How to do you speak Risk of Cancer and Periodontal Disease to your patients?

Posted on by Michael C. Rogers, DDS
  Dr. McGlennen: Cancer is a word that receives a lot of attention. There are walks, runs and bike rides every day to raise awareness of various types of cancers and billions of dollars are spent on research directed to improve diagnosis and treatments. As health care professionals, we should perform a cancer risk assessment for each patient with a goal to reduce the patient’s risk and to find cancers earlier when cure is more likely. One way that the dental office can contribute to ...
Read More

There is No Failure, Only Feedback

Posted on by Diane Larson RDH, BSDH
As 2022 ends, most people generally reflect on what was accomplished, maybe started but not finished, successes or failures, and what is to come in 2023. If 2022 didn’t meet your expectations, 2023 is just around the corner with endless possibilities. However, before we think about next year, let’s reflect on if failures are truly failures. In a recent podcast by Jim Kwik, the quote “There is no failure only feedback” resonated with me. As an extension of every OralDNA® provider’s team, d...
Read More

Dental as a Missing Link for Medical Failures

Posted on by Simon Yu MD
Do you want to live a longer, healthier life without chronic aches, pain, or chronic illness? Your oral cavity, gums, and dental status can provide an ample “mouthful of evidence” of your health status. Your physician most likely overlooked the dental-oral connection to your health. Medical doctors rely on dentists to care for your teeth, and common procedures can lead to making your health worse over time. Hidden dental problems may be as bad as or worse for your health than obesity, hyperte...
Read More

The Oral Systemic Connection: A Risk Reduction Approach

Posted on by Anne O. Rice
I have greatly enjoyed being a dental hygienist for over 30 years. Something that still fascinates me is the oral health and whole-body health connections. As a constant student, I have studied bidirectional and causal relationships amongst oral pathogens and a host of chronic diseases. In fact, over two decades ago, the surgeon general spoke about periodontal disease effects, and we now know there are established associations to 57 adverse health conditions, associated with periodontal dise...
Read More

Interview with Functional Medicine, International Leader Pete Williams

Posted on by Pete Williams
Dr. McGlennen: You started incorporating OralDNA® testing services into your care in Spring 2018. Tell me how you were introduced to OralDNA® salivary diagnostics and why do you use the testing services. Pete Williams: We first became aware of the OralDNA® testing services at a Functional Medicine conference in the US. As a Functional Medicine practice, we are aware of how oral health can have a systemic effect on chronic disease and its management. We have been following the research ove...
Read More

Why Vitamin D? Why Not!

Posted on by Diane Larson RDH, BSDH
The human body is magnificent. For as much as we know about human physiology, there is an even greater number of processes that we don’t fully understand. I am grateful for the researchers/investigators that continue to explore what makes us function. One of my personal mottos, and I hope you add it to yours, is “The more we know, the better we can be and the better we can treat our patients.” The importance of Vitamin D is one of ever-evolving understandings. The more we discover, the more w...
Read More

Oral Hygiene and Cognition By: Ram Rao, PhD

Posted on by Rammohan Rao PhD
A nice, friendly smile is visually attractive and is also a sign of good oral hygiene practice and cognitive health. Numerous studies have found a close connection between poor oral hygiene and dementia. Studies have found that those with poor oral hygiene practices are at higher risk for dementia, and dementia patients are at higher risk for developing gum disease. Poor oral hygiene and inadequate nutrition are likely the primary drivers for the risk of gum disease in dementia patients, par...
Read More

Dental Hygiene: Looking Beyond

Posted on by Barbara Tritz RDH
Dental health has never been more important. We know the mouth plays a critical role in systemic health. It is a bellwether for what is really happening deep within the body. The mouth is the proverbial “canary in the coal mine.” The infections we see clinically are symptoms of bigger problems, and vice versa; inflammation in the mouth affects the entire body. We know: 50% of the US population has some level of gum disease.1 Dementia affects 55 million people worldwide, and this n...
Read More

Unlock the Secret to Successful Medical – Dental Collaboration

Posted on by Geralyn Beers RDH BS FAAOSH
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is on the rise in the United States. Until now it has been thought to be a terminal disease with no cure. However, all that is changing with the development of a precision medicine method called ReCODE (Reversal of COgnitive DEcline). This cutting-edge method has been taught around the world to physicians & health coaches and now the dental team has an exciting opportunity to get involved. As the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S., AD is the most common type...
Read More

Active Periodontal Disease with Multiple Medical Complications

Posted on by Brie Eickhoff RDH
Challenge: A patient with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and active periodontal disease, most recently was diagnosed with Type II diabetes, will receive periodontal therapy. Currently, proper home care is limited to the physical difficulties of MS. Background: A 58-year-old female presented on 4/17/2018 with a chief complaint of xerostomia and physical difficulties challenging a proper home care regimen. Due to living with MS for several years, the patient has partial left-side paralysis resulti...
Read More