Karen Gilbert is a forty-four year old female. She has been undergoing sporadic and unexpected sweating spells, fevers, occasional cold chills, and has experienced periods of severe depression. Karen is going through all the classic symptoms of postmenopausal syndrome. She is also a smoker. She has smoked on average a pack of cigarettes per day since she was fifteen.

She has attempted to stop smoking approximately 12 times throughout her short life. She has also encountered other traumas to her health. Shortly before she turned 44, she began losing teeth; a molar at age 40, two incisors at 42, and, eventually another molar and incisor by the time she turned 44. During her regular dental checkups Karen was advised by her dentist that she had severe periodontal disease. The dentist also suggested that she step up her dental hygiene program and quit smoking.

Karen is one of a number of women smokers who suffer from severe periodontal disease and who have lost teeth because of this condition and smoking.

The journal of the American Dental Association at the University of Buffalo released a study on postmenopausal women who were heavy smokers and were inflicted with periodontal disease experienced a much higher risk of losing teeth than postmenopausal women who were non-smokers. Women who pulled out and smoked more than 20 cigarettes from a pack a day were found to loose teeth at an alarming rate. Actually, more than 163,000 women nationwide who smoked lost teeth more than postmenopausal women who did not smoke.

Tooth loss has long been associated with chronic smoking. This new study at the University of Buffalo confirmed, however, that postmenopausal women are even more likely to experience tooth loss than their male counterparts who did smoke.

Even with proper oral hygiene including flossing, brushing, and frequent visits to the dentist postmenopausal women lose teeth more often than men of an equivalent age,says Xiaodan Mai of the University of Buffalo’s Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at the School of Public Health and Health Professions. Mai adds that although periodontal disease is a chronic condition smoking clinicians did not see it as the overall sole cause of tooth loss because of caries. Still, periodontal infection has been found to be related to the possible onset of cancer.

The University of Buffalo is also researching to determine if postmenopausal smokers are commonly at risk for cancers with no history of periodontal disease. Tooth loss among postmenopausal women is pervasive and effects a woman’s look, diet, and on her daily living habits. The study was funded and supported by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.

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When William Childress was born at 4:00 am on a cool February morning his arrival into the world was rather untypical; until he fully exited this mother’s womb. His skull was the size of a small balloon; his eyes bulged from their sockets as if he had been recently frightened. His tiny fingers and toes were webbed, independently fused together to resemble the appendages of a small toad. His nose was the shape of a tiny pearl and his upper jaw was noticeably underdeveloped. William Childress was later diagnosed with Apert Syndrome ─ a rare genetic disorder that is often inherited, but can occur with no known previous family history of the disease.

Apert syndrome occurs in approximately 200,000 births per year. If at least one carries the gene Apert syndrome, the child from the offspring has more than half a chance being born with the disorder.

Symptoms of the disease include premature hearing loss, because of the skull’s abnormal growth stunted mental development may occur; the child may be born with a cleft palate. Because of an imbalance in eye muscle development the child may experience problems with his or her vision, ear infections are common and can result in hearing loss. The Apert Syndrome child may have difficulty in breathing, because of hyperactive sweat glands developed in birth heightened perspiration may occur, and later, the infant ─ when approaching puberty ─ may develop acne problems.

How is Apert syndrome diagnosed? Apert syndrome is diagnosed at birth with rather distinguishing physical characteristics. Most pronounced are the fusion of toes and fingers; this distinguishes Apert Syndrome from most other recognized craniofacial disorders.

During pregnancy if any indication of Apert syndrome is detected, your doctor will probably suggest genetic testing as a method to confirm a proper diagnosis. The parents will be counseled to determine if there is any family history of the disease.

How will my child be treated for Apert syndrome? Treatment for Apert syndrome begins with a full evaluation by an experience and specialized medical team. A family physician or pediatrician may not be able to evaluate Apert syndrome alone and, instead, will require a host of interdisciplinary team members to evaluate associated problems with the condition and recommend the appropriate treatment.

Often a series of operations will be needed for the Apert syndrome child.
Surgeries include: clearing of blocked airways, eye surgery, dental surgery, separation of webbed toes or fingers (or both), and a detailed reshaping of the skull.

Prognosis for children suffering with this debilitating disease is dependent upon a number of factors and is unique to each child afflicted with Apert syndrome early diagnosis is the key to the proper treatment of your child.

Clinical Dentistry is the study and practice of many medical procedures that are preformed in structures inside the mouth or on the teeth. Much training is needed to perform the many procedures preformed by clinical dentists. Many of the procedures done on patients are done in an office setting in a dental clinic. The clinic has a staff of dentists and assistants to help them perform the procedures that are needed to be done on their patients.

A general dentist performs examinations on the gums and teeth of the patients and then makes diagnoses, and performs procedures to fix the problems. Dental hygienists provide assistance for the dentist by handing the dentist the correct tools he needs to work on his patients such as dental mirrors, X-ray machines, or scalpels.

The major focus of clinical dentistry is to restore the patient’s teeth to their normal state. If a patient has a hole in his or her tooth, the dentist would then fill the hole with a durable material, or place a crown over it. If the dentist finds that there has been damage to the very delicate tissues inside of the tooth, he may need to perform a root canal. A root canal involves removing the nerves from the tooth to relieve the pain the patient is suffering from.

Clinical dentists emphasize the importance of maintaining healthy teeth. Daily brushing and flossing is essential for healthy gums and teeth. It is highly recommended to get your teeth cleaned twice a year. A clinical dentist may refer you to an orthodontist, if you have overly spaced or crooked teeth, or an over bite.

Clinical dentistry does not only focus on the teeth, but also focuses on the structures around and in the mouth, such as the gums and the jawbones. Surgical intervention may be required to remove wisdom teeth.

Advanced education and graduation from an accredited dental school, is required for Certification in clinical dentistry. For specialists additional education is essential and for certification. After many dentists graduate, many open up their own practices or look for employment in larger organizations.