Oral health waits another seven UN years.

An opportunity for oral health to be placed on the agendas of world leaders and policy makers arose and was then omitted at a recent meeting of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN). The opening arose during a high-level meeting (27 Sept 2018) that was convened to discuss the global impact of non-communicable diseases. However, in the event, oral health was never singled out during the presentations nor was it included in the final political declaration committing signatories to take action on its 34 clauses.

No longer 'written off' - times have changed for the BBV-infected dental professional.

There is a recognised potential risk of transmission of blood-borne viruses (BBVs) from infected healthcare workers to patients during exposure prone procedures (EPPs). The restrictions placed on performance of EPPs by infected clinicians in the UK have had a particularly significant impact on dentists because of the exposure-prone nature of most dental procedures and the difficulties in identifying alternative career pathways in the profession that do not involve EPPs. More recently, the significant positive impact of antiviral drugs on viral load, together with a re-categorisation of EPPs in dentistry have resulted in evolution of the guidance with a consequent significant improvement to the career prospects of dentists infected with BBVs.

Myositis complicating benzathine penicillin-G injection in a case of rheumatic heart disease.

A 7-year old boy developed myositis secondary to intramuscular injection of benzathine penicillin-G in the context of secondary prophylaxis for rheumatic heart disease. Side effects of intramuscular delivery of benzathine penicillin-G are well described and include injection site pain and inflammation, but myositis, as depicted on magnetic resonance imaging in this case, has not previously been described.

Ethics, research and HIV: lessons learned- a workshop report.

Assessing risk for transmission of a blood-borne pathogen requires the use of the hazard and risk model. Infection control is a system that uses a number of individual processes to eliminate or reduce the probability of a hazard occurring. Strategies employed to reduce risk should be rehearsed, used routinely, audited, reviewed, and the results shared.

HIV transmission in the dental setting and the HIV-infected oral health care professional: workshop 1C.

This workshop addressed two important issues: first, the global evidence of HIV transmission from health care provider to patient and from patient to health care provider in the general health care environment and the dental practice setting; second, in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy, whether oral health care professionals living with HIV pose a risk of transmission to their patients and whether standard infection control is adequate to protect both the patient and the oral health care professional in dental practice. The workshop culminated in a general discussion and the formulation of a consensus statement from the participating delegates, representing more than 30 countries, on the criteria under which an HIV-infected oral health care professional might practice dentistry without putting patients at risk. This consensus statement, the Beijing Declaration, was agreed nem con.

Written off.

David Croser considers the appalling situation faced by UK dentists if they are diagnosed HIV positive.

Crocodile attack in Australia: an analysis of its incidence and review of the pathology and management of crocodilian attacks in general.

Crocodilians represent one of the oldest constant animal lineages on the planet, in no small part due to their formidable array of predatory adaptations. As both human and crocodilian populations expand, they increasingly encroach on each others' territories, bringing morbidity and mortality to both populations. In this article, the medical and herpetologic literature pertaining to injuries caused by crocodilians is reviewed, and the patterns of saltwater crocodile attacks in Australia from 1971 to 2004 are analyzed.

Predictors of prolonged dysphagia following acute stroke.

Dysphagia following acute stroke frequently necessitates prolonged enteral feeding. There is evidence that early enteral feeding via percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is both beneficial and safe. The aim of this study was to identify predictors of prolonged dysphagia.

Oral and dental care and treatment protocols for the management of HIV-infected patients.

This paper describes the workings of the workshop dedicated to oral and dental care and treatment protocols for the management of HIV-infected patients. The questions addressed were: 1) What are the current ethical issues in dental care of HIV patients, do they need to be addressed? 2) Do we need to modify the dental care we give HIV-positive patients? 3) When is it necessary to give antibiotic prophylaxis to HIV-positive patients? 4) What is the evidence for the effective treatment of oral lesions associated with HIV? 5) What is the most successful palliative treatment for KS? 6) Can we provide clinical treatment that has a scientific basis rather being trial based? 7) Is ddI + hydroxy-urea an effective African alternative to HAART? 8) What is the influence of protease inhibitors and HAART on the excretion of HIV in saliva? 9) What is the effect of anti-HIV therapy on the oral mucosa and oral health? This workshop did not fully cover the issue of ddI and hydroxy-urea as an alternative HIV therapy as this was considered to be the remit of general physicians caring for patients with HIV and AIDS rather than that of oral health care workers.

Aetiological factors for oral manifestations of HIV.

Objectives: Describe the oral diseases in HIV-infected individuals in London, UK and identify social and medical factors related to the presence of specific oral diseases.

Design: Dental clinics.

Subjects: Consecutive sample of 456 patients with HIV infection.