Tag Archives: dental

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Tampa Bay Times: Yes it’s awkward, but more dentists should talk to patients about oral cancers and sex

By Justine Griffin

Dentists and dental hygienists see nearly 85 percent of children and their parents in the U.S., making them an important group of health care providers who could address HPV prevention and detection -- even if the conversation can be awkward, says Ellen Daley, a professor studying women's health at the University of South Florida. [DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times]

Dentists may soon be prying deeper in their patients’ sex lives.

The human papillomavirus, or HPV, is now the most common sexually transmitted disease, and one local researcher is urging dentists to get on board to warn patients about it.

But talking about HPV — and how it can be spread through oral sex — can be awkward.

“This is an emerging topic for dentists and not really one they ever expected to have to talk about,” said Ellen Daley, the lead investigator of a recent study on this topic published in the Journal of the American Dental Association this month. “It’s controversial and uncomfortable. No one wants to talk about these sensitive topics.”

HPV is the cause of 72 percent of oropharyngeal cancers, which can impact the base of the tongue, tonsils and walls of the pharynx, said Daley, who is also a professor studying women’s health at the University of South Florida.

Younger patients, usually pre-teens and teens, are the most at risk for HPV. But the virus can also be dormant for years, which could impact older patients who won’t necessarily experience symptoms for many years.

It’s transmitted during vaginal, anal or oral sex with someone who has the virus.

Nearly 80 million people — or about one in four — are currently infected with HPV in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 14 million people become infected each year, and 30,700 of those cases cause cancer in men and women.

The HPV vaccine can prevent most of those cancers, or 28,000 of them. An estimated 50,000 cases of oral type cancers will be diagnosed this year, according to the American Cancer Society.

The Florida Legislature is currently considering companion bills in the House and Senate that could add the HPV vaccine to the child immunization requirements for school.

Read more here.

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Tampa Bay Times: Free clinics respond as more people head to the ER with dental problems

By Justine Griffin

Charles Lee had been dealing with an excruciating toothache for days.

The pain made it hard to eat or sleep or focus on work. But Lee, 54, didn’t have dental insurance. His job as a delivery truck driver offered only a supplemental policy that was too expensive. He feared he needed a root canal, which he knew could cost hundreds of dollars even with insurance.

The Department of Health in Pinellas County referred Lee to a free dental clinic in Clearwater, just blocks from his home, where a volunteer dentist found the cause of his issue and replaced two fillings for the price of a donation.

“I had nowhere to go. I had no affordable health care. I went into a Walgreens to see what they could do, and walked out with my tooth still killing me because they wanted $119 just to see me,” said Lee, one of the 27 percent of U.S. adults ages 20 to 64 who, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, are living with untreated dental issues.

Most adults who don’t have dental insurance end up in emergency rooms because of tooth or gum problems. The number of patients who go to the ER with dental-related issues surged from 1.1 million in 2000 to 2.1 million in 2010, and continues to rise, according to the American Dental Association. The organization says that up to 1.65 million ER visits a year could be better handled at dental clinics.

While the Affordable Care Act and low-income insurance programs like Medicare and Medicaid have improved Americans’ access to health care, barriers still remain for adult dental care.

Local health departments, including in Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties, offer some low-income dental plans to residents who qualify. And children’s dental care is covered nearly in full through Medicaid, the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program and the ACA.

But Florida Medicaid plans for adults provide dental-related reimbursements only to participants who need emergency services to alleviate pain or infection or denture-related procedures, according the Agency for Health Care Administration.

At the Community Dental Clinic in Clearwater, dentists and hygienists convinced Charles Lee to come back for several follow up appointments, which helped get his dental care on track. And Lee didn’t have to worry about how much he was paying for the continuing service.

Read more here.