Statins may reduce periodontal disease severity

NEW YORK (Reuters Health), May 28 – People taking cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins may be protecting their gums as well as their hearts, according to new research from Finland. Patients with periodontal disease who were taking statins had significantly less diseased gum tissue than those who weren’t on the drugs, indicating less inflammatory injury, Dr. Otso Lindy of the University of Helsinki and colleagues found. “Untreated periodontal pockets may serve

Lasers treat gum disease with positive results

Photodisinfection — which combines low-intensity laser energy and microbiological stains to target and destroy microbial pathogens — continues to demonstrate its effectiveness in the treatment of chronic adult periodontitis. According to Ondine Biopharma, the Vancouver-based company commercializing this technology under the product name Periowave, results from the Canadian Multi-Center Gum Disease Trial demonstrate that photodisinfection compares favorably to traditional scaling and root planing for the treatment of periodontal disease. The

Studies find link between tooth loss and cancer

Do your patients roll their eyes when you press them about their brushing and flossing habits? Researchers this month provided yet another compelling reason why they should take you seriously. Three new studies suggest a strong correlation between periodontal disease, tooth loss, and an increased risk of developing cancer. In the May issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention (May 2008, Vol. 17:5, pp. 1222-1227), researchers from Aichi Cancer Center

New report assesses state of orthodontic industry

Much as we’d like, it’s not often we have the opportunity to gaze into a crystal ball and see the future of orthodontics (or anything else, for that matter). Research and Markets of Dublin, Ireland, offers the next best thing with its new report, “Orthodontic Patient Volume Trends: US Market Assessment.” The report includes results from an online survey of 99 orthodontists conducted between February 25 and March 3, 2008,

Gum with bark to take bite out of bad breath

CHICAGO (Reuters), May 21 – Magnolia bark extract — a traditional Chinese medicine — may be the newest weapon in the war on bad breath. Chewing gum maker Wm Wrigley Jr. Co. said on Tuesday that it has added a bit of this germ-killing compound to their Eclipse gum and mints. The hope is to not simply mask bad breath, as most strongly flavored mints and gums do, but to

UCLA orthodontics resident resigns, citing harassment

A resident who accused the orthodontics program at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Dentistry of demanding donations from applicants has resigned from the program, the Daily Bruin student newspaper reported May 15. In his resignation letter addressed to department chair Kang Ting, D.M.D., Ph.D., Kent Ochiai, D.D.S. “alleges that Ting unfairly took away his clinic patients, limited his access to study materials, halted his progress in

First Beijing death linked to China virus outbreak

BEIJING (Reuters), May 14 – China’s capital has recorded its first death from an outbreak of hand, foot, and mouth disease as authorities try to contain the spread of a potent virus just three months before the city hosts the Olympic Games. Beijing Health Bureau spokeswoman Deng Xiaohong said a 13-month-old boy from the city’s northern Changping District died on the way to a hospital on Sunday. Hubei province to

Lasers blaze new paths for GDs

After 10 years of practice, Todd Meeks, D.D.S., was burnt out on dentistry. Then he saw the light at the end of the tunnel — and it was coming from the end of a carbon diode laser. Speaking at the 24th annual meeting of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) last week in New Orleans, this general dentist from Fort Wayne, Ind., described how lasers have changed his practice,

Local anesthetic-reversal drug approved

Can you say, “the sixth sheik’s sixth’s sheep’s sick?” Maybe so, but many of your patients can’t when they leave your office. Now you can legally inject them with a drug to make such tongue twisters (and normal eating and speaking) possible much quicker, according to Novalar Pharmaceuticals of San Diego. The FDA has approved the use of phentolamine mesylate as the first-ever drug for reversing local anesthesia, the company

China reports two more deaths from child virus

BEIJING (Reuters), May 9 – China reported two more deaths on Thursday from a severe strain of hand, foot, and mouth disease, bringing its toll from the outbreak to 30, all of them young children, Xinhua news agency reported. Hand, foot, and mouth is a common childhood illness, but the current outbreak has led to fatalities in China, mostly when linked with enterovirus 71 (EV71), which can cause a severe

Confronting ‘meth mouth’

As more and more Americans abuse crystal methamphetamine, the effects are showing up on their teeth. And that poses a moral challenge for U.S dentists, says Mitchell Goodis, D.D.S., a Diamond Springs, CA., general dentist. “Meth abuse is an ongoing, growing problem among high-school students, many of whom see a dentist regularly and are not diagnosed despite readily apparent symptoms,” Dr. Goodis told a standing-room-only audience at the California Dental

Planning for the maturing face

Does the human body stop growing once we reach our late teens or early 20s, as most of us assume? Recent studies indicate that soft-tissue and skeletal patterns in the nose, lips, and ears grow continuously throughout our lives. In fact, the actual maturation process of longitudinal soft tissue continues from 18 to 42 years of age, according to David Sarver, D.M.D., M.S., a Birmingham, Ala., orthodontist and adjunct professor