SPEA Schulich

Thanks to everyone who joined us for the event on Special Care Dentistry! We hope you enjoyed hearing from all the panelists as they shared their experiences providing care to patients with special needs. Check out the newsletter below for a summary of the event.

Thanks to everyone who joined us for our event on The Wright Clinic and Dental Outreach Community Service (DOCS). Dr. Ken Wright shared the process of developing the first non-for-profit community based dental clinic in London. Check out the newsletter below for a summary of the event.

Thanks to everyone who joined us for our event on Great Expectations - A "Novel" Approach to Patient Management. Dr. Hockley shared how to manage patient expectations to build a trusting dentist-patient relationship and the expectations placed on dentists. Check out the newsletter below for a summary of the event

SPEA's recent event on patient management with Dr. W. Keven Hockley has been featured in Schulich Dentistry's March Newsletter! The article can be found through the link below. Be on the lookout for a more detailed summary of the event coming soon!

https://www.schulich.uwo.ca/dentistry/about_us/news/2022/spea_event_focuses_on_patient_management.html

SPEA event focuses on patient management The first event of the year was a great success and featured Schulich Dentistry faculty member Dr. W. Keven Hockley.

Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) involve the dysfunction of a collection of muscles and joint structures related to mastication. These conditions are known to cause severe pain in the orofacial region. Secondary headaches are a common side effect of TMDs because both disorders share a common pain pathway (i.e., trigeminal systems). Although there is a general consensus on the relationship between TMDs and secondary headaches, there is little evidence on the association between primary headaches and TMDs. Confirming this relationship would aid future dentists in diagnosing, treating and avoiding TMD and primary headache related complications.

The following article by Réus et al. conducted a systemic review and meta-analysis of a collection of studies from six databases to quantify this relationship. The results of this study demonstrated a positive association between primary headaches and TMDs, indicating the need for further research on the topic to further validate this association. For more information about this article, please visit: https://jada.ada.org/article/S0002-8177(21)00479-7/fulltext

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Thanks again to everyone who joined us for our Canada-wide panel on Geriatric Dentistry! We hope you enjoyed hearing from all of the panelists as they shared their experiences working with the geriatric population.
Missed the event? Check out the recording on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aReSMA5WA-o

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our annual "Surviving First Year!" With numerous courses, anatomy labs, and wax-ups happening all at once, we understand the first few months of dental school can feel especially overwhelming. We hope you found the presentation informative and the discussion with the upper year panelists reassuring. Good luck with your December exams!

Now it's easier to send SPEA Schulich a message.

Thanks to everyone who joined us for our event on “What’s Trust Got to Do with it?” Dr. Carlos Quinoñez shared his insights on fiduciary responsibility, accountability, and professionalism in dentistry. Check out the newsletter below for a summary of the event.

Ice hockey is a fast-paced and physical contact sport that presents unique dental injury risks and outcomes. Most Canadians are familiar with the iconic image of the smiling but gap-toothed or even toothless NHLer. On a more scientific note, the following article by Sarao et al. evaluated the level of compliance and reasons for non-compliance with protective dental measures among ice hockey players. About a third of participants had experienced some form of reportable oral injury, yet around 50% of players did not wear a mouthguard or a full-face shield. Common rationales for non-compliance included discomfort, hindrance with ability to play, and perceived lack of effectiveness. Dental professionals should communicate with patients, notably hockey players, on the short and long-term consequences of dental injury. Collaborative work should be undertaken and sustained with relevant industries to improve protective product design and promote acceptance. Technology means that this is an indefinite exercise. Another approach is to advocate on the behalf of players for enhanced oral protective and preventive measures across all hockey communities, from peewees to old timers.

Read the full article here: https://jcda.ca/l8

Dental Trauma Among Hockey Players: Preventive Measures, Compliance and Injury Types | jcda Dentists have a role in advocating the use of protective equipment to patients and hockey organizations.

Dental caries is a multifactorial disease. Risk factors depend on the host’s biology as well as behavioral habits. The following article by Hagman et al. examined the oral health-related quality of life in young adults with active caries disease. They found that young adults with more severe caries disease were more likely to have poorer oral health-related quality of life. Additional factors such as frequent sugar intake, poor oral hygiene habits, and increased dental anxiety were also found to be associated with high caries severity in young adults. As such, it is important to be able to identify risk factors that could classify patients as having a high caries risk. Doing so will allow the adoption of better intervention methods to improve patients’ overall oral health.

Read the full article here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41405-021-00084-3

Oral health and oral health behavior in young adults with caries disease - BDJ Open The aim of this study was to describe and analyze oral health, oral health behaviors, and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in relation to the level of caries disease among caries-active young adults. This study presents data from a sample of young adults (n = 135) with active caries ...

Thank you to everyone who came out to our latest event, 'Main Clinic Ready'! You can find a summary of the presentation below. Good luck to the incoming Class of 2023 who will be starting their clinical journey this year!

Residents in care homes often face several obstacles in accessing regular and urgent dental care. Barriers include perception of need, behavioural challenges, lengthy referral processes, cost, and transportation issues. The authors of the following study suggest that urgent action is required to prioritize dental care in the same way as pharmacy, optometry, and medical care. Free dental check-ups can help change the culture from reactionary to preventative and help improve residents’ oral health and quality of life. Increased funding for expert and specialist services is vital in the long term to adequately care for patients with medically complex needs. Care home residents deserve fair and equitable access to dental care and the current system cannot adequately support the aging population.

To learn more about dentistry in care homes, you can access the article here:https://www.nature.com/articles/s41405-021-00075-4.pdf

www.nature.com

June was a busy month for our SPEA Schulich team! Thanks to everyone who joined us for our event on "Teledentistry". Check out our newsletter below for key points highlighted by Dr. Abbas Jessani, Dr. Iman Janemi, and Dr. Jonathan Mahn.

Stay tuned for new SPEA events coming up soon! Have a safe and relaxing summer! ☀️

Issues around equity, diversity, and inclusion were highlighted at SPEA's recent nation-wide panel discussion, where dentists from across Canada shared their experiences working with diverse populations.

Missed it? Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HUWiJOPKwI

Over 100, 000 Canadians are diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and it is the 2nd most common neurodegenerative disease in Canada after Alzheimer’s disease. Patients with PD experience tremor, rigidity, and impairment of balanced and coordinated movements. The management of a patient with PD is especially critical as not only do these patients have motor impairments that can affect their oral hygiene habit, but they also have a high number of medications that can predispose them to xerostomia and burning mouth syndrome. Dental considerations for PD patients include providing good instruction on oral hygiene, keeping visits short and scheduled for the morning to coincide with the patient’s prescription schedule, and making sure to minimize the potential for aspiration.

You can read more about comprehensive dental care for patients with PD here: https://jcda.ca/l10

Medical Management, Orofacial Findings, and Dental Care for the Patient with Parkinson’s Disease | jcda Given the number of orofacial pathologies associated with Parkinson’s disease, dentists play a vital role in the interdisciplinary treatment of these patients.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly expanding technology that has the potential to revolutionize patient care and the clinical practice of dentistry. In particular, the clinical applications of AI reach into crucial aspects of dentistry, such as identifying normal and abnormal structures, diagnosing disease, and predicting treatment outcomes. The review (linked below) describes promising AI applications in radiology, orthodontics, periodontics, endodontics, and oral pathology. As AI becomes more and more established in dentistry and related human treatment fields, such as medicine, it will be important to consider any resultant legal and ethical questions.

To learn more about AI in dentistry you can access the review here: https://jcda.ca/l7

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Dentistry: Current Clinical Trends and Research Advances | jcda Artificial Intelligence (AI) has tremendous potential to improve patient care when used as a complementary asset, to assist dentists and specialists.

What factors influence the provision of pro bono and government-funded care?

In Ontario, dental services are not covered by OHIP. This means that dental patients rely on either private insurance, paying out of pocket, or the provision of government-assisted programs to help pay for dental care. However, for many dentists, it can be a burden to accept and treat patients receiving government-funded assistance due to low remuneration rates and low patient compliance. For patients with limited funding, pro bono care is another option but again not feasible long-term due to the financial constraints of many practices. The following study conducted by Dr. Mui and colleagues found that several factors influence dentists’ decisions on whether to provide government-funded or pro bono care. These factors include whether dentists are associates or practice owners, married or single, and whether they are of Canadian or European ethnic origin. No gender differences were found. You can read more about the study here: https://jcda.ca/l9

Provision of Government-funded and Pro Bono Dental Care: Are There Gender Differences? | jcda Professional and personal factors affect the motives and decisions of Ontario dentists to treat government-funded patients and provide pro bono care.

🇨🇦 Our Canada-wide panel on Dentistry in Rural & Indigenous Communities was a great success! Thank you to our amazing panelists - Dr. David Ciriani (BC), Dr. Sheri McKinstry (SK), Dr. Amrinderbir Singh (SK), Dr. LouAnn Visconti (ON), and Dr. Mary McNally (NS) - for sharing your stories and wisdom with us. Looking forward to collaborating with the rest of the Canadian SPEA team again to bring you our next initiative! 🇨🇦

Check out the event recording below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya19BcPTCTE

SPEA Panel Dentistry in Rural & Indigenous Communities On April 8th, 2021, the Canadian SPEA chapters hosted a nationwide virtual panel on Dentistry in Rural & Indigenous Communities. We were joined by dentists f...

Smoking ci******es has a significant impact on oral health and dental practitioners have a valuable role in encouraging patients to cease this habit. In the study conducted by Zhang and colleagues, it was found that dental advice in conjunction with smoking cessation medications, is effective in encouraging successful quitting attempts. Common aids for quitting smoking include ni****ne gum and patches, buproprion, and varenicline. It is recommended to share smoking cessation advice with all smokers as this habit can deteriorate oral health.
Read about the full study here:https://jcda.ca/sites/default/files/h1.pdf

jcda.ca

General anesthesia (GA) and sedation can be useful tools for patients in need of complex treatments or patients with high anxiety levels. However, there appears to be a number of barriers that prevent patients from accessing this service. The high cost of GA is the biggest factor that impedes patients but, according to the following study conducted in Ontario, patient access to GA is also impeded by dentists’ willingness or ability to provide GA as a service to their patients. Many dental practitioners consider GA to be an expense that is not worthwhile in terms of the operational costs and complexity of the cases that can be treated with this service. The study also found that even if dentists are interested in providing GA to their patients, lack of training opportunities is a barrier to administration. Ontario is currently the only province in Canada that offers a specialist program in anesthesiology for dentistry. More research is needed to identify how access to GA can be improved for both patients and dentists alike.

Read about the full study here: https://jcda.ca/l2

Ontario Dentists’ Practice of Sedation and General Anesthesia: Barriers to Access and Use | jcda Current patterns in the use of sedation and general anesthesia by Ontario dentists may not be satisfying patient preferences.

The management of patients on antithrombotic therapy remains a common concern for dentists, as adequate homeostasis is crucial for successful invasive treatment. The Journal of the Canadian Dental Association has published a review that will help dentists gauge and understand the risk of managing these patients. The article explores common antithrombotic drugs, drug interactions, and how to manage peri-operative bleeding. The flowchart at the end of the article may serve as a useful tool.
Read the full article here: https://jcda.ca/k17

Dental Management of Patients Undergoing Antithrombotic Therapy | jcda In most cases, anticoagulant regimes should not be altered before routine dental procedures with low bleeding risk, as the risk of doing so far outweighs the consequences of hemorrhage.

Happy New Year! Enjoy reading our first for 2021:

The field of telemedicine has garnered exponential popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once restricted to ethical approval and nonexistent billing codes, many dental practitioners have now started utilizing information technology for tele-consultations, diagnosis, triage, and monitoring. However, the quick adoption has raised concern for both providers and patients regarding the trust, safety, and efficacy of teledentistry versus in-person visits. As the COVID-19 vaccine starts to be deployed and normalcy returns, it is unclear whether teledentistry will continue to be employed and if its usefulness will be sustainable. You can read more about teledentistry, its uses, and issues of concern in this month’s article.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7297180/

Teledentistry during COVID-19 pandemic Dentistry involves close face-to-face interaction with patients, hence during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has mostly been suspended. Teledentistry can offer an innovative solution to resume dental practice during this pandemic. In this review, we provide ...

Dentistry has an essential role to play in slowing the scourge of antibiotic resistance and closures of dental practices due to Covid-19 coincided with a steep rise in prescription of antibiotics in England. The alarming rise in antibiotics use reinforced a push for electronic-prescribing to monitor the rate of distribution. Some urgent dental care facilities had been requiring patients to have completed a course of antibiotics before face-to-face care. As dental care continues to adapt to the Covid-era the importance of access to urgent care and ensuring optimization of antibiotics is critical moving forward.
For further reading here is the article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41415-020-2336-6

How did COVID-19 impact on dental antibiotic prescribing across England? Introduction Antibiotic resistance is a global problem driven by unnecessary antibiotic use. Between 25 March-8 June 2020, COVID-19 restrictions severely reduced access to dentistry in England. Dental practices were instructed to manage patients remotely with advice, analgesics and antibiotics, wher...

How has COVID-19 impacted dentists around the world?

More than 7 months have passed since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. The pandemic has taken its toll on many industry sectors including the field of dentistry, but despite the challenges it has created, practitioners are also learning to adapt. The question is: how much have dentists learned to cope with the changes COVID-19 has brought to their practices? In the following study, more than 1000 dentists around the world were surveyed on their thoughts and attitudes towards current dental practices amidst COVID-19. Most dentists responded that they did not feel adequately equipped and knowledgeable about the proper preventative measures to safeguard their employees and patients. Many dentists also felt uncomfortable providing elective and even emergency treatment to suspected or diagnosed COVID-19 patients. Despite working in a high risk environment due to increased aerosol exposure, it is clear that the dental community requires more training in order to stop the chain of transmission.

You can read more about this study here:
https://jada.ada.org/action/showPdf?pii=S0002-8177%2820%2930703-0

jada.ada.org

Thanks to everyone who joined us for our first event of the year, Surviving First Year! We hope you enjoyed the presentation and gained helpful tips to navigate first year. Stay safe and healthy, everyone!

🎊 SPEA Schulich has been named Chapter of the Year! 🎊

We are honoured and thrilled to be receiving this award from the National SPEA Board. We are very proud of our amazing executive team and we are grateful for their hard work and dedication. See what the SPEA national team had to say about our chapter here: https://speadental.org/blog/spea-chapter-awards-2020

We would like to dedicate this award to our faculty advisor, Dr. Jack McLister, who passed away earlier this month. His support and guidance have been invaluable to the SPEA team in helping us to grow and succeed. He will be greatly missed.