBicuspid Staff

June 25, 2013 -- New Zealand health officials have developed new restrictions on the sale of teeth whiteners that contain more than 7% hydrogen peroxide. The new rules take effect June 30.

Products with 7% to 12% hydrogen peroxide will only be available from a dentist, a registered oral health practitioner, or a nonregistered practitioner working under the supervision of a dentist, according to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).

Those with more than 12% hydrogen peroxide will only be available from a dentist or an oral health practitioner working under the supervision of a dentist. All teeth-whitening products with hydrogen peroxide in them will now have to carry a series of safety warnings, including a statement saying the product is not recommended for children younger than age 16.

There is also a requirement for other oral hygiene products that have hydrogen peroxide to carry a statement telling people to stop using them if they cause irritation.

The rules were created in response to concerns raised by the New Zealand Dental Council and the Ministry of Health, according to the EPA.

Oral Piercing: What You Should Know

Link to Fact Sheet on Oral Piercing

Oral Piercing: What You Should Know 

Are there risks to getting an oral piercing?
Yes. Though most people consider piercing a low risk choice, 
there are significant risks associated with oral piercings. Common 
symptoms after oral piercing include pain, swelling and an 
increased flow of saliva. The mouth is full of bacteria and cannot 
be kept “clean” in the traditional sense. As a result, infection also 
occurs more readily after oral piercing, and, though not common, 
can include serious infections, such as hepatitis or endocarditis 
(inflammation of the tissue surrounding the heart). Additionally, 
piercers have no standardized training and may have limited 
knowledge of anatomy and physiology. If a blood vessel or 
nerve is in the path of the needle during the piercing, severe and 
difficult-to-control bleeding or nerve damage can result. For some, 
blood poisoning, metal allergies, or blood clots can occur. 
Even after the initial healing process, there is the ongoing risk 
of serious damage to teeth and gum tissue posed by the mouth 
jewelry itself. Metal jewelry is often the culprit in cracked or 
broken teeth. Plastic jewelry reduces this risk, though cannot 
eliminate it entirely. For piercings of the lips, the “backside” of the 
jewelry, attached inside the mouth, can be a source of irritation 
to the opposing tissue. As the metal or plastic rests on the gum 
tissue, it can abrade and literally wear it away as it moves back 
and forth. This requires reconstructive surgery to repair and in 
some instances results in lost teeth. This happens more commonly 
than people realize. Therefore, it is very important to regularly 
check the tissues in contact with the metal or plastic piercing to 
ensure one’s continued health. If the jewelry is causing damage 
or infection, it is essential to discover this early in the process. 

Intravenous bisphosphonate–related osteonecrosis of the jaw

• Intravenous bisphosphonate–related osteonecrosis of the jaw: Long-term follow-up of 109 patients
  February 2013 (Vol. 115 | No. 2 | Pages 192-200)
  Amber L. Watters, Heidi J. Hansen, Tijaana Williams, Joanne F. Chou, Elyn Riedel, Jerry Halpern, Steven Tunick, George Bohle, Joseph M. Huryn, Cherry L. Estilo
  • Abstract
  • Full Text
  • PDF (1323 KB)

Link to Abstract

Pew Report: MLPs key to increasing kids' access to dental care

In Search of Dental Care: Two Types of Dentist Shortages Limit Children’s Access to Care

Overview
Each year in the United States, tens of millions of children, disproportionately 
low-income, go without seeing a dentist.1 This lack of access to dental care is a 
complex problem fueled by a number of factors, with two different dentist shortages 
compounding the issue...

Read the Report

Video: Public health delivers return on investment in Canada

Link

 

by Dan on Jun 24, 2013 • 8:41 amNo Comments

Public health is saving lives and money outside the U.S., according to a video that applies the 2013 National Public Health Week, “return on investment” theme to Canadian health and wellness. Photo by Canadian Public Health Association

Public health isn’t only a smart investment in the U.S. In a video released this month by theCanadian Public Health Association, viewers can observe that investments in public health deliver a tremendous return in Canada, too.

The video, inspired by APHA’s 2013 National Public Health Week video based on this year’s theme, “Public Health is ROI: Save Lives, Save Money,” uses data to show public health’s importance in Canada, including:

• every $1 spent on mental health and addictions saves $7 in health costs and $30 in productivity and social costs;
• every $1 invested in workplace health and safety returns up to $6 in avoided illnesses, injuries and fatalities;
• every $1 invested in cleaner vehicles and fuels to reduce air pollution saves $4 in health problems; and
• every $1 invested in tobacco prevention saves up to $20 in future health care costs.

Public health strengthens Canada’s economic prosperity, environment, road and vehicle safety, chronic disease prevention and mental health system, according to the video.

“Promote and enhance our health, our economy, our future. Make investing in public health a priority,” video text reads. The video is produced in both English and French.

APHA’s National Public Health Week website, which recently won a 2013 Silver Web Health Award for digital health excellence, features a toolkit with talking points, facts and resources that explain the strong return on investment public health delivers.

Link to article

Leaders in Dentistry: Ann Battrell, ADHA Executive Director

Oklahoma Tragedy

The following is a message from Dr. Steve Young, Dean of the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry and Chair of the ADEA Board of Directors. The University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry is deeply concerned for all individuals affected by the recent storms. The University of Oklahoma is currently housing 341 storm victims at the residence halls on the OU Norman Campus. The College of Dentistry was able to provide toothbrushes and toothpaste for those seeking shelter at OU. Blaire Bowers, D.D.S., graduate student in Periodontics and Health Sciences Center Student Government Association president is coordinating the Health Sciences Center's donation of gift cards for storm victims. Several dental students are volunteering at various locations to assist with disaster relief. Several members of our OU College of Dentistry family lost their homes and belongings in the recent tornadoes. In an effort to aid those who are trying to rebuild their lives, members of the OU community have come together to create a new program to help those affected by these devastating storms. The Help OUr Neighbor Fund has been created to benefit OU faculty, staff and students who lost homes or personal property in the recent tornadoes in the Oklahoma City area. Any and all donations received in this fund will go directly to those students or employees whose homes and property were lost. If you would like to donate online, you can do so by accessinghttp://tinyurl.com/oufoundation.

SEAL Cambodia legacy project brochure is now online

Our SEAL Cambodia legacy project brochure is now online

SEAL Cambodia is an exciting legacy project from our Senior Dental Leaders 5 conference in 2011.  

The multi-agency project aims to treat the teeth of disadvantaged Cambodian orphans and schoolchildren, amongst whom dental decay rates rank with the worst in the world.

The treatment involves sealing each child’s teeth with a fissure sealant. Sealants help prevent decay by protecting the chewing surfaces and keeping out germs and food.  

To date, working in collaboration with our partner organisations, we have treated over 4495 children!

The programme is running smoothly and capacity is building by the day. By year-end 2013 we expect to have treated over 20,000 childrenClick here to read the brochure at the GCDFund website

Heart Your Smile's Innovation 360°

30th Apr 2013

Dental charity Heart your Smile launched its Innovation 360° at its AGM on the Saturday of the BDA Conference

The dental charity, aimed at promoting positivity within the profession as well as to the public, is looking for ways to turn oral heath around for patients. It is offering support in the form of mentorship, grants and products to help dental teams get innovative oral health initiatives out into the community.
Based on these pilots, the team will share the best ideas with the rest of the profession to support them to innovate in the arena of improving oral health, attendance and uptake of dental services.
The charity is offering multiple grants of £360 to support dental teams to innovate in the area of oral health promotion, with 50% provided as funds to help with logistical expenses and 50% provided in the form of an amazing Heart your Smile Oral Health Kit. 
A selection committee will choose the most innovative projects to support. Successful projects will be assigned a Heart Your Smile mentor for the duration if the project and these pilot projects will form the basis of case reports on which others may model their oral health programmes. 
For more, visit www.heartyoursmile.co.uk.

Register now for ISDH 2013 Cape Town

Register to attend the ISDH 2013 14th- 17th August 2013 in Cape Town South Africa. Reduced fees for early registration close TODAY, April 30th. All registration details are at http://www.embassyconferences.co.za/portfolio/present/19th-international-symposium-on-dental-hygiene/10