February 1997 is National Children's Dental Health Month. February is also heart month. So, let's see what dental and cardiac sites we can find. These sites are intended to provide information and educational material and are not designed to provide medical advice. As always, please consult your own health care provider regarding any medical issues. 

WebDental is "The World's Premiere Dental Resource." The site contains a listing of over 170,000 practices and individual dentists in the United States. You can research a topic of your choice, or link to other dental resources. This site would also be an excellent source of information for dentists wanting to get online. http://www.webdental.com/ 

Dental-Related Internet Resources contains over 1000 dental-related sites, such as educational sites, dental labs, dental care, insurance, mailing lists, and general information. http://www.dental-resources.com/ 

SMILEDOC.COM On-line Dental Information contains tips for healthy teeth, free multimedia dental software for children, articles by experts, and a place to ask the dentist a question. You can even experience virtual reality by rotating a tooth in 3-D space! http://www.catalog.com/cgibin/var/dentist/index.html 

Now let's go to cardiac resources. The American Heart Association's site includes a simple test to see if you're at risk for heart disease. You'll get answers on what you can do right now to reduce your risk. The site contains information about healthy living, including nutrition and fitness. You'll also find references to scientific statements and treatment guidelines. http://www.amhrt.org/ 

Congenital Heart Disease Information and Resources provides information to families of children with congenital and acquired heart disease, adults with CHD, and the professionals who work with them. The site includes a Teens Lounge, a Family Room, and Resources for Nurses. http://www.tchin.org/ 

The Heart Information Network is an educational Web site that provides a wide range of information and services to heart patients and others interested in learning about lowering risk factors for heart disease. You'll find patient stories, resources, a Lipid Clinic Directory, heart news, and how to determine and reduce your risk. The site sponsors a contest for Heart Patient of the Year which contains a $5,000 award. http://www.heartinfo.org/ 

Ask the doctors individual questions at the Heart Homepage, or sign up to receive a free quarterly newsletter called, "Take Your Health to Heart." Read the twenty most frequently asked questions about heart disease. http://www.hearthome.com/ 

Heart to Heart Volunteers is a program developed to support and educate heart patients and their spouses during and after hospitalization. The site features an index to articles pertaining to Ask the Doctor, Chief Surgeon's Corner, Heart Health, Heart Smart Recipes, and more. http://www.csusm.edu/public/guests/hhv/ 

Martindale's Health Science Guide features a Cardiology & Pulmonary Virtual Medical Center. The site includes medical dictionaries, on-line medical journals, interactive patient cases, and seemingly endless resources. http://www-sci.lib.uci.edu/~martindale/MedicalCardio.html 

At The Heart, learn how to have a healthy heart, the developmental process of the heart, the history of the heart, and information about blood vessels and the pulmonary system. http://sln2.fi.edu/biosci/TOC.biosci.html

Jonathan Tward's Multimedia Medical Reference Library, Cardiology and Cardiovascular Resources is a fantastic source of information about the heart. From the main menu, do a search for heart, then look for the Cardiology and Cardiovascular reference. http://www.med-library.com/

Your chances for developing heart disease depend on a variety of habits and risk factors. Take the Stanford Heart Disease Risk Questionnaire to determine your risk for chronic cardiovascular disease. You'll answer questions pertaining to your smoking habits, your weight, your activity level, and more. http://healthlink.stanford.edu/

Next week, we'll look for sites on college admissions and financial aid. See you then!

Robin Nobles is a freelance writer who can be reached at robinnobles@robinsnest.com.

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