Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Occlusion Seminar with Dr. R. Kerstein


On Friday March 23, 2012, Dr. Baksh attended a seminar in Toronto presented by Dr. Robert Kerstein, dealing with occlusion: how the lower teeth fit against the upper teeth.
     A more specific method of evaluating the occlusion of a patient using a computer scanning device called a T-scan was described.  Uses for this method of evaluation include preventing tooth wear as well as preventing muscle and ligament damage to the head and neck area.  The constant disturbances caused by poor occlusion can often result in muscle pain which can be confused with tooth pain. Correcting the occlusion can help to prevent the use of grinding and clenching guards while sleeping.
     Dr. Baksh was impressed with the T-scan and the information it provides.  He has had a number of patients he's had to treat with problems related to their malocclusion. He feels this technology would be very helpful in assisting him in providing alternative solutions for our patients who have experienced problems because their occlusion needs adjusting.

Oral Tongue Cancer in White Females

Dentists Beware: Oral Tongue Cancer in White Females Jumps 111%

Oral Tongue Cancer in White Females Jump 111%April is oral cancer awareness month. Of course, dentists are on the lookout for oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma 12 months a year.
In an online report published March 7 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the authors found an alarming trend: incidences of oral tongue cancer climbed 111% in young white females.
For the past thirty years, occurrences of oral cancer have increased in both white men and white women, ages 18 to 44, but the trend is most noticeably advancing in young white women at an alarming rate.
Lead author of the report Bhisham Chera, MD, is the assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.
Dr. Chera was quoted in Medscape Medical News stating, “Lately, we have been seeing more oral tongue cancer in young white women in our clinic. So we looked at the literature, which reported an increase in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma in young white individuals, but couldn’t find any information about gender-specific incidence rates, so we decided we should take a look at the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data.”
For the past three decades, oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma has been on the decline, while oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer has been on the rise. The authors of the report felt these changes were most likely due to the decreased use of tobacco and the association between the carcinogenic strains of HPV and cancer of the oral cavity.
Dr. Chera and the other authors reviewed the HPV status of their young white female patients with oral tongue tumors.
They did not find an association between HPV and the 111 percent rise in oral tongue cancer cases.
Due to the fact that oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma is not usually associated with HPV, the doctors are searching for the possible root cause for the stark increase in cases.
According to Medscape Medical News, the authors of the report noted that oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma in young white women “may be an emerging and distinct clinical entity, although future research is necessary before broad conclusions can be drawn.”
Dentists and primary care physicians should be more cognizant of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma in this group of patients,” said Dr. Chera. “At this point, the incidence is very small, and widespread screening may not be cost effective.”
“I would say that if a young white person has complaints of a persistent sore on their tongue, cancer should be moved up higher on the differential, based on our study,” he added. Dentists should not only examine dental health but also examine the tongue. They are in a position to provide effective screening.”
To read the complete article, visit Medscape Medical News.
article from:  www.thewealthydentist.com/blog/1541/dentists-beware-oral-tongue-cancer-in-white-females-jump-111-percent/