Denture fabrication doesn’t come without its headaches. From reduced function, new sensations, new phonetics, and altered hygiene; getting comfortable with a new set of dentures is always tough for the patient. Adding denture stomatitis as an irritating factor makes it even tougher. Although the prevalence of denture stomatitis (the majority of which is asymptomatic) can…
Over the past two decades, benzodiazepine prescriptions have increased by almost 70%. Not surprisingly, overdose deaths involving benzodiazepines have increased 10 fold. How can we use these medications to aid our patients, while curbing the current opioid epidemic? Background Benzodiazepines are inherently one of the safest drugs available. In the 1970s, diazepam (Valium) was by…
As we write this piece, Covid-19 as a virus and our understanding of it, is at its infancy. The first case has been hypothesized to be transmitted somewhere in the third week of November 2019. Since then, our evaluation, confirmation, and distribution of scientific findings regarding the virus has lagged behind the spread of the…
Condensed sodium vs. coffee Makino et al. studied this hypothesis in a double-blind randomized clinical trial, with 30 participants. Each subject held (with an appliance) a hydroxyapatite pellet on the lingual side of the mandible for two hours, allowing for pellicle formation. The appliance was later submerged for 48 hours in a coffee solution. Following…
There are only a few things that can make a dentist’s heart skip a beat. Perforations are one of them. Furcation perforations can cause your heart to skip two beats, and want to cancel the rest of the day. Fortunately, thanks to ongoing research on the possibilities of bioactive materials – such as mineral trioxide…
The Covid-19 pandemic has mobilized the global scientific community. New discoveries about the characteristics and management strategies of the covid-19 disease are being uncovered by the hour. Here we cover the current accepted knowledge by the scientific community. Covid-19 was initially recognized by the global community in December of 2019, however it’s believed that its…
As more information is uncovered about the Covid-19 virus, methods of diagnosis leading to prevention are uncovered as well. Since it’s initial detection, Covid-19 has been observed in the saliva of infected individuals. This leads to the potential of a convenient, non-invasive and cost-effective diagnosis strategy. Current Testing Shortly after it’s initial detection, the Chinese…
Until now it has been observed that younger patients, especially children are only mildly affected by Covid-19. As the scientific community continues to try and understand this virus, understanding the variety and severity of the symptoms is a critical first step. To date, the Korean medical community and the Korean Center for Disease Control and…
Due to Covid-19, most oral health providers globally are mandated to perform emergency treatments only. It has been recommended that if odontogenic symptoms can be managed with prescriptions, it should be done so, in an effort to increase social distancing. Many of us have prescribed antibiotics, waiting for a safe time to return to the…
When most of us come across the term “Artificial Intelligence,” we instantly revert back to Stanley Kubrick’s Space Odyssey, or some variation of it. However, we are far from the dystopian world we think “AI” leads to. From environment analysis of self-driving cars, to the evolution of breast cancer screenings, 2019 has seen the highest…