Poor oral health is one of the most pressing, unmet health care issues facing Illinois children and adults today according to a new state oral health assessment report Oral Health in Illinois, the first comprehensive statewide oral health assessment ever completed. Tooth decay, dubbed “America’s silent epidemic” by the U.S. Surgeon General, disproportionately affects poor … Read more
Only 12 percent of older Americans have some form of dental insurance and fewer than half visited a dentist in the previous year, suggests new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research on Medicare beneficiaries. Insurance status appeared to be the biggest predictor of whether a person received oral health care: For those with … Read more
Few studies have described ZIKV manifestations in the mouth of infected patients. Recently, Brasil et al. reported local hyperemia and petechiae on the hard palate of an infected patient. 1 Some viruses are transmitted through saliva, including herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV1, HSV2) and cytomegalovirus (CMV). 2 Notably, HSV and ZIKV display … Read more
After revolutionising the design of vacuum cleaners, hair-dryers and standing fans, Dyson could now be looking to conquer the dental hygiene market. The British tech company has filed patents for a new electric toothbrush with built-in water jets capable of blasting away food debris from between your teeth, potentially doing away with the need to … Read more
Nearly 90 percent of patients at long-term care facilities don’t take advantage of dental services, even when they are free, a recent study by University at Buffalo researchers has found. The research, published last month in Special Care in Dentistry, found that the longer a patient stayed at a long-term care facility, such as a … Read more
A University of Rochester Medical Center study suggests that electronic cigarettes are as equally damaging to gums and teeth as conventional cigarettes. The study, published in Oncotarget, was led by Irfan Rahman, Ph.D. professor of Environmental Medicine at the UR School of Medicine and Dentistry, and is the first scientific study to address e-cigarettes and … Read more
Being struck by Cupid’s arrow can be good for your teeth. According to University of Queensland researcher Grace Branjerdporn, finding a soul mate puts a smile on your face in more ways than one. “We studied how the dynamics of our romantic relationships affect our oral health,” Ms Branjerdporn said. “We determined that those who … Read more
Pesticide exposure in farmworkers from agricultural communities is associated with changes in the oral microbiome. This is the first study to demonstrate such a correlation in humans. The research is published November 11th in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology. In the study, the investigators sampled oral swabs from … Read more
On November 14, Canadian dental hygienists will join more than 1 billion people worldwide in marking World Diabetes Day. As primary health care providers, dental hygienists are important members of the diabetes health care team. According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, 11 million Canadians are living with diabetes or prediabetes. These individuals are particularly susceptible … Read more
On Saturday, September 3, 2016, a group of strangers from across Ontario gathered at the Toronto airport. Their mission: head down to Negril, Jamaica to provide free dental treatment and education to impoverished Jamaicans. This was the second annual trip organized by Great Shape! Inc., the Sandals Foundation, and DMC LLP.1 The volunteer group included … Read more
Among the many health benefits of getting your teeth regularly checked? Less pneumonia, suggests new research to be presented at IDWeek 2016, a scientific conference on infectious diseases held annually. Researchers analyzed data taken from the 2013 version of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, which asks households how often they access routine health care services. … Read more
The impact of oral disease on whole-body health and the changes to the practice of dentistry worldwide are the subjects of The Future of Oral Heath, a new publication produced by Scientific American Custom Media, in collaboration with Colgate-Palmolive Company. The issue will launch on October 21st at the American Dental Association’s Annual Meeting in … Read more
People who suffer from migraines have long complained that certain foods trigger the severe headaches. New research suggests the culprit might be the amount of bacteria in the mouth. Researchers found that the mouths of people who suffer from migraines harboured significantly more of the microbes that break down nitrates found in certain foods. These bacteria play … Read more
Access to oral health care has increased since 2001, yet more children face urgent dental needs, according to a new study co-released today by Delta Dental of Kentucky and Kentucky Youth Advocates. The report, Making Smiles Happen: 2016 Oral Health Study of Kentucky’s Youth, presents findings of the first oral health surveillance study of Kentucky … Read more
For decades, research has suggested a link between oral health and inflammatory diseases affecting the entire body—in particular, heart attacks and strokes. The results released today from a randomized trial of a novel plaque identifying toothpaste, (Plaque HD), show statistically significant reductions in dental plaque and inflammation throughout the body. Inflammation throughout the body is … Read more
Mouth and throat cancers caused by the human papilloma virus have been rising steadily over the past two decades, with a “dramatic” increase among Canadian men, according to a new report from the Canadian Cancer Society. The special report on HPV-associated cancers, released Wednesday as part of the 2016 Canadian Cancer Statistics breakdown, says the … Read more
The California Dental Association Foundation’s volunteer dental event, CDA Cares, provided nearly $1.8 million in charitable dental services to 2,066 people Oct. 15-16 in Stockton. In addition to providing dental services at no charge to Californians who experience barriers to care, CDA Cares educates the public and policymakers about the importance of good oral health … Read more
“Superfood” – a term we are increasingly exposed to in our daily life. From food packaging, trendy beverage vendors and cafes, books promising a way to lose weight or live longer, or in the broader media, the term is everywhere. But what does it mean? What is a “superfood”? It is “a nutrient-rich food considered … Read more
Researchers have found that frequent recreational cannabis use—including marijuana, hashish, and hash oil—may be associated with elevated risk of periodontal disease (also known as gum disease). When compared to study participants who used cannabis less regularly, those who had used it at least once a month for a year demonstrated increased indicators of mild, moderate, … Read more
The provincial government may want to prevent municipalities from removing fluoride from their water supplies — but that doesn’t mean much for fluoride-free Windsor. Last week, the Ontario legislature passed a non-binding motion that would “remove the portions of the Ontario Municipal Act that allow a municipality to … opt out of fluoridation of its drinking water.” The … Read more