Maxillofacial Surgery

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Thursday, February 20, 1997

Health Scan: Watch what you take! 
You could lose your teeth.

Numerous drugs can cause serious swelling of the gums and even irreversible damage, but the drug packages often don't mention such side effects and doctors who prescribe the medications may forget to warn patients in advance. Staff at Rambam Hospital's periodontal and maxillofacial surgery units and the Technion medical faculty say that awareness of this phenomenon can prevent tooth loss.

Writing in Harefuah, the journal of the Israel Medical Association, the doctors note that gingival hyperplasia (swelling of the gums) is a pathological condition that can damage the periodontium, which holds the teeth in place. Periodontal disease is ordinarily caused by the buildup of bacteria that pry the gums from the roots of the teeth, but it can also develop as a result of certain drugs.

Calcium channel blockers, prescribed over the past two decades for various cardiovascular diseases and hypertension, are known to cause gingival hyperplasia - appearing a month or two after the patient starts taking the medication. The drug-induced condition has been found in an average of 20 to 25 percent of patients taking calcium channel blockers, but in some studies, the figure was as high as 80 percent. Oral surgery or more conservative treatment can cause the swelling to recede, but it often reappears, the authors note.

Cyclosporin, the anti-rejection drug given to all organ-transplant recipients and various autoimmune disorders, can also cause periodontal problems. Preventive treatment, however, can reduce the damage. Another drug that may be involved in this syndrome is dilantin, given to some epilepsy patients. Contraception pills containing female sex hormones can also lead to gum swelling, even though the reduced concentrations have reduced the risk.

The authors advise doctors to refer patients who will receive such drugs to their dentist before they start taking the drug so preventive treatment can be carried out and so patients' conditions are carefully watched. "In extreme cases, in which the swelling doesn't respond to periodontal treatment or surgery, physicians should consider alternative drugs that don't produce such side effects."
by JUDY SIEGEL, Jerusalem Post. 

Thursday, February 20, 1997

Loans To New Dentists

Recent graduates or new immigrant dentists have received a total of NIS 500,000 in loans from a fund established by Colgate-Israel and the Israel Dental Association (IDA). The fund aims at helping young dentists who meet IDA standards to start their careers by buying equipment and opening private dental clinics.

So far, some 40 qualified dentists have been chosen among those who applied. First priority was given to those wanting to settle down in development towns and other outlying areas in order to increase the standard of dental medicine there. Each dentist received NIS 15,000 and committed himself or herself to improve dental care in the area. The fund intends to offer the five-year loans to dozens of additional dentists in the future.