This week find out which states are leading
the country in dental visits, see how a new app can detect oral cancer, and learn
how dental offices can better accommodate pediatric patients with autism. Join
the conversation on Twitter using #FridayDentalDL.
A new Gallup Poll found that Connecticut residents were the most
likely to say they visited a dentist in the last 12 months, with Massachusetts
and Rhode Island residents following close behind. On the other end of the
spectrum, only 53% of Mississippi residents reported having seen a dentist in
the same period. On average, 64.7% of Americans in 2013 said they visited the
dentist at least once in the past 12 months. Check your oral health IQ here.
The World
Health Organization reports that “sharp increases in the incidence rates of
oral/pharyngeal cancers have been reported for several countries and regions,”
including the US. A new app, created by a team at Stanford University, allows health workers to take photos of a patient’s
mouth and send them to an offsite expert for analysis. This app could prove to
be helpful in extremely rural or underdeveloped regions where access to
dentists is limited.
According to Sharon Cermak, professor in
the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the Ostrow
School of Dentistry of USC, the loud noises, bright lights and strong scents of
a dental office can cause fear in children with autism. Cermak published a study that identifies ways dentists can
better accommodate patients with autism by soothing their senses with softer
lighting and calming music. According to the article, preliminary findings show
that autistic children were less anxious when these sensory adaptive techniques
were implemented.
Researchers from Deakin
University in Australia found a
connection between poor dental health and depression, although they have yet to
determine why there is such a link. The researchers believe this may lead to
discovery of a correlation between oral and mental health.
Check out this photo of a
hippopotamus in Guangzhou, China
getting a dental checkup. Imagine having to keep those pearly whites clean?