Sun Oaks Dental

Due to our concern for the safety of our patients and employees, we will be following the recommendations of the American Dental Association and the State of California to close the office starting Thursday, March 19. The office will re-open for normal business starting Monday, March 30. If you are in need of emergency dental care during this time, the doctors will still be available. Please call the emergency number given on our office voicemail machine to make an arrangem...ent with the doctors directly. Our governing bodies have determined an emergency to be pain, swelling, infection, or a situation (such as trauma) which would negatively impact oral health if not treated within three months. We thank you for your patience and understanding during this uncertain time. Above all, we value our relationship with you and the respect you have for us by communicating your needs and concerns.

Dentistry Is Well Positioned To Continue Ensuring Patient Safety, Dentist Says In an opinion piece for the Bangor (ME) Daily News (3/12), Dr. Jonathan Shenkin, a former ADA vice president and past president of the Maine Dental Association, states that although dentists and other health care providers may be concerned about how to manage patients who may be infected with the coronavirus, dentists have been managing these concerns for a myriad of highly infectious diseases for... decades, and are well poised to maintain safe clinical environments for both their patients and the dental team. Dr. Shenkin adds, As a profession, we have always confronted the new realities of infectious diseases head on, and developed guidelines that have made the public and profession safe. All dental patients are treated with ‘standard precautions,’ the assumption that everyone is infected with one of the many possible infectious diseases we fear contracting or spreading, he states. The good news is nothing has to change for us to ensure the public’s safety from being contaminated with coronavirus in a dental setting. See more

More Than Seven Percent Of Cancers In The US Attributable To Excess Body Weight, Report Indicates. The New York Times (1/2, Bakalar) reports that a study indicates more than seven percent of cancer cases in the United States are attributable to excess body weight. Investigators found that from 2011 to 2015, among people 30 and older, 4.7 percent of cancers in men and 9.6 percent of those in women were attributable to excess weight some 37,670 cancers in men, and 74,690 in women every year. The findings were published in JAMA Oncology.

Skipping Cancer Screening Associated With Higher Mortality From Other Causes, Analysis Indicates. Reuters (1/2, Rapaport) reports research suggests that adults who skip recommended cancer screenings may be more likely than those who don’t skip them to die prematurely from causes unrelated to malignancies. Investigators think skipping screenings may be a marker for more generally neglecting one’s own health. Study co-author Dr. Paul Pinsky, of the National Cancer Institute..., said, It was not a direct effect of missing the cancer screening that led to the increased mortality in the non-compliers. Dr. Pinsky said in an email, Rather, we believe that non-compliance with the screening was a marker of a wider health behavioral profile of general non-compliance with or non-adherence to medical tests and treatments. Dr. Pinsky added, Non-compliance with medical procedures has also been linked, in this and other studies, to other unhealthy lifestyle factors such as obesity and smoking, and to lower education. The findings were published in JAMA Internal Medicine. See more

Gum Disease May Be Associated With Earlier Death In Older Women, Study Suggests. CNN (3/29, Scutti) reports that research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association suggests gum disease and tooth loss are connected to a higher risk of early death in women past the age of menopause. Michael J. LaMonte, lead author of the study and a research associate professor at the University at Buffalo in New York, notes that the findings only suggest an association betwe...en oral health and premature death. CNN adds, The research does not show gum disease or tooth loss cause early death. For the study, HealthDay (3/29, Preidt) reports that investigators tracked data on more than 57,000 women aged 55 and older. The researchers found that a history of gum disease was associated with a 12 percent higher risk of death from any cause. In addition, researchers found that loss of natural teeth was associated with a 17 percent increased risk of death from any cause.

New York Times: Many Prescription Medications Cause Xerostomia. The New York Times (4/24, Ray, Subscription Publication) states that a frequent side effect of many commonly prescribed drugs is xerostomia, according to a 2015 review of research on treating xerostomia published in the journal Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management. The New York Times states many common culprits in xerostomia, include benzodiazepine, antidepressants, some oral drugs used to reduce blood s...ugar, respiratory agents, quinine, some drugs used to treat high blood pressure, drugs used to treat excess urination, some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, opioids, glucosamine supplements, and magnesium hydroxide. Not all the drying mechanisms of the various drugs involved are fully understood, the article states. Some of them are known to suppress the action of receptors on nerve cells in various glands, including the salivary glands, that produce fluids. See more

Young Adults Encouraged To Schedule Their Own Medical, Dental Appointments. The New York Times (6/7, Tugend, Subscription Publication) shares tips to help teenagers and young adults develop the skills needed in adulthood, which includes scheduling their own dentist and physician appointments.

Bankrate.com Finds 1 In 4 Americans Forgo Health Care Due To Cost. The New York Post (6/7, Chin) reports that during the past year, one-in-four American families have had to turn down medical care that they needed because of the cost, according to a study released Wednesday from Bankrate.com. Thirty-two percent of older millennials (ages 27-36) refused care due to costs, more than any other age group. The article shares the experience of one individual, who stopped receiving medical, dental, and vision care due to costs.

Periodontal Bacteria May Delay Conception In Women, Study Suggests. The Daily Mail (6/13) reports that a new study has found women with Porphyromonas gingivalis, a bacterium associated with periodontal diseases, take three times longer to get pregnant, and those with P. gingivalis and signs of periodontitis take four times longer. In a release on EurekAlert (6/11), periodontist and researcher Dr. Susanna Paju, of the University of Helsinki, said, Our study does not answer the question on possible reasons for infertility but it shows that periodontal bacteria may have a systemic effect even in lower amounts, and even before clear clinical signs of gum disease can be seen. Dr. Paju added, More studies are needed to explain the mechanisms behind this association.

Periodontal Disease Can Affect Your Health. The Cape May County (NJ) Herald (7/4) reports on how periodontal disease can affect your health, saying that current research is finding that even more than the plaque and bacteria, the inflammation of the gums is a key factor linked to other health problems such as heart disease, heart attacks, respiratory disease and diabetes. Therefore, treating inflammation may not only help to manage periodontal disease, but may also help with the management of other chronic inflammatory conditions.