Dear DrBicuspid Member,
Recent studies have suggested that cognitive and behavior problems may surface in patients who are anesthetized at a young age, according to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine. Click here to read why some dental anesthesiologists are already shifting their opinions about the risk profile of general anesthesia in pediatric patients.
In other dental news, while no one disputes the importance of maintaining oral health in both healthy patients and those suffering from other medical conditions, treating periodontal disease appears to have only a limited effect on inflammatory markers in renal dialysis patients, according to a study presented at the recent International Association for Dental Research (IADR) meeting. Read more.
Another presentation at the IADR meeting raised the question: Are virtual biopsies the key to earlier and more accurate detection of oral and head/neck cancers? A team of researchers from Taiwan has developed a novel microscopy technique they say overcomes many of the limitations of other diagnostic tools and yields high-resolution images of morphological changes in the oral mucosa. Click here to read more about the unique capabilities of harmonic generation microscopy.
Finally, in her latest Dental Diaries entry, Dr. Sheri Doniger reminds us that sometimes we all just need to have a sense of humor.
