Offices and outpatient dental facilities must be properly equipped with devices for airway management, oxygenation, and ventilation. Optimizing patient safety using crisis resource management involves the entire dental o...Offices and outpatient dental facilities must be properly equipped with devices for airway management, oxygenation, and ventilation. Optimizing patient safety using crisis resource management involves the entire dental office team being familiar with airway rescue equipment. Basic equipment for oxygenation, ventilation, and airway management is mandated in the majority of U.S. dental offices, per state regulations. The immediate availability of this equipment is especially important during the administration of sedation and anesthesia, as well as the treatment of medical urgencies/emergencies. This article reviews basic equipment and devices essential in any dental practice, whether providing local anesthesia alone or in combination with procedural sedation.
Multiple myeloma exhibits varied clinical and radiographic presentations; therefore, awareness of suspicious oral lesions in patients with history of the disease is critical for proper diagnosis and treatment. This repor...Multiple myeloma exhibits varied clinical and radiographic presentations; therefore, awareness of suspicious oral lesions in patients with history of the disease is critical for proper diagnosis and treatment. This report illustrates a case where a patient with multiple myeloma initially presented with oral manifestations of the disease. Oral clinical and radiographic presentations of patients with myelomatous lesions can mimic other dental pathologies, leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment. Dentists should be familiar with oral clinical and radiographic presentation of multiple myeloma and know appropriate diagnostic tests in order to avoid misdiagnosis and treatment delays.
Tadinada A, Jalali E, Jadhav A
… +2 more, Schincaglia GP, Yadav S
J Mass Dent Soc
· 2015 · PMID 26168527
INTRODUCTION: The evolution of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) has brought about a paradigm shift in radiographic evaluation of the maxillofacial skeleton. Because of its low cost, high resolution, and relatively lo...INTRODUCTION: The evolution of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) has brought about a paradigm shift in radiographic evaluation of the maxillofacial skeleton. Because of its low cost, high resolution, and relatively low-radiation dose, CBCT is fast becoming the 3-D imaging modality of choice in dentistry. The ubiquitous availability of this new imaging modality poses unique challenges in understanding this technology and recognizing the associated artifacts that present themselves in the acquired image volumes. There are several artifacts that are inherent to CBCT scans by virtue of the physics behind their acquisition and image reconstruction algorithms. BACKGROUND: An image artifact may be defined as a visualized structure in the reconstructed data that was not originally present in the object or the imaged area of interest. It can be explained as any distortion or error in the image that is unrelated to the subject being studied. Artifacts are induced by discrepancies between the physical conditions of the measuring setup, which is usually the CBCT scanner's technical composition and position of the object under investigation. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to present an illustrative depiction of the most commonly encountered CBCT artifacts with an explanation of how each artifact is caused and how it presents itself in CBCT image volumes. CONCLUSION: Because these artifacts cause significant image degradation and often misrepresent the region of interest, they should be recognized, understood, and taught along with normal CBCT anatomy to facilitate accurate evaluation of the image volumes and prevent inaccurate diagnoses.
PURPOSE: The correlation between insurance status and edentulism has not previously been reported in a population with known access to a dentist, and little is known about patient demographics in corporate dental setting...PURPOSE: The correlation between insurance status and edentulism has not previously been reported in a population with known access to a dentist, and little is known about patient demographics in corporate dental settings. This study investigated patient demographics of a former dental franchise in Chicopee, Massachusetts, and examined a correlation between dental insurance and edentulism in this group. The correlation of edentulism with age, gender, and dental risk factors (diabetes, temporomandibular disorder, trouble with previous dental work, or oral sores and ulcers) was also examined. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective case study. Age, gender, and presence of dental risk factors were recorded from the patient medical history intake form. Dentate status was recorded from patient odontograms. Dental insurance status was obtained from billing records. Data was aggregated and deidentified. Descriptive and bivariate statistics and logistic regression models were used to identify associations (p-value ≤ 0.05 significance). RESULTS: Of 1,123 records meeting inclusion criteria, 52.54 percent of patients had dental insurance, 26.27 percent had at least one dental risk factor, and 18.17 percent were edentulous. Age and insurance status were significantly correlated with edentulism. Correcting for age, individuals without insurance were 1.56 times as likely to be edentulous. CONCLUSION: This case study provides insight into patient demographics that might seek care in a corporate setting and suggests that access to a dentist alone may not be adequate in preserving the adult dentition; dental insurance may also be important to health. As the corporate dental practice model continues to grow, these topics deserve further study.
Allareddy V, Elangovan S, Rampa S
… +3 more, Shin K, Nalliah RP, Allareddy V
J Mass Dent Soc
· 2015 · PMID 25872281
OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence and impact of gingivitis and periodontitis in patients having heart valve surgical procedures. METHODS: Nationwide Inpatient Sample for the years 2004-2010 was used. All patients who...OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence and impact of gingivitis and periodontitis in patients having heart valve surgical procedures. METHODS: Nationwide Inpatient Sample for the years 2004-2010 was used. All patients who had heart valve surgical procedures were selected. Prevalence of gingivitis/periodontitis was examined in these patients. Impact of gingivitis/periodontitis on hospital charges, length of stay, and infectious complications was examined. RESULTS: 596,190 patients had heart valve surgical procedures. Gingivitis/periodontitis was present in 0.2 percent. Outcomes included: median hospital charges ($175,418 with gingivitis/ periodontitis versus $149,353 without gingivitis/periodontitis) and median length of stay (14 days with gingivitis/periodontitis versus 8 days without gingivitis/periodontitis). After adjusting for the effects of patient- and hospital-level confounding factors, hospital charges and length of stay were significantly higher (p < 0.001) in those with gingivitis/periodontitis compared to their counterparts. Further, patients with gingivitis/periodontitis had significantly higher odds for having bacterial infections (OR = 3.41, 95% CI = 2.33-4.98, p < 0.0001) when compared to those without gingivitis/periodontitis. CONCLUSION: Presence of gingivitis and periodontitis is associated with higher risk for bacterial infections and significant hospital resource utilization.