More Patients Visit Emergency Room

Written by Dentistry TodayMonday, 23 January 2012 08:43



Many Americans are turning to the emergency room for dental care. A lack of dental insurance is the reason.

People without dental insurance are increasingly visiting the emergency room because they don’t have any other options. The issue is not a good one for many local medical services. Since many people don’t have the insurance coverage they once did, this is the result.

Dental care isn’t affordable for many people with low incomes or people who are unemployed. The risk of oral diseases, infections and pain is up dramatically because people don’t receive the regular treatment they had in the past.

The Medicaid provision isn’t very helpful for most people. There are 10 states that don’t even have Medicaid coverage for adults. That’s why many people can’t receive affordable dental care, forcing them to turn to other ways to get the care they need.

Based on this situation, free dental clinics are vital for many people. It’s also the reason the lines and wait times are so long when these events take place. The weather conditions don’t deter these people from waiting for the dental clinics because their care is so urgent.

This problem will likely only get worse in the future.

Lack of Dentists Causes Cancer Risk to Rise in South Africa

Written by Dentistry TodayTuesday, 24 January 2012 11:29



People in South Africa are more at risk for mouth or throat cancer than they were in recent years. The reason is simple: there’s a shortage of dentists in the country.

There are fewer than 3,500 dentists who practicing in the entire country, according to the South African Dental Association. With that low number of dentists, there’s no conceivable way for people to visit the dentist regularly.

Some studies show that there are 500,000 people for each dentist in South Africa. Comparatively speaking, there is a dentist for about every 1,700 people in the United States—or slightly more or less, depending on the specific geography region.

With fewer dentists and dental visits, there are fewer chances to diagnose some type of mouth cancer or oral cancer.

There are some people that are going years between visits to the dentist. That problem, combined with smoking cigarettes and marijuana, are causing many issues for the country’s citizens. These issues are only compounded by unprotected sex and oral sex, which makes a person more susceptible to oral cancer.

The South African Dental Association states that the possibility of dying from some type of oral cancer is high based on the lack of dental visits. The reason is the cancer is diagnosed at a stage in which it’s too late to treat the problem because it has likely spread.

New Jersey Plans Possible Changes for Dental Colleges

Written by Dentistry TodayThursday, 26 January 2012 08:56



New Jersey will see alterations to the ways its dental schools are set up, according to a new proposal.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced the reorganization on Wednesday. Under the new plan, Rutgers University will add a medical school.

The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey will be split up into Rutgers and Rowan universities throughout the state. The remnants of the Newark campus will eventually be called the New Jersey Health Sciences University.

Adding a medical school will enhance Rutgers' prestige and the way it's viewed.

UMDNJ, which currently has eight different schools, three campuses and the largest charity care hospital in New Jersey, had become too big, according to Christie.

There are other changes in the works if this one eventually gets enacted.

Obesity Could Result in Higher Risk of Tooth Loss

Written by Dentistry TodayThursday, 29 March 2012 07:31



Overweight people have a higher probability of losing their teeth.

But the possible tooth loss has nothing to do with carrying a few extra pounds around. It’s usually their poor diet that adds the pounds, which also happens to be the same problem for their teeth.

A research team from Japan analyzed the eating habits and overall oral health of 800 recent college graduates and determined that the people that needed to lose weight had more of a chance of developing gum disease and losing their teeth when compared to slimmer people.

The combination of eating fatty, greasy foods and a low rate of fruit/vegetable consumption led to poor oral health. It also led to obesity. If the person was overweight but consumed a reasonable amount of vegetables, gum disease was less likely to be part of the person’s future.

Another problem for people in this age range is that they’re more susceptible to a poor diet. With the lack of home-cooked meals and the greater intake of alcohol than other age groups, a healthy diet is just not realistic for many college students.

That’s why it’s important for young people to be educated about the importance of oral health and the fact that poor oral health can easily lead to poor overall health.

Brushing and Flossing May Have Added Benefits

Written by Dentistry TodayThursday, 29 March 2012 15:26



Brushing and flossing may lead to other things besides good oral health.

There’s research that suggests brushing and flossing can lead to a healthy body and a healthy mind.

It’s proven that by maintaining a daily dental hygiene routine, a person has the ability to fight off serious medical conditions. There are types of bacteria that cause gum disease that have the ability to travel throughout the body via the bloodstream. The chances of heart disease and stroke increase under these circumstances. Poor oral health may also lead to issues for pregnant women before labor and during labor.

By maintaining one’s oral health, these problems are less likely to occur.

Many people don’t heed the advice of their dentists, however. The evidence is supported by the fact that many people only brush once each day and don’t use dental floss. A daily dental hygiene routine can’t be complete without brushing twice. It’s also essential to mix in visits to the dentist.