It’s always an honour to meet with Dr. Mark Donaldson, Pharmacologist and senior Executive Director at Vizient Inc. Part of our monthly conversations, Mark spoke about the three drug classes that every dental professional should know: antimicrobials, analgesics, and local anesthetics. I hope you find the interview informative.  Chiraz Guessaier, CDA Oasis Manager Highlights Oral healthcare professionals (OHCPs) are routinely involved with the selection and prescription of medications for their patients. This course is designed to help them become better-informed prescribers of the top three drug classes employed in dentistry: antibiotics, analgesics, and local anesthetics. Patient safety is the number ...

Drs. Deborah Saunders and Joel Epstein return to Oasis Discussions to discuss a third complication that occurs during cancer therapy and beyond, xerostomia. Xerostomia affects speech, chewing, swallowing, taste and overall nutrition which may negatively affect overall treatment and patient outcomes during therapy. Xerostomia is not related to aging as much as it reflects the use of medications that result in dry mouth. See also: Oral Care in Cancer Therapy Part 1: Oral Care Pre-Head & Neck Cancer TreatmentOral Care in Cancer Therapy Part 2: Oral Care During Cancer Therapy Functions of Saliva Antimicrobial activity Control of pH Removal of ...

My interview with Dr. Peter Jacobsen went by in a flash! His sense of humor, light-delivery approach, and lively style leaves you glued to the screen, wanting to learn more about the topic presented. Dr. Jacobsen joined me to speak about his upcoming lecture at #ASM150 titled: Fighting Dental Disease: Drugs, Bugs and Prescription Products. Chiraz Guessaier, CDA Oasis Manager Highlights What are the first, second, third drugs of choice for dental infections? Which antifungals have the greatest risk of drug interactions? Are OTC aphthous ulcers medications effective? Can the newest antiviral drugs prevent herpes attacks? Do they put Ginkgo Biloba ...

This second segment of the six-part series of oral complications in cancer treatment deals with fungal infections, most commonly candidiasis. See also: Oral Care in Cancer Therapy Part 1: Oral Care Pre-Head & Neck Cancer TreatmentOral Care in Cancer Therapy Part 3: Oral Care During Cancer Therapy Candidiasis or condidosis is an overgrowth of a commensal organism. The infection usually involves C. albicans, but C. krusei, dublinensis and torolopsilosis are also seen. It is important to note that resistance has been noted to medications by Candida spp. Etiology Due to systemic immune effects Extremes of age Malnutrition Cytotoxic CT Immune T-cell defects (HIV, ...

Drs. Deborah Saunders and Joel Epstein return to Oasis Discussions to discuss oral care before, during and after head and neck cancer treatment. See also: Oral Care in Cancer Therapy Part 2: Oral Care During Cancer TherapyOral Care in Cancer Therapy Part 3: Oral Care After Head & Neck Cancer Treatment Cancer is the leading cause of mortality in the world and it is expected to continue to grow. Infection-related cancers such as HPV, EBV and HCV are expected to play an important role in this increase. It is forecasted that a dentist will see ~1.3 newly diagnosed case of ...

It was a pleasure to meet and speak with Dr. Mel Hawkins for this interview. Generously, he prepared these slides to tell our audience what his session on medical emergencies will be about during ASM 2017. I hope you enjoy the conversation. Chiraz Guessaier, CDA Oasis Manager Highlights Dentists are treating an aging and pharmacologically drug dependent and ambulatory population. How can they be expected to respond/react to life-threatening situations when they “almost never occur” – or do they? Simplicity! Practical equipment adjuncts, a few good drugs, “red flags,” and understanding vasoconstrictor interactions, local anesthetic maximum doses, especially related to ...

I had the pleasure to speak with Dr. Jean-Marc Retrouvey and view his presentation on the craniofacial implications of osteogenesis imperfecta. This is a disease that causes weak bones that break easily. It is also known as brittle bone disease where bones sometimes break for no known reason. OI can also cause many other problems, such as weak muscles, brittle teeth, and hearing loss. Dr. Retrouvey delved into the implications of treating patients that suffer from OI and what the possible treatments are. Chiraz Guessaier, CDA Oasis Manager Highlights Dr. Jean-Marc Retrouvey presents various craniofacial aspects of osteogenesis imperfecta. This is ...

My meetings with Dr. Jose Lança, from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Dentistry and the Faculty of Medicine, are always so valuable in presenting and delivering extremely useful clinical information that supports every day clinical practice. This interview looks at the opioids crisis that is plaguing North American societies and the role of dentists in it.  Chiraz Guessaier, CDA Oasis Manager Highlights Opioids bind to opioid receptors in the brain. Upon binding to these receptors, opioids have various effects including: Analgesia Sedation/sleepiness Mood changes – dysphoria, euphoria Tolerance/addiction Cough suppression Miosis Endocrine effects Dermatologic effects – itching, sweating GI motility ...