BDS INSIGHTS

A dentist who saved his brother’s life by performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) when he suffered a cardiac arrest is urging everyone to learn how to perform the first aid technique. Dentist Dr Shabir Bashir and dental nurse Uznah Chowdrey kept 33-year-old Rangzeb Bashir alive by performing chest compressions and breaths for ten minutes until paramedics arrived at Beckside Road Dental Practice in Lidget Green , on May 21. Mr Bashir, 33, of Hollybank Gardens, was working at the practice when he collapsed suddenly in the bathroom, smashing his head on the sink.                   Hearing the crash Dr Bashir and Miss Chowdrey broke down the door of the bathroom to find Mr Bashir collapsed in a pool of blood. Dr Bashir said: “I put him in a position to assess him and realised he was not breathing and there was no pulse. We have training (in CPR) annually in conjunction with Bradford Royal Infirmary – it is compulsory....

Cemento-ossifying fibromas (COFs) are benign lesions affecting the jaws and other craniofacial bones. They commonly affect adult females between the third and fourth decade of life, predominantly occurring in the premolar/molar region of the mandible. Most of the lesions typically show slow and often expansile growth, centrally within the jaw and characteristically behave in a benign form, but occasionally they may present as an aggressive gigantiform lesion. Radiographically, they appear as well-defined unilocular or multilocular intraosseous masses. The lesion is invariably encapsulated and of mixed radiolucent densities. The tumor may grow quite extensively; thus, the term "aggressive" is sometimes applied. Surgical resection is the treatment of choice.  The cemento-ossifying fibroma is hard and fibrous, most frequently seen in the jaw or mouth , sometimes in connection with a fracture or another type of injury . The histology was that of a benign fibr...

The dental symbol was adopted by the American Dental Association in November 1965 as the official emblem of dentistry. The Greek letter Δ (delta), for dentistry, and the Greek letter Ο (omicron), for odont (tooth) form the periphery of the design. In the background of the design are 32 leaves and 20 berries, representative of the permanent and temporary teeth. The suggested colors for the symbol are: a shade of lilac in the background—the official academic color of dentistry; the letter Ο in gold; the letter Δ in black; the cautery in gold outlined in black, and the leaves, berries and serpent merely outlined in black on the lilac background. The National Association of Dental Faculties in 1897 chose the color lilac as the profession’s major color. The color trims dental schools’ graduation gowns and caps and may be found in dental banners, emblems, insignia, signs, symbols and publications.

Balanced occlusion in complete dentures can be defined as stable simultaneous contact of the opposing upper and lower teeth in centric relation position and a continuous smooth bilateral gliding from this position to any eccentric position within the normal range of mandibular function.  Dentists point of view on occlusion : Do you have a headache? Do you have migraine attacks? Neckaches, shoulder pains, etc…..? Have these been long drawn with lifetime dependence on medications? And still these aches keep coming back to you, don’t they? Well, a very important anatomical aspect of the head has always been discarded by the medical practitioners who you would normally go for treatment. That point is the Tempero Mandibular Joint. It is just in front of your ear and can be felt like a hinge when you palpate with your finger. The mobile lower jaw articulates with the skull at that point. It undergoes wear due to excessive ...

Tooth fusion     The phenomenon of tooth fusion arises through union of two normally separated tooth germs, and depending upon the stage of development of the teeth at the time of union, it may be either complete or incomplete. On some occasions, two independent pulp chambers and root canals can be seen. However, fusion can also be the union of a normal tooth bud to a supernumerary tooth germ. In these cases, the number of teeth is fewer if the anomalous tooth is counted as one tooth. In geminated teeth, division is usually incomplete and results in a large tooth crown that has a single root and a single canal. Both gemination and fusion are prevalent in primary dentition, with incisors being more affected.   Concrescence     Concrescence is a condition of teeth where the cementum overlying the roots of at least two teeth join together. The cause can sometimes be attributed to trauma or crowding of teeth. Surgical separation of the teeth may be ne...

  High levels of flouride ingestion from dietary sources alone can place people at increased risk for developing dental fluorosis. (DTI/Photo courtesy of josconklin) IOWA CITY, Iowa, USA: In order to determine the amount of fluoride that children receive from solid foods, researchers have assessed data on the diets of young children. They have discovered that some receive more than 80 percent of their dietary fluoride from solids, which might place them at an elevated risk of developing dental fluorosis. According to researchers at the University of Iowa, children ingested the majority of dietary fluoride from beverages but a few subjects received substantial amounts of fluoride from solid foods alone. This demonstrates that solid foods can be important contributors to dietary fluoride intake, they said. At 6 months of age, babies ingested an estimated 8 percent of dietary fluoride from solid foods. Baby foods provided the highest levels of daily fluoride int...

A recent survey of practicing dentists by TheWelathyDentist.com gives the breakdown of how many dentists use Facebook for dental marketing, and the ways they use that site to promote their practices. (PRWEB) July 08, 2012 Curious about how dentists are using Facebook in their dental practice marketing campaigns? In a recent survey conducted by dental marketing resource TheWealthyDentist.com (TWD), two thirds (67%) of the dentists who responded said they have a Facebook page for their practice, while only one third reported that they do not. Most of the dentists using Facebook pages practice in suburban locations. The high percentage of dental practices on Facebook is not necessarily surprising, since the site has become a household word --- it has close to 160 million monthly visitors and is second only to Google in total web traffic. Also, since the survey was conducted on the TWD website, it included only dentists who already spend time online. What'...