In this episode of Weekly Wisdom, Dr. Sanj Mohanta discusses how to treat decay without a drill. Subscribe to Oral Health’s weekly e-newsletter to have the latest episode delivered straight to your inbox every week!
New studies are identifying the key microbes and their interactions which cause a cavity. Essentially, we now know that dental decay is a “poly-microbial disease”, meaning the destruction of the tooth is caused by many different microorganisms and their complex interaction. Very promising stuff. We also know that a person experiencing a cavity or needing … Read more
In his popular new book “Happy Gut,” Dr. Vincent Pedre argues that chronic health problems can often be traced to the digestive system and fixed by changing the microbes in our gut. An upset digestive system is, according to Dr. Pedre, an imbalance between the good and bad bugs in the gut, including bacteria, yeasts … Read more
A new study in the journal Medicine reports that the bacteria initiating dental decay is also found on the heart valves of patients with heart disease. Nothing new here. Other studies have shown that Streptococcus mutans to be the dominant microorganism in diseased arterial plaque. (The picture above has blue chains of bacteria which are … Read more
A new review of dental studies found that traditional risk factors for caries in adults are wanting in terms of accuracy. The best conventional predictors are recent experience with this disease and salivary concentrations of Streptococcus mutans; but even these, when used singularly are not robust. Because major payers of dental services are starting to … Read more
More studies are showing that a small segment of the community needs medical care on an ongoing basis. This pattern is called persistent care and it seems to be associated to those with more than one chronic condition. It may well apply to the chronic diseases in the mouth too. Our surveys report that 1 in … Read more
As the population ages and science marches on, we are seeing significant connections between chronic diseases. One big one is diabetes and dental decay — diabetes increases the risk of having oral health problems two-fold. And another is chronic inflammatory bowel disease and dental decay. A new study which tracked Swedish adults for several years … Read more
A new report on early childhood caries in the UK shows how serious this disease really is: •Tooth extraction, mainly under General Anaesthesia (GA), is the main reason for hospital admissions of 5–9 year old children in the UK •Repeat treatments are frequent (20%-25% of cases). So, the report interviewed 18 family dentists in the … Read more
A new study found that Parkinson’s patients have up to 10 times more untreated decay than a healthy peer. And they live in the community on average for 15 years before being institutionalized. So, most every dental team has a few Parkinson’s patients, or at least, patients with preclinical symptoms to Parkinson’s. A recent study … Read more
A new study of middle aged adults in America reports that over 18 months, low risk adults got very little to no decay and high risk adults got between 2 and 3 new cavities. How did the study separate these risk groups? It found the following factors were significant: •visible, heavy dental plaque •frequent snacking … Read more
This statement concluded an e-mail from a manager of dental benefits at a Canadian company. It shows the commitment by patients to reach a state of better oral health. This same sentiment has been revealed in all our patient surveys — indeed, 1 in 5 patients say they will change dentists to get more preventive … Read more
Tooth decay may be even worse than originally thought.Sadly, dental caries (cavities) in young children is commonly untreated. In addition to causing damage and loss of teeth, a new study has found that it can stunt a child’s growth. The study was published online on February 17 in the journal Pediatrics by researchers at King … Read more
Surveys of adult patients in the waiting rooms of UK and Ontario dental practices show that almost half are age 50+. That means that 1 in 4 patients are women entering or experiencing menopause. In the current issue of the Australian Dental Journal, a study shows that women in menopause produce significantly less saliva when … Read more
Fluorescence mainly an adjunct for occlusal caries detection By Kathy Kincade, Editor in Chief DrBicuspid – April 2, 2012 — While fluorescence-based caries detection devices have been shown to offer clinical decision-making support, visual inspection should continue to be the primary detection method for occlusal caries, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Dental Association. Visual … Read more
by George Freedman DDS, FAACD, FADFE, FACD 1. The excavation of deep decay with a metal carbide bur carries the risk of not only removing infected dentin, but also unintentionally cutting away affected dentin. 2. This may cause an inadvertent iatrogenic pulp exposure. 3. Smart Burs 2 … Read more
From WebDental – Dr. Carey Feuerman – January 14, 2012 Scientists are reporting identification of two substances in licorice — used extensively in Chinese traditional medicine — that kill the major bacteria responsible for tooth decay and gum disease, the leading causes of tooth loss in children and adults. In a study in ACS’ Journal of … Read more
From Cosmetic Dentistry News It goes without saying that some enterprising marketer will put this material in Play-Doh and plastercine (do they still manufacture plactercine?)… Zion Health, a San Francisco-based company specializing in natural clay minerals cosmetic and hygienic products has announced ClayBrite toothpaste will now be available for purchase at Noah’s Natural Health Food … Read more
by Kathy Jones on December 22, 2011 at 7:28 PM Researchers from the University of Missouri have developed a new Plasma Brush that promises to help dentists clean and disinfect the cavities for fillings without any pain to the patients. The brush has been developed by the researchers in collaboration with Nanova Inc. The researchers … Read more
Baelum, V., Hintze, H., Wenzel, A., Danielsen, B. and Nyvad, B. (2011), Implications of caries diagnostic strategies for clinical management decisions. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0528.2011.00655.x Abstract – Objectives: In clinical practice, a visual–tactile caries examination is frequently supplemented by bitewing radiography. This study evaluated strategies for combining visual–tactile and radiographic caries detection methods and determined their … Read more
Lotta chatter about dentistry on the news shows these days…this from ABC news By the time a dentist finds a cavity, that tooth has been through several stages of a chronic infectious disease called dental caries, where acids dissolve tooth enamel, letting bacteria inside. Unchecked, the tooth can die. Dentistry today focuses on early intervention to … Read more