'Dental News
The more Medicaid pays dentists, the more at-risk children visit a dentist says a study appearing in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The study looked at nationwide data for the years 2000 through 2008. Researchers focused on Medicaid payment levels to dentists. They also looked at whether children had visited a dentist in the last 6 months. For each $10 increase in Medicaid payments, children on Medicaid were about 4% more likely to have a recent dental visit.
Nevertheless, children on Medicaid are less likely than those with private insurance to have regular dental visits. Only about 55% of children on Medicaid see a dentist regularly. This compares with 68% of children who have private insurance. Medicaid appears better than no insurance, however, as only 27% of uninsured children saw a dentist regularly. Among children ages 2 to 8, about 25% have untreated tooth decay.
Medicaid covers about 1 in 4 U.S children. Dentists and physicians do not have to accept Medicaid. About 73% of pediatric dentists participate in the Medicaid program. Nearly all pediatricians (93%) participate. Low payment for services provided is often cited as the principal reason for the lower level of dentist participation. Other studies have linked higher payments with increased dentist participation.
Although Medicaid is a federal program, it also receives state funding. So Medicaid payments to dentists vary by state. In 2008, payments to dentists for a child preventive visit ranged from less than $20 to about $60. The average payment, all states combined, was about $30 per child visit.
'Dental News
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued a warning to parents about sports and energy drink consumption being bad for children because ingredients in these flavored drinks that can contribute to tooth decay and lead to a variety of other health problems.
The AAP findings, published in the June issue of Pediatrics, stated that dental erosion from sports and energy drinks are 'of concern' in children and adolescents, and pointed to a common ingredient 'citric acid' that is 'highly erosive' because it continues to eat away at tooth enamel even after a drink containing citric acid has been consumed.
The high carbohydrate content of these drinks can also hasten tooth decay, which affects five times more children than asthma and has been called a 'silent epidemic' by the U.S. Surgeon General. Tooth decay is twice as prevalent among children from low-income families than among their more affluent peers, raising concerns that the increase in sports drink consumption will disproportionately affect at-risk children.
"Many of the children we treat are suffering from rampant tooth decay," said Dr. Anupama Rao Tate, a CSHM Advisory Board Member and Director of Oral Health Advocacy at Children’s National Medical Center. "Soda and sugary juice are already major obstacles in the fight for dental health in our communities. We must raise awareness among parents that certain sports and energy drinks have the potential to become another barrier between their children and they healthy smiles they deserve."
Chief among the AAP’s recommendations was that water, not sports or energy drinks, should be aggressively promoted as the principal source of hydration for children and adolescents.
'Dental News
To say it's difficult to find human volunteers willing to be worked on by first-year dental students just might be the understatement of the year. Just imagine nervous, unsteady hands using needle-sharp probes and drills working on an area in your mouth that's been causing you excruciating pain? No thanks.
Thankfully, robotic scientists at Japan's Showa University say they have developed the perfect dental patient; a life-like dental training robot that blinks and flinches just like a human dental patient would. Named "Showa Hanako 2", this robotic entity is slated to go on sale in Japan in late 2011 for an as yet unspecified amount of money.
But Showa Hanako 2's worth goes beyond the dental chair. After the check-up is finished the robot is not only capable of storing and analyzing each student's performance, but able to provide feedback through a computer link.
First developed 10 years ago by a research team, this eerily life-like robot is capable of sneezing, head shaking, coughing, mimicking gagging and snapping a mouth shut like a real patient's involuntary reflex. This dentist "trainee tool" can even hold down simple conversations as it is equipped with voice recognition technology.
But perhaps the most convincing element of the robot's appearence is the skin, made of silicone. Designers consulted with Japan's top sex doll manufacturer, Orient Industry, to help make Showa Hanako 2's skin, tongue and mouth.
'Dental News
In a recent study carried out on 70 male subjects showed a correlation between gum disease and the ability to achieve an erection. The data indicates that as the severity of erectile dysfunction increased, so did the prevalence of chronic periodontitis (gum disease). Overall, more than four out of five men (81.8 per cent) with severe erectile dysfunction had gum disease. In comparison, in cases of mild erectile dysfunction, the incidence of gum disease was less than two in five men.
Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter, believes the stigma attached to the subject could be forcing men up and down the country to turn a blind eye on their oral health. "To associate gum disease, the major preventable cause of tooth loss in adults, with such a taboo subject amongst males is not something that should be taken lightly" said Dr. Carter. "It is a well-known fact that gum disease has been linked to many conditions in the past that can have a detrimental effect on your general health such as heart disease and diabetes."
The best way to combat oral health problems is to think prevention and develop a good routine to keep your teeth and gums healthy at home. By brushing for two minutes twice a day using a fluoride toothpaste, reducing the frequency of how often you have sugary foods and drinks and by visiting your dentist regularly, you stand a far greater chance of having good oral health.
