Week in Review: Key dental therapist outcomes; plus periodontitis & sealant effectiveness

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

In the first study to look at the long-term outcomes of communities served by dental therapists, researchers from the University of Washington have found that children in Alaska Native communities had lower rates of tooth extractions and more preventive care than those in communities not receiving services from these practitioners. Read more here.

The study mentioned above includes 10 years of data on utilization rates and outcomes on the impact of dental therapists in a region of Alaska. There will no doubt be critics of the study and its funders, but if the idea is to promote better oral health outcomes in patients, more studies and more data are needed so that everyone can move forward together.

Also this week on DrBicuspid.com, periodontal disease is associated with a 14% increase in cancer risk among older women, according to the results of a new study. Periodontal disease also significantly increased the risk of specific cancers, including breast and esophageal cancers. Read more here.

Do you have adult patients with type 2 diabetes? Do you screen them for periodontal disease? The findings of a new study suggest the problem is wider than expected. This study found that the majority of the more than 250 adults with type 2 diabetes in the study had some form of periodontal disease. Learn more here.

Sealants are commonly used for caries prevention, but are they all effective? With new sealant materials on the market, researchers updated a previous comprehensive review to reflect new data and to see if they are effective. Learn more here.