Can poor oral health cause falls in the elderly?

Source: www.medicalnewsbulletin.com Author: Viola Lanier PhD, MSc There is some research that indicates that, however unlikely it seems, poor oral health may contribute to the risk of falls. This question recently led researchers in Japan to investigate if poor oral health could in fact be associated with incident falls in the elderly. As the baby boomer population ages, incidental falls have increasingly become a major public health concern around the world. In England, 28-35% of those over 65 years of age experienced a fall in 2016, while in Japan falls and fractures accounted for 12.2% of senior citizens requiring long-term care. Though hip fractures and light bruises are the most common outcomes, the most unfortunate incident can cause death. Therefore, identifying risk factors that can be modified may serve as an intervention for reducing falls in the elderly. Examining oral health conditions and comparing incidental falls was important for researchers from the Graduate School of Dentistry at Kanagawa Dental University in Japan because the association between the two has been controversial in the research community. One study determined an association between a decrease in occlusal function and postural instability, whereas, a different study showed that occlusal disharmony is a risk factor for a decrease in balance function. Interestingly, a recent study that investigated 4,425 older community dwellers who had less than 19 teeth and lacked dentures, had a higher frequency of falls. The JAGES Project Longitudinal Study For this research study, panel data was used from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation [...]

With oral cancer on the rise, dentists can play an important role

Source: http://exclusive.multibriefs.com Author: Tammy Adams Today's dental professionals routinely see and deal with many issues and conditions that were not so common just a few short decades ago. For example, there has been a marked increase in the incidence of oral cancer in the United States, sparking the need for regular oral cancer screening as part of a preventive dental checkup. This additional screening is now routinely performed in many dental practices across the nation. The American Cancer Society estimates that around 50,000 Americans are infected with oral cancer each year. In past generations, oral cancer was mostly linked to smoking, alcohol use or a combination of the two. But even as smoking rates have fallen, oral cancer rates have risen (especially in men), and researchers have concluded that this is likely caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease. Early diagnosis makes a difference Oral cancer is often only discovered when the cancer has metastasized to another location, most commonly the lymph nodes of the neck. Prognosis at this stage of discovery is significantly worse than when it is caught in a localized intraoral area. According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, the best way to screen for HPV-related oral and oropharyngeal cancer is through a visual and tactile exam given by a medical or dental professional, who will also perform an oral history taking to ask about signs and symptoms that cover things that are not visible. Most of the symptoms of a developing HPV-positive infection are [...]

Positioning during cancer radiation may be key to heart risks

Source: health.usnews.com Author: Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay Reporter If you have lung or throat cancer, exactly how you are positioned during your radiation treatments may alter your chances of beating the disease. New research suggests that even tiny shifts can mean the radiation may harm organs around tumors in the chest, most notably the heart. "We already know that using imaging can help us to target cancers much more precisely and make radiotherapy treatment more effective," said researcher Corinne Johnson, a Ph.D. student at the Manchester Cancer Research Center in England. "This study examines how small differences in how a patient is lying can affect survival, even when an imaging protocol is used," Johnson explained. "It tells us that even very small remaining errors can have a major impact on patients' survival chances, particularly when tumors are close to a vital organ like the heart." When cancer specialists prepare to perform radiation therapy, they scan the patient's body to determine the exact position and size of the tumor, the researchers explained. Before every treatment that follows, more images are used to ensure that the patient and the tumor are in the same position. For the study, the researchers recruited 780 patients undergoing radiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer. For each treatment, patients were positioned on the machines and an image was taken to ensure they were lying within 5 millimeters (mm) of their original position. The researchers used the images to assess how precisely the radiation was delivered, and [...]

What’s the link between HPV and head and neck cancer?

Source: blogs.bcm.edu Author: Dr. Michael Scheurer As a molecular epidemiologist, I’ve been conducting research on human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers since my dissertation work in 2003. While working with the clinical faculty here at Baylor College of Medicine, I’ve heard many questions lately about the possibility of the HPV vaccine “helping treat” head and neck cancer (HNC). It’s important to know the link between HPV and HNC because patients with HPV-positive tumors often have better survival rates than those with HPV-negative tumors. Check out these frequently asked questions to learn more about HPV and HNC. What is HPV? HPV is a sexually transmitted infection that can infect the oral cavity, tonsils, back of throat, anus, and genitals. There are many types of HPV. Some types can cause cancer and other types can cause warts. HPV infection is very common in the U.S. with more than 50 percent of adults being infected at some point in their lifetime. There is no treatment for HPV infection. For some people, their HPV infection naturally clears while others develop cancer after many years. What is oropharyngeal cancer? Oropharyngeal cancer occurs in the tonsils and back of throat. In the U.S., HPV now causes most oropharyngeal cancers. Most doctors would recommend that oropharyngeal cancers be tested for HPV. Smoking and alcohol use can also increase risk of developing oropharyngeal cancer. How did I get HPV infection in my mouth or throat? The most likely route of exposure is by oral sex, although other routes may exist. [...]

Early phase clinical trial shows promise for advanced head and neck cancer

Source: www.fredhutch.org Author: Rachel Tompa / Fred Hutch News Service For many survivors of head and neck cancer, the disease — and its treatment — leave a lifelong, unmistakable mark. Surgeries to remove tumors in the mouth, neck or throat often leave patients with disfiguring scars and difficulty speaking or swallowing. Some may not even be able to perform these tasks at all. Carla Stone participated in a clinical trial run by Fred Hutch's Dr. Eduardo Méndez for her advanced head and neck cancer. The experimental approach shrank her tumor down to nothing, sparing her what is typically a disfiguring surgery.Photo by Robert Hood / Fred Hutch News Service When you look at Carla Stone, you might not guess that she was diagnosed with stage 4 head and neck cancer just two years ago. The only visible sign of her disease and treatment — and you have to know what you are looking for — is the tiny dot tattooed on her chest, the marker for the radiation she received to her throat. Stone, a 66-year-old bookkeeper from Monroe, Washington, had ongoing symptoms for nearly two years before her doctors finally detected the tumor that had been growing on the base of her tongue. Her primary care physician dismissed the lump in her neck she found in 2014, Stone said, and a series of doctors kept giving her different antibiotics for the chronic sore throat she developed in early 2016. Eventually, when the antibiotics didn’t work, Stone sought [...]

What University of Toronto researchers are doing to help ‘devastating’ swallowing problems

Source: www.utoronto.ca Author: Jim Oldfield We swallow about 600 times a day, mostly without thinking about it. But swallowing involves dozens of muscles and nerves in the mouth, throat and esophagus, and for people who struggle with the process, the results can be devastating. Malnutrition, dehydration and social isolation are common in people with swallowing trouble. So is depression and aspiration of food that leads to pneumonia. Occasionally, swallowing issues cause choking and sudden death. And a recent U.S. study of hospitalized patients with serious illnesses found that more than half said needing a feeding tube to live was a state equal to or worse than death. Many conditions can cause swallowing problems: stroke, neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, and congenital or developmental conditions such as cerebral palsy and cleft palate. People treated for head and neck cancer often develop problems, sometimes years later; and their numbers are growing as cancer survival rates improve. Estimates on the global prevalence of swallowing disorders, which collectively are known as dysphagia, are about eight per cent – almost 600 million people. But there is good news. Before 1980, most patients with complex dysphagia got feeding tubes; today, clinicians can offer videofluoroscopy and other bedside tests to better assess swallowing problems, and less invasive therapies that emphasize exercise and posture. And at the University of Toronto, scientists in the department of speech-language pathology and related fields are starting to answer long-standing questions such as how best to give dysphagia screening tests, which interventions work [...]

Woman’s missing jaw regrown by 9 cm after cancer

Source: www.bbc.com Author: staff A woman who lost her jaw to cancer has had it regrown from her own skin and bone. Val Blunden had the bottom of her mouth and chin destroyed by cancer more than two years ago. The 55-year-old was left unable to eat, drink and talk, taking early retirement from her job as a postwoman. Using new treatment, surgeons from Nottingham and Wolverhampton have reconstructed her jaw by "stretching" her own tissue and bone around a frame. Known as distraction osteogenesis, the process has been around for a number of years but never been used in this way before, Dilip Srinivasan, maxillofacial surgeon at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust, said. A frame built at Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham has acted as "scaffolding", and since an operation in January the jaw has grown 9cm. It is hoped the final surgery to remove the frame will take place in May. Ms Blunden, from Wolverhampton, first found a lump underneath her tongue in January 2015 and following diagnosis has had glands, chin, lower lip and part of her tongue removed. After two previous attempts to reconstruct her jaw using skin grafts failed, and with her being unable to use a prosthetic replacement, she hopes the procedure will improve her life. "Having lived like this for two years I'd begun to accept that this is how life was going to be, but now I'm so much more hopeful for a different future," she said. Mr Srinivasan said: "We have been [...]

HMB/Arg/Gln does not reduce oral mucositis incidence in head and neck cancer

Source: www.oncologynurseadvisor.com Author: James Nam, PharmD The addition of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate, arginine, and glutamine (HMB/Arg/Gln) to opioid-based pain control (OBPC) and oral care programs does not effectively prevent chemoradiotherapy (CRT)-induced oral mucositis (OM) in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC), according to a study published in Supportive Care in Cancer. Chemoradiotherapy with a cisplatin-based chemotherapy regimen is the standard of care for patients with HNC, but is associated with a high incidence of CRT-induced OM. OBPC and oral care programs are insufficient in reducing OM incidence; there is a need for additional interventions to prevent and treat OM. For this phase 2 study, researchers treated 35 patients with HNC scheduled to receive definitive or postoperative cisplatin-based CRT with oral or percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy-delivered HMB/Arg/Gln; all patients underwent OBPC and oral care programs. Results showed that 45.7% (16) of patients developed symptomatic or functional grade 3 or worse OM. Grade 1 or less OM occurred in 51.1% of patients at 2 weeks and in 82.9% of patients at 4 weeks postradiotherapy completion. Clinical examination, however, revealed that 28.6% (10) of patients developed grade 3 or worse OM, and the incidence of grade 1 or less OM was 80.0% and 100% at 2 weeks and 4 weeks after completing radiotherapy, respectively. The most frequently reported adverse events included diarrhea and an increase in blood urea nitrogen, but were easily managed with standard care. Evidence from the study demonstrates that HMB/Arg/Gln does not effectively decrease OM incidence; however, the authors concluded that “the [...]

The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer highlights immunotherapy during Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week

Source: www.prweb.com Author: press release The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) recognizes Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week, April 8-15, 2018, in an effort to highlight targeted immunotherapy to treat patients with these types of cancer. To educate and guide patients, SITC provides informative and engaging online education dedicated to cancer immunotherapy through SITC Cancer Immunotherapy connectED. Two head and neck cancer-specific resources are available on SITC connectED: Beyond Chemotherapy for Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer: Developed for patients with head and neck cancers and their care partners, the goal of this online class is to learn about treatment options for the newly diagnosed, treatment after chemotherapy, and questions to ask the patient’s healthcare team. Understanding Cancer Immunotherapy Patient Resource Guide: This guide provides current, medically accurate information on cancer (including head and neck cancers) – intended for patients and caregivers to outline available cancer immunotherapy options, the role of the immune system in this type of cancer treatment and what to expect while undergoing treatment. (free registration required) Aiming to make cancer immunotherapy a standard of care for cancer patients everywhere, these SITC connectED resources educate and guide patients on immunotherapy treatment options for head and neck cancer. For more information, visit the SITC website at sitcancer.org. About SITC Established in 1984, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) is a nonprofit organization of medical professionals dedicated to improving cancer patient outcomes by advancing the development, science and application of cancer immunotherapy and tumor immunology. SITC [...]

Be your own advocate

Source: www.wvnews.com Author: Mary McKinley The importance of dental care goes beyond cavities — it’s also about preventing cancer. The week of April 8 is National Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week, and your dentist or dental hygienist may be your first line of defense against oral cancer. More than 50,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with oral or oropharyngeal cancer (cancer of the back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and the tonsils) in 2018, and 350 will be diagnosed in West Virginia alone. Routine dental exams can detect cancer or pre-cancers during the early stages. If you notice a persistent sore or pain, swelling or changes in your mouth, or red or white patches on the gums, tongue, tonsils or lining of the mouth, visit a doctor or dentist so they can examine your mouth more closely. Some people diagnosed with oral cancer have no risk factors, so it’s important for everyone to keep those dental appointments. If you use tobacco, drink alcohol in excess, or have the human papillomavirus (HPV), you have an increased risk for oral cancer. Oral cancer is more common in older adults, particularly men, but oropharyngeal cancer is on the rise in middle-aged, nonsmoking white men between the ages of 35 and 55. The majority of these types of cancer cases are caused by HPV. Take charge of your health and reduce your risk of oral cancer. If you smoke or chew tobacco, quit now (it’s never too [...]

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