Stroke: epidemiology, classification, risk factors, complications, diagnosis, prevention, and medical and dental management

Cerebrovascular accident, or stroke, refers to an acute onset of neurologic deficits lasting more than 24 hours or culminating in death caused by a sudden impairment of cerebral circulation. Stroke is the third leading cause of death and a major cause of long-term disability in the United States. This article provides the dental community with an up-to-date understanding of the epidemiology, classification, risk factors, complications, diagnosis, prevention, and medical and dental management issues pertaining to stroke.     

Frequency, location, and direction of the lateral, secondary, and accessory canals

Observation of 1,140 transparent teeth of adult humans was made to verify the frequency, location, and direction of the accessory, secondary, and lateral canals located at the radicular-apical area, at the body of the root, and in the base of the root. In 27.4% of the teeth studied, some type of ramification was observed; these ramifications were usually located in the apical area of the root. The premolars and molars showed the greatest variety of ramifications.     

Ethics, access, and care

There are two very different ways of understanding access and care that are at work in contemporary American society. One of these is the understanding that our society's health professions have about access and care as they consider their ethical commitment to respond to patients' oral health needs. The other is how these matters are understood within America's public culture. In this view, needs--including health care needs--are no different in kind or ethical significance from unmet desires of any sort. This article will spell out the differences between these two ways of understanding care and access. Comprehending the distance that separates the health professions' perspective from much of mainstream American thinking on these matters is essential to a careful discussion of the ethics of access to oral health care.     

Products--old, new, and emerging

The paradigm shift in understanding the etiology, prevention, and treatment of dental caries requires an understanding of the dental products that are currently available to assist the clinician in prudent recommendations for patient interventions. The purpose of this review is to present the evidence base for current products and those that have recently appeared on the market.