News Bites from CDA Knowledge Networks – 2018/01/11
Top News
Doctors are prescribing fewer opioids following measures by state, insurers
IDJ supplement on oral health for an ageing population now online
Colgate introduces its first app-enabled electric toothbrush with artificial intelligence
Canadian dentistry news
The Battle of Bill Morneau. maclean.ca: Canada’s federal finance minister on his catastrophic autumn, what went wrong and how he’s fighting back. Read more
Cost keeps many Nova Scotians from dentist’s chair. thechronicleherald.ca: About one in 10 Nova Scotians don’t get needed dental work because they don’t have the money. This statistic, found in a recent Canadian Institute for Health Information report, doesn’t surprise the president of the Nova Scotia Dental Association. Read more
Medical, dental coverage ‘interrupted’ for hundreds paid through Phoenix. ctvnews.ca: A trip to the dentist has resulted in more than just a sore tooth for hundreds of federal civil servants caught up in the ongoing battle with the problem-plagued Phoenix pay system, federal officials say. Read more
Dental Hygiene Healthcare Superhero Competition. dentalhygienecanada.ca: Employers, clients or colleagues may nominate their dental hygiene superhero. Read more
A Group for Qualitative Researchers. publications.mcgill.ca: Almost 15 years ago the need to bring together qualitative health researchers and create a supportive community for them to thrive in became apparent. It was with this goal in mind that a group of qualitative researchers, led by Dr. Mary Ellen Macdonald, created the McGill Qualitative Health Research Group (MQHRG). Read more
Fluoride is back on the agenda. nipawinjournal.com: Nipawin Town Council sent a third request from health officials to fluoridate drinking water to committee rather than dismissing it, as they did the last time. This time, a letter was received from the Primary Health Care Nipawin Leadership Team, asking council to re-consider their decision to not add fluoride to the community drinking water supply. Read more
Tailored response in Alberta, Ontario and B.C. for South Asians addicted to opioids. ctvnews.ca: A medical clinic in British Columbia and a social service agency in Alberta are set to expand their programs to meet the often-hidden and growing problem of South Asians battling addiction to opioids. Read more
Multiple Tim Hortons franchises, other businesses cut pay, benefits, citing minimum wage hike. cbc.ca: Employees at nearly a dozen Tim Hortons outlets across Ontario tell CBC News they are facing the loss of paid breaks, benefits, and perks by franchise owners citing Ontario’s minimum wage increase. Read more
International dentistry news
Report highlights ‘shocking’ divide between dental health of rich and poor. theguardian.com: People from more deprived backgrounds in England twice as likely to be admitted to hospital in need of dental work as those who are better off. Read more
Medical Tourism is Booming in Mexico. psmag.com: As health-care costs balloon in the U.S., more and more Americans are crossing the border to seek out routine medical care. Read more
VIRAL: Dentist office staffer dances and lip-syncs with patients. wbtv.com: Tracy Driver has been producing weekly videos for the dentistry practice she works for, for more than a year. Last year she came up with an idea to produce a weekly video segment called ‘Monday Bites’ for the Patricia London DDS Facebook page. Read more
Dental Industry Bans Gifts To Dental Professionals. adia.org.au: Gifts provided by suppliers to dental professionals purchasing therapeutic products are banned as a result of the revised code published by the Australian Dental Industry Association (ADIA). The ADIA Code of Practice – Edition 2 was introduced to address concerns of the Australian Government that marketing and promotional activities undertaken by businesses in the therapeutic products sector may inappropriately influence the decision making of healthcare professionals. Read more
Helping Patients With Opioid Addiction. dentistrytoday.com: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost four Americans die from an opioid overdose every hour, with 90 fatalities each day. […] Unless the entire medical community is mobilized to treat this problem, addiction to prescription painkillers will continue to spread and wreak havoc across every facet of our society. Read more
Lawsuit seeking fluoridation ban moves forward. ada.org: A federal judge in December denied the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit that seeks to ban the fluoride additives used in community water fluoridation. Read more
The expensive, complicated struggle parents face when kids with disabilities need dental care. philly.com: John and Patricia Torcasio struggled to find a dentist who would treat their son Michael, who has autism, is non-verbal and rarely stops moving. Dental patients with special needs like Michael must be sedated before receiving treatment, but the service is very expensive. Read more
How Virtudent Is Working With HR Teams To Increase Access To Healthcare. huffingtonpost.com: Virtudent Founder & CEO Hitesh Tolani was completing his dental training when he came across an investigation on Frontline called “Dollars and Dentists” that highlighted how roughly 49 million Americans had no access to dental care. This is when he saw the opportunity to use telehealth as a potential way to give more patients access to dental care. Read more
Sugary drinks face NHS ban if action is not taken by Trusts. westbridgfordwire.com: The NHS is taking action on sugar, with almost two thirds of NHS trusts now signed up to a voluntary scheme to reduce sales of sugary drinks to 10 per cent or less of sold beverages. Sugary drinks will be further removed from NHS canteens, shops and vending machines during 2018. Read more
National Health Service hospital bans sugar from its meals to tackle staff obesity. theguardian.com: A hospital in Manchester has become the first in Britain to ban sugar from its restaurant in an attempt to tackle growing concerns about obesity among NHS staff. Read more
Health experts support sugar tax as Coalition calls for ‘personal responsibility’. theguardian.com: Australian Medical Association president Michael Gannon says task ahead comparable to taking on big tobacco. Read more
Doctors are prescribing fewer opioids following measures by state, insurers. post-gazette.com: A full year into a statewide crackdown on pain pill excesses, opioid prescribing is down by double digits, according to the state’s top physician and one of the Pittsburgh area’s biggest health insurers. Read more
Arizona dentist now accepting bitcoin at his office. abc15.com: A Tempe dentist is buying into the newest category of money by accepting cryptocurrency in his office. Dr. George Carr said he is trying to get ahead of the curve. Read more
Clinical & scientific news
IDJ supplement on oral health for an ageing population now online. fdiworlddental.org: The International Dental Journal (IDJ) – FDI’s primary scientific publication – published a special issue called ‘Oral health for an ageing population: Evidence for a fundamental human right’ which is freely available online. Read more
Highlighted review: Supportive periodontal therapy (SPT) for maintaining the dentition in adults treated for periodontitis. oralhealth.cochrane.org: A Cochrane review of 4 small trials with 307 participants could not find enough evidence to suggest one approach was better than another to prevent the recurrence of periodontal disease. Read more
Highlighted review: Atraumatic restorative treatment versus conventional restorative treatment for managing dental caries. oralhealth.cochrane.org: Cochrane reviewed 15 clinical trials and found that ART may lead to more fillings failing than the conventional approach, but the evidence was low and further trials may change conclusions. Read more
Health of primary teeth an early predictor of adult teeth. medicalxpress.com: In a practical and medical sense, the health of primary teeth is an early predictor of adult teeth. A research team headed by the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine sought to improve parents’ and caregivers’ perception of the importance of baby teeth. Read more
Poor dental health increases risks of frailty in older men. medicalxpress.com: Over a three-year period, researchers from the United Kingdom examined the relationship between poor oral health and older adults’ risks for becoming frail. Read more
Study links trying e‑cigarettes, hookah to teen smoking. theglobeandmail.com: Teens who try e‑cigarettes, hookah pipes and other non-cigarette tobacco products are more likely to take up cigarette smoking than their peers who never sample these products, a U.S. study suggests. Read more
U.S. Cancer Deaths Steadily Dropping: Report. consumerhealthday.com: Better cancer detection and treatments, not to mention lots of people quitting smoking, have fueled a 20-year drop in deaths from the disease, a new report shows. Read more
Mind your business
Having difficult conversations with patients. asdablog.com: How can we make these conversations easier for ourselves and our patients? Read more
CDA Presents lectures will cover social media marketing strategies for every skill level. cda.org: More than 40 percent of consumers today say they will not buy a brand if they are unable to find the right information about it online, according to a recent survey by the Interpublic Group. A similar statistic might apply to potential patients shopping for a new dentist, says Rita Zamora, an author and international speaker who returns this April to CDA Presents the Art and Science of Dentistry in Anaheim. Read more
Patient information
What causes pericoronitis? medicalnewstoday.com: Pericoronitis occurs when the wisdom teeth do not have enough room to erupt through the gums. Read more
Scalloped tongue: What you need to know. medicalnewstoday.com: The condition is rarely painful or a sign of more serious complications, but knowing the cause of scalloped tongue can help prevent or treat any underlying conditions. Read more
Your health & medical news
New cancer treatments have perplexing side effects. washingtonpost.com: Called checkpoint inhibitors, the treatments, designed to unleash the immune system to attack malignancies, also can spur an assault on healthy organs, causing varied and bizarre side effects ranging from minor rashes and fevers to diabetes and deadly heart problems. Read more
Recreational pot puts medicinal marijuana on the backburner just as demand explodes. business.financialpost.com: The number of medical marijuana patients has exploded, some doctors remain hesitant to prescribe cannabis, and the regime remains old-fashioned. Read more
Philips and American Well form global partnership in telehealth for consumer health and professional healthcare. usaphilips.com: Multi-year agreement to integrate American Well’s virtual care capabilities into Philips’ consumer and professional digital health solutions. First deployment on the Philips Avent uGrow parenting platform, giving parents 24/7 access to professional medical consultations and instant peace of mind. Read more
Continuing education matters
Dalhousie University – Current course offerings
McGill University – Winter 2017 continuing education – upcoming courses
Université Laval – Formation continue
University of Manitoba – Continuing professional development
Université de Montréal – Formation dentaire continue
University of Alberta – Program and courses
University of British Columbia – Calendar of courses
University of Saskatchewan – Continuing professional dental education
University of Toronto – Continuing dental education
Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry University – Continuing professional development
January 18-19: Hawaii Dental Association Convention, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Read more
January 24-28: Yankee Dental Congress, in Boston, Massachusetts. Read more
January 26-27 – Manitoba Dental Association’s 134th Annual Meeting and Convention in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Read more
February 22-24: Chicago Dental Society’s 153th Midwinter Meeting – A Dental Triade: Pride • Passion • Professionalism, in Chicago, Illinois. Read more
March 8-10– Pacific Dental Conference, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Read more
March 21-24 – 47th Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the American Association of Dental Research, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Save the date
April 18-21 – American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. Read more
April 26-28 – ASM18 Annual Spring Meeting, in Toronto, Ontario. Read more
May 24-27 – Jasper Dental Congress, in Jasper, Alberta. Read more
May 25-29 – Journées dentaires internationales du Québec, in Montréal, Québec. Read more
May 31-June 2 – Newfoundland and Labrador Dental Association Oral Health Convention, in Gander, NL. Read more
June 20-23 – Annual Meeting of the American Dental Society of Europe, in Biarritz, France. Read more
August 22-25 – CDA Convention, hosted by the Dental Association of PEI. Save the date
August 31-September 2 – 24th International Association for Disability and Oral Health Congress, in Dubai, UAE. Registration now open
September 6-8 – 2017 Saskatchewan Oral Health Conference, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Save the dates
September 27-29: 26th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Canadian Academy of Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics, in Montreal, Quebec. Save the date
October 18-22 – ADA 2018 America’s Dental Meeting, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Save the date
Please let us know about upcoming continuing education meetings that could be of interest to Canadian dentists by emailing us at oasisdiscussions@cda-adc.ca
Dental industry news
Colgate introduces its first app-enabled electric toothbrush with artificial intelligence. dentistryiq.com: Colgate’s first app-enabled electric toothbrush with artificial intelligence launched in the United States on Apple.com and in select Apple Stores. Read more
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