The Morning Drill: December 6, 2011

Good Morning!

I am back from the Las Vegas Half Marahton weekend and am happy to report a new personal record. A race report and recap will be over at Smilesforalifetime.com later in the day or tomorrow.

On to today's dentistry and health headlines:

Dental program takes root

Experts from throughout the dental hygiene field and child advocacy groups convened Wednesday at Fort Hays State University to discuss possible curriculum for a future mid-level dental care degree.

FHSU President Edward H. Hammond announced in October the school's intent to create a four-year dental care program pending the approval of a bill by the Legislature and approval by the Kansas Board of Regents.

Wednesday was a part of the information-gathering process.

"The whole purpose of the summit today is to answer a question for me, which is, 'What will this curriculum look like?' " Hammond said.

Bills in the Kansas House and Senate propose the creation of registered dental practitioners with the intent of providing more care to underserved areas of the state.

It is estimated 93 Kansas counties are experiencing a dental care shortage, and rural counties in western Kansas have particularly struggled with this problem. In October, it was estimated 17 counties in western Kansas do not have a dentist, while many other counties are in shortage areas.

"We are the only institution of the six state schools that is in the western third of the state," Hammond said. "We tend to be the institution that addresses the rural needs of the state of Kansas."

The proposal in the Legislature suggests mid-level providers should be able to provide some care dental hygienists cannot. Under the supervision of a licensed dentist, registered dental practitioners could perform 34 specific tasks, such as extracting primary teeth.

Registered dental practitioners would be based out of a dentist's office, but they also could leave the office to work in satellite locations.

Effectiveness of Systemic Amoxicillin/Metronidazole as an Adjunctive Therapy to Full-Mouth Scaling and Root Planing in the Treatment of Aggressive Periodontitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Fabrizio Sgolastra*, DDS; Ambra Petrucci*, DDS; Roberto Gatto*, MD; Annalisa Monaco*, DDS

*Department of Health Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
Correspondence: Dr. Fabrizio Sgolastra, School of Dentistry, Dental Clinic, University of L'Aquila, San Salvatore 1, Building Delta 6, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy, Phone: 0390862434816, Fax: 0390862434815 Italy, E-mail: fabrizio.sgolastra@gmail.com.

Background: The systemic use of combined amoxicillin and metronidazole (AMX/MET) as an adjunctive treatment to full-mouth scaling root planing (FMSRP) has been proposed for the treatment of generalized aggressive periodontitis (GAgP); however, its effectiveness and clinical safety remain to be defined. The purpose of the present meta-analysis was to assess the effectiveness of FMSRP + AMX/MET compared to FMSRP alone.

Methods: An electronic search of eight databases and a hand-search of ten international dental journals were conducted through September 11, 2011. Gain in clinical attachment level (CAL), reduction in probing depth (PD), secondary outcomes and adverse events were analyzed. A random-effect model was used to pool the extracted data. The weighted mean difference with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated for continuous outcomes, while risk difference (RD) with 95% CI was used for dichotomous data; heterogeneity was assessed with the Cochrane χ2 and I2 tests. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results: After the selection process, six randomized clinical trials were included. Results of the meta-analysis showed significant CAL gain (MD: 0.42; 95% CI: 0.23 -0.61; p < 0.05), PD reduction (MD: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.39-0.77; p < 0.05) in favor of FMSRP + AMX/MET; moreover, no significant RD was found in the occurrence of adverse events (RD: 0.01; 95% CI: -0.02-0.04, p > 0.05).

Conclusion: The findings of the meta-analysis seem to support the effectiveness and the clinical safety of FMSRP + AMX/MET; however, future studies are needed to confirm these results.

Worthington dentist indicted on 16 prescription counts

A Worthington dentist was indicted yesterday on 16 counts of illegally processing drug documents.

Mark S. Jerman, 45, is accused of writing prescriptions for hydrocodone pills to employees and friends who obtained the pills from pharmacies and delivered them to him, said Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien.

Hydrocodone is prescribed as a pain medication but also is a popular recreational drug.

Jerman, of 4630 Burbank Dr. in Upper Arlington, has a dental practice at 510 High St. in Worthington. He is among the “Top Dentists” listed in the current issue of Columbus Monthly magazine.

Dentist gets 6 months in jail

A Rotterdam dentist who admitted in October to groping several teenage patients in his office over the past few years was sentenced Monday to six months in jail.

Frank Izzo of Schenectady had pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of sex abuse and agreed to surrender his license to practice and to register as a sex offender. He appeared Monday before Rotterdam Town Justice Kenneth Litz with his attorney, Stephen Coffey.

After the sentencing, Assistant District Attorney Jessica Lorusso said a court-mandated order of protection applies to the nearly dozen victims, ranging in age from 13 to 22, whom Izzo was accused of touching inappropriately. The sex abuse charges specifically relate to 14- and 17-year-old girls, the prosecutor said.

She previously said Izzo touched them on their breasts over their clothing as they sat in his dental chair and that the criminal investigation started when one of the victims told an employee.

Enjoy your morning!