Dr. Sandra Japuntich was joined by Dr. David Louis, a general dentist from Eden Prairie, MN, Dr. Paul Pentel, a physician at Hennepin Healthcare, MN, and Dr. Brad Rindal, a general dentist and researcher at HealthPartners and the Network node director for the midwest region, in a panel discussion about smoke cessation and the FreSH study.
The findings of this Quick Poll indicate a vast majority of dentists have at least one or more Sjögren’s Syndrome (SjS) patients in their practices. Sjögren’s syndrome (SjS) is a multisystem autoimmune disease which manifests as dryness of the mouth and eyes, fatigue, and joint pain. With an incidence of 0.5% to 1.0%, it is the second most common systemic autoimmune disorder in the US.
Highlights
About half of the 533 respondents (52%) were familiar with the Deep Margin Elevation technique and 148 had used it (28%).
Most practitioners would restore function by placing a “Core + Full Crown or Onlay” (63%)
Practitioners were evenly split concerning the clinical indication/use of crown lengthening and about one-third (35%) would do root canal therapy.
The National Dental Practice-Based Research Network, founded and hosted at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry, is now home to the nation’s first dental implant registry.
The results from this cross-sectional study were recently published in JADA, and we interviewed Dr. M. Marianne Jurasic, the study principal investigator, for our blog. Dr. Jurasic is the Director of the Center for Clinical Research as well as a Clinical Professor of General Dentistry and Health Policy and Health Services Research at the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine. “Treating teeth with deep carious lesions with a more conservative approach such as selective caries removal has the potential to extend the longevity of the tooth and affect a patient’s oral health and quality of life. I therefore wanted to know to what extent this more conservative approach to caries management has been adopted by Network dentists.”
“Being a member of the network gives me a fresh outlook on dentistry. I believe it cuts down on burnout. To be involved in practice-based research network makes the daily practice more interesting to be involved in the studies. Plus, I think it provides so real life, real practice information that is helpful for the research that is being done. My patients always have a positive attitude about being participants. We have not had many people decline participation.”
Mental health screening can improve quality of life and treatment engagement. Unlike primary medical services, where screening for mental health concerns is standard practice, dental offices rarely perform this as part of routine dental care. The MSDP pilot study will evaluate the feasibility of integrating mental health screening and referral to mental health services into dental practice workflows. Five practitioners from the South-Central Region of the National Dental PBRN will be recruited to enroll between 5 and 8 patients in each dental office.
The National Dental Practice-Based Research Network seeks to improve oral health by conducting dental practice-based research and by serving dental professionals and their patients through education and collegiality. We want…
Smoking is harmful to oral health. However, quitting smoking can stop the progression of tobacco-related oral health problems. While advancing the understanding and how to improve smokers’ dental hygiene, we are studying the effectiveness of nicotine replacement sampling in dental practices to increase smoking cessation.
2022 was another productive year for our network! Recall that our over-arching goal is to improve the nation’s oral health by improving the knowledge base for everyday clinical decision-making and moving the latest evidence into routine care.
