Week in Review: Complaint over vaccine mandate | Dental students opt for more school | Strokelike symptoms after treatment

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

A Rhode Island oral and maxillofacial surgeon filed a complaint this week over the state's vaccine mandate. Our top story of the week summarized what you need to know.

The dentist who filed the complaint has a history of Bell's palsy paralysis and opted not to get vaccinated due to the uncertainty of the risk of palsy recurrence, according to court documents. His 11-person practice has been closed since last October, when the State of Rhode Island Department of Health ordered him to stop practicing until he complied with the vaccine mandate.

Dental students opting for more school

In more pandemic-related news, more U.S. dental school graduates are opting to change their plans after graduation, according to a report by the American Dental Education Association.

More students opted to pursue advanced education rather than begin practicing dentistry right after school. Also, students who chose to practice were more likely to opt for a dental service organization rather than a private practice.

Strokelike symptoms after dental treatment

Could leaning back in the dental chair lead to stroke symptoms? A new case report detailed the experiences of two patients who reported strokelike symptoms after their necks were hyperextended during dental treatment. Although the cases may be the first of their kind described in dentistry, a similar phenomenon has been observed during hair washing at beauty salons.

That wasn't the only case report to show an unexpected association between dental health and brain health. Researchers also found a relationship between tooth grinding and vitamin D levels. Study participants deficient in vitamin D levels were more likely to experience severe forms of bruxism, suggesting that the vitamin plays a key role in sleep and sleep disorders.

New Technology Focus video

Last but not least, I chatted with Xcare CEO Rakesh Desai this week to learn more about Xcare's artificial intelligence (AI) software for the dental office. The platform uses AI-powered technology to make the dental office a little more patient-friendly, such as following the same type of software conventions that let people book open tables and reserve hotel dates to make and reschedule dental appointments.