ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Dentists encounter numerous sources of professional stress, beginning in dental school. This stress can have a negative impact on their personal and professional lives. CONCLUSIONS: Dentists are prone to professional burnout, anxiety disorders and clinical depression, owing to the nature of clinical practice and the personality traits common among those who decide to pursue careers in dentistry. Fortunately, treatment modalities and prevention strategies can help dentists conquer and avoid these disorders. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: To enjoy satisfying professional and personal lives, dentists must be aware of the importance of maintaining good physical and mental health. A large part of effective practice management is understanding the implications of stress.
Subject(s)
Anxiety Disorders , Burnout, Professional , Dentists/psychology , Depression , Occupational Diseases , Stress, Psychological , Adaptation, Psychological , Anxiety Disorders/therapy , Burnout, Professional/therapy , Depression/therapy , Humans , Occupational Diseases/therapy , Relaxation Therapy , Self-Help Groups , Stress, Psychological/therapySubject(s)
Coronary Disease/complications , Periodontal Diseases/complications , Adult , Animals , Arteriosclerosis/complications , Arteriosclerosis/physiopathology , Bacterial Infections/immunology , C-Reactive Protein/metabolism , Coronary Disease/physiopathology , Disease Progression , Endotoxins/immunology , Female , Humans , Male , Periodontal Diseases/microbiology , Risk Factors , Sex FactorsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: When planning oral surgery, dentists occasionally will have patients who first need to have their anticoagulation regimen altered. To minimize the side effects and not adversely affect the patient's health, therapeutic anticoagulation should be interrupted for as short a time as possible. Low-molecular-weight heparins, or LMWHs, recently have emerged as an alternative in the management of patients whose anticoagulant status should not be modified for lengthy periods. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 72-year-old man, who had a history of deep venous thrombosis, needed to have 19 teeth extracted and an alveoloplasty performed. An LMWH was substituted for warfarin a few days before surgery, and it was withheld from the patient for only a few hours the day of the surgery. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: LMWHs are administered on an outpatient basis and do not require hospitalization, as does unfractionated heparin. As a result, they are more cost-effective and offer greater convenience than heparin therapy. Depending on the procedure and the degree to which patients are medically compromised, dentists may not feel comfortable treating patients who continuously receive anticoagulation therapy. As a result, patients' physicians may prescribe LMWH injections to be administered by patients, family members or caregivers to more safely manage the patients' care during oral surgery. As part of the health care team, dentists must be familiar with LMWH and its use to help guide patients safely through treatment.
