Sugary McDonald’s Drink Declared Healthy in United Kingdom

Written by Dentistry TodayThursday, 13 September 2012 15:16



A health committee in the United Kingdom may want to re-explore a recent decision.

The Advertising Standards Authority claimed the McDonald’s drink Fruitizz can be part of the five-a-day portions of fruit and vegetables. The five-a-day portions of fruits and vegetables is a program that encourages healthy and drinking for children.

This ruling comes in spite of the fact that the drink contains six teaspoons of sugar.

The drink comprises fruit juice concentrate, fizzy water, natural flavorings and potassium sorbate.

A serving size of 250 mL has roughly 100 calories and 25 g of sugar. These levels of sugar stem from the amount of fruit juice content. Still, these levels did not nullify its ability to be considered healthy, according to the authority that makes these rulings.

This issue was examined after a British commercial mentioned the drink’s health benefits.

The ruling calls into question the standards used to determine a food or beverage’s health value.

Based on various studies, sugary drinks have been determined to cause tooth decay and erosion. There are also various other problems that can result from sugary drinks.

Still, based on the health standards for the five-a-day guidance in the United Kingdom, this drink manages to meet the requirements.

Nearly Half of American Adults have Gum Disease

Written by Dentistry TodayFriday, 14 September 2012 15:34



More adults in the United States have gum disease than one would think.

A new study shows that about 50 percent of American adults age 30 and older have gum disease. The study appears in a recent issue of the Journal of Dental Research.

Periodontitis is a major problem and leads to tooth loss in many cases.

To compile the data for this study, a research team looked through data from a previous study involving 3,700 adults age 30 and older. There were 47 percent of the people who had periodontitis—9 percent had mild gum disease, 30 percent suffered from moderate gum disease and 8.5 percent had severe gum disease. According to this information, roughly 65 million American adults have gum disease.

The research also concluded that 64 percent of adults age 65 and older had some type of periodontitis that could at least be considered moderate. This estimation is much larger than previous studies have indicated, according to the lead author Paul Eke.

The study also showed that the gum disease rates were highest for males, Mexican Americans, adults with less than a high school education, adults whose income would be considered below the poverty line and people that currently smoke.

There are several warning signs for gum disease, including swollen, tender, or bleeding gums. Chronic bad breath is another sign of gum disease.

Tooth Provides Dental History

Written by Dentistry TodayThursday, 20 September 2012 15:49



A recent discovery may provide the first tangible proof of dentistry.

A 6,500-year-old tooth was found and it contained traces of beeswax filling, according to the journal PLOS ONE.

The research team from the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Italy determined that the beeswax was placed inside the person’s mouth right around the time the person died. If the beeswax was placed while the person was still alive, the goal was most likely to lower pain and sensitivity in the tooth. The pain likely stemmed from a vertical crack in the enamel and dentin.

The tooth was in poor shape, likely resulting from activities the tooth was involved in other than eating.

There is little proof in recorded history to show when the first usage of dentistry occurred. This specimen, which was was found in Slovenia, could provide an answer to this question.

This could be considered one of the most ancient examples of dentistry in Europe and it is likely the first instance in which there was some kind of treatment to alleviate pain from a “filling.”