Dental Tribune US Edition, Vol. 5, No. 19

Dr. Joel Berg Dr. L. Stephen Buchanan Dr. Arnaldo Castellucci Dr. Gorden Christensen Dr. Rella Christensen Dr. William Dickerson Hugh Doherty Dr. James Doundoulakis Dr. David Garber Dr. Fay Goldstep Dr. Howard Glazer Dr. Harold Heymann Dr. Karl Leinfelder Dr. Roger Levin Dr. Carl E. Misch Dr. Dan Nathanson Dr. Chester Redhead Dr. Irwin Smigel Dr. Jon Suzuki Dr. Dennis Tartakow Dr. Dan Ward Editorial Board DENTAL TRIBUNE The World’s Dental Newspaper · US Edition the equipment used, patients can be examined in their own favorite chair or even lying in bed. Not only can such treatment bring immediate relief, but it can also save the patient and his or her caretaker many subsequent, arduous trips out of the house. “If a patient needs a lot of work requiring several specialists, he might have to visit one office after another — an endodontist’s office for a root canal, a periodontist’s office for gum surgery, a dentist to deal with decay,” says Blende. “But when we do a house call, we’re going to gather all the infor- mation we need to make a diagnosis and bring in members of our specialist team. So we’ve saved them, maybe, three or four appointments. If they need multiple cleanings, they’re all done in the home. So a patient might go from leaving home for six or seven trips in a year to leaving home just once if they need treatment that must be done in our office or in a hospital.” That can save a lot of anxiety for a caregiver and can mean the differ- ence between receiving or forgoing comprehensive dental care for some- one who can’t, or won’t, leave his/her home without difficulty. If the patient needs treatment that cannot be done in the home, the BAHCD team handles the arrangements for the follow-up work at the BAHCD office or in a local hospital. That includes helping to get the patient to and from treatment, completing the work itself and having a specialist on hand to keep the patient calm, comfortable and safe. Elacio and her BAHCD colleague, Dr. Samer Itani, perform many of the house calls. Once a patient is found to need hospital or in-office work, Blende frequently takes the helm in plan- ning and providing this care. Blende is an expert in using general anesthesia during dental procedures, which is especially important for children and phobic patients. Allowing a confused or frightened patient to sleep through dental surgery considerably reduces stress for all concerned. When their patients do need hos- pital attention, Blende, who is chief of the Division of Dentistry at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco and chief of the Dental Division at California Pacific Medical Center, and Itani, vice chief of the Division of Dentistry at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, are well positioned to make that happen quickly and smoothly. Increasingly over the past two years, the BAHCD team, including a staff of experienced and compassionate assistants, visits senior communities, where they may see up to 20 patients in an afternoon. The problem of undi- agnosed dental issues is particularly acute in such communities, according to Itani. And those issues, he says, are much more dangerous to a patient’s overall health than many people real- ize. “We recently went to a community where we saw 19 seniors,” Itani says. “Several had been there for over a year, yet their caregivers weren’t even aware they had partial dentures. So, clearly, those dentures weren’t getting cleaned properly. That’s when infec- tion starts to set in, not to mention the obvious issue of discomfort. We might find broken teeth or gum disease, lesions that can be a sign of oral can- cer, and gum disease, which is quite dangerous because it breeds bacteria which gets into the blood stream, con- tributing to pneumonia, heart attacks and stroke.” “All these things have to be treated, but they often aren’t,” Itani says. “It’s a crucial issue for the elderly, not just for their daily comfort but for their overall health.” In fact, Bay Area House Call Den- tist teams frequently receive referrals from other dentists who are in despair over getting their elderly or infirm patients in for office visits, who turn to the BAHCD’s in-house treatment capabilities as the best answer. “House calls are not easy, but we firmly believe that everybody can have, and everybody deserves, the best possible care,” Itani says. A success story Minerva Dutra of Petaluma, Calif., is more than convinced of the value of in-home dental care. Dutra’s 76-year- old mother, Delores Dawson, has Alzheimer’s disease, uses a wheelchair and lives in a residential care home. Dawson recently received at-home care from BAHCD, followed by surgery performed by Blende. “My mother has specific needs, and other dentists weren’t able to accom- modate her,” Dutra says. “I was very happy to have a dentist come to us instead of my having to drive my mom all around. The doctor who came to our home, Elacio, and her assistant were sweet, caring and extremely skillful. When it was time for the sur- gery, Blende was fantastic, always let- ting me know what was going on and taking extra steps to be sure my mom was comfortable. I had all the confi- dence in the world in him. Now my mom feels much better. It’s a great relief.” DT (Source: PRWEB) f DT page 1A, SAN FRANCISCO Tell us what you think! Do you have general comments or criticism you would like to share? Is there a particular topic you would like to see more articles about? Let us know by e-mailing us at feedback@dental-tribune.com. If you would like to make any change to your subscription (name, address or to opt out) please send us an e-mail at database@dental-tribune.com and be sure to include which publication you are referring to. Also, please note that subscription changes can take up to 6 weeks to process. issue of the Journal of Periodontol- ogy, researchers found that sub- jects who maintained a healthy weight and had high levels of physi- cal fitness had a lower incidence of severe periodontitis. Using body mass index (BMI) and percent body fat as a measure of weight control, and maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) as a measure of physical fitness, researchers compared sub- jects’ weight and fitness variables with the results of a periodontal examination. Those with the lowest BMI and highest levels of fitness had significantly lower rates of severe periodontitis. Periodontitis, or gum disease, is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the supporting bone and tis- sues around the teeth. Gum disease is a major cause of tooth loss in adults, and research has suggested gum disease is associated with other diseases, such as heart disease, dia- betes, and rheumatoid arthritis. Samuel Low, DDS, MS, associate dean and professor of periodontol- ogy at the University of Florida Col- lege of Dentistry, and president of the American Academy of Periodon- tology (AAP), says that research con- necting overall health and periodon- tal health should motivate people to maintain a healthy weight and get enough physical fitness. “Research continues to demon- strate that our overall health and oral health are connected,” says Dr. Low. “Weight management and physical fitness both contribute to overall health; and now we believe staying in shape may help lower your risk of developing gum disease. Since gum disease is related to other diseases, such as cardiovascular dis- ease and diabetes. There is even more reason to take care of yourself through diet and exercise.” Low also encourages comprehen- sive periodontal care through daily tooth brushing and flossing, and routine visits to a dental profession- al, such as a periodontist, a specialist in the diagnosis, treatment and pre- vention of gum disease. DT (Source: American Academy of Periodontology) News DENTAL TRIBUNE | September 20102A Publisher & Chairman Torsten Oemus t.oemus@dental-tribune.com Vice President Global Sales Peter Witteczek p.witteczek@dental-tribune.com Chief Operating Officer Eric Seid e.seid@dental-tribune.com Group Editor & Designer Robin Goodman r.goodman@dental-tribune.com Editor in Chief Dental Tribune Dr. David L. Hoexter d.hoexter@dental-tribune.com Managing Editor/Designer Implant, Endo & Lab Tribunes Sierra Rendon s.rendon@dental-tribune.com Managing Editor/Designer Ortho Tribune & Show Dailies Kristine Colker k.colker@dental-tribune.com Online Editor Fred Michmershuizen f.michmershuizen@dental-tribune.com Account Manager Mark Eisen m.eisen@dental-tribune.com Marketing Manager Anna Wlodarczyk a.wlodarczyk@dental-tribune.com Sales & Marketing Assistant Lorrie Young l.young@dental-tribune.com C.E. Manager Julia E. Wehkamp j.wehkamp@dental-tribune.com Dental Tribune America, LLC 213 West 35th Street, Suite 801 New York, NY 10001 Tel.: (212) 244-7181 Fax: (212) 244-7185 Published by Dental Tribune America © 2010 Dental Tribune America, LLC All rights reserved. Dental Tribune strives to maintain the utmost accuracy in its news and clini- cal reports. If you find a factual error or content that requires clarification, please contact Group Editor Robin Goodman at r.goodman@dental-tribune.com. Dental Tribune cannot assume respon- sibility for the validity of product claims or for typographical errors. The pub- lisher also does not assume responsibility for product names or statements made by advertisers. Opinions expressed by authors are their own and may not reflect those of Dental Tribune America. f DT page 1A, ANOTHER A study indicates that weight control and physical fitness may help reduce the risk of severe gum disease. (Photo/Paul Moore, Dreamstime.com)