Laboratory evaluation of chronic medical conditions for dental treatment: Part III. Hematology.

Clinicians can enhance their treatment of both medically complex and geriatric patients by understanding common laboratory testing, an area of healthcare that has expanded greatly over the past decade due to automation and computerized reporting. Testing results regarding a patient's condition can provide valuable information for diagnosis and management of orofacial conditions, guidance on assessing the patient's ability to tolerate the proposed dental treatment, and a prognosis based on a particular treatment. This article describes the use of the complete blood count and other hematology studies in dental care of patients.

Treatment of bisphosphonates-associated osteonecrosis.

This mini-review will focus on the management of a patient with bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis (BON). In order to review the subject the authors report a case of a patient with prostate cancer and metastatic bone disease who was treated with zoledronic acid. Prior to cancer the patient was treated with risedronate for osteopenia but had discontinued this treatment when cancer was diagnosed. During the description of each aspect of the case, a discussion of the rationale used for the case management is presented with support of the available literature. Aspects of interest include the diagnosis of BON, the risk factor for BON for this particular patient, the decision making process for the management of acute and long-term oral cavity problems, and the introduction of high intensity laser therapy to help control pain and reduce infection and local bacterial load.

Dental management of patients with obstructive pulmonary diseases.

Many dental patients have obstructive pulmonary disease, such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and bronchial asthma. These diseases have different etiologies but may have overlapping signs and symptoms. Diagnosis and treatment are becoming more sophisticated so that morbidity and mortality are improving. Most dental patients with these morbidity and mortality are improving. Most dental patients with these disease can be treated safely with only minor adjustments to procedures. Cigarette smoking is a common risk factor that dental health care providers can address with a simple program called the five A's.

Cranial neuralgias.

This article describes the clinical findings of cranial neuralgias, such as trigeminal neuralgia, glossopharyngeal neuralgia, nervus intermedius neuralgia, and others, and postherpetic neuralgia. Pathophysiology of these neuralgias, diagnostic methods, and treatment are also discussed. This information will enable the dentist to diagnose patients who have these rare conditions.

Beyond warfarin: the new generation of oral anticoagulants and their implications for the management of dental patients.

Warfarin has been the primary anticoagulant drug used in the USA for more than 50 years. However, 2 novel types of oral anticoagulants have recently been approved for use in the USA. These are direct thrombin inhibitors (e.g., dabigatran etexilate) and factor Xa inhibitors (e.g., rivaroxaban). Dental health care providers may soon encounter patients who are being prescribed these medications. This article describes the pharmacologic properties and medical uses of these new oral anticoagulants. Also discussed are implications for the management of dental patients being treated with these new oral anticoagulants, including potential interactions with drugs commonly used or prescribed in the course of dental treatment.