Study: Cause of periodontitis related to type 2 diabetes

Modulating the responses of B cells in blood cells may effectively treat or prevent the symptoms of type 2 diabetes and periodontitis simultaneously, according to a new study in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology (August 2014, Vol. 96:2, pp. 349-357). The study by Boston researchers revealed that B cells, an important blood cell involved in human immune response, promote inflammation and bone loss in type 2 diabetes-associated periodontal disease. The

Habits that Affect Teeth

All of us follow different habits, things that we have been doing for years; some habits make our life easier and others are simply done for no apparent reason. Throughout the month of July we learn of different habits that can harm or destroy our teeth; we learned how to prevent these and protect our smile. In the blog we discuss dental procedures, oral pathologies, talking about traveling and even

Many obese parents don’t see their obese kids as unhealthy

A new study is getting widespread attention for its look at the way obese parents view the health of their obese children. As many as one-third of obese parents who had obese children in the study failed to recognize their child’s condition as a health problem, according the results published by the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (June 20, 2014). The results create a conundrum for health

AAE publishes clinical guide for saving natural teeth

The American Association of Endodontists (AAE) has published the new Treatment Options for the Compromised Tooth: A Decision Guide. The full-color guide includes 13 new cases and more than 100 images demonstrating successful endodontic treatment in difficult clinical situations. The guide is designed to encourage dentists to assess all possible endodontic treatment options before recommending extraction of a compromised tooth, according to the organization. The guide can help dentists evaluate

CT Scans

Medicine and technology have advance to extraordinary levels in recent years. Today hospitals all over the world have cutting edge technologies, technologies that were once only though to exist in television or science fiction films. Examples of these are: lasers, specials valves for the heart, electronic aspirins and in recent years CT-Scans. CT Scans CT Scans stands for computerized tomography, in other words this item can produce tomographic images of

Refusal to immunize kids linked to refusal of fluoride treatment

Caregivers who refuse to have their children immunized are also likely to refuse fluoride treatments for them, citing concerns about the safety of topical fluoride, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health (July 2014, Vol. 104:7 pp. 1327- 1333). Donald Chi, DDS, PhD, an associate professor in the department of oral health sciences at the University of Washington School of Dentistry in Seattle, studied

Caries bacterium has altered genetically, linked to diet changes

As genetic tools have improved and made it possible to confirm the presence of the bacteria responsible for some of the diseases observed in ancient human remains, researchers have turned their attention to one of the principal bacteria that causes caries. International researchers have sequenced genetic material from Streptococcus mutans in populations from the past for the first time, leading to the discovery that S. mutans has increased the changes

Univ. of Maryland awarded $10.7M grant to study STDs

The University of Maryland School of Dentistry and School of Medicine jointly announced that they have received a five-year $10.7 million grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health to study the causes, prevention, and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The grant, which renews a previous $12 million five-year NIAID-funded research program, represents a new direction for the research

Image Gently in Dentistry: Child-size x-ray dose for kids

There is no doubt that radiographs help dentists care for children. However, when we image, radiation dose does matter. Children are more sensitive to ionizing radiation than are adults, and what we do now lasts their lifetime. So when we image children, let’s “Image Gently!” Image courtesy of the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging. This is the message that the new Image Gently in Dentistry campaign will launch

Antipain agent shrinks oral cancers without damaging healthy tissue

Mouse models of human oral cancer treated with capsazepine showed dramatic tumor shrinkage without damage to surrounding tissues, according to a new study in Oral Oncology (May 2014, Vol. 50:5, pp. 437-447). Late diagnosis, low survival Oral squamous cell carcinoma is the eighth most common cancer in the U.S. with 40,000 new cases and nearly 8,000 deaths reported annually. Cara Gonzales, DDS, PhD. “These tumors develop primarily on the side

Black Hairy Tongue

You are about to go out with your friends; it’s been a long week and you are ready to rest. However, as you are getting ready you notice something weird in your tongue; your tongue has turned a dark color and you begin to feel a burning sensation. This burning sensation becomes harsh and you decide to take pain-killer, unfortunately these have little effect. At the event, you face several

Septodont donates to NCOHF

Septodont has donated more than $138,000 in sealant and anesthesia reversal products to the National Children’s Oral Health Foundation (NCOHF): America’s ToothFairy program. The products are distributed to America’s ToothFairy Affiliate clinical programs and reach at-risk children across the U.S. The company donated more than 1,000 Toothfairy Pit & Fissure Sealant Kits and Oraverse anesthesia reversal products. The America’s ToothFairy Affiliate network consists of community-based, nonprofit programs dedicated to providing