Doctors Stephen Zabinski, George Alber and Richard Islinger are trained in direct anterior hip replacement surgery at Shore Orthopaedic University Associates. Advocates of the procedure say it can mean faster recovery times.

Hip replacement may be needed if a patient has severe pain from an arthritic hip, a tumor in the hip joint or a fracture in the femur.

The majority of individuals in need of hip replacement are in their 60s and 70s. However, people in their late teens and in their 90s have hip replacement surgery as well.

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE – There’s a new clown at Cape Regional Medical Center.

On Feb. 25, Maria Leonard of Cape May Court House became the eighth graduate from the Bumper “T” Caring Clown Program at the hospital. She goes by Dr. Ann T. Pasta.

 The Cape May County Library plans to offer a wide variety of health and exercise courses, according to library officials.  Classes are free and registration is not required.

Classes will be held at the following libraries:

One in three adults in the United States say that at one time or another, they have gone online specifically to try to figure out what medical condition they or someone else might have; however, medical professionals are still most people’s top choice when they are dealing with a serious health concern, according to the results of a new survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project announced Jan. 15.

Spending time in the sun may be good for the teeth.

Researchers who took a second look at a series of clinical trials conducted on 2,000 children in several countries between the 1920s and 1980s have concluded that vitamin D, which we often garner from sunlight, was associated with around a 50 percent reduction in the incidence of tooth decay. The review was published in the December 2012 issue of Nutrition Reviews, according to the American Dental Association.

"My main goal was to summarize the clinical trial database so that we could take a fresh look at this vitamin D question," said Dr. Philippe Hujoel, professor at the University of Washington School of Dentistry.

The trials increased vitamin D levels in children through the use of supplemental ultraviolet radiation or by supplementing the children's diet with cod liver oil or other products containing the vitamin.

The subjects were children or young adults between 2 and 16 years old living in the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Austria, New Zealand or Sweden.

"Whether this is more than just a coincidence is open to debate," Hujoel said. "In the meantime, pregnant women or young mothers can do little harm by realizing that vitamin D is essential to their offspring's health. Vitamin D does lead to teeth and bones that are better mineralized."

He expressed caution about the findings, however.

"One has to be careful with the interpretation of this systematic review," Hujoel said.

"The trials had weaknesses which could have biased the result, and most of the trial participants lived in an era that differs profoundly from today's environment."

Learn more at http://www.ada.org/index.aspx.