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Dentistry
We learned from childhood that if you give a mouse a cookie he’s going to want a glass of milk. It is lesser known, however, whether an increase in milk consumption in the general rodent population is directly caused by rampant cookie consumption among mice. Correlation does not necessarily indicate causation. A similar logical fallacy comes from one member of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster who claims that there exists “a statistically significant inverse relationship between pirates and global temperature;” therefore, according to him, more piracy will decrease global temperature and the number of natural disasters. These examples, though silly, illustrate the importance of scientific research in drawing causation in an uncontrolled environment and in distinguishing between folklore, coincidence, and the truth.
One such truth-seeking project involves public health and is the source of long-standing controversy—the issue: community water fluoridation (CWF). Beginning in 1954 in New Orleans, a committee of health professionals convened to address CWF. The committee consisted of several area doctors including LSU Medical Center’s Dr. Russell Holman, who served as Professor and Head of the Pathology Department from 1946 until his death in 1960. An article from the New Orleans Item in 1955 describes the committee as divided and unsure with the exception of Dr. Holman, who planted his support firmly on the side of fluoridation. A final decision was made in 1957 to veto CWF due to a need for further study.
Articles within the past few years on nola.com address CWF in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina as being a lack of supply. Now it appears that fluoride has been returned to our water. A 2010 Sewage and Water Board of New Orleans report defines fluoridation as a way “to prevent tooth decay.” Later in the same report, fluoride is defined as a “contaminant”: its presence on average .8ppm on the East Bank and .81ppm on the West Bank. Likely sources are listed as “erosion of natural deposits; water additive which promotes strong teeth; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories.”
Though the addition of fluoride to the nation’s drinking water has become common practice, the matter of its efficacy is still unresolved. In weighing the risks and benefits of CWF, the exact nature of correlation between improvements and harm to the public’s dental health remains unclear. Proponents of community health attempt to account for socioeconomic factors, access to dental care, pyorrhea and periodontal concerns in children and adults, as well as fluorosis, a cosmetic issue caused by over-fluoridation.
The CDC has called water fluoridation “one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century,” and in 2010, the center’s statistics show the percentage of the U.S. population receiving fluoridated water at 66.2%. Perhaps we ought to take a cue from the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster: take to sea, forget dental care, and go marauding!
Glimpse of the Past is an ongoing project to promote the Louisiana Digital Library effort. This Month in History will present for your reading pleasure a closer look into a newspaper clipping of note from our Digital Collections and articles relating to the LSU Medical School.
Both the Isché and Dental Libraries will close at 8 pm on Thursday, March 28th and remain closed through Sunday, March 31st. Both Libraries will re-open at 8 am on Monday morning.
 Rex 2012 on Napoleon Avenue
Both Libraries are closed today in celebration of carnival day! We will re-open at 8 am on Wednesday, February 13th.
During the week of Mardi Gras, the Dental Library will have abbreviated hours:
Sunday 2/10 Closed
Monday 2/11 8 am – 5 pm
Tuesday 2/12 Closed (Enjoy the parades!)
Wednesday – Friday 2/13-2/15 8 am-5 pm.
Our regular hours will resume on Sunday 2/17
Happy Mardi Gras!
Both the Isché and Dental Libraries will be closed on Monday, January 21st in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr holiday. Both Libraries will be open regular hours on Sunday, January 20th (Dental 11:30-8 andIsché 1:30-10) and will reopen at 8 am on Tuesday, January 22nd.
The LSU School of Dentistry is currently screening for patients willing to participate in clinical board exams for graduating seniors. The dental screenings are free and IF CHOSEN to be a patient for the board exams there will be $50 in compensation. They are looking for people with good overall oral hygiene who may need a small cavity filled or just a general cleaning. In short, if you have a common type of dental needs, nothing fancy or overly involved, feel free to attend one of the screening sessions
For more information, please consult the flyer.
The Libraries have re-opened for service in 2013. Welcome to the new year!
The Isché and Dental Libraries are now closed for Winter Break, in accordance with the official University Holiday Schedule.
The Libraries will re-open on Wednesday, January 2nd at 8 am.
The LSUHSC Libraries will be open regular hours (Isché or Dental) until Thursday, December 20th. The Winter Break hours are as follows:
| Isché Library |
| Thursday, December 20th |
8 am – 6 pm |
| Friday, December 21st |
8 am – 6 pm |
| Saturday, December 22nd |
| through |
CLOSED |
| Tuesday, January 1st |
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| Dental Library |
| Thursday, December 20th |
8 am – 5 pm |
| Friday, December 21st |
8 am – 4:30 pm |
| Saturday, December 22nd |
| through |
CLOSED |
| Tuesday, January 1st |
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Both Libraries will re-open on Wednesday, January 2nd at 8 am.
 Ahead of the Curve
The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Progress Report
The LSUHSC HOP Clinic was featured as a case study in the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Progress Report 2012(pgs 32-40). The Report is issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services – Health Resources and Services Administration – HIV/AIDS Programs. The many services offered by the Clinic and several faculty members are highlighted.
 Happy Thanksgiving!
The Libraries (both Dental & Isché) will close early on Wednesday, November 21st. Dental will close at 5 pm and Isché will close at 6 pm. The Libraries will remain closed Thursday, November 22nd throught Saturday, November 24th. Both will re-0pen on Sunday, November 25th at their normal times, Dental at 11:30 am and Isché at 1:30 pm.
A recent article published in the International Journal of Paleopathology discusses the dental problems of a 2,100 year old mummy. 
The mummy, named the Redpath Ptolemaic Theban Male, underwent CT scans and it was discovered he had a large amount of cavities. At least one of these cavities caused a sinus infection which probably led to his untimely demise.
The CT also revealed that the man received treatment for his dental woes which would have caused him extreme pain. There were pieces of linen, most likely soaked with cedar oil, inside one of his cavities.
You can read about this story on LiveScience or take a look at the abstract for the paper from ScienceDirect. Unfortunately, LSUHSC-NO doesn’t have full text access to this journal, but you can request it from a library using ILLiad, our interlibrary loan service.
The Isché Library will be open limited hours (9 am – 5 pm) on Friday, August 31st and Saturday, September 1st and from 11:30 am to 8 pm on Sunday, September 2nd in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac. The Library will be closed Monday, September 3rd in observance of Labor Day.
The Dental Library remains closed until Tuesday, September 4th at 8 am.
 Patriotic Quill and Inkwell - released by USPS Feb. 2011
The Isché and Dental Libraries will be closed on Wednesday, July 4th in honor of Indepence Day. Additionally the Isché Library will close at 8 pm on Tuesday, July 3rd instead of 10 pm. The Dental Library will be open until 8 pm as usual on Tuesday.
Both Libraries will re-open on Thursday, July 5th at 8 am.
Our kudos and congratulations go out to our dental librarian Julie Schiavo, who recently completed a Certificate of Advanced Study in Health Sciences Librarianship from the University of Pittsburgh.
 2012 Graduates of UPitt's iSchool Health CAS Read more >
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