What is Motor Neurone Disease?
According to Talbot et al. (2010), Motor Neurone Disease, which is also known as MND, is when progressive degeneration occurs in the motor neurones of the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurones are nerve cells that control the muscles in the body. They also stated that as the progressive degeneration occurs of these muscles, messages to the muscles stop working which leads to the muscles then becoming weak and they begin to waste. The wasting of muscle usually begins in the arms and legs of the person who is suffering from Motor Neurone Disease. Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association (2014) stated that some patients suffering from Motor Neurone Disease can develop a weakness or wasting of the muscles in their face and throat. If this does occur, the patient with Motor Neurone Disease can have problems with swallowing, talking, chewing, walking, drinking and even breathing.
According to HSE (2013), this disease usually progresses from one limb to another, onto breathing muscles and even to the tongue. Talbot et al. (2010) pointed out that there is no known specific cause for Motor Neurone Disease. HSE (2013) claim that in Ireland around 110 patients suffering from Motor Neurone Disease die each year from the disease. People aged 50 and over are more common to get it, however on rare occasions some people may get it in their 20s or 30s. Talbot et al. (2010) stated that females and males can both get Motor Neurone Disease, although males are two times more likely to get it.
Oral and Dental Considerations for Motor Neurone Disease
According to Bricker et al. (2002) the following are a list of things that should be taken into account regarding oral and dental considerations for patients suffering ...
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...eriences/nerves-brain/motor-neurone-disease-mnd/possible-causes-mnd-including-familial-mnd [Accessed on 23rd April 2014]
• HSE (2013) Motor Neurone Disease (Online) Available at http://www.hse.ie/eng/health/az/M/Motor-neurone-disease/ [Accessed on 22nd April 2014]
• IMNDA (2014) About MND (Online) Available at http://www.imnda.ie/about-mnd.html [Accessed on 22nd April 2014]
• MND Association (2011) Statutory Responsibilities for equipment support services – Motor Neurone Disease Association (Online) Available at http://www.mndassociation.org/Resources/MNDA/Getting%20Help/Statutory_Services_Report.pdf [Accessed on 23rd April 2014]
• Oliver, D. (2011) Motor Neurone Disease: A family affair, first edition, SPCK Publishing
• Talbot, K., Turner, M. R., Marsden, R. and Botell, R. (2010) Motor Neuron Disease a practical manual, first edition, Oxford University Press
...he data collected by the above mentioned studies it is time to shift our thinking of oral care as simply a comfort measure to an effective intervention to lower costs, for both the patients and the hospital, and prevent the development of pneumonia.
As I started my new journey of becoming a dental hygienist, I came into the program with no background of dental. I came into this program with an open mind and willing to embrace new concepts as well as develop new skills. During my time at the Canadian Academy of Dental Hygiene (CADH), I learned that as a dental hygienist that I am committed to promoting and helping each individual achieve their optimal oral health goals. In support of my client’s goals, I may assume any or all of the roles included in the dental hygiene scope of practice. My goal throughout this program was to help my clients achieve their optimal oral health goals through education, health promotion and providing preventive and clinical therapy.
WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION, 1997. Tabular list of neurological and related disorders. In: WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION, ed. Application of the International Classification of Diseases to Neurology. Canada: World Health Organisation, p. 153.
According to ALS Association (2016, para. 1), “Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis eventually leads to their demise.” When our motor neurons die, our brain can no longer control our muscle movement. The survival time for a person living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is up to ten years because eventually a person’s body will shut down completely. According to the Mayo Clinic (2016, para. 2), “As the disease advances and nerve cells are destroyed, your muscles progressively weaken. This eventually affects chewing, swallowing, speaking and breathing.” This disease is very scary to live with because you eventually die from
As motor neurons degenerate, this obviously means they can no longer send impulses to the muscle fibers that otherwise normally result in muscle movement. Early symptoms of ALS often include increasing muscle weakness, especially involving the arms and legs, speech, swallowing or breathing. When muscles no longer receive the messages from the motor neurons that they require to function, the muscles begin to atrophy (become smaller). Limbs begin to look thinner as muscle tissue atrophies (Choi, 1988).
Spinal Muscular Atrophy affects about 8 out of every 100,000 live births and also causes death among more babies than any other genetic disease out there. About one in every forty people has this gene in them but may not have SMA so they are a genetic carrier. But in order for a child to have SMA, both parents have to carry the mutated gene and passed it to the child. Therefore this causes the child to have double copies of the abnormal gene. About 1 in 40 men and 1 in 80 women are carriers of the gene.
Goldmann, David R., and David A. Horowitz. American College of Physicians Home Medical Guide to Parkinson's Disease. New York: Dorling Kindersley Pub., 2000. Print.
The average lifespan of an individual with DMD is of about 18 years old. Some of the most common causes of death are heart failure, respiratory failure or infection and airway obstruction.
Parkinson disease begins after the age of 40 years, with peak age of onset between 58 and 62 years. It is slightly more prevalent in males. This disease is one of the most prevalent of the primary CNS disorders and a leading cause of neurologic disability in individuals older than 60 years. The prevalence rate is 107 to 187 per 100,000 persons, with 40,000 new cases in the United States each year.
The Faculty of General Dental Practice is responsible for continued professional development of dental clinicians. It is committed to improving standards of patient care within dentistry by providing up to date publications and guidelines for clinicians. The standards and guidelines by the FGDP are evidence based and are recognised as authoritative statements of good practice within the profession (REF). The FGDP have produced standards and evidence-based guidelines detailing the Selection Criteria for Dental Radiography (REF).
Walton, Sir John. Brain’s Diseases of the Nervous System. 9th ed. Oxford University Press. Oxford: 1985.
Where and how this deadly disease originated is unknown, but it was first identified in 1869, by the noted French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. ALS is not contagious, but research is still vague on the cause of the disease. Today, there are three recognized forms of ALS: genetic, sporadic, and Guamanian. The genetic form of ALS appears to be inherited or passed down within a family, and about ten percent of ALS patients have a family history of the disease. An abnormal gene has been located in about half these families, but the cause of the remaining half is still unknown. The next, most common form, is sporadic ALS. These patients have no family history of disease, and the cause of their coming down with ALS is a mystery. Finally, is Guamanian ALS, called this because a high percentage of cases occur in the Pacific Islands near Guam.
The overview definition of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is defined in the Medical Dictionary for Allied Health as a “progressive degenerative disease of the lateral columns of the spinal cord leading to weakness paralysis and death (Breskin, 2008).” This definition is brief but by looking at this one helps to better define the disease, which follows. ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig disease the progressive destruction is of the motor neuron this results in muscular atrophy. The nerve cells effected are from the brain to the spinal cord and the spinal cord to the peripheral these are the nerves that control muscle movement. ALS affects muscles that are controlled by conscious thought, this includes arms, legs, and trunk muscles. ALS leaves sensation, thought processes, the heart muscle, digestive system, bladder, and other internal organs unaffected.
In the Dental Hygiene field, many challenges come about every day and during different situations. Every day there are new challenges and unusual situations that occur in the dental field, but one challenge that continues to come about and has been a big dispute over the years is the ability to provide beneficial information about oral health care for the underprivileged. For the individuals that are not fortunate enough to pay to have services done in the dental office, lack the knowledge of how important good oral health care is. They do not receive the one on one conversations explaining the significance of taking care of your teeth and gums that the patients who can afford to make appointments and receive essential services do. That
Pursuing a career in the dental public health field was a decision influenced by many factors starting by my passion for research. One of the main reasons for applying for my dental public health residency at Columbia University is the fact that it has a great research program, which is ranked among the top research facilities in the world. Columbia university’s dental public health residency department possess ample opportunities for research for those motivated to take advantage enough to r...