February 2011 Dental News
New Pathogen Connected to Severe Early Childhood Caries Identified
"Researchers at The Forsyth Institute have made a significant discovery about the nature of childhood dental disease. The scientific studies led by Anne Tanner, BDS, Ph.D., identified a new pathogen connected to severe early childhood caries (cavities). This bacterium, Scardovia wiggsiae, was present in the mouths of children with severe early childhood caries when other known pathogens such as Streptococcus mutans were not detected. This research may offer the potential to intervene and halt the progression of disease.
Early childhood caries, ECC, is the most common chronic infectious disease of childhood in the United States. Severe ECC can destroy primary teeth, cause painful abscesses and is the major reason for hospital visits for young children. This condition disproportionately affects disadvantaged socio-economic groups. This research, which will be published in the April issue of Journal of Clinical Microbiology, provides new insight on the microbiota of severe early childhood caries."
Deferring Dental Treatment Unwise, Warns BDA, UK
"Concerns about the economic climate are leading patients in England to cancel dental appointments and defer treatments they need, according to research by the British Dental Association (BDA). The unfortunate knock-on effect of these decisions is an increase in the number of patients presenting at surgeries requiring emergency treatment.
A survey carried out by the BDA found that 59 per cent of dentists questioned had seen their patients cancel appointments, while 68 per cent reported decisions to defer treatment. Unsurprisingly, given these trends, more than a third of practitioners said they had seen an increased demand for emergency treatment during the past twelve months."
Commonly Prescribed Osteoporosis Drug Associated With Very Low Risk of Serious Jaw Disease
"A commonly prescribed osteoporosis drug is associated with a slightly elevated risk of developing the rare, but serious condition, osteonecrosis of the jaw; nonetheless the risk remains extremely low. These findings are published online in the Journal of Dental Research, the official journal of the International and American Associations for Dental Research. Although the findings are provocative, study authors say they should be carefully considered against the large benefit of these drugs to prevent and treat osteoporosis.
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and conducted by researchers from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research and HealthPartners Research Foundation. The study examined medical records from nearly 600,000 patients and is part of the Dental Practice-Based Research Network -- a consortium of participating practices and dental organizations committed to advancing knowledge of dental practice and ways to improve it."
BDA Commends Go-Ahead For Fluoridation, UK
"The British Dental Association (BDA) welcomes today's decision to allow South Central Strategic Health Authority (SHA) to proceed with its proposed scheme to fluoridate water in Southampton and parts of South West Hampshire.
The BDA believes that fluoridation will play an important role in reducing the worryingly high levels of dental decay in Southampton where as many as 42 per cent of five-year olds have experienced tooth decay. Despite a range of oral health measures used by Southampton City primary care trust to reduce these high levels of tooth decay and to address health inequalities, over 520 children in Southampton still required general anaesthetic to have a total of 2,900 teeth extracted in 2007. "
Potential Tooth Loss Link To Breast Cancer
"A new study suggests that women may be over 11 times more likely to suffer from breast cancer if they have missing teeth and gum disease.
The study (1), carried out by the Karolinska Institute in Sweden on over three thousand patients, showed that out of the 41 people who developed breast cancer those who had gum disease and loss of teeth were 11 times more likely to develop cancer. "
Experts Release Large Studies on Osteonecrosis of the Jaw
"Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) is a debilitating bone condition that affects the jaws and occurs as a result of reduced local blood supply to the bone. The literature in this area has been severely limited since most investigations cannot evaluate sufficient numbers of afflicted individuals to accurately determine the incidence of the disease and associated risk factors.
The International and American Associations for Dental Research's Journal of Dental Research (JDR) has now released a research report that estimates the prevalence of the disease, and a case-control study on bisphosphonate use and other risk factors. These investigations published in the JDR represent some of the largest published studies to date on ONJ patients, and the researchers involved utilized the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research-supported Practice-based Research Networks (PBRNs)."
Bottle feeding linked to tooth decay
"Experts are urging parents to stop bottle-feeding their babies because of rising rates of severe tooth decay in infants as young as 12 months.
A professor at a leading children's hospital in Australia said naturally occurring lactose was present in both breast milk and formula but when combined with plaque in a baby's mouth via a bottle, it could erode the enamel of primary teeth."
Dental Implants Can Be Successful With Less Root Than Crown
"Dental implants are now a common way to replace a tooth. But a dentist must first determine that an implant restoration can be successful for a particular patient. As an indicator, dentists use the crown-to-root ratio-how much of the tooth extends above the jawbone and how much is in the bone. However, the ideal crown-to-implant ratio for the replacement tooth has yet to be determined.
A new study in the current issue of the Journal of Oral Implantology evaluated the health of implants that had been in place more than 5 years. By examining the crown-to-implant ratios in these cases, the authors found that this factor was not as important to the success of implants as previously thought. "