Does dentistry need to shake up its approach to gum disease?

Identifying patients at greater risk of having active and progressing periodontal disease remains challenging, so it may be time for a new approach, according to a commentary published on May 4 in the Journal of the American Dental Association. Having access to new tools and resources, including point-of-care testing, that focus on biomarkers of periodontal disease activity could result in earlier and improved decisions regarding treatment, prognosis, and recall scheduling,

Oral Health During Pregnancy

Congratulations on your new path to maternity. Motherhood is unique – it’s characterized by beautiful experiences in which you get to know and explore yourself more in both psychological and physical ways than before, as well as experiencing physiological changes which are not to be ignored. In order for you to live through your pregnancy in the healthiest ways possible, preventive medicine and routine check-ups are a must, including those

$424K grant will study how to get doctors to apply fluoride

The U.S. National Institutes of Health awarded a $424,000 grant to researchers at Kennesaw State University in Georgia to assess and reduce barriers associated with pediatricians applying fluoride varnish to children’s teeth. Though insurance in every state in the U.S. will pay for pediatricians to apply fluoride varnish to children’s teeth, very few do it due to concerns about time and cost-effectiveness, Christina Scherrer, PhD, the study’s principal investigator and

Amend Surgical gets funding for dentistry tissue tape

Medical device company Amend Surgical has finalized funding with two organizations to accelerate the development of a tissue tape that can be used as an alternative to traditional sutures in dental procedures. Amend has finalized a deal with the Institute for Commercialization of Florida Technology. Amend was previously awarded product development funding from the Michigan-Pittsburgh-Wyss Regenerative Medicine Resource Center, which was established by the U.S. National Institute of Dental and

Week in Review: Hot topics about gum disease | Dentist charged in $5M plot | Conflicting fluoride information

Dear DrBicuspid Member, Are antibiotics needed for gum disease? A $2.4 million grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research will conduct a clinical trial to explore the use of antibiotics in combination with other therapies to treat this serious gum infection. The details are covered in our top story of the week. In other hygiene-related news, people with periodontal disease are at greater

Woman develops air in skull after debridement procedure

A 62-year-old woman developed a life-threatening presence of air within her skull when a dental clinic used an air-polishing device to perform submucosal debridement to treat her peri-implantitis lesion, according to a case report published May 3 in Clinical and Experimental Dental Research. Two seconds after the device was turned on, the patient complained of extreme discomfort in her face and head. Computed tomography (CT) scans revealed air in the

Erika Babikow receives outstanding essay award

Designer braces company WildSmiles Braces will present Dr. Erika Babikow with a $1,000 outstanding essay award during the American Association of Orthodontists conference, which is being held May 21-24 in Miami. Dr. Erika Babikow. Image courtesy of WildSmiles Braces. Babikow is currently a second-year resident at the University of North Carolina. She received her dental degree from the University of Pittsburgh. Her essay discussed her personal approach to orthodontic care and

Mothers get conflicting messages on fluoride

Mothers often receive conflicting information about the use of fluoride to promote healthy teeth, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. This conflicting information, some of which is false, makes it difficult for them to make oral health decisions for their children. The study, led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, included interviews with 126 mothers of young children in Pennsylvania and West

Do e-bikes lead to more maxillofacial fractures?

Maxillofacial injuries due to electronic bicycle (e-bike) accidents may be more severe than conventional cycling accidents, according to a study published in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. However, patient characteristics play a more crucial role than type of bicycle in these fractures. Bicycle-related accidents often result in maxillofacial injury. With the increased use of e-bikes, the study authors believe that there is a need to study the epidemiological

Naltrexone reduced woman’s burning mouth syndrome pain

A 62-year-old woman with stubborn burning mouth syndrome (BMS) experienced a significant decrease in pain after taking the opioid antagonist naltrexone daily. The case report was published on April 30 in Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology. Taking low-dose naltrexone (LDN) may offer a new way to treat this syndrome that produces a painful, chronic intraoral burning sensation but has no identifiable local or systemic cause. Improvements

Southern Calif. surgeons give patients jaw in a day

Surgeons from Cedars-Sinai, a nonprofit hospital serving the Los Angeles area, and the Los Angeles Center for Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, are one of a handful of teams in the U.S. giving patients jaw replacements complete with dental implants in one day. Typically with jaw reconstruction surgery, a bone is taken from a patient’s lower leg and fashioned into a new jaw, but teeth aren’t added. Later, patients can have

Are antibiotics needed for gum disease? A $2.4M trial will find out

A $2.4 million grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) will conduct a clinical trial that explores the use of antibiotics in combination with other therapies to treat periodontal disease. Dentists often use systemic antibiotics in combination with deep cleanings to treat periodontal disease; however, the data are unclear about the benefit of antibiotics. With the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains