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Guest Editorial
GP SPRING 2019 your blood sugar is high it increases the
amount of insulin released from you pan-
By Joseph DiDonato, III, DDS, MBA, FAGD
SPRING 2019
creas.” Now, at a time when insulin resis-
tance is a major problem, why would you
tain that nutritional
The Journal of the For those who main- manage that condition by increasing insu-
lin? Or, more importantly, allow high levels
counseling is outside
New York State Academy the domain of dentist- of sugar to exist in the body at all? The ma-
of General Dentistry ry, consider this. jority of patients are on medication to man-
age this problem.
New York State Academy of General Dentistry Are we to confine our
19-02 Whitestone Expressway, Suite 204 practice because of The conclusive way to deal with the
Whitestone, NY 11357 legacy concepts or problem is to recognize that excess sugar in
Telephone: 718-747-3353 do we innovate based the blood was never meant to happen on a
Fax: 718-747-3355 upon new research and our advanced educa- daily basis. We evolved a good mechanism
To Contact the NYSAGD, visit our website tion in the name of better patient care? to handle the occasional blood sugar bolus.
at www.nysagd.org On a continuous basis the liver becomes
Janice Pliszczak, DDS, MS, MBA, MAGD The definition of a professional is someone overloaded, creating non-alcoholic fatty
Editor who puts the client’s interests first. There- liver syndrome, then the body’s cells
Joseph DiDonato, III, DDS, MBA, FAGD fore, the hierarchy of practice decisions become insulin intolerant and the pancreas
Associate Editor should be patient care and then practice becomes overworked producing insulin
in higher and higher quantities. The result
Paula Bostick economic vitality. If that is true then why is type 2 diabetes- the inability to process
Executive Director aren’t we spending time talking about carbohydrates properly.
issues critical to patient health like obesity?
2021 Executive Council Is it because we aren’t paid to do it?
The answer is to reduce the carbs entering
President – Teresa Skalyo, DDS, FAGD Does a dependence on insurance reimburse- the system and allow the biochemical
404 W. William Street, Suite 1, Geneva, NY 14456 processes to reset, the so called “Keto” diet
ments or even the constructs of insurance
President-Elect –Shahram (Sean) Shekib, DDS, contracts undermine the practice hierarchy because it switches the liver into burning fat
JD, FAGD, FICD, FAADS, FPFA, FACD and limit our treatment menus? for energy- ketosis. As the influx of carbs
2178 63 Street, Brooklyn, NY 11204 decreases, the liver switches to creating
rd
Vice-President – Analia Veitz-Keenan, DDS Is part of the reluctance by practitioners to glucose from fat and glycogen stores.
NYU College of Dentistry, 345 East 24 Street, engage in this kind of advice because turn- Initially these stores are not visible, but with
th
Room 829S, New York, NY 10010 ing around patients’ nutritional habits seems longer periods of time, eventually fat around
Treasurer – Joseph DiDonato, III, DDS, MBA, FAGD to be a long-term goal that may not be do- the head, neck, and limbs decrease. With
680 South Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620 able in a dental practice setting? Or that the longer periods the fat in the midsection,
back and rump are consumed, yielding a
Secretary – James Keenan, DDS, MAGD scope of changing nutritional practices is leaner, slimmer physique. Research has
2709 Ocean Avenue, Suite A8, Brooklyn, NY 11229 too big a task?
shown that this reduces the blood pressure
Editor – Janice Pliszczak, DDS, MS, MBA, MAGD Do patients leave our practice underestimat- and results in a remarkable improvement in
4827 Broad Road, Syracuse, NY 13215 ing the severity of their condition or overes- energy levels and mental awareness.
National Trustee – Ira Levine, DDS, MAGD timating the life expectancy of their denti-
111 North Central Park Avenue, Suite 280, tion? And what about their overall health? People on “keto” diets report a reduction
Hartsdale, NY 10538 in craving and the urge to eat, mainly
Regional Director – Seung-Hee Rhee, DDS, MAGD Are we reluctant to have difficult con- because they are satisfied by protein, fats,
110 East 40 Street, Suite 102, New York, NY 10016 versations? A recent paper describes how fiber and natural carbohydrates found in
th
Immediate Past President – Berry Stahl, DMD author Mohammad Rafayet Ali created a foods. This is now a fat burning metabolism
4422 Third Avenue, Bronx, NY 10457 program to help train providers to commu- and it is perfectly suited for feeding the
nicate clearly with patients. The program brain and other tissues. Turning this
identifies “lecturing”—delivering a lot of system on depends on reducing the carbs
information— versus, “sentiment trajecto- that are consumed as part of a regulated
GP – Journal of the New York State Academy of ry”—using positive words and phrases in diet attentive to added sugars, whether as
General Dentistry is published twice a year by sucrose or high fructose corn syrup. In each
the New York State Academy of General Dentistry. ways associated with increased patient un- case the spike in insulin is enough to switch
The issues are mailed out in March and September derstanding.
to all the members of the New York State Academy off the fat burning metabolism and prevent
of General Dentistry and are available on-line Don’t we have an obligation to inform and the body from reducing fat stores. Whereas,
at www.nysagd.org. All correspondence should motivate? if the individual maintains a low carb diet,
be addressed to the Editor at 19-02 Whitestone there is ample evidence to show that they
Expressway, Suite 204, Whitestone, NY 11357. can have weight loss, weight maintenance
The views, opinions and recommendations We have a medical culture that tends to of-
expressed in this publication are those of the fer the difficult choices first, almost as an and metabolic health.
respective authors and are not necessarily afterthought- diet and exercise- and when
endorsed by the Academy of General Dentistry. Knowing this, why aren’t we presenting
Placement of an advertisement in GP – Journal that fails, as it usually does, prescribe drugs this information to help our patients adopt
of the New York State Academy of General to manage what we can’t do with discipline.
Dentistry does not indicate an endorsement So drugs like ozempic, which basically acts, a healthier lifestyle?
of its products or services by the Academy of “to slow the release of food from the stom-
General Dentistry. ach, (and then) helps to reduce the amount Inform and motivate.
of sugar released from your liver and when www.nysagd.org l Fall 2021 l GP 3