Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced $55.5 million in funding awarded in FY 2013 to strengthen training for health professionals and increase the size of the nation’s health care workforce.

“These grants and the many training programs they support have a real impact by helping to create innovative care delivery models and improving access to high-quality care,” Secretary Sebelius said.  

More than 270 grants will address health workforce needs in nursing, public health, behavioral health, health workforce development, and dentistry. The grants are managed by HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). 

A majority of the funding, $45.4 million, will support nursing workforce development in the following areas:

-Increasing the number of nurse faculty ($22.1 million) -- provides low-interest loans to nurses to train to become faculty and loan cancellation for service as faculty.

-Improving nursing diversity ($5.2 million) -- expands educational opportunities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, including racial and ethnic minorities who are underrepresented among registered nurses.  

-Increasing nurse anesthetist traineeships ($2.2 million) -- supports nurse anesthetist programs to provide traineeships to licensed registered nurses enrolled as full-time students in a master’s or doctoral nurse anesthesia program.

-Promoting interprofessional collaborative practice ($6.7 million) -- brings together interprofessional teams of nurses and other health professionals to develop and implement innovative practice models for providing care.

-Supporting advanced nursing education ($9.2 million) -- funds advanced nursing programs that support registered nurses in becoming nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and other practice nurses. 

Funding also supports training of doctoral-level psychologists to address the behavioral health needs of vulnerable and underserved populations ($2.4 million);  accredited residency programs in preventive medicine and public health ($3 million); and four health workforce research centers ($1.4 million) to improve understanding of both local and national health workforce needs.

An additional $3.1 million will help state designated dental health professional shortage areas develop and implement innovative programs to address dental workforce needs. States must match at least 40 percent of the grant funding or provide equivalent support.

“These grants cover a wide spectrum of health workforce needs,” said HRSA Administrator Mary K. Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N. “From diversity to dentistry – all are critical to achieving a skilled workforce now and in the future.”

For a list of grant awards, go to www.hrsa.gov/about/news/2013tables/healthprofessions. More information on HRSA’s activities to strengthen the nation’s health professions workforce  is available at HRSA Health Professions Programs.

Dec. 19, 2013 — Dr. Nathan Watemberg of Tel Aviv University-affiliated Meir Medical Center has found that gum-chewing teenagers, and younger children as well, are giving themselves headaches by chewing a lot of gum. His findings, published in Pediatric Neurology, could help treat countless cases of migraine and tension headaches in adolescents without the need for additional testing or medication.

"Out of our 30 patients, 26 reported significant improvement, and 19 had complete headache resolution," said Dr. Watemberg. "Twenty of the improved patients later agreed to go back to chewing gum, and all of them reported an immediate relapse of symptoms."

Headaches are common in childhood and become more common and frequent during adolescence, particularly among girls. Typical triggers are stress, tiredness, lack of sleep, heat, video games, noise, sunlight, smoking, missed meals, and menstruation. But until now there has been little medical research on the relationship between gum chewing and headaches.

At Meir Medical Center's Child Neurology Unit and Child Development Center and community clinics, Dr. Watemberg noticed that many patients who reported headaches were daily gum chewers. Teenage girl patients were particularly avid chewers -- a finding supported by previous dental studies. Dr. Watemberg found that in many cases, when patients stopped chewing gum at his suggestion, they got substantially better.

Taking a more statistical approach, Dr. Watemberg asked 30 patients between six and 19 years old who had chronic migraine or tension headaches and chewed gum daily to quit chewing gum for one month. They had chewed gum for at least an hour up to more than six hours per day. After a month without gum, 19 of the 30 patients reported that their headaches went away entirely and seven reported a decrease in the frequency and intensity of headaches. To test the results, 26 of them agreed to resume gum chewing for two weeks. All of them reported a return of their symptoms within days.

Two previous studies linked gum chewing to headaches, but offered different explanations. One study suggested that gum chewing causes stress to the temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, the place where the jaw meets the skull. The other study blamed aspartame, the artificial sweetener used in most popular chewing gums. TMJ dysfunction has been shown to cause headaches, while the evidence is mixed on aspartame.

Dr. Watemberg favors the TMJ explanation. Gum is only flavorful for a short period of time, suggesting it does not contain much aspartame, he says. If aspartame caused headaches, he reasons, there would be a lot more headaches from diet drinks and artificially sweetened products. On the other hand, people chew gum well after the taste is gone, putting a significant burden on the TMJ, which is already the most used joint in the body, he says.

"Every doctor knows that overuse of the TMJ will cause headaches," said Dr. Watemberg. "I believe this is what's happening when children and teenagers chew gum excessively."

Dr. Watemberg says his findings can be put to use immediately. By advising teenagers with chronic headaches to simply stop chewing gum, doctors can provide many of them with quick and effective treatment, without the need for expensive diagnostic tests or medications.

Source: Science Daily

In an interview with Medscape Medical News, Burton Edelstein, DDS, MPH, from the College of Dental Medicine and Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, and the founder of the Children's Dental Health Project, said children are gaining more oral healthcare while adults are losing it. While social responsibility and the cost savings of prevention are key factors, “there is nothing like big eyes in a little face to influence legislation,” the Medscape article states.

"Children are regarded as vulnerable, they are regarded as dependent, and they are cute," Edelstein said.

The disparity stands out in several recent studies on dental care in the United States.

To read the full Medscape article, click here.

Implants are commonly made from metals such as titanium alloys. These materials are being made porous during processing used to prepare them for medical use. Whereas this is important to ensure good contact between the implant and the bone, this also allows dangerous bacteria to adhere and grow both on the surface as well as inside leading to increased risk of infection.

"Our work has focused on developing an analysis of surface treatments for commercial implants which reduces risk of infection," said Professor Michael Gasik at Aalto University in Finland. "What we wanted to do is find a way to avoid the formation of any undesirable products during the processing of the implant." "At the same time we needed to make sure that the bio-mechanical properties of the implant would remain intact and, even more, become better."

A thin coating of a biomaterial called hydroxyapatite (HAP) or bioactive glass (BAG) is typically applied to orthopaedic and other implants to alter the surface properties. Such coatings improve the body ability to recognize a foreign object in a more friendly way and promote implant integration into surrounding tissues. During the heat treatment process, excessive stresses can cause premature cracking and removal of the coating layer. This can lead to the development of unsuitable compounds and increase the risk of infection.

"Normally, implants require a certain level of porosity and elasticity to function properly," added Professor Gasik. "The challenge for us was to ensure full functionality of the implant while maintaining sufficient density of the coating during the heat treatment process." "We have proven that by adding a certain amount of another compound called beta-tricalcium phosphate (ß-TCP) such stresses are reduced and therefore preserves the biomaterial coating better." Thus minimizing the risk of coating destruction and bacterial adhesion, and improving cell proliferation, allows the implant surface to achieve its function in an optimal way.

This research is significant in the battle against the spread of drug resistant bacteria. An estimated 10-15% of post-implant complications are caused by bacterial infections. Post-operative diseases are becoming more challenging and developing new treatments that are resistant to infection are crucial. In response to this research, Aalto University and partner manufacturers have already started developing new experimental devices for advanced testing of biomaterials at the conditions most close to life. Besides proving developed technology, it will allow high-throughput screening of the biomaterials with substantially better properties.

The research was conducted at Aalto University and supported by Tekes, the Finnish national innovation agency, and by the EU FP6 project "Meddelcoat."

Source: eurekalert.org

ANN ARBOR — The University of Michigan wants to give its dental school a $120 million renovation and is asking the state to pay for 75% of the project, according to the Associated Press.

The university said in a request to the state that its School of Dentistry is outdated and its cramped labs and limited space cannot adequately accommodate modern research and patient care, The Ann Arbor News reported.

The Ann Arbor school wants to renovate 170,000 square feet of the school and add 50,000 square feet of space to the building. Officials are asking the state to pay for $90 million of the expected cost of the renovation as part of its capital outlay program.

"The renovation of the dentistry building is at the top of our list of needs," university President Mary Sue Coleman said during a meeting with faculty leaders on Monday. "It's an outdated building."

The dental school was built in 1971, and officials said it's a product of a time when many patients arrived by bus and future research and care needs weren't foreseen. The dental school is one of two in Michigan, and the only such public institution.

There are more than 130,000 patient visits a year at the facility, according to recent figures, and many Michigan dentists trained at the school.

Since 1992, the state has directed nearly $2.09 billion in capital outlay funding to universities, including $210 million to the University of Michigan's Ann Arbor campus to fund eight projects. Michigan State University got the most funding during that time, $247.5 million.

In other projects, the University of Michigan said it plans to put $5.3 million into renovations for its North Campus student union, Pierpont Commons. The investment is part of a multi-year, $173 million plan to upgrade the school's unions and gyms.

That six-building project is funded through a new $65 student fee levied each academic term for the next 30 years, a 23 percent increase in the price of student football tickets and a yearly $1 million allotment from the university's transportation arm.

Pierpont Commons and other planned renovation projects are coming before the Board of Regents on Thursday.

The board will consider approving a $1.7 million renovation to the Law School's legal research library and a $3 million improvement to the Hatcher Graduate Library. It also will look at renovation plans for the Ford Nuclear Reactor building, storage for museum collections and the $23.3 million renovation and expansion of the School of Music, Theater and Dance's main building.

Source: Crain’s Detroit Business

Coral Springs, FL - December 18, 2013 – The Academy of Laser Dentistry (ALD), an international professional membership association of dental practitioners and academicians dedicated to the advancement of the use of lasers in dentistry through education, research, and advocacy, has announced a CE program designed especially for implantology. The full-day program will take place on Thursday, February 27, 2014 during the ALD 2014 Annual Conference, which runs February 27-March 1 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Instructors include:

- Dr. Georgios Romanos, Associate Dean at Stony Brook University, will discuss "The Science and Utilization of Lasers in the Management and Treatment of Failing Implants"

- Dr. Edward Kusek, "The Management of Soft Tissues around Dental Implants with the Use of Light Energy" and Jeanette Miranda, RDH, will share "A Hands-on Approach to Treating Periimplant Mucositis”

- Dr. Jerry Bouquot will lead attendees to an understanding of "Photobiomodulation for Improved Bone Density and Bone Healing"

The 21st Annual Conference theme will be "Lasers Coming of Age: 21 Years of Enlightenment; Changing Perspectives, Broadening Horizons." An array of conference course offerings include laser utilization in periodontology, periodontal maintenance, endodontics, pediatric dentistry, myofacial pain management, with a focus on low-level laser therapy, and more. Each track is designed to meet the needs of those seeking Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) Participation Course credit hours towards AGD's Fellowship and Mastership awards programs.

Additionally, the "Laser Safety Officer Training" course presented by Dr. Scott Benjamin and Jan LeBeau, RDH, MLSO, will be offered on Thursday, February 27 as part of the ALD conference. This course is designed to meet the educational requirements of the Arizona state regulations of the dental practice's Laser Safety Officer (LSO). This type of educational program must be completed by the practice's LSO to enable the mandated registration of their Class 4 laser devices with the Arizona Radiation Regulatory Agency (ARRA).

Registration is open at: https://www.laserdentistry.org/index.cfm/conference

For persons with type 2 diabetes and chronic periodontitis, nonsurgical periodontal treatment did not result in improved glycemic control, according to a study appearing in the December 18 issue of JAMA.

Emerging evidence implicates inflammation in the development of type 2 diabetes. Chronic periodontitis, a destructive inflammatory disorder of the soft and hard tissues supporting the teeth, is a major cause of tooth loss in adults. Nearly half of the US population older than 30 years is estimated to have chronic periodontitis, according to background information in the article. Individuals with diabetes are at greater risk for chronic periodontitis. Well-controlled diabetes is associated with less severe chronic periodontitis and a lower risk for progression of periodontitis, suggesting that level of glycemia is an important mediator of the relationship between diabetes and risk of chronic periodontitis. Limited evidence suggests that periodontal therapy may improve glycemic control.

Steven P. Engebretson, DMD, MS, of New York University, New York, and colleagues examined whether nonsurgical periodontal therapy, compared with no therapy, reduces levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbAlc) levels in persons with type 2 diabetes and moderate to advanced chronic periodontitis. The trial included 514 participants who were enrolled between November 2009 and March 2012 from diabetes and dental clinics and communities affiliated with 5 academic medical centers. The treatment group (n = 257) received scaling and root planing plus an oral rinse at baseline and supportive periodontal therapy at 3 and 6 months. The control group (n = 257) received no treatment for 6 months.

The researchers found that levels of HbAlc did not change between baseline and the 3-month or 6-month visits in either the treatment or the control group, and the target 6-month reduction of HbAlc level of 0.6% or greater was not achieved. There were no differences in HbAlc levels across centers.

Periodontal measures improved in the treatment group compared with the control group at 6 months.

"This multicenter randomized clinical trial of nonsurgical periodontal treatment for participants with type 2 diabetes and chronic periodontitis did not demonstrate a benefit for measures of glycemic control. Although periodontal treatment improved clinical measures of chronic periodontitis in patients with diabetes, the findings do not support the use of nonsurgical periodontal treatment for the purpose of lowering levels of HbAlc," the authors conclude.

Despite these results, the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) continues to encourage patients with diabetes to maintain periodontal health and receive appropriate treatment for any periodontal disease.

Dr. Stuart J. Froum, DDS, President of the AAP and clinical professor and Director of Clinical Research in the Department of Periodontics and Implant Dentistry at New York University Dental Center, says the findings should not dismiss an association between periodontal disease and diabetes. "As a number of population studies suggest, there is indeed a relationship between diabetes and periodontal disease. While this study specifically focuses on basic nonsurgical periodontal care, some cases of periodontal disease require more intensive treatment. There is evidence that more intensive periodontal therapies can be effective in glycemic control."

According to the AAP, patients with diabetes should receive an annual comprehensive periodontal evaluation which includes a thorough assessment of periodontal health and any risk factors for disease. "Every patient requires an individualized treatment plan," says Dr. Froum. "For patients with diabetes, this may include either nonsurgical periodontal care or more advanced treatment. I encourage all patients living with diabetes to talk with their dental professional about their unique periodontal health."

Sesame Communications will host a webinar on dental marketing strategies, Wednesday, January 15, 2014, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. PDT. Amy Morgan of the Pride Institute will be the instructor.

The webinar is designed for doctors and team to proactively approach their marketing strategies to become well known and well thought of.

To register, click here.

Taking care to except dentists and otolaryngologists, the US Preventive Services Task Force has concluded that current evidence is insufficient to recommend for or against routine oral cancer screenings by primary care providers, according to ADA News.

USPSTF's Screening for Oral Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Statement is an update to its 2004 recommendation on screening for oral cancer. The Annals of Internal Medicine published the updated guidelines online on Nov. 26.

To read the full article at ADA News, click here.

December 11, 2013 -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released the latest statistics showing an increase in access to community water fluoridation. The latest data indicates that in 2012, 74.6% of the US population on community water systems, or a total of 210.7 million people, had access to optimally fluoridated water. This is significant progress toward the Healthy People 2020 target of 79.6%, from the baseline of 72.4% (2008). Since 2008, an additional 15 million people have received the benefit of fluoridated water. Evidence demonstrates that the prevalence of tooth decay is substantially lower in communities with water fluoridation.

Click here to view the CDC 2012 Water Fluoridation Statistics.

Source: www.ilikemyteeth.org