Crown for the queen of the jungle

Spectacular dental procedure on a big cat in Denmark: The CEREC CAD/CAM technology was actually developed for humans but was successfully used for the first time on a lioness in a Danish zoo. Bensheim/Salzburg  – After Danish zoos received negative headlines in the press over the past few months, one Danish zoo is now attracting … Read more

Researchers Identify Aggressive Genes in Oral Cancer

Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have recently discovered a way to predict the aggressiveness of oral cancer tumors in mice which is an important step towards doing the same with cancer tumors in humans to guide treatment. “All patients with advanced head and neck cancer get similar treatments,” according … Read more

Ancient tooth plaque shows surprising use for common weed

Scientists examining dental plaques from prehistoric Sudanese skeletons say that purple nutsedge, today considered one of world’s worst weed, was not always a pest. By:Kate AllenScience and Technology reporter, Published on Wed Jul 16 2014. Donatella Usai / Centro Studi Sudanesi and Sub-Sahariani Scientists uncover a skeleton at a prehistoric gravesite in Sudan. Researchers say … Read more

Web-based community launched to counteract

A brand new, clinician-led, community-based health initiative that firmly targets the prevention of metabolic diseases, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, was launched in London yesterday.  The initiative, called Bite the Sun, aims to inspire radical changes in diet and lifestyle norms that have become customary in industrialised countries.  These are now widely accepted … Read more

Don’t Fear Technology

Technology around the world has grown exponentially over the past century. From the invention of the automobile, to ATMs, and the World Wide Web, technology has made our lives more efficient and has made the information we need extremely accessible. In the dental industry, we’ve seen our own technology grow by leaps and bounds. Instead … Read more

Tooth protein offers promise for bone regeneration

Patients suffering from osteoporosis or bone fractures might benefit from a new discovery of a protein that plays an important role in bone regeneration made by bioengineers at Queen Mary University of London. Normally found in the formation of enamel, which is an important component of teeth, the scientists discovered that a partial segment of … Read more

Dental cleanings improve lung function in COPD patients

The Canadian Lung Association reports that 10% of Canadians have lung disease or COPD.  Half of these 3 million Canadians have a formal diagnosis, the others simply struggle on with difficulty breathing. A growing number of studies have connected oral health to lung function. But only recently has there been a prospective controlled study to … Read more

Is Your Dental Office Compliant with the Canadian Anti-spam Legislation (CASL)

Effective July 1, 2014, there is another new legislation that has a direct affect on dental offices. It is the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). The CASL creates a new set of specific rules for email communications and marketing. This new legislation affects any message that encourages commercialism, that includes communications through social media, text, and … Read more

Boost those cavities, Ensure more replacement crowns

A recent article in the New York Times cautioned about the sugar content in those nutritional drinks taken by older Canadians. These drinks have the brands such as Boost and Ensure and are called by some geriatricians “liquid candy with vitamins.” As reported, one version of Boost contains 28 grams of sugar in an 8 … Read more

high blood pressure, diuretics and root caries risks

The most recent data on the prevalence of Americans for high blood pressure show that about 1 in 3 are hypertensive at mid-life, and over age 60, 2 out of 3 are. A preferred first-line method to manage blood pressure is diuretics. In this context, a recent Japanese study of institutionalized seniors found that the … Read more

Having a smoke and a coke

Two new studies show that a regular smoke and a coke put you at high risk of dental decay. The more you smoke the more caries over a 4 year period of observation of Finnish adults. The more you drink sugar-sweetened beverages, the more your decay experience over a similar period for Finnish adults. This … Read more

Chewing Gum Linked to Headaches

An interesting study and findings regarding a link between headaches and gum chewing has come from Tel Aviv University. The article was published in Pediatric Neurology and looked at 30 patients between 6 and 19 with chronic headache and who were big gum chewers. The patients were told to stop chewing gum. After 1 month, … Read more

Root Caries and Inflammation

A 4-year study of older Japanese men and women living in their homes has connected the number of root caries to systemic inflammation. Refer to Figure 1. This study also found a significant association between root caries and irregular heartbeat, allowing for other confounding variables. So what? What should the dental team do with this … Read more

who gets what and when?

Recently, one of our Partners in Prevention asked about whether all high-risk patients on Prevora need to continue with this preventive treatment past year 1. What were the markers, she asked, for continuation on maintenance preventive care? This is a good question, particularly as the number of patients with other chronic systemic diseases, grows in … Read more

Nutrition is key to oral, overall health

Nutrition is vital to a person’s oral health — and therefore to their overall health. Collaboration between registered dietitian nutritionists, dietetic technicians, registered and oral health-care professionals is recommended for health promotion, disease prevention and intervention, according to a new practice paper published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The practice paper “Oral Health … Read more

How to Perform a Workplace Violence Risk Assessment

The first step in all health and safety programs consists of a risk assessment of workplace hazards or potential hazards. The purpose of workplace violence assessment checklist is to assist employers with performing a workplace assessment of the risk of workplace violence that may arise from the nature of the workplace, type of work or … Read more

Prevora’s latest controlled study is published

A new peer-reviewed article in Acta Scandinavia Odontologica reviews the most recent controlled study of Prevora. This study is so far the largest randomized, multi-centre, double-blinded, placebo-controlled investigation of any preventive intervention for adult caries. It enrolled 983 adults who lived in the community and who had at least one cavity upon entering the study. … Read more

Why Whiten? 5 Reasons to Brighten Your Smile

We all have those times when we’re seeking some kind of life change. It can make a difference to shake things up, and to gain a new lease on life. But finding that source of renewed enthusiasm can be easier said than done. What if a dramatic transformation were possible with just one simple visit … Read more

Top Reasons To Floss Daily

Flossing is often overlooked by most people. However, it is an essential part of maintaining good dental hygiene and dental health. Below are the top reasons why you should floss your teeth every day… –Flossing Helps Avoid Periodontal Disease. Flossing is the important hygiene technique we can do to prevent development of periodontal disease. Food … Read more