Blackberries May Lead to Healthy Gums

Written by Dentistry TodayMonday, 28 January 2013 12:23



Blackberries could be beneficial for one’s oral health.

A new study shows that this type of fruit could lead to healthy gums. The study appeared in the Journal of Periodontal Research. The study states that the antibacterial properties of blackberries lower the risk of gum disease and promote gum health.

There are also prior studies that have indicated the positive aspects of blackberries and claim they prevent cancerous cells from spreading.

Many studies have shown that eating a diet filled with fruits and vegetables is beneficial to one’s oral health. This type of diet can also lower the risk of developing oral cancer, diabetes and heart disease, among other health ailments.

Since good oral health leads to good overall health, it can be extremely beneficial for a person to implement blackberries into his or her diet.

Study on Chimps Questions Tooth Development Research

Written by Dentistry TodayTuesday, 29 January 2013 16:44



Tooth development and weaning in chimpanzees were thought to have a correlation—until now.

For more than two decades scientists concluded that juvenile primate tooth development had an impact on when the primates started to move on from their mother’s milk. But that isn’t true. The Harvard Department of Human Evolutionary Biology utilized high-resolution digital photographs of the chimpanzees to demonstrate that when the first molar appears, they continue to nurse.

The information appears in a January 28 paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Previous studies attempted to tie the correlation in chimpanzees to the way things play out in humans. But this study refutes that link.

Also, many previous chimpanzee studies involved captive animals or skeletons. Those studies proved to not be representative of most of the chimp population.

This study was different because it analyzed chimps in the wild and captive ones. Then, using advanced technology, the researchers were able to pinpoint the exact time in which the chimp’s molars erupted.

In this study, chimps still were interesting in nursing even after their first molar erupted. Essentially, they showed adult-like feeding behavior but still wanted to be nursed. The mothers sometimes have to fight off their children from nursing at that age. The reason for this behavior is unknown.

This study provides enough information for scientists to look to other species to determine a correlation involving tooth development and weaning that could be considered similar to human patterns.

New Method of Treating Children’s Tooth Decay Explored

Written by Dentistry TodayWednesday, 30 January 2013 15:27



A needleless, drill-free method of treating tooth decay may have been created by a New Zealand college.

University of Otago researchers generated this new treatment, called the Hall technique, for the purpose of limiting the anxiety of children when they visit the dentist.

There were around 190 children ages 5 through 8 studied to compile the data. About 100 children were treated by using this new method and the others were treated using conventional methods.

The new process includes the placement of a stainless steel crown over a baby molar to seal the decay instead of using a drill to take out the decay and then add a filling. With the new method, the decay stops or slows down because the tooth is deprived of nutrients. The crown stays in place until it naturally falls out with the tooth.

The new method resulted in less dental anxiety among those children compared to the ones treated with the more standard methods. The final numbers showed that about 90 percent of the children enjoyed their dental visit when treated with the new method compared to only about 52 percent who enjoyed their visit with traditional treatment.

The new method also is 20 minutes faster and more successful.

There could be an even greater impact in the future. If people enjoy their dental visits as children, they will be more likely to visit the dentist as they grow older.

More work, however, needs to be done to determine the exact reasons for the more enjoyable dental visits.

As it stands now, these crowns are more expensive that traditional amalgam or white fillings. In the long term, however, this method could be more cost effective based on the fact that the new treatment is successful at a higher rate.

The study was funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand.

Audit of Massachusetts Medicaid Program Reveals Questionable Claims

Audit of Massachusetts Medicaid Program Reveals Questionable Claims

Written by Dentistry TodayWednesday, 13 March 2013 13:02

Dental providers in Massachusetts may have made some faulty Medicaid claims.

A state audit has found that about $1.3 million in bad medical claims were made from January 2008 through June 2011.

The auditor, Suzanne Bump, claims that MassHealth needs to be more thorough when screening payments from dental providers.

Many of the questionable charges stem from detailed oral screenings, which are only allowed for patients undergoing radiation, chemotherapy or organ transplant, according to MassHealth regulations.

The audit, however, discovered that 10 dental providers billed that state and received payments for about 20,000 oral screenings involving patients not eligible for these types of oral screenings.

Roughly 2,000 dentists took part in the state’s dental program during the audit period

New Drug May Aid in Oral Cancer Treatment

New Drug May Aid in Oral Cancer Treatment

Written by Dentistry TodayThursday, 14 March 2013 15:37

There could be a new method to treat mouth sores normally associated with cancer.

Mouse model studies have shown that protein Smad7, when given genetically or topically, could thwart the mouth sores that develop in cancer patients.

Mouth sores are a major problem for some cancer patients. They can become so severe that feeding tubes are necessary for nutrition and painkillers are later needed. Roughly 40 to 70 percent of patients with upper-body radiation encounter this problem. And, unfortunately for these patients, there is no known treatment as of now.

The study involving this new protein appears in Nature Medicine.

The group of researchers would like to further explore the possibilities of Smad7 as a way to combat human oral mucositis. In some of the studies, Smad7 was combined with a short peptide to permit the protein to cross through cell membranes. This was produced from cultured bacteria. After the substance was applied to the mouse’s oral cavity, it prevented oral mucositis, in addition to healing ulcers that were already present.

The ultimate goal from this research is to create a drug that can be given topically that will treat oral mucositis and deter more sores from developing.

The mice were engineered in a manner that they developed oral mucositis similar to the condition that human cancer patients are afflicted with. This made way for numerous tests and experiments.

Colorado Advocates Look out for Children’s Dental Care

Colorado Advocates Look out for Children’s Dental Care

Written by Dentistry TodayFriday, 15 March 2013 11:39

Officials recently called dental benefits an optional treatment for Colorado’s new state insurance exchange. But Colorado health advocates are pushing to make sure the dental care is mandatory.

These dental-care policies will be available in October but there is no federal mandate to buy oral health coverage as of now.

It’s essential for the health of the children in the state to have the same chance to receive dental care as they have to receive medical care.

As of now, however, there are no plans to do anything beyond the federal decision, which focuses on the consumer choice as opposed to state mandates.

Dental and vision coverage will be offered and bundled in some cases but dental coverage is not required for children.

In the three years prior to 2011, the number of children in Colorado without dental insurance rose 17 percent to 2.1 million children, according to a Colorado Trust study. There are some people who will be aided by the Medicaid expansion process, which is part of health reforms in 2014.

Some studies have shown that 240,000 people from Colorado without coverage will receive medical care after the Medicaid expansion.

The state insurance exchange is anticipating 150,000 people will sign up during the first year. Private foundations are doing their part to attempt to close the dental gap in Colorado.

Alligators May Help Some Human Dental Issues

Alligators May Help Some Human Dental Issues

Written by Dentistry TodayWednesday, 15 May 2013 14:59

Scientists are now looking at one of the unique qualities of alligator teeth: the capability the animals have of regrowing their teeth.

At any time, they can have 80 teeth while producing 50 sets of replacement teeth. In their lifetime, they may go through more than 2,000 teeth. This ability to regrow teeth has given scientists the idea to study the way this process happens to aid people who encounter numerous dental issues.

Most vertebrates can replace teeth repeatedly but humans have only one replacement set. In analyzing the replacement process, the researchers will hope to create a way of regrowing human teeth. Alligators, like many other mammals, have teeth implanted in sockets in the jawbone and secondary plates.

The University of Southern California research team has been studying alligators by using molecular analysis and modern scanning techniques. The early findings indicate that there are three parts to the alligator teeth throughout different times in their development. Teeth are ready to replace an old one as soon as the old one falls out.

The information appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Children, Low-Income Adults Benefitting from Dental Therapists

Children, Low-Income Adults Benefitting from Dental Therapists

Written by Dentistry TodayThursday, 16 May 2013 14:17

Midlevel dental providers are now giving treatment to the people who need it most: children and low-income adults.

The report comes from Community Catalyst and concluded that these dental providers in Alaska and Minnesota cost their employers 27 and 29 percent of their generated revenue, respectively. The report showed that 85 percent of the treatment would be considered routine and preventative and 25 percent of patients need cavities filled.

This report is the first to comprehensively view the economics of practicing midlevel dental providers in the United States as a method of increasing the reach of dental care. Based on information from the government, 45 million Americans live in places without the requisite number of dentists. Millions others simply can’t afford dental care.

In addition to Alaska and Minnesota, eight other states have moved forward with legislation to permit dental therapists. Other states may soon put together legislation to allow them while 50 countries around the world utilize dental therapists.

The other findings in the report, which was commissioned from August 2011 through December 2012, included the majority of services being preventative in 32.8 percent of cases. Also, 44 percent of people were treated with sealants while 43 percent were given fluoride varnishes.

Only 23.7 percent of the cases for dental care therapists were restorative. Only 3.8 percent of the patients needed extractions.

The largest portion of revenue (46.7 percent) came from restorative procedures.

In Minnesota, 78 percent of the patients for dental therapists were publicly insured—and most of the patients were younger than 21. There were about 66 percent of the patients in Alaska under age 21.

Dental therapists have been practicing in Minnesota since 2011 and Alaska since 2006. Among the more than 2,000 patients served in Minnesota, about 84 percent were enrolled in Medicaid and 9 percent didn’t have insurance. In Alaska, more than 40,000 patients have been treated in tribal health clinics in rural Alaska. These people would not receive dental treatment, if not for these dental therapists.

More than 50 million Americans lack basic dental care. As a result, nearly 60 percent of children encounter tooth decay.

Lack of Fluoride May be Root of Calgary Dental Problems

Lack of Fluoride May be Root of Calgary Dental Problems

Written by Dentistry TodayMonday, 20 May 2013 13:03

A lack of fluoride exposure may be posing some problems in a Canadian city.

Dentists in Calgary, Alberta are blaming the rise in cavities over the stoppage of water fluoridation. Water fluoridation in the city was ceased two years ago and many now claim that was a mistake.

The standards of children’s oral health have declined in the last two years, based on information from the Alberta Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. More children are developing cavities and more are developing more severe cavities.

The statistics show that 30 percent of the children 5 and younger have encountered an issue with cavities.

Many dentists in the city would like government officials to overturn the legislation that ended fluoridation, returning to fluoridation again.

One of the reasons for ending fluoridation stemmed from the idea that the money could be spent elsewhere in the area of children’s dental health programs.

Many studies have been done on fluoride, yet there isn’t a conclusive answer on its impact on teeth. Many people state that it’s beneficial for teeth while others claim its does more harm than good over time.

Law Attempts to Thwart Unnecessary Dental Treatment

Law Attempts to Thwart Unnecessary Dental Treatment

Written by Dentistry TodayFriday, 28 June 2013 13:23

It will soon be harder for dentists in Texas to perform unnecessary dental treatments.

A new Texas law will take effect January 1, 2014 that will give more power to regulators in regards to determining what dental treatments are essential. The law was set in motion based on numerous reports of transgressions that came to a head after an investigation by the Center for Public Integrity and PBS Frontline.

The reports indicated that Kool Smiles, a dental chain that focuses on Medicaid dental treatment for children, was performing dental procedures that didn’t have to be done. Former employees of the chain came out and said that they were instructed to perform the more costly procedures whenever possible. There were instances of putting more expensive stainless steel crowns in the teeth of babies instead of fillings, which would have easily sufficed.

In 2010, there were more than 15,000 children who had unnecessary dental procedures performed on them. Only one dentist, however, had his or her license revoked based on these unnecessary procedures.

The law, which was spearheaded by Republican State Rep Lois W. Kolkhorst, allows the state dental board to have a greater ability to look into these situations. The law will also ensure that parents always have the ability to be in the room when their children visit the dentist.

It will be mandatory for dentists working for these chains to report information to the dental board. Prior to this law, the state didn’t have any information about the dental procedures performed by chains such as this one.

Will Botox Become Widespread in Dentistry?

Will Botox Become Widespread in Dentistry?

Written by Dentistry TodayTuesday, 02 July 2013 08:32

Botox is now being used for practical purposes in some places.

Treating jaw tension and pain is one of the side benefits of Botox and it’s beginning to catch on in some places. In some places, there may even be debates about using it more frequently.

In Utah, for example, the law permits dentists to administer drugs that could be construed as related to dentistry.

In other places, such as Massachusetts, the dental board passed a law last March that permits dentists to administer botulinum toxins and other substances that reduce wrinkles. There are 20 other states that allow such procedures, according to the American Dental Association.

Some people say that Botox is within a dentist’s boundaries to administer.

Botox, however, is the same neurotoxin protein that causes botulism when a person receives large doses. In some cases, botulism results in paralysis, according to the US Food and Drug Administration. Botox generally wears off, though.

Botox doesn’t solve the problems associated with TMJ disorders but definitely provides much-needed relief. It doesn’t leave jaw muscles feeling weak after treatment and there isn’t any numbness.

More research is necessary to determine the eventual effects from using to Botox to relieve jaw pain.

Cause of Colorectal Cancer May Stem From Mouth Bacteria

Cause of Colorectal Cancer May Stem From Mouth Bacteria

Written by Dentistry TodayFriday, 16 August 2013 12:33

There may be a newly discovered cause of colorectal cancer.

Two new studies indicate that a type of gut bacteria located in the mouth can cause colorectal cancer as a result of influencing the immune response and turning on cancer genes. The research team thinks this information could result in more efficient ways to diagnose, treat and possibly prevent colorectal cancer.

The information from the two studies appears in the August 14 issue of the online journal Cell Host & Microbe.

The gut contains trillions of bacteria, which outnumber the number of cells in our bodies. The microbe communities maintain their health by training the immune system and aiding in the digestion of food. The down side is that they could cause disease.

Previous studies have demonstrated that when there is an imbalance, the bacteria could cause colon cancer.

Of all cancers, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death for Americans. The researchers have determined Fusobacteria from the mouth are also plentiful in tissues of colorectal cancer patients.

The first study concluded that Fusobacteria in benign tumors can eventually become cancerous. In mice bred to have a form of colorectal cancer similar to that of humans, the bacteria increased the rate in which tumors formed.

In the second study, it was determined that Fusobacteria utilize a molecule that inhabits the surface of the bacterial cell. It then sticks to and attacks the human colorectal cancer cells.

Stomach Cancer Detection in the Dental Office

Stomach Cancer Detection in the Dental Office

Written by Dentistry TodayWednesday, 21 August 2013 14:45

The UCLA School of Dentistry recently received 5 million dollars in funding from the National Institutes for Health to study biological markers in saliva to detect stomach cancer.

There are hopes that this study could advance salivary diagnostics, potentially leading to evidence that saliva can be used to detect other types of cancer, such as pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer, as well as diabetes.

The ultimate goal is this: Patients give a saliva sample at the dental office, have it analyzed within minutes, and then are able to find out if they are at risk for stomach cancer.

The research is slated to last five years, and Dr. David Wong is leading the study. As the dentistry school’s associate dean of research, he is considered a pioneer in the field of salivary diagnostics.

Dr. Wong’s team will conduct a prospective study to develop a salivary biomarker panel that would validate stomach cancer detection. The team hopes to capture RNA in saliva samples secreted by stomach cancer cells. This would confirm whether a patient is at risk for stomach cancer.

Study reveals target for drug development for temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD) - a chronic jaw pain disorder

Main Category: Dentistry
Also Included In: Pain / Anesthetics
Article Date: 05 Aug 2013 - 1:00 PDT

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Study reveals target for drug development for temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD) - a chronic jaw pain disorder

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Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD) is the most common form of oral or facial pain, affecting over 10 million Americans. The chronic disorder can cause severe pain often associated with chewing or biting down, and lacks effective treatments.

In a study in mice, researchers at Duke Medicine identified a protein that is critical to TMJD pain, and could be a promising target for developing treatments for the disorder. Their findings are published in the August issue of the journal PAIN.

Aside from cases related to trauma, little is known about the root cause of TMJD. The researchers focused on TRPV4, an ion channel protein that allows calcium to rapidly enter cells, and its role ininflammation and pain associated with TMJD.

"TRPV4 is widely expressed in sensory neurons found in the trigeminal ganglion, which is responsible for all sensations of the head, face and their associated structures, such as teeth, the tongue and temporomandibular joint," said senior study author Wolfgang Liedtke, M.D., PhD, associate professor of neurology and neurobiology at Duke. "This pattern and the fact that TRPV4 has been found to be involved in response to mechanical stimulation made it a logical target to explore."

The researchers studied both normal mice and mice genetically engineered without the Trpv4 gene (which produces TRPV4 channel protein). They created inflammation in the temporomandibular joints of the mice, and then measured bite force exerted by the mice to assess jaw inflammation and pain, similar to how TMJD pain is gauged in human patients. Given that biting can be painful for those with TMJD, bite force lessens the more it hurts.

The mice without the Trpv4 gene had a smaller reduction in bite force - biting with almost full force - suggesting that they had less pain. In normal mice there was more TRPV4 expressed in trigeminal sensory neurons when inflammation was induced. The increase in TRPV4 corresponded with a greater reduction in bite force.

The researchers also administered a compound to normal mice that blocked TRPV4, and found that inhibiting TRPV4 also led to smaller reductions in bite force, similar to the effects of the mice engineered without the Trpv4 gene.

Surprisingly, the researchers found comparable bone erosion and inflammation in the jaw tissue across all mice, regardless whether the mice had TRPV4 or not.

"Remarkably, the damage is the same but not the pain," Liedtke said. "The mice that had the most TRPV4 appeared to have the most pain, but they all had similar evidence of temporomandibular joint inflammation and bone erosion in the jawbone as a consequence of the inflammation."

The results suggest that TRPV4 and its expression in trigeminal sensory neurons contribute to TMJD pain in mice. Given the lack of effective treatments for this chronic pain disorder, TRPV4 may be an attractive target for developing new therapies.

Stem cells in the gingiva may have important medical applications in the future

Main Category: Dentistry
Also Included In: Stem Cell Research;  Immune System / Vaccines
Article Date: 07 Aug 2013 - 1:00 PDT

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Stem cells found in mouth tissue can not only become other types of cells but can also relieve inflammatory disease, according to a new Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC study in the Journal of Dental Research.

The cells featured in the study are gingival mesenchymal stem cells (GMSC), which are found in the gingiva, or gum tissue, within the mouth. GMSC, like other stem cells, have the ability to develop into different types of cells as well as affect the immune system.

"Gingiva is very unique in our body," says Professor Songtao Shi, the study's senior author. "It has much less inflammatory reaction and heals much faster when compared to skin."

Previously, the developmental origins and abilities of GMSC hadn't been fully illustrated. This study shows that there are two types of GMSC: those that arise from the mesoderm layer of cells during embryonic development (M-GMSC) and those that come from cranial neural crest cells (N-GMSC). The cranial neural crest cells develop into many important structures of the head and face, and 90 percent of the gingival stem cells were found to be N-GMSC.

The two types of stem cells vary dramatically in their abilities. N-GMSC were not only easier to change into other types of cells, including neural and cartilage-producing cells; they also had much more of a healing effect on inflammatory disease than their counterparts. When the N-GMSC were transplanted into mice with dextrate sulfate sodium-induced colitis - an inflamed condition of the colon - the inflammation was significantly reduced.

The study indicates that the stem cells in the gingiva - obtained via a simple biopsy of the gums - may have important medical applications in the future.

"We will further work on dissecting the details of the gingiva stem cells, especially their notable immunoregulatory property," says first author Xingtian Xu, specialized lab technician at the Ostrow School of Dentistry Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology.

"Through the study of this unique oral tissue, we want to shed the light on the translational applications for improving skin wound healing and reducing scar formation."

Results from large international clinical trials provide dentists and patients with a new level of confidence in dental implants

Main Category: Dentistry
Article Date: 08 Aug 2013 - 2:00 PDT

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Results from large international clinical trials provide dentists and patients with a new level of confidence in dental implants

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Results from two of the largest international clinical studies performed to date with dental implants have just been published and demonstrate excellent clinical performance. Together, the studies have evaluated more than one thousand Straumann Bone Level implants in Europe, the US and Australia. The scope of these studies is particularly remarkable in view of the fact that most dental implant companies do not conduct clinical trials because they want to cut costs and do not have the capabilities.

The studies are also remarkable in that they both reported very high implant survival rates of more than 98% with practically no bone loss around the implants. The findings are considerably better than values reported in a comprehensive review of previously published studies with other implants[1]. The new studies add to the wealth of strong clinical evidence backing the Straumann dental implant system and thus provide very good reasons for patients and dentists to insist on Straumann implants rather than undocumented alternatives.

The benchmark in clinical research

The first study was a randomized controlled clinical trial (RCT) at 11 clinical centers in Europe, USA and Australia[2]. RCTs are the benchmark in clinical research because they offer the highest level of clinical evidence. However, few are performed with dental implants and very rarely on such a large scale.

This RCT has evaluated 106 patients each treated with one implant and followed for three years. The investigators compared the outcomes of two different approaches - the first involving two surgical steps, in which the implant is covered with gum tissue ('submerged') during healing, and the second involving just a single step, in which part of the implant is left exposed ('transmucosal') thus saving a second surgical operation. The most impressive highlight reported was the fact that only a single implant was lost, yielding 3-year implant-survival rates of 98.1% and 100% for the transmucosal and submerged groups respectively.

Because bone loss around implants has been documented as a common undesirable effect of implant treatment[3], this study looked carefully at bone level changes. It showed that bone level was impressively stable over 3 years after implant placement, with mean decreases of less than 0.7 mm and 0.6 mm in the submerged and transmucosal groups respectively. These values are well below the data presented in previous studies with other implants. An analysis of published data showed that only three implant systems achieved mean marginal bone loss below 1 mm over a period of 5 years[1].

Excellent results also achieved in everyday practice

While RCTs demonstrate that products or treatments work well, they are usually conducted by specialists in selected and strictly controlled populations. This study was performed by dental practices and University clinics that are highly specialized in dental implantology, which raises the question of whether its excellent results can be reproduced in daily dental practice. To answer this, a large study using the same implant was conducted in Europe and the US, in which the dentists had to follow the product guidelines but were able to use the implant as they would in normal daily practice. The strength of this type of investigation, which is known as 'non-interventional study' (NIS), is that it documents real-life situations, in which indications, patients and conditions all vary widely.

In this study[4], a total of 908 implants were evaluated in 538 patients at more than a hundred dental practices in six countries, revealing an implant survival rate of 98.5% after one year (the risk of failure is highest in the first year after implant placement5). Besides the very high survival rates, the bone level remained very stable in the majority of cases. The investigators therefore concluded that treatment with Straumann Bone Level Implants yielded very successful outcomes in 'real life' conditions.

Results impress further when viewed in the context of other published data

The survival rates reported in both studies are higher than those documented in the literature. The most recent analysis of published data on other implants showed an overall implant survival rate of 95.5% one year after implant placement[5], in contrast to the 98.5% achieved in this NIS in daily dental practice conditions.