Dental health…150 YEARS OF DENTISTRY

May 21, 2017 News

---

By Dr. Neromini Fagu

I recently attended the Ontario Dental Association’s Annual Spring Meeting which was hosted in conjunction with the Canadian Dental Association. It was an amazing opportunity to be a part of this historic event as the association is celebrating its 150th anniversary.
That is quite a milestone for the profession especially seeing that this year Canada is also celebrating 150 years as a nation.
The meeting was held over the course of several days and it provided an opportunity for dental professionals to learn from the best and brightest minds in the profession. There were over 90 internationally renowned speakers who covered a diverse range of clinical, practice management and personal development topics.
The floor exhibits featured more than 300 companies showcasing the latest in industry trends, new technologies, and product developments. I will discuss two of the topics that were presented during the conference.
The Impact of Mouth Breathing on Oral and General Health was an interesting topic that highlighted that fact that mouth breathing does not look good and more importantly it leads to long face syndrome, sleep disordered breathing, attention deficit disorder, daytime fatigue, and a reduction in oxygen absorption.
Mouth breathing can happen for a number of reasons, including a bite that may be off, or the position of the jaw and teeth may be such that when a person sleeps his lips don’t quite close. Ankyloglossia (tied-tongue), infant feeding and pacifier use, thumb sucking and tongue rest position may all influence mouth breathing. Children may also suffer from abnormally large tonsils, which can obstruct breathing.
It is important to determine why the mouth breathing is happening before it can be corrected. If the cause is due to huge tonsils, then removing them might be an option. However, if the problem is structural and a child can’t, for example, close his lips over flared front teeth, then the solution may be orthodontic treatment.
Another seminar, Diagnosis and Management of Odontogenic Oral and Facial Infection, evaluated infections of the oral and facial region. These types of infections remain one of the most troubling and potentially dangerous challenges for health care practitioners.
Dentists are often the first-line providers of care for the diagnosis and management of the patients. Despite advances in anti-infective medications, surgical techniques, infection control and improvements in hygiene, infections are still a significant clinical challenge for today’s dentists.
Dentists require a sound understanding of infections, the diagnosis and management of them, as well as possible complications. Understanding the pathophysiology of an infection is important as well as being able to evaluate a patient for the appropriate treatment and, if necessary, referral.
Ludwig’s angina is a bacterial infection that occurs on the floor of the mouth, under the tongue. It often develops after an infection of the roots of the teeth, such as a tooth abscess or a mouth injury. It can be life-threatening since possible complications include airway blockage, generalized infection and septic shock.
Assessment should focus on any developing complications such as airway compromise, the spaces involved, the precise etiology of the infection, and identifying sepsis symptoms. If the swelling blocks the airway, you need to get emergency medical help right away. A breathing tube inserted through your mouth or nose and into the lungs may be needed to restore breathing. In more severe cases you may need to have surgery called a tracheostomy that creates an opening through the neck into the windpipe.
Antibiotics are needed to fight the infection and are usually given intravenously until symptoms of the infection go away. Dental treatment may be needed for tooth infections that cause Ludwig’s angina and surgery may be needed to drain fluids that are causing the swelling.
There were many other interesting educational learning opportunities in the areas of orthodontics, prosthodontics, endodontics and cosmetic dentistry that captured my attention. The experience was very rewarding. Not only did I gain an abundance of knowledge but I also got to meet and make new friends.
I was fortunate to meet the dentist representing the Greater Dental New York Convention and I look forward to hopefully attending this event, the largest such event in North America, in the Fall.

For more information contact OMNI DENTAL at 295 Quamina Street, Georgetown Tel: 227-0025, Parika Tel: 260-3133 or send emails to nerominifagu@hotmail.com.

---

---