SMORGASBORD OF CLINICAL NEWS

Pick up almost any dental publication, and facts based on new research and technology development seem to jump off the pages.  Dentists are life-long learners and, now more than ever, they must stay abreast of the latest factors affecting the profession.  Such factors may concern clinical research, business management, or overall changes in the profession itself.  Let’s look at a few clinical research facts in the news now.  Incidentally, I learned of these and many other clinical studies in just one hour of perusing dental magazines, journals, and newsletters.

·    Tetracyclines have been linked for years with staining and enamel hypoplasia of developing teeth in young children.  In a recent study, No Visible Staining in Children Treated with Doxycycline for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, researchers observed no staining of children’s teeth in the group receiving doxycycline which is a newer medication in the tetracycline class.  58 children who received doxycycline for RMSF were compared to 213 children who had never received the antibiotic.  There was no significant difference between the two groups in either staining or tooth shade. 

     For more details, visit jpeds.com to read the article that was published online earlier in 2015 in the Journal of Pediatrics.

·    Dentists and other health care professionals are being reminded to take a thorough health history before prescribing prescription pain medications or even over-the-counter (OTC) medicines to women of childbearing age.  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has stated that prescribing opioid pain medications is a “significant public health concern.”  Further, the CDC states that taking opioids early in pregnancy can cause birth defects and other serious problems.  According to the most recent figures for one year, approximately one-fourth of privately insured women and one-third of women covered by Medicaid between the ages of 15 - 44 year filled a prescription for an opioid. The most commonly prescribed opioids for pain are codeine, hydrocodone, and oxycodone.

      For more information on this topic, visit cdc.gov.

·    In a new study researchers at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Dental Medicine and Case/Cleveland Clinic Postmenopausal Health Collaboration found link between postmenopausal women who are susceptible to bone fractures and symptoms of severe gum disease.  While the study states that more research is needed, the link may prove a useful tool in predicting severe gum disease in post-menopausal women.  In short, bone-loss scores (determined by physical examinations to assess Fracture Assessment Risk) may provide a reliable indicator for the propensity of gum disease in post-menopausal women. The reasoning follows a trail that begins with the fact that women may have a significant amount of bone loss in the first ten years of menopause as estrogen levels drop.  Lower estrogen levels affect the mouth, causing inflammatory changes that can lead to gingivitis and more severe gum diseases which, if left untreated, may result in tooth loss.

     Visit the CWRU School of Dental Medicine website for more information on this and other studies.