Newsletter is sponsored by IDS - International Dental Show, Cologne, Germany
| |||||
|
WHAT DOES YOUR MOUTH SAY ABOUT YOUR HEART? Since periodontitis is a persistent bacterial infection causing chronic inflammation in periodontal tissues, it is suggested that it may travel through the bloodstream and increase the risk of acute cardiac syndrome. CHICAGO – Eliminating dental plaque may be an important step in preventing periodontitis and coronary artery disease according to a new study published in this month’s issue of the Journal of Periodontology. Researchers examined 20 individuals with chronic periodontitis. In 13 of the 20 patients, bacterial pathogens most frequently found in severe chronic periodontitis were also found in atherosclerotic plaque of coronary vessels. In 10 cases, those species of bacteria were also present in atherosclerotic plaque and in subgingival plaque”. (Atherosclerosis is a multistage process set in motion when cells lining the arteries are damaged as a result of high blood pressure, smoking, toxic substances and other agents.) “We found that patients with periodontal pathogens detected in atherosclerotic plaque had four millimeters or greater of deep periodontal pockets and a significantly higher bleeding index,” said study author Dr. Maciej Zaremba. “This supports the possibility that bacteria associated with periodontitis can permeate into coronary vessels.” “Since periodontal and cardiovascular diseases have several common risk factors, more studies are needed to evaluate the strength of association between the two diseases,” said Preston D. Miller, Jr., DDS and AAP president. “It is very important for people to talk to their dentist or periodontist about their periodontal health and their at-home oral hygiene routine to prevent periodontal disease and maybe even coronary artery disease.” According to the American Heart Association, coronary heart disease is the number one single cause of death in the United States. Knowledge of the risk factors and possible links to coronary heart disease, such as periodontal disease is the first step towards preventing it. To find out if you are at risk for periodontal disease please visit the AAP’s Web site at http://www.perio.org/consumer/4a.html and take a free risk assessment test. For a referral to a periodontist and a copy of the free brochures titled Periodontal Diseases: What You Need to Know and Ask Your Periodontist about Periodontal Disease and Heart Disease please visit www.perio.org or call toll-free 800/FLOSS-EM (800.356-7736). The American Academy of Periodontology is an 8,000-member association of dental professionals specializing in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting the gums and supporting structures of the teeth and in the placement and maintenance of dental implants. Periodontics is one of nine dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association. CONTACT INFORMATION: Kerry Gutshall |
|||||
|
Most frequently visited and
popular pages in Dental India site The opinions and views expressed in this newsletter are not ours and authors have been given due credit | |||||
|
Removal of Titanium
posts
Titanium posts are
sometimes difficult to recognize on a radiograph, because they have the
same radiopacity as gutta-percha. Here is one. Patient presented
with severe pain. I removed the post with US (had to be careful not
to touch the porcelain) and a post puller. I like the tabular taps of the
Gonon better that of the Ruddle system, the internal thread of the Gonon
is more efficient. The apical foramen was
wide, so the root filling will be an apical MTA plug next time -
Marga (ROOTS)
  | |||||
|
Dental conferences Dental journals Unbelievable Safety needles dental tourism mb2 radicular cyst Patient education tools | |||||
|
Ridge preservation following tooth
extraction using a polylactide and polyglycolide sponge as space filler: a
clinical and histological study in humans.
Serino G, Biancu S, Iezzi G, Piattelli
A.
Private Practice, Rome, Italy Private
Practice, Cagliari, Italy Dental School, University of Chieti, Chieti,
Italy.
BACKGROUND: The placement
of different graft materials and/or the use of occlusive membranes to
cover the extraction socket entrance are techniques aimed at
preserving/reducing alveolar ridge resorption. The use of grafting
materials in fresh extraction sockets has, however, been questioned
because particles of the grafted material have been found in alveolar
sockets 6-9 months following their insertion. AIM: The aims of the study
were to (i). evaluate whether alveolar ridge resorption following tooth
extraction could be prevented or reduced by the application of a
bioabsorbable polylactide-polyglycolide sponge used as a space filler,
compared to natural healing by clot formation, and (ii). evaluate
histologically the amount and quality of bone tissue formed in the
sockets, 6 months after the use of the bioabsorbable
material.
MATERIAL AND METHODS:
Thirty-six patients, undergoing periodontal therapy, participated in this
study. All patients were scheduled for extraction of one or more
compromised teeth. Following elevation of full-thickness flaps and
extraction of teeth, measurements were taken to evaluate the distance
between three landmarks (mesio-buccal, mid-buccal, disto-buccal) on
individually prefabricated stents, and the alveolar crest. Twenty-six
alveolar sockets (test) were filled with a bioabsorbable
polylactide-polyglycolide acid sponge (Fisiograft), while 13 sockets
(controls) were allowed to heal without any filling material. The flaps
were sutured with no attempt to achieve primary closure of the surgical
wound. Re-entry for implant surgery was performed 6 months following the
extractions. Thirteen biopsies (10 test and three control sites) were
harvested from the sites scheduled for implant placement.
RESULTS: The clinical
measurements at 6 months revealed, in the mesial-buccal site, a loss of
bone height of 0.2 mm (1.4 SD) in the test and 0.6 mm (1.1 SD) in the
controls; in the mid-buccal portion a gain of 1.3 mm (1.9 SD) in the test
and a loss of 0.8 mm (1.6 SD) in the controls; and in the distal portion a
loss of 0.1 mm (1.1 SD) in the test and of 0.8 (1.5 SD) mm in the
controls. The biopsies harvested from the test sites revealed that the new
bone formed at 6 months was mineralized, mature and well structured.
Particles of the grafted material could not be identified in any of the 10
test biopsies. The bone formed in the control sites was also mature and
well structured.
CONCLUSION: The results
of this study indicate that alveolar bone resorption following tooth
extraction may be prevented or reduced by the use of a bioabsorbable
synthetic sponge of polylactide-polyglycolide acid. The quality of bone
formed seemed to be optimal for dental implant insertion. |
Publication:
The International Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Implants January/February 2007 Volume 22 , Issue 1 Bone Strains Around Immediately Loaded Implants Supporting Mandibular Overdentures in Human Cadavers Kývanc Akca, DDS, PhD / Murat Akkocaog lu, DDS, PhD / Ayhan
Comert, MD / Tekdemir, MD, PhD / Murat Cavit Cehreli, DDS, PhD
Purpose: To compare the biomechanical effect of splinted versus unsplinted mandibular implants supporting overdentures subjected to experimental static immediate load on bone tissue deformation using strain gauge analysis. Materials and Methods: Strain gauges were
bonded on the labial cortical bone adjacent to 2 Straumann dental implants
placed in the mandibular interforaminal region of 4 completely edentulous
mandibles of fresh human cadavers. The installation torque value (ITV) of
each implant was measured using a custom-made torque wrench, and implant
stability quotients (ISQs) were also obtained using resonance frequency
analysis. Three overdentures (ODs), 2 splinted (bar- and cantilevered
bar-retained) and 1 unsplinted (ball-retained), were fabricated for each
edentulous mandible. Two experimental loads were applied subsequently via
2 miniature load cells that were placed bilaterally 10 mm (anterior
loading) and 15 mm (posterior loading) from the implant. Strain
measurements were performed at a sample rate of 10 KHz and under a maximum
experimental static load of 100 N; they were simultaneously monitored from
a computer connected to a data acquisition system. Finally, the removal
torque values (RTV) of the implants were measured.
Results: Strains on the labial cortical bone
around implants supporting mandibular ODs under anterior loading were
significantly higher than measured under posterior loading for all
attachment types (P < .05). All strain values were compressive in
nature, and the minimum strain (–19 µe) was recorded for bar-retained ODs
under 25 N posterior loading, while the maximum strain (–797 µe) was for
recorded for retentive anchor-retained ODs under 100 N anterior loading.
Nonparametric correlations between ISQs, ITVs, and RTVs identified
significant correlations only for ITVs and RTVs (P < .05).
Conclusion: Splinting of 2 interforaminal
dental implants, regardless of attachment type, to support mandibular ODs
subjected to immediate load significantly reduced initial bone tissue
strains experienced on the labial cortical bone in comparison with the use
of unsplinted implants. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants 2007;22:101–109
Key words: biomechanics, dental implants, immediate loading,
mandibular overdentures, micromovement, resonance frequency analysis,
strain gauges
| ||||
Nurturing Loyal PatientsLoyal patients refer their friends and family to their dentist because they are confident that they will be well treated. New patients are the life blood of any dental practice. If you are not receiving at least 2% referrals from your patients, this indicates that your patients do not feel comfortable referring to your practice. Why? is a very important question that must be answered. Possibly, they just don't feel part of the practice. A close relationship is based upon trust and familiarity. Yet, some dentists seem to think that their patients have some sort of obligation to refer friends and family to them. All our close relationships in life require some frequency of contact. The same is true for our patients. There will always be a place for some sort of outside promotion…when the internal patient base is not large enough to generate enough new patients. Still, the strongest, most successful dental practices in the world are all based on growth from internal referrals, from our existing patient bases. For a patient to feel comfortable referring friends and family to a dental office, on average, it requires six to seven contacts per year. An effective internal marketing protocol which makes these contacts will produce between 2% and 3% new patients per month. This means that a patient base of 2,000 patients should refer 40 to 60 patients per month. This is not some arbitrary number. It is based upon extensive research with thousands of dental practices throughout North America. If a practice is not earning this number of new patients, there are probably not enough contacts with existing patients. The best way to insure the proper number of contacts is to follow the following plan. Each year every patient should be contacted twice per year for Recare, a personal contact for birthday, and quarterly patient newsletters. It does not matter where the practice is located, this sort of contact will create the relationship necessary for patients to refer in appropriate numbers. When you check your new patient flow, if you discover you are not earning at least 2% per month, you must consider making changes in your internal marketing protocol along the lines suggested above - L. Hurston Anderson, PhD | |||||
