DENTAL- TEETH AND GUM HEALTH
Good Dental Health at Infancy is Important
Source: Sioux City Journal (http://siouxcityjournal.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/good-dental-health-is-vital-beginning-in-infancy/article_c989044b-acca-5761-856d-2b5d533d8201.html)
MIAMI | Johanna Evers, 6, has a routine each morning and night: She brushes her teeth, flosses and rinses with fluoridated mouthwash.
She also has been visiting a dentist for twice-yearly cleanings since she was 2.
“I’m thinking of my daughter’s future,” said her mother, Brigid McKeon, 43, who takes Johanna to Miami Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Dental Center in Doral, Fla. “I want her to be able to carry it on when she gets older and has her own family.”
Dental hygiene is a vital part of overall health, dentists and doctors say. According to the Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health in America, oral diseases and disorders affect health and wellbeing throughout one’s life,
In fact, a research study — in which doctors at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine participated — has linked periodontal (gum) disease to a heightened risk of heart attack and stroke. Other research has linked poor dental health to Alzheimer’s disease.
It all points to the importance of brushing, flossing and visiting a dentist regularly, starting in infancy.
“Cavities can happen as early as nine months of age,” said Dr. Rosie Roldan, director of the Pediatric Dental Center at Miami Children’s Hospital and director of its pediatric dental residency program. “The teeth start erupting at six months, so they haven’t been in the mouth three months before we can start seeing cavities.”
Roldan advises parents to bring their children to the dentist beginning at 12 months, and every six months after that. Parents should also ensure that their children’s teeth are brushed twice a day, as soon as the first tooth appears. That creates a habit, so children grow up to not be resistant to brushing.
“Prevention is key,” Roldan said. “We want to see them early, teach about properly brushing teeth and give fluoride supplementation to get fluoride incorporated into the teeth, if needed.”
Baby teeth are space holders for permanent teeth. They aid in speech development and are necessary for chewing. Aesthetically, they also play a key role, she said.
“A lot of kids know exactly how they look and how they smile,” Roldan said. “And it’s important to develop the self-esteem of the child.”
Parents need to be aware that an enemy is brewing in bacteria that develops in the mouth, and thrives during the night when the saliva is thick.
“If the last thing you eat is sugar, which is what bacteria live on, the bacteria will use that medium to grow and produce acid,” Roldan said. “They’ll have a party on your teeth every night if you don’t brush.”
When very young children develop dental problems, they can wind up in the operating room. Roldan said her center sees 700 patients in the operating room for dental work each year. The majority are under 4.
Children can even require root canals and extractions.
In the worst case, when problems are left untreated, an abscess, or accumulation of pus, can result. The pus can migrate and move to the brain or eyes, leading to a periorbital (eye) infection, or a brain abscess, which can be potentially fatal.
For adults, health risks associated with oral health are particularly significant.
Researchers from the University of Central Lancashire in the United Kingdom last year found that people with poor oral hygiene or gum disease could be at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s, compared with those who have healthy teeth.
The researchers discovered the presence of a bacterium called Porphyromonas gingivalis in the brains of patients who had dementia when they were alive. The bacteria are usually associated with chronic periodontal (gum) disease.
Earlier research, conducted by New York University in 2010, revealed long-term evidence that linked gum inflammation and Alzheimer’s disease, finding that gum disease could increase the risk of cognitive dysfunction.
Having healthy gums can also be good for your heart, new research shows.
Researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have found that periodontal disease is associated with greater thickness of the arterial wall. That means possibly greater risk of atherosclerosis and greater risk of heart disease and stroke, said Dr. Tatjana Rundek, professor of Neurology and Vice Chair, Clinical Translational Research in Neurology, at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
Dentists can determine the presence of periodontal disease, she said, by probing the depths of pockets in the gums.
Rundek said that researchers also found for the first time late last year that as gum health improves, atherosclerosis also improves. Atherosclerosis, or the narrowing of arteries through build-up of plaque, is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke or death. Rundek participated in conducting the research; the principal investigator was Dr. Moise Desvarieux, professor of epidemiology at Columbia University.
“Intervention, even brushing your teeth, can reduce atherosclerosis,” Rundek said. “So you reduce the load of bacteria and reduce pocket depths and reduce periodontal disease.”
More research on the link between atherosclerosis is under way in a clinical trial at Columbia, as doctors continue to explore the connections between oral health and overall health.
“The advice is to take good care of your teeth. Oral health is really important, because this is the first time we have proof that there is a link between oral health and atherosclerosis,” Rundek said. “So regular checkups with a dentist, regular teeth-cleaning, treating if periodontal disease is present, and most of all, brushing the teeth every day — several times if possible, especially for kids.”
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Dental Student Explores Probiotics in Dentistry
Source: University of Maryland (http://www.oea.umaryland.edu/communications/news/?ViewStatus=FullArticle&articleDetail=22183) Feb 2014
Despite their bad reputation, bacteria could be used to help treat or even prevent some dental diseases. Dental student Andrew Klish, DDS '14, studied the potential benefits of dental therapies that utilize bacteria and recently published his findings in a General Dentistry literature review.
The paper, "What every dentist needs to know about the human microbiome and probiotics" was written by Klish in collaboration with professor Nasir Bashirelahi, PhD, and Interim Assistant Dean of Admissions and Recruitment Judith Porter, DDS, EdD. Klish examined existing research regarding the possible applications of probiotics in the prevention and treatment of caries and periodontal diseases. Probiotics, which are living organisms that provide health benefits, are most commonly found as live cultures of "good" bacteria in products that support digestive health, like dietary supplements and yogurt. Sales of these probiotic foods and supplements surpassed $21 billion in 2010.
In dentistry, probiotics could be used to kill and replace the bacteria Streptococcus mutans in the oral cavity. S. mutans are the bacteria that cause dental caries. By treating a patient with probiotics, a dentist may be able to kill S. mutans without eliminating certain types of oral bacteria that have been shown to help prevent the formation of dental caries. "With antibiotics or a mouthwash, you are wiping everything out, even the bacteria that are not doing you any harm. By using probiotics, the goal is to eradicate and then replace just that one type of bacteria," Klish says.
Probiotics have also shown limited success at decreasing the inflammation caused by gingivitis. While the study of probiotics in dentistry is gaining prevalence, more research is needed to determine their clinical effectiveness and safety. Klish hopes that his paper sparks more interest in this area. "This is a new frontier. We have spent the last century trying to destroy bacteria. Probiotics may help us leap forward biomedically and find new ways to treat diseases," he remarks.
Obesity predicts periodontal therapy outcomes
Source: Oral Health Group
By: Rob Goszkowski, Associate Editor (Jan 2014)
Link: http://www.oralhealthgroup.com/news/obesity-predicts-periodontal-therapy-outcomes/1002837696/xpz4r7Mzpx0sW1y8rM2vMwk/?ref=enews_OH&utm_source=OH&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=OH-EN01152014
Worldwide, obesity is becoming so prevalent that it can be characterized as an epidemic. It is a chronic health issue that affects more than 500 million people, according to the World Health Organization. The U.S. has a particularly high rate of obesitywith more than one-third of the adult population falling into that category, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And an increase in the rates of obesity domestically increased across all income and education levels between 1988-1994 and 2007-2008.
Obesity's effects on health are widespread and still being studied. Dentistry has not been spared the impact of obesity on health. Now, a new study published in the Journal of Dental Research could help clinicians refine their treatment plans and set expectations for a portion of their patient population who they will inevitably encounter (January 2014, Vol. 93:1, pp. 49-54).
“The magnitude of this association was similar to that of smoking.”
"Body mass index (BMI) and obesity appear to be independent predictors of poor response following nonsurgical periodontal therapy," wrote the study authors from Eastman Dental Institute in London, Plymouth University in the U.K., and the European Research Group on Periodontology in Italy. They found an association between worse probing pocket depths (PPDs) and obesity that "was similar to that of smoking, which was also linked to a worse clinical outcome (p < 0.01)."
The relevance of their conclusion is increased by the findings of a meta-analysis that found that obese patients are 2.3 times more likely to have periodontitis than a control group of a healthy weight, independent of traditional risk factors (Obesity Reviews, May 2011, Vol. 12:5, pp. e381-e404).
The researchers intended to find out if BMI is a predictor of a patient's response to nonsurgical periodontal treatment for severe periodontitis. To do so, they selected five clinical studies that focused on this type of treatment. All included adult patients who had pocket depths of more than 5 mm and marginal alveolar bone loss greater than 30% affecting over half of their teeth. Otherwise, they were generally healthy and not on antibiotics within three months of their assessment.
Treatment consisted of oral hygiene instructions and full-mouth mechanical periodontal debridement. Patients' clinical response to treatment was defined as whole-mouth average PPD, clinical attachment levels (CAL), percentage of sites with PPDs of more than 4 mm, and full-mouth bleeding score at two months, the researchers explained.
They evaluated the association with BMI with generalized estimating equations. Of the 260 cases considered, there were 93 BMI overweight patients and 55 BMI obese patients. After evaluating the data from those cases, the researchers determined that age was not a significant indicator of treatment success, but smoking status, plaque, BMI, and obesity were significantly associated with poorer treatment outcomes.
Interestingly, with each BMI increase of 10 kg/m², the percentage of sites with PPDs of more than 4 mm increased by 2.5%. However, "the categorical analyses showed no evidence of a relationship between overweight and periodontal status two months following nonsurgical periodontal therapy," the researchers wrote.
Obesity proved to be relevant to treatment outcome in several areas. It was an independent predictor of poorer outcomes at the two-month mark (p = 0.012). These patients averaged 3.2% more sites with PPDs of greater than 4 mm than subjects with a BMI in the normal range. "The magnitude of this association was similar to that of smoking," in which smokers had, on average, 3.9% more sites at two months with PPDs of more than 4 mm than did nonsmokers, the researchers wrote.
They also noted that obesity served as a statistically significant predictor of mean PPD (p = 0.031) and percentage of PPD of more than 4 mm.
"This analysis provides evidence of a predictive role of continuous and categorical measures of BMI and clinical periodontal parameters following nonsurgical periodontal therapy," the researchers wrote. "It confirmed a linear association across increasing values of BMI and severity and extent of periodontitis."
Copyright © 2013 DrBicuspid.com
Dental Hygienists Remind you to Make 2014 Your Year for Improved Oral Health
Source: Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA)
Link: http://www.oralhealthgroup.com/news/dental-hygienists-remind-you-to-make-2014-your-year-for-improved-oral-health/1002843209/xpz4r7Mzpx0sW1y8rM2vMwk/?ref=enews_OH&utm_source=OH&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=OH-EN01152014
The beginning of a new year is a perfect opportunity to make a fresh start and set new personal and professional goals. While many people focus on self-improvement at this time of year, dental hygienists remind Canadians not to overlook oral health when making choices about improving overall physical and mental wellness.
“Good oral health is essential to total health and the key to a happy and productive life,” says Mary Bertone, president of the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA). Research suggests that periodontal disease, which can result from unchecked plaque on the teeth, is a risk factor for serious life-threatening illnesses such as diabetes, lung and heart disease, and stroke. “Resolving to make oral health a priority in your daily life is an investment in your future,” adds Bertone, noting that people of all ages can set oral health goals and develop new habits in 2014. “You are never too young or too old to make a commitment to oral health care.” Here are some helpful dental hygiene tips for all ages:
Infants and Toddlers up to age 3: Wipe your baby’s mouth and gums with a clean, wet cloth after feeding. Teach toddlers to hold a toothbrush, but brush for them twice a day using water (no toothpaste is necessary) once their first teeth appear.
Children ages 3–6: Help your children to brush their teeth twice a day, using a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. Show them how to brush every tooth surface and their tongue, and make sure that they spit out the toothpaste when they are done.
Children ages 613: Encourage children to begin flossing once a day, in addition to brushing twice a day for two minutes with fluoride toothpaste. Help them to make healthy food choices, avoiding sweets and sugars. Have them fitted for a sports mouthguard to be worn during athletic activity.
Teenagers and Adults: Brush teeth at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Rinse with an antibacterial mouthwash and clean in between the teeth at least once a day. Eliminate tobacco use and eat nutritious foods that are low in sugar. Remember to wear a sports mouthguard during active play.
Seniors: Brush natural teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and clean in between the teeth at least once a day. Clean and soak dentures (full or partial) daily. Brush and massage the gums, either with a soft toothbrush or with a warm, damp cloth.
And of course, everyone from the age of one should visit a dental professional regularly to ensure optimum oral health. By developing good oral health habits now, you’ll look and feel better, not just in 2014 but for a lifetime.
Serving the profession since 1963, CDHA is the collective national voice of more than 26,800 registered dental hygienists working in Canada, directly representing 17,000 individual members including dental hygienists and students. Dental hygiene is the 6th largest registered health profession in Canada with professionals working in a variety of settings, including independent practice, with people of all ages, addressing issues related to oral health. For more information on oral health, visit:www.dentalhygienecanada.ca
Fiji- Dental Crisis
Source: The Fiji Times
DENTAL caries and periodontal diseases are two major oral health problems suffered by members of the public.
National adviser for oral health, Dr Joan Lal said almost all dental practitioners were involved and geared towards addressing these two major issues.
"Members of the Fiji Oral Health Workers Association who are government employees, this is their major business," she said. Read more.
Alzheimer's disease linked to poor dental health
Source: Medical News Today (31 July 2013)
"A study has found that people with poor oral hygiene or gum disease could be at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's compared with those who have healthy teeth.
Researchers from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in the UK, discovered the presence of a bacterium called Porphyromonas gingivalis in the brains of patients who had dementia when they were alive. The bug is usually associated with chronic periodontal (gum) disease.
For the study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 10 brain samples from patients with dementia were donated for analysis by a scheme called Brains for Dementia Research, alongside 10 brain samples from people who had not had the disease.
Examination of the samples revealed the presence of the Porphyromonas gingivalis in the samples of the brains affected by Alzheimer's." Read more
June 2012
Gum disease link with cancer (Dentistry.co.uk)
Periodontal Inflammation and Diabetes: a two way relationship.
The new periodontal disease or gum disease
Researchers from New York University found that gum disease may be associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
Delta Dental releases children's oral health study results
August 2012
Dental health report for rural towns paints shocking picture (Sydney Morning Herald)
July 2012
Can saliva testing predict your risk of developing heart disease?
August 2011
2011 Survey of Dental Care Affordability and Accessibility: Highlights from the Nationally Representative Survey (Prof D Neil & C Govan, The University of Southern California)
Dental healthcare in America today…
Substantial economic and practical barriers to quality dental healthcare persist in America today. Approximately 50% of Americans lack dental insurance and, in 2010, dental premiums increased at a higher rate than medical insurance premiums (NADP). The US Surgeon General described the barriers to quality, affordable care as a “silent epidemic,” leading to 164 million hours of lost productivity annually. Individuals without dental insurance are dramatically less likely to get recommended care and thus are more likely to develop the major health conditions (e.g., diabetes, heart disease, stroke) linked with poor oral health.
(Click here for 2011 Survey Highlights)
The Surgeon General estimates 85% of Americans have gum disease. Poor oral health is one of the major risk factors for heart attacks and strokes. To find out more about the importance of good oral health, click here. Products containing probiotic BLIS k12™ offers a lot more benefits than you may think. Find out.
August 2011
Association Between Respiratory Disease in Hospitalized Patients and Periodontal Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study
"Recent research indicated that periodontal infection may worsen systemic diseases, including pulmonary disease. Respiratory infections, such as pneumonia and the exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, involve the aspiration of bacteria from the oropharynx into the lower respiratory tract."
Conclusion: "The findings of the present analysis support an association between respiratory and periodontal disease."
(Journal of Periodontology, August 2011, Vol. 82:8, pp. 1155-1160).
Periodontal Inflammation and Diabetes: a two way relationship.
The new periodontal disease or gum disease
Researchers from New York University found that gum disease may be associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
August 2011
2011 Survey of Dental Care Affordability and Accessibility: Highlights from the Nationally Representative Survey (Prof D Neil & C Govan, The University of Southern California)