Human papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted infection and is a major cause of cervical, vulvar, vaginal, penile, anal, and oropharyngeal cancers.  Vaccination can reduce significantly the risk of infection and subsequent cancer. According to the director of Snohomish County Public Health, only 30% of Snohomish County’s 11-12 year olds have initiated the HPV series and only 9% have completed the series.  By age 13-17, the rates are only 44% initiated and 24% completed.  The CDC, Washington State Department of Health, and Snohomish Health District are committed to increasing vaccination rates. To that end, I urge our Stanwood-Camano, Arlington, and… [ Read More ]

Everyday in our practice, we interview and screen patients for heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). We can identify heartburn on the teeth where acid has eroded potholes into the teeth. Often, we can diagnose GERD before a patient or their physician is aware of it. We counsel and refer patients for the proper care when GERD is suspected, and we reinforce how GERD can be a contributing factor not only to tooth damage, but also to some types of oral and pharyngeal cancers. Now some new information has come to light. The link between chronic GERD and some head… [ Read More ]