Essay#1

Abstract:

Inquiry Question: How often we need dental x-rays and whether people get more than they need?

Primary Purpose: Explore who needs dental x-ray more often then others? What are the side affects of getting dental x-ray too often? Are the radiations from these x-rays’ cancer causing? Solutions to the problem of cancer-causing radiations from dental x-ray?

Thesis: Bite-wing x-ray technique, if used moderately, help dentists locate dental problems, but can increase the risk of brain tumors and cause cancer in patients.

Prior belief/ Knowledge: Dental x-rays are not very harmful and only cause cancer to few patients every year, so they should be frequently used.

“You Probably Don’t Need Dental X-Rays Every Year”

In 2016, Austin Frakt, a public health professional of Harvard and Boston University wrote in an article in the New York Times about how often we need dental x-rays and whether people get more than they need. In his article, “You Probably Don’t Need Dental X-Rays Every Year,” Frakt states that the use of x-rays has always been important to dentistry as it helps dentists detect diseases which would otherwise have been ignored (Frakt, 2016). According to the American Dental Association, healthy adults who frequently take care of their teeth do not need bitewing x-rays every year, but only every two or three years. Frakt’ gave evidence that dentists use this technique more often than needed as it helps them financially. His article proves that the bitewing x-ray technique if used moderately, help dentists locate dental problems, but can increase the risk of brain tumors and cause cancer in patients.

A brain tumor is a collection of abnormal tissues in the brain that keep growing even when the brain doesn’t need them (Mayo, 2019). This tumor has been observed to be so harmful that it can even cause death.  Even being aware of these possible problems, some greedy dentists still value money over patients’ health, which is ethical misconduct. According to Frakt’s work, the most common type of brain tumor that doctors have observed in patients exposed to bitewing x-rays is a meningioma. “Though dental X-rays blast a relatively low dose of radiation — as compared with other medical imaging —one study of over 2,700 patients appeared to find a link to an increased risk of intracranial meningioma, the most common form of brain tumor (when radiation exposure from X-rays was greater than in the current era)”(Frakt’s, 2016). The information above clearly helps us understand the negative side effects of X-rays on the human brain, which gives us a reason to avoid them. So, the next time our dentist asks us to get an x-ray even when our insurance covers it, it’s best to question them. This concerning attitude will help you understand your health in a better way.

According to the National Cancer Institute, cancer is the division of abnormal tissues in the body that can ultimately destroy normal tissues. A recent study at the Mayo Clinic determined that cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the world (Mayo, 2019). Cancer can start in almost any part of the body and then travel from there to other parts. Some of the most common types of cancer are lung, prostate, breast, and basal cell. Every time we are exposed to radiations our chances to of getting cancer increases. There are two solutions to this problem: firstly, avoid radiation exposure and secondly, have a healthy lifestyle. This healthy lifestyle includes a healthy diet, regular exercise, quitting smoking, and avoiding excessive exposure to sunlight (Mayo, 2019). However, in this 21st century, our government should fine such greedy doctors if they overuse medical techniques when not needed. And we as patients should be aware of our own personal wellbeing in order to live a healthy life.

In some critical cases, x-rays can save one’s life, so we cannot completely stop using them. But we can protect ourselves from unnecessary radiation by developing a healthy lifestyle which minimizes our exposure. Moreover, bitewing x-rays are not bad if used for significant purposes. Lastly, I think it is our duty to report unethical dentists and, if we do so, one day hopefully the death rate from cancer would decrease.

References:

Brain tumor. (2019, January 10). Retrieved February 02, 2019, from

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/brain-tumor/symptoms-causes/syc-20350084

What Is Cancer? (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2019, from

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/what-is-cancer

Frakt, Austin. “You Probably Don’t Need Dental X-Rays Every Year.” The New York

Times, The New York Times, 25 July 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/07/26/upshot/you-

probably-dont-need-dental-x-rays-every-year.html

Essay#2

Abstract:

The majority of the United States citizens lack dental health care through Medicaid, which has led to serious health consequences for patients, have resulted in a loss of jobs and poor hygiene. This summary and response essay explain our need for dental care through Medicaid and why all the United States citizens should have one. When there is a lack of Medicaid dentists and hygienist lose their jobs, which results in a poor society. Moreover, people with bad hygiene are perceived as less intelligent and people do not like to hire them. All these situations created by lack of dental health care are resulting in poverty. This means that, if the United States government invests more money towards Medicaid, they will lose less money than they are losing right now because of jobless U.S citizens. Therefore, the United States government should propose fair laws to promote better dental hygiene.

“How Dental Inequality Hurts Americans”

In 2018, Austin Frakt, a public health professional of Harvard and Boston University, wrote in an article in the New York Times about the lack of dental care United States citizens get through Medicaid and how it results in the loss of thousands of jobs and poor patient health. In his article, “How Dental Inequality Hurts Americans,” Frakt explains that lack of dental care is an emerging issue and as of now, not much importance has been given to this issue by lawmakers. Many American states have poor Medicaid systems, which do not include dental checkups. Medicaid ensures that each American should be provided with medical treatment. Throughout the United States, Medicaid serves a significant purpose in promoting jobs and better dental hygiene, as well as reducing the risk of diseases; therefore, the U.S government must provide a comprehensive Medicaid system (Frakt, 2018).

We often do not pay much attention to our oral health as we Americans not have a reliable Medicaid system that would support our needs. We could observe this problem by looking at the historical context of the United States, which shows us that many past governments have not made improvements in health care other than Obama Care. The need for Medicaid is more critical than it is perceived by our society as it provides many U.S citizens with jobs, especially dentists. In Frakt’s article, “How Dental Inequality Hurts Americans”, he states that “People with bad teeth can be stigmatized, both in social settings and in finding employment. Studies document that we make a judgment about one another – including about intelligence – according to the aesthetics of teeth and mouth” (Frakt, 2018). From reading the above statement, we can better understand that humans are judgmental and perceptive, which shows the importance of better overall wellbeing. “Other evidence comes from a randomized study in Brazil. In that study, investigators showed one of two images to people responsible for hiring: pictures either of a person without dental problems or with uncorrected dental problems. Those with the dental problems were more likely to be judged as less intelligent and were less likely to be considered suitable for hiring” (Frakt, 2018). This means that all of us should maintain our overall dental health as it is important for the world, we live in. The way people perceive us can help us get a better job and ultimately help us live a better life.

We U.S citizens should pay strong attention to our Medicaid system since it promotes a healthy lifestyle, which is an important aspect of human life as it contributes to happiness. “I have seen it in my own practice,” said Sidney Whitman, a dentist who treats Medicaid patients in New Jersey and also advises that state and the American Dental Association on coverage and access issue. “Without adequate oral health care, patients are far more likely to have medical issues down the road” (Frakt, 2018) From the above experience of Sidney Whitman, we get a deeper idea about how bad dental hygiene affects our health. It definitely makes sense that oral health can lead to other diseases because our mouth is exposed to different types of foods every single day. The food we eat may contain bacteria’ and if we regularly do not take care of our oral health by visiting a dentist, it can result in various other diseases.

The overall health of patients in the United States suffers from a high risk of diseases since people lack dental Medicaid. This is another major problem that evolves from a poor Medicaid system. According to Frakt’s study, “Periodontal disease (gum infection) is associated with an increased risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases” (Frakt, 2018). From Frakt’s study, we clearly get evidence of gum diseases being a major cause of heart and cancerous diseases. A regular dental visit, however, could decrease the risk of such illnesses since an early awareness of diseases can help the dentist get more time for treatment. As we know that, not a lot of people in the U.S can afford dental care, so there always remains a strong need for a better Medicaid system.

A good Medicaid system should be a topic of greater concern in the United States, as it provides jobs, reduces medically related risks, and makes people healthier overall. Therefore, the government should act according to the needs of U.S citizens and make Medicaid access more reliable.

References:

Frakt, A. (2018, February 19). How Dental Inequality Hurts Americans. Retrieved May 10,

2019, from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/19/upshot/how-dental-inequality-hurts-

americans.html?searchResultPosition=1

Essay#3

Abstract: 

This summary and response essay is based on the question: whether kids should be sedated for medical treatment or we should use alternative methods instead? The use of sedation drugs has been a popular method used by doctors to make patients dizzy, which allows doctors to have cooperative time with patients during surgeries. Though, if sedation is not performed under certain circumstances it can lead to the death of patients and because of this reason many people are against its use. The use of sedative drugs might result in seriously complicated health issues and even death, but we should not ban the use of these drugs. As these drugs save the lives of millions of people and if performed under certain conditions they do not lead to human death. The main focus of this essay is to provide us with evidence that sedation is safe if we take precautionary measures.

Should Kids Be Sedated for Dental Work?

In 2017, Catherine Saint Louis, a graduate student from Oxford University wrote an article about whether kids should be sedated and if so, how often. In her New York Times article, “Should Kids Be Sedated for Dental Work,” she illustrates that sedation has been a popular technique all over the United States, which is used to make patients relax during dental surgeries. In most cases, it involves the use of nitrous oxide also known as laughing gas, which makes the patients dizzy. Such procedures reduce the patient’s anxiety and provide the doctors with a decent amount of cooperative time. Many people argue that it comes with some serious complications like heart and breathing problems, which in a few cases have led to death. However, sedation is a valuable procedure to maintain dental hygiene only if performed under some fundamental circumstances which include experienced doctors, intubation, and a separate sedative practitioner.

Sedation is a helpful procedure but leads to the death of patients and serious health conditions if not performed by qualified doctors. “In 2016, Daisy Lynn Torres, 14-month-old, underwent general anesthesia at an Austin dental office to fix two cavities and died after her heart and breathing stopped. Her parents sued after dental experts found no evidence of cavities on her X-rays” (Louis, 2017). Although doctors have a medical degree, this does not mean that they can perform sedation safely. As Dr. Studen-Pavlovich said, “Classroom training is not enough” (Louis, 2017). In order to enable patients to have a safe experience with sedative drugs, we should be aware of the credibility of the doctor who will be performing the procedure. Dealing with real-life situations is always different than performing classroom experiments since in real life one mistake can cost a life. The scenario of classroom sedation is different as there is no mental pressure on doctors and even if something goes wrong it would not matter much. This suggests that the experience of doctors always counts. For us to recognize the abilities and experience of the doctor, we should be well informed about the number of years a doctor has been performing sedation, and how well he tackles a sensitive situation. The qualities of an experienced doctor include his sedation training, his abilities to choose the right hygienist during an emergency, knowing what sedative drugs are appropriate, and how to rescue patients in critical situations. A well-experienced doctor has the knowledge of the amount of sedative dose a child can bear and for how long, which allows them to perform sedation safely.

Another method to prevent the death of patients from sedation is the use of intubation, which is a process in which a plastic tube is inserted through the mouth into the lungs of patients to make breathing easy by putting them on a ventilator. This procedure provides patients with immediate breathing support, which reduces the risk of oxygen shortage caused by sedative drugs and ultimately reduces the risk of death. “The Pediatric Sedation Research Consortium-which collects data mostly from hospitals, not dental offices-has found a low but persistent rate of life-threatening events associated with sedation, such as airway blockage, a drop in blood oxygen levels or spasm of the vocal cords that makes breathing hard” (Louis, 2017). Therefore, the intubation method can help save patient’s lives by making them breathe properly. This suggests that sedation is not much of problem itself if it is performed by experienced medical professionals using the intubation technique.

Lastly, sedation is a sensitive procedure and hence it should be performed under some serious medical care. Sedation becomes dangerous when there is a shortage of assistance because most doctors are busy doing surgery which requires a need for a separate practitioner. These practitioners should be highly trained to react quickly and efficiently by making sure the patient is getting fair amounts of oxygen. “Children younger than 6 may have a greater risk of adverse events, a 2009 study suggested, based on nearly 50,000 sedation/anesthesia procedures at 37 locations, mostly hospitals. The authors concluded that the safety of sedation depends on a practitioner’s ability to manage less serious events. No deaths were recorded, but airway obstruction happened roughly 2,800 times” (Louis, 2017). Although it is true that sedation can lead to airway obstruction even if all kinds of precautionary measures are taken, it is definitely true as well that it saves lives of millions of patients if performed under certain conditions.

At some point in life, all of us require some medical assistance, which means that we cannot completely stop the use of medical techniques like sedation. Nevertheless, we can make conditions better and reduce the risk of human death. Sedation might be perceived as a negative procedure, but it has been helpful in saving human life, so we should continue its use. The use of sedative drugs becomes life-threatening only if used by ignorant doctors, under poor circumstances. So, it means the problem is not sedative drug use, but the way we use it.

References:

Louis, C. S. (2017, August 24). Should Kids Be Sedated for Dental Work? Retrieved February

11, 2019, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/24/well/family/should-kids-be-

sedated-for-dental-work.html?searchResultPosition=1