Scientists from the NYU College of Dentistry have suggested that in the near future diabetes may be able to be detected by dentists, by sampling blood extracted from periodontal diseased gums.

The blood is taken from the gums and tested to measure the amount of Haemoglobin A1c. A reading of 6.5 or higher for blood glucose is considered in the range for diabetes.

Up to now, dentists believe that while they can detect signs of potential diabetes from an examination of patients’ teeth, there may also be other more mundane reasons for their poor oral health. A simple blood extraction from the gum could help confirm this. It may even become a routine procedure.

The research used a version of a testing kit for testing Haemoglobin A1c, originally developed for dentists and dental hygienists to extract blood sample to be sent to a testing laboratory. This new technique could do away with that long-winded practice and a very small amount of blood – one drop in fact is all that is required for testing.

To date, dentists use what is called a finger stick to take a sample of the blood from a patient’s mouth. This new testing kit, according to researchers, is less invasive and probably more acceptable to dentist and patient alike.

The new technique is also believed to help detect other diseases. As such the researchers are planning on widening the research.

Dentistry is fast becoming a first line of defence against many major medical problems and the earlier the diagnosis, the earlier treatment can be applied.

It seems that in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan children are more likely to be fully anaesthetised while having a dental operation than for any other medical treatment.

Recent reports suggest that children’s teeth in the province are so bad that they have to be put to sleep. What’s more, out of the 1900 on the waiting list for dental treatment, more than 50% are under the age of 6, while 75% are under 10.

Speaking about this to local reporters, a dental therapist, Penny Griffith said: “It’s an accepted thing — the front smile being black and stubby. It’s so ‘normal’ here that it doesn’t matter.”

Another dentist, Dr. Mohan Teekasingh’s, confirmed this. During an average day he will carry out 6 to 8 drillings and filings, and extract 4 to 6 teeth. He said: “A lot of these kids, unfortunately, live with the pain and take it as part of their normal existence.”

Dentists in the province are naturally concerned about this, as periodontal disease in children can prevent them from eating properly, cause continual pain and interfere with their education and every day lives. Yet it is preventable.

Dentists are also concerned that children have to undergo full anaesthesia. Dr. Gerry Uswak, dean of the University of Saskatchewan’s dentistry college told reporters: “It’s a travesty that many children have to be going through a general anaesthetic because of the end stage of dental disease — something that’s preventable. It’s a crime.”

One of the major reasons for this crisis is poverty. While gum disease is not related to poverty, children from poor families tend to be less aware of the need to eat well and have regular dental checkups, as well as looking after their teeth. The problem is particularly acute among the Canadian Indian population, who tend to be poorer than their white compatriots.

“If you don’t have a roof over your head, or mum or dad are drinking again, or, there’s a party at your house, or maybe 85 people live at your house, maybe teeth brushing isn’t just as important as it is to us,” dental therapist Penny Griffith said.

There is growing evidence that symptoms of health disorders can be picked up by dentists during an oral check-up before symptoms show elsewhere. As such, dentists are pushing people these days to ensure they have regular checkups.

However, while this is common knowledge among professionals, the news isn’t often broadcast to patients. Which begs the question: what sort of disorders can be detected by visiting a dentist?

There are in fact a large and growing range of medical problems dental practitioners can potentially identify. For instance, heart problems can be found early, something confirmed by Alyson Hope Koslow, a clinical assistant professor of restorative dentistry at the University of Illinois Chicago. In a recent interview, Alyson told reporters: “Inflamed gums and loose teeth can be warnings of heart disease.”

The reason behind this is that the build up of bacteria not only causes periodontal disease but also increases the risk of developing blood clots.

Another disorder is diabetes. While this is not just one disorder – it is a general overall name for a range of medically associated problems – nevertheless ensuring good oral health for those at risk can help prevent it developing at too fast a rate. But when being examined, gum disease is an early indicator. Dr. Koslow added: “Gum disease, bleeding gums, and loose teeth are all warning signs of diabetes. Diabetics also tend to have a slower healing time.”

Osteoporosis or brittle bone is another problem that can be detected. It normally affects older people (women in particular). “Osteoporosis does not cause changes in the teeth, but it does cause changes in the bone that supports the teeth,” Dr. Koslow explains. “This may show up as a receding gum line and loose teeth. If your dentist sees any oral signs of osteoporosis, let your medical doctor know right away.”

Do you suffer from a dry mouth on a regular basis? If so, dentists believe this could be an indication of more serious medical diseases such as diabetes or even Parkinson’s disease. Some medications taken for particular problems however, are also known to cause a dry mouth, so it always worth telling the dentist what medication you take. They could offer a solution to increase saliva production.

The latter is important as saliva helps to remove bacteria and debris.

Other disorders that dentists are now able to spot include dementia, eating disorders and something called nighttime reflux. The latter is the erosion of the enamel on the teeth because of a problem called gastroaesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This is effectively gastric juices attacking the teeth during the night while asleep.

The latter incidentally is also an unfortunate by-product of the eating disorder bulimia, while poor overall oral health can be an early sign of dementia.

Dentists who are interested in getting a certificate for Dental Implants can do so from this April. A new course is on offer in Dublin, provided by the Irish Faculty of Primary Dental Care (IFPDC).

The course itself will be overseen by a number of prominent dentists involved in implantology including Dr Anne O’Donoghue, Dr Maher Kemmoona, Dr Frank Houston and Professor Brian O’Connell. They will act as tutors for the course, which will last 10 months.

As well as a practical element to the course theoretical knowledge will also be tested. The former will involve surgical and restorative procedures.

Implantology is growing in popularity nowadays. Many people of all ages, but most commonly older people who lose teeth, now do not have to suffer with ill-fitting dentures. Implanted teeth are effectively fitted into the gum and while they are artificial, they are strong and basically no different from normal teeth in either look or behaviour.

The course will offer many Irish dentists the chance to develop an additional (and lucrative) service to their normal practice.

The implantology course will take place at the Northumberland Institute of Dental Medicine in Dublin. This particular organisation specialises in a range of oral cosmetic procedures, so is considered the most appropriate venue.

Starting in April it is envisaged that participating dentists will be able to carry out at least 2 implants by June, with the remaining course being used to develop skills in this and other areas of restorative dentistry.

To ensure that each dentist gets the best out of the course, the IFPDC is limiting places to just 12.

A dentist from New Jersey is under investigation after a second child has died while being treated.

A 3-year-old boy died after being given an anaesthetic prior to being operated on for tooth decay and fillings. The child was given a local anaesthetic but reacted badly to it. His lips turned blue and he went limp soon after the injection.

The boy died later in hospital.

Unfortunately for the dentist it isn’t clear why the boy succumbed, but the practitioner is now under investigation, as this is the second time a young child has died under his care. The previous death occurred in 2004.

However, according to his lawyer, there is no connection between the two deaths. He told reporters: “[The two children had] completely different medical circumstances.”

The dentist was already still on probation after the death of the previous child, so it will be devastating for him that a similar fate befell yet another child.

However, when he was tried in 2010, the presiding judge said that there was no evidence to support the idea that the death was malicious or even accidental. In short, the judge found no medical negligence. In the case of the first chid the medical examiner believes they died from natural causes.

Yet, the local dentistry board decided to suspend his licence for 21 months from January 2011 anyway.

This appears to be as much a tragedy for the dentist as it is for the families of the two children.

A dentist from San Antonio in Texas has decided to embrace Facebook as a means of educating his patients.

Dr. Tom Watkins along with his colleagues uploaded links to articles and videos, to help patients get the best out of any procedures the practice carries out. He believes that patients should be forearmed and should become more involved in their own treatment.

However, Dr. Watkins wants this to go further and as well as helping his own patients, he hopes that non-patients will benefit from the educational programme.

Without a doubt, education is a vital ingredient in ensuring people look after their teeth and oral health. Reliance on the dentist is not perceived as being enough now, which is particularly the case when it is realised that many medical disorders often show signs or pre-signs in a person’s mouth.

Speaking with reporters, Dr. Watkins said: “We believe very strongly in educating patients as well as treating them. There are many topics patients ask us about in the office, such as teeth whitening and dental implants, and we know that others would be interested in similar information.”

He added: “We’re hoping to use this page to spread reliable oral health information to the greatest number of people possible and connect with our community outside of our dental office doors.”

The Facebook page isn’t just one long boring diatribe either. As well as video and article information, the page contains tid bits such as dental history and how the San Antonio practice is involving itself in the local community.

As the dental practice is also a business, it makes sense to use social networking sites such as Facebook to connect with customers. For example, special offers on particular treatments are mentioned.

Dentists in the USA in particular are making more use of the Internet and social networking as a means to get their message across to both their local communities and the wider audience.

The internet is changing the way we all operate, so dentists not making use of it could be losing out.

Funding for dentistry programmes in the town of Knox in the State of Victoria, Australia was cut recently, which has had a pretty devastating effect on dental provision, particularly a shortage of dentists. While Victoria has been hard hit generally, it seems Knox has been hit hardest.

The findings were revealed a recent report, which found that for the past 2 and half years, a third of the residents of Victoria had little or no access to a dentist, with all the dental health problems that obviously incurs.

By contrast the same report also found that the number of patients wanting to see a dentist went up between 2005 and 2010. But unless funding increases dramatically the waiting lists will only get longer.

This increase in funding is exactly what the Australian Dental Association has been urging the Victoria State Government to do. A spokesperson for the local health department, Karyn McPeake told reporters: “Our concern is in the long term … as our population ages, and more people are eligible for a healthcare card, there will be more demand for the public dental service.”

Funding itself for Knox residents dropped from AU$2.3 million to AU$2.2 million last year. Not a seemingly large amount, but it has had a very big effect, as it directly affected the provision of after hours service. This is important, as it has to be remembered that working people generally cannot visit their dentist till after work.

Knox was also affected last year because although money was supposedly allocated to increase the number of dental chairs in the town in order to cut waiting lists, most of the money was reallocated to other areas this year.

Some commentators are perplexed why Australia could be storing up a crisis in dentistry. While the world economic situation is poor, Australia is one nation that on the surface appears to be holding its own.

Recent research in the US has found that the number of young people under 20 asking for teeth whitening has grown massively. Over the past 5 years numbers have grown by 12% according to the State of the Cosmetic Dentistry Industry Survey, which was conducted by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD).

But why is this happening?

One probable reason is society’s expectations. Cosmetic dentistry is now just one small aspect of what has become a huge global phenomenon – cosmetic medicine.

Speaking with reporters, one cosmetic dentist suggested: “The media tends to set the standard for how young people think they should look. Teenagers want the beautiful, white smiles they see in magazines and TV.”

The cosmetic dentists also said that in her area the most popular procedures were cosmetic bonding, cosmetic re-contouring, whitening and tooth replacement for missing or deformed incisors.

Teeth whitening, however, seems to top the list, but parents need to be aware of the pros and cons before encouraging their children to get their teeth treated. For instance, while teenagers are generally safe to get work done, it is not something that should be carried out on younger children still possessing milk teeth.

Similarly, not all teeth are suitable. In general, the criterion used is whether or not a teenager’s self esteem would improve markedly if they had the procedure. There may be a genetic factor involved in teeth yellowing. However, in the main, the cause of discoloured teeth is due to improper brushing and cleaning.

Esteem though is often a gender issue with girls generally more aware of their appearance and doing more about it. As such, good dentists will educate first before offering cosmetic solutions.

Further, as part of this education process it is important to realise that while getting teeth whitened can be useful, having work done over time weakens the enamel. Consequently, overuse by teenagers is to be discouraged.

The Irish Dental Association (IDA) is fearful that Irish dentistry is about to face its first serious crisis in some years. A recent survey suggested that as many as 1000 jobs could be lost over the next 12 months as practices cut back on staff.

The IDA believes this crisis relates to cuts in the Irish Medical Card scheme. The latter is a scheme that entitles Irish citizens to benefit from a range of medical and dental services. Ownership of the card is dependent on individuals and family circumstances including income. Currently around one third of the population is entitled to the card.

With cutbacks to the scheme no doubt Irish families will also be affected by the changes. Many will no longer be eligible, which will invariably have a direct impact on visits to dentists. This in turn affects dental practice income. The survey found that 86% of dentists have already suffered a decrease in turnover – a fall of over 20% in around half of dentists in fact.

The 1000 potential job losses will be the latest and 2000 jobs have already been lost over the last couple of years.

The survey also revealed some other interesting facts. For instance, 20% of dentists say they would like to sell their practice, while 40% say they have no choice but to work till they were 70 or longer.

This survey just reinforces what is happening across Ireland. Like the UK and many parts of Europe, the Irish Government are making unprecedented cuts in many areas of public life. Health is not being exempted.

A dentist based in the city of Wilmington, USA, was recently fined $100,000 for filing Medicaid reports. The fine was apparently a deal done with the prosecutor’s office, which in return dropped 19 other charges relating to health care fraud.

The dentist also agreed to stop practising dentistry for 12 months and she will not get her Medicaid licence back for 5 years.

Medicaid is the US insurance scheme that helps those people who cannot afford dental or medical fees. Medical and dental practitioners receive a fee for each person on the Medicaid register they see. Medicaid fraud happens when an individual medic applies for money covering non-existent patients, or charging more for work carried out.

Health care fraud as with other fraudulent activities is taken extremely seriously in the USA. In the case of the dentist she could face a 10 year prison term. However, prosecutors have treated her leniently and have offered a year of home confinement as part of the deal.

Sentencing itself takes place later this year.

In contrast to the misdemeanours of one dentist, another from Hull in the UK took part in a bike riding event. Nick Allday, was prepared to suffer freezing temperatures to take part in a motocross event in France.

Nick was one of 1000 motocross enthusiasts who were participants in the Le Touquet, Enduropale. This is a gruelling event by all accounts which takes place on the beach over 15.5 kilometre circuits, riding for a 3 hour period.

Nick Allday finished 773^rd.