American Academy of Pediatrics calls fluoride study into question

In this column, which originally ran on the website Ilikemyteeth.org, a team of writers from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Campaign for Dental Health (CDH) collected responses about a newly released study that linked fluoride in drinking water with hypothyroidism. Health and medical experts are raising concerns about a newly released study that linked fluoride in drinking water with hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid gland doesn’t produce

IADR 2015: Study pinpoints brain regions involved in dental pain

Swiss researchers have linked dental pain relief with changes in activity and connectivity in certain parts of the brain, suggesting a distinct role for these brain regions in alleviating dental pain. The researchers presented their findings at this week’s International Association for Dental Research (IADR) 2015 General Session. In the placebo-controlled, age-matched functional MRI (fMRI) study, 28 men with a mean age of 27 years had repetitive electric stimuli applied

7 Reasons You Will Want to Drink A Glass Of Water with Lemon In the Morning

Recently one of our patients came and ask us about the benefits and risks of drinking water with lemon. Today, many health and fitness enthusiasts drink hot lemon water, they say that this drink can assist with weight loss, cleanse your body, stimulate digestive enzymes, stimulate your immune system, and many other benefits. However what many of these health and fitness enthusiasts don’t take into consideration are the possible oral

IADR 2015: Less-abrasive dentifrice matches regular fluoride version

BOSTON – U.K. researchers found that an experimental ultralow-abrasivity dentifrice performed similarly to a regular fluoride dentifrice for maintaining gingival health and controlling supragingival plaque and extrinsic stain, according to a poster presented on March 13 at the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) 2015 General Session. In a single-center, randomized controlled study, 134 subjects participated over a 12-week period. The subjects received a dental prophylaxis and were randomized to

Bisco introduces new tooth etchants

Bisco Dental Products has released two new etchants designed for use in etching tooth structure prior to bonding. Uni-Etch and Etch-37 are offered with the antimicrobial agent benzalkonium chloride in a 30-mL bulk syringe system, the company said. The two new products are 32% and 37% semigel phosphoric acid etchants, respectively. Uni-Etch and Etch-37 will allow practitioners to etch enamel and dentin prior to bonding, and they are specifically formulated

IADR 2015: 3D models from MRI data similar to those from CBCT scans

BOSTON – In a March 13 oral session at the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) 2015 General Session, researchers discussed how 3D models of condyles built from MRI scans yielded similar volume and shape as models built from conebeam CT (CBCT) scans. Researchers from the departments of orthodontics at the University of North Carolina and the University of Michigan obtained a total of 10 condyles using both CBCT and

IADR 2015: Computer-controlled anesthesia delivery shows low pain ratings

BOSTON – In a poster presented at the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) 2015 General Session, a group from Italy showed how a new computer-controlled local anesthesia delivery system resulted in low patient pain ratings during injection procedures. In addition, patients were willing to pay an additional fee for painless anesthesia, the researchers found. Dino Re and colleagues in the department of oral rehabilitation at the University of Milan

IADR 2015: Outpatients have poor oral health

BOSTON – How is the periodontal health of potentially at-risk patients who visit outpatient clinics in Hong Kong? This topic was addressed in a poster presented on March 13 at the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) 2015 General Session. Researchers reported that patients presenting to outpatient clinics generally had poor oral hygiene, gingival inflammation, poor periodontal status, and relatively poor oral health-related quality of life. The group surveyed patients

Study: Graphene could help fight caries, perio disease

Researchers in China have discovered that a material called graphene oxide is effective at eliminating cariogenic bacteria, some of which have developed antibiotic resistance, according to a study in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (February 23, 2015). Zisheng Tang and colleagues noted that dentists often prescribe traditional antibiotics to get rid of bacteria that cause caries or periodontal disease. But with the rise in antibiotic resistance, new approaches are needed

IADR 2015: Surface sealing doesn’t affect staining, discoloration

BOSTON – A poster presentation at the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) 2015 General Session showed how surface sealing had no noticeable effect on surface staining and discoloration of composites. The research team from the Islamic Tehran Azad University of Dentistry in Tehran, Iran, noted that color stability of tooth-colored restoration material is a noticeable issue in cosmetic dentistry. Also, discoloration of resin composites is one of the most

IADR 2015: UV light may improve bond strength in restorations

BOSTON – In a poster presented on Thursday at the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) 2015 General Session, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco described their work on improving bond strength in composite restorations. The researchers used riboflavin activated with ultraviolet A (UVA) light to cross-link dentinal collagen for both “sound” and caries-affected dentin when total-etch adhesives are used. This UVA-based cross-linking method may be applied to

3M Unitek adds AlastiK ligatures to Incognito

3M Unitek has launched AlastiK lingual ligatures, specifically designed for the Incognito appliance system. Enabling faster and easier ligation, the ligatures are the latest upgrades to the Incognito system, including Incognito clear precision trays and customization for the Forsus fatigue resistant device, according to a press release. They provide ease of use, efficiency, and patient comfort during lingual treatment. Available in March, the ligatures improve ease of lingual bracket ligation