1/16. The dentist's role in end-of-life care.dentists and dental specialists have much to offer in ensuring proper pain management in end-of-life care for terminally ill patients. As the population of the united states ages and devastating disease processes continue to affect many, the need for oral comfort care measures will further increase. In an ideal situation, the dentist will be among those consulted in advance of beginning therapeutic regimens that have significant oral side-effects or for cases in which oral care after treatment has begun is accompanied by greatly increased risk. The objectives for dentists caring for terminally ill patients include ensuring comfort, eliminating sites of infection or potential infection, understanding the patient's preferences enhancing oral function, and, when desired, protecting self-esteem through esthetic maintenance. The provision of adequate pain management and comfort care is an unequivocal ethical obligation for the benefit of these patients. dentists have a further ethical obligation to share their knowledge with physicians and patients to set a higher standard for comfort care for the terminally ill.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/16. Congenital neutropenia. Report of a case and a biorationale for dental management.Congenital neutropenia is characterized by a marked decrease in or lack of circulating PMN's in children with no prior history of drug intake. The neutropenia is persistent and the clinical course is one of early onset of severe, recurrent, and eventually fatal infections. bone marrow studies show a maturation arrest of neutrophilic precursors. Because of their greatly increased susceptibility to infection, patients with congenital neutropenia present a difficult dental management problem. A case of congenital neutropenia has been presented, as well as a biorationale for dental treatment. On the basis of reports in the literature, the following recommendations for the management of patients with congenital neutropenia are made: 1. The prevention and control of infection and the interception of dental disease before surgical intervention becomes necessary should be the overriding considerations in the management of patients with congenital neutropenia. 2. The carious breakdown of teeth should be prevented by the daily application of a 0.4 per cent stannous fluoride gel in addition to oral hygiene and limitation of sucrose intake. 3. Periodontal therapy should be palliative only, since alveolar bone loss is progressive despite frequent oral hygiene instruction and prophylaxis. The goal of periodontal therapy for patients with congenital neutropenia should therefore be a decrease in gingival inflammation to make the patient's mouth more comfortable and to slow down alveolar bone loss. Periodontal surgery is contraindicated. 4. bacteremia and subsequent septicemia should be prevented since a minor infection can become life threatening in patients with congenital neutropenia. The patient should rinse for 30 seconds and the gingival sulci should be irrigated with a phenolated antiseptic mouthwash prior to all dental manipulations of the soft tissue. This will significantly reduce the incidence of bacteremia. 5. Surgery should be avoided if at all possible because of the high risk of post-operative infection. All surgery sholld be performed in the hospital, and the patient should be given antibiotics as determined by his physician. Primary closure should be done with fine polyglycolic acid sutures to reduce the chance of infection. If postoperative infection can be prevented, wound healing will progress normally despite the complete absence of PMN's.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/16. Case of sublingual hematoma threatening airway obstruction.BACKGROUND: The complications of warfarin therapy have classically been described as bleeding in the genitourinary and gastrointestinal tracts, skin, central nervous system, nose, penis, or retroperitoneum. However, rarely warfarin may cause bleeding that compromises a patient's airway. A sublingual haematoma is an example of such a complication. Only 10 previous cases of sublingual haematomas have been reported. CASE REPORT: We describe the case of a 56 year-old woman receiving oral anticoagulation who presented with a sore throat and hoarseness. Examination of her oral cavity revealed a soft, red, submucosal swelling involving the floor of mouth and ventral lingual surface bilaterally. No signs of airway compromise were observed. The patient's PT-INR was 10. Given the potential for rapid airway obstruction, the patient was admitted to a unit with closely monitored beds. Her coagulation disturbance was corrected medically and her haematoma resolved. The patient was discharged to the care of her family physician. CONCLUSIONS: This case makes several important points. First, the case describes a rare, but life-threatening complication of warfarin therapy. Second, the initial signs of a sublingual haematoma are reviewed. Given the vagueness of these signs, diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion on the part of the physician. Finally, the case describes successfully management of this disorder without the use of a surgical airway. For this patient, reversal of her anticoagulation and vigilant monitoring saved her from having a surgical airway placed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/16. oral manifestations of graft versus host disease. Case report.This study has been carried out in order to understand and increase our knowledge about the oral manifestations and the treatment required for Graft Versus Host disease. The complication of allogeneic transplants with haematopoietic cells is revised. The clinical case report deals with a nine-year-old girl who was treated in our unit of Integrated Paediatric dentistry after referral by her paediatrician. The symptoms of Graft Versus Host disease are basically characterised by immunodeficiency, diarrhoea, weight loss, dermatological and hepatic alterations and oral manifestations. This group of syndromes, caused by the fact that the receptor acquires 30% to 50% of the donor's immune system, can become acute leading to a 20% to 30% mortality rate. The syndromes are chronic in 50% of cases, when sometimes the destruction of the salivary glands is the only manifestation and has a mortality rate of 5%. From the odontological point of view 80% of patients are affected, although we should make the distinction between the manifestations which are directly caused by the disease, and those caused by chemotherapy or radiotherapy. oral manifestations (caries, mucositis, ulcers, infections, etc) should be treated as soon as possible. Positive co-operation between physicians is of vital importance.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/16. Mid-line swelling of the palate.sarcoidosis is a multi-system, non-caseating granulomatous disease of unknown aetiology that may affect any organ. The oral involvement of sarcoidosis is rare and usually an initial manifestation of the disease. In this case report the authors present a 25-year-old African-American woman with palatal sarcoidosis treated successfully with intra-lesional corticosteroid injections. The oral manifestations of sarcoidosis are relatively uncommon and may be the only manifestation of the disease. Suspected cases of oral sarcoidosis should be biopsied and subsequently referred to a physician to rule out systemic involvement.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/16. Oral presentation of Kaposi's sarcoma in a patient without severe immunodeficiency.Primary oral Kaposi's sarcoma of the "traditional type" (non-African, non-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, nonimmunosuppressed) is a rare disorder. Presentation of this disorder at this site has not been well documented in the surgical pathology literature. This report describes a primary oral Kaposi's sarcoma in an older man without evidence of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or overt immunosuppression; this sarcoma recurred three times before a correct diagnosis was made. The case illustrates the importance of including Kaposi's sarcoma in the differential diagnosis. The lesions can easily be confused with pyogenic granuloma if the physician is unaware that primary Kaposi's sarcoma can occur at this site.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/16. Reiter's syndrome of the vulva. The psoriasis spectrum.BACKGROUND--Reiter's syndrome is a disease characterized by crusted, scaling, acral and genital plaques; urethritis or cervicitis; and arthritis, which occur in genetically susceptible patients in response to any of many infections. This disease rarely occurs in women, and specific characterizations of vulvar and cervical lesions are rare. OBSERVATIONS--We describe a 39-year-old woman with a history of mucocutaneous candidiasis that was refractory to oral ketoconazole therapy. She presented with well-demarcated, erythematous, crusted plaques over the vulva, hands, and feet, as well as with cervical lesions and a history of conjunctivitis and iritis. Following the biopsy of characteristic skin lesions, recognition of systemic signs, and cultures that were negative for yeast, her condition was diagnosed as Reiter's syndrome. CONCLUSIONS--Reiter's syndrome of the vulva, vagina, and cervix may not be recognized because of its uncommon occurrence in women and the physician's consequent unfamiliarity with its clinical appearance in the genital area. This disease and pustular psoriasis share many common features and exist on a spectrum. A high index of suspicion and correlation of the many facets of the disease will better enable the clinician to make this diagnosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/16. Oral diseases in older adults.In the case presented, a 65-year-old man with multiple dental, medical, and social problems benefited from interdisciplinary assessment and treatment. Despite his poor oral-health status and oral-health behaviors upon admission, patient education and dental therapy resulted in improved daily oral hygiene, elimination of oral diseases, and improved oral function. The overall quality of life of any individual, particularly an older one, can be enhanced through oral-disease prevention, health promotion, and, when indicated, dental therapy. This patient was treated in a hospital environment with a well-established team approach to geriatric care. However, regardless of the care setting, the physician can play a key role in improving the oral health status and quality of life of older adults by including an oral screening examination as part of the periodic comprehensive geriatric assessment, recognizing oral pathology, requesting dental consultations and encouraging appropriate dental service utilization.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/16. Upper aerodigestive tract manifestations of cicatricial pemphigoid.Cicatricial pemphigoid is a chronic mucosal blistering disorder with a predilection for subsequent scar formation. Many physicians may be unaware of the various presentations and sequelae of this uncommon disease. This report of the largest series to date focuses on the upper aerodigestive tract manifestations of this disease. During the years 1975 to 1985, 142 patients with cicatricial pemphigoid were seen at the Mayo Clinic. There were 93 women and 49 men; the age range was 21 to 92 years. Mucosal lesions occurred most often in the mucous membranes of the oral cavity and conjunctiva. Involvement of the pharynx, larynx, and esophagus was less common. Stenosis of the nasopharynx or larynx necessitated surgical repair in several persons and caused obstructive sleep apnea in two. The otolaryngologist can make an important contribution to the early recognition, diagnosis, and management of the complications of cicatricial pemphigoid.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/16. head and neck manifestations of dermatomyositis-polymyositis.dermatomyositis and polymyositis are rare disorders of connective tissue that manifest themselves primarily as muscular weakness. Fifty-five percent of 45 patients with this diagnosis at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital had symptoms referable to the head and neck. While dysphagia and the cutaneous manifestation predominate, such symptoms as facial swelling and oral mucosal disorders may require the treating physician to seek the advice of an otolaryngologist before the patient suffers any muscular changes. A thorough knowledge of this disease entity is essential to specialists in head and neck diseases.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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