Researchers from the American College of Chest Physicians have found that nocturnal teeth grinding (bruxism), is prevalent among the estimated 18 million Americans that suffer from sleep apnea; a common sleep disorder.

Shyam Subramanian, MD, FCCP, from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX notes the connection between the two disorders, saying "The relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and sleep bruxism is usually related to an arousal response. The ending of an apneic event may be accompanied by a number of mouth phenomena, such as snoring, gasps, mumbles, and teeth grinding," adding "Men typically have more severe sleep apnea, and perhaps may have more arousal responses, which may explain the higher prevalence of teeth grinding in men. Besides, men characteristically tend to report more symptoms of sleep apnea than women, such as snoring, loud grunting, and witnessed apneas."

The link between sleep apnea and bruxism is related to many factors, such as high levels of anxiety and the use of caffeine. According to Dr. Subramanian "High levels of anxiety can lead to bruxism, and untreated sleep apnea is known to cause mood disturbances including depression and anxiety," adding "Daytime sleepiness from sleep apnea may cause a person to ingest caffeine, and this has also been associated with a high risk of bruxism."

Your best defense against both sleep apnea and bruxism is communicating with both your dentist and your doctor. Diagnosing sleep apnea involves participating in a sleep study. Diagnosing bruxism involves a complete examination from your dentist that looks at the wear patterns on your teeth by obtaining dental impressions that are used to fabricate diagnostic study models, and radiographs such as a cephalometric and/or panorex for the dentist to study.

If the symptoms of sleep apnea or the symptoms of bruxism sound familiar to you; contact both your dentist and your doctor. Early diagnosis is always highly regarded as being a part of a successful treatment plan.

The 2009 H1N1 flu continues to cause havoc across the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports laboratory-confirmed flu rates are climbing, and are higher than expected for this time of year. More notably, hospitalization rates continue to be the highest among our younger populations, with the highest rate of hospitalization reported in children 0-4 years old. Sadly, 129 laboratory-confirmed pediatric 2009 H1N1 deaths have been reported since April 2009.
If you are concerned about your upcoming dental appointment, and are wondering what your dentist is doing to prevent the spread of H1N1 in the dental office, here are some of the guidelines the CDC prepared for dental offices to consider adapting into their practice during this obviously stressful time:

Patients with an acute respiratory illness should be identified at check-in and placed in a single-patient room with the door kept closed.
• Staff should offer a disposable surgical mask to persons who are coughing, or provide tissues and no-touch receptacles for used tissue disposal. The ill person should wear a surgical mask when outside the patient room.
• Dental healthcare personnel assessing a patient with influenza-like illness should wear disposable surgical facemask, non-sterile gloves, gown, and eye protection (e.g., goggles) to prevent direct skin and conjunctival exposure.
• Patient and dental healthcare workers should perform hand hygiene (e.g., hand washing with non-antimicrobial soap and water, alcohol-based hand rub, or antiseptic handwash) after having contact with respiratory secretions and contaminated objects/materials.

Routine cleaning and disinfection strategies used during influenza seasons can be applied to the environmental management of swine influenza.
• Staff experiencing influenza-like-illness (ILI) (fever with either cough or sore throat, muscle aches) should not report to work.

• Staff who experience ILI and wish to seek medical care should contact their health care providers to report illness (by telephone or other remote means) before seeking care at a clinic, physician's office, or hospital.

• Staff who were not using appropriate personal protective equipment during close contact with a confirmed, probable, or suspect case of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection during the case's infectious period should receive chemoprophylaxis according to CDC guidance (http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/recommendations.htm).

• Staff who have difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, or are believed to be severely ill, should seek immediate medical attention.

We are all advised to stay home if the signs of influenza-like-illness are present. If you have an appointment, contact your office for instruction. Chances are, the dentist will recommend the appointment is rescheduled until the ILI symptoms are gone. If you require emergency dental treatment, the following guidelines have been established:

"If urgent dental care is required and swine influenza A (H1N1) has either been confirmed or is suspected, the care should be provided in a facility (e.g., hospital with dental care capabilities) that provides airborne infection isolation (i.e., airborne infection isolation room with negative pressure air handling with 6 to 12 air changes per hour).

For aerosol-generating procedures, use a procedure room with negative pressure air handling. Personnel providing direct patient care for suspected or confirmed swine influenza A (H1N1) cases should wear a fit-tested disposable N95 respirator when entering the patient room and when performing dental procedures. Respirator use should be in the context of a complete respiratory protection program in accordance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations.

Talk to your dentist if you have any concerns or questions about visiting the dental office during flu season.
_{Source:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.}

Dental sealants are used to protect the deep grooves in the tooth from becoming decayed. According to the Surgeon General's report on oral health, dental sealants may reduce cavities in school aged children by up to 70%.

School-based dental programs provide children with essential dental care, including dental sealants. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will provide approximately $22 million in funding over the next five years, to 16 states. This funding is used to help these states improve their school-based dental programs to provide the best care possible for children from low income families.

Are you interested to know what your state's oral health plan is? Take a look at this state-by state chart, to see what steps are being taken to improve oral health where you reside.

If you are concerned about the amount of Halloween candy that will make its way into your home this year, I have compiled a list of the Top Halloween Candy Tips for Healthy Teeth, that should do the trick. I know many of you experience a candy overload, especially when one or more of your children go out trick-or-treating. What should you do with all of that candy?

I was introduced to the Smiles Change Lives program earlier this year, and could not wait to share their information with you. Have a look at my profile on the Smiles Change Lives program, and when you're done, I'm sure you will know exactly what to do with all of your extra/leftover candy!