The aim of this systematic review was to determine whether secondary closure (SC) or primary closure (PC) is better at preventing postoperative complications after impacted mandibular third-molar extraction.
The release of Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges1 offers an opportunity to reflect on the many advances the dental profession has made over the past 20 years. A key area of advancement has been the recognition that oral health care providers have an important role in promoting the overall health of their patients. …
The safety of dental radiography performed on pregnant patients has been a controversial topic since the 1960s. This review synthesizes and consolidates findings, from 1957 through 2021, of the effects dental ionizing radiation could have on a pregnant patient and in utero birth defects.
The purpose of this systematic review was to examine whether dental intervention involving bone or soft-tissue manipulation preradiotherapy (pre-RT) is associated with lower rates of osteoradionecrosis of the jaw (ORNJ) in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC).
A 30-year-old man with a chief symptom of a nonhealing painless lip sore of 3 weeks’ duration sought treatment from an oral pathologist. The patient reported application of an over-the-counter topical steroid to the site during this time without resolution of the lesion, although he did not recall the name of the medication. At the …
A learning health system (LHS) is a health system in which patients and clinicians work together to choose care on the basis of best evidence and to drive discovery as a natural outgrowth of every clinical encounter to ensure the right care at the right time. An LHS for dentistry is now feasible, as an …
Translating periodontal data to knowledge in a learning health system Read More »
School sealant programs (SSPs) increase sealant prevalence among children lacking access to oral health care. SSPs, however, are substantially underused. From 2013 through 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded 18 states for SSP activities in high-need schools (>= 50% free and reduced-price meal program participation). From 2019 through 2020, the authors assessed …
Surveyed dentists have said the conditions they see most often in patients 65 years and older are
I thank Dr. Lawrence Wallace for his insight and further reflection on my commentary.
In his June JADA article (Balevi B. How to Manage the Principal-Agent Problem in Dentistry. JADA. 2022;153[6]:588-589), Dr. Balevi is correct in promoting safe, effective, and evidence-based treatment for our patients. It is our legal and ethical imperative. Overreliance on evidence-based care though, should not be the only approach in our patient interactions.
