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Xylitol and Caries
Xylitol is a non-fermentable sugar alcohol used as a sweetener. Unlike other natural or synthetic sweeteners, xylitol is actively beneficial in dentistry by reducing caries and is known to induce remineralization of demineralized enamel. Xylitol is categorized by the...
Non-Opioid Management of Dental Pain
Dental professionals must be keenly aware of the potential hazards when prescribing opioid analgesics for patients and the possible risk of adverse physical effects as well as the potential abuse of these drugs. Evidence from third molar extraction postoperative pain...
Dental Extractions and Opioids
Opioid abuse is currently at an epidemic proportion in the US. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the death rate from opioid overdose has more than doubled in the US in the last 15 years. A recent study in the Journal of American...
Periodontal Disease May Be Linked to Lung Cancer
The American Cancer Society ranks lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer death in men and women. A recent report in the Journal of Periodontology* finds that individuals with periodontal disease may have a 1.24-fold increased risk of developing lung disease. The...
Frequency of Dental Implant Maintenance
At the current time, there is no consensus about the frequency of dental implant maintenance. Two important parameters that will help decide the frequency are: The health of patient’s overall dentition The health of the peri-implant tissue The following guidelines...
More Evidence Links Alzheimer’s Disease to Periodontitis
Researchers have recently found a link between periodontal disease and greater rates of cognitive decline in people with early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. While periodontitis may be more common in those with Alzheimer’s Disease since they may be less able to...
Open Contacts of Dental Implant Restorations
An open contact often develops between a restored dental implant and an adjacent natural tooth when initially there was an interproximal contact. An open contact can result in trapping of food which can lead to periodontal problems and caries. According to a review...
Burning Mouth Syndrome
Patients who have the chronic pain condition known as “burning mouth syndrome” (BMS) endure an unremitting burning sensation in the mouth, usually without any visible abnormalities or unusual laboratory findings. Approximately some 2.5% to 5.1% of people in the...
Americans Could Prevent Roughly Half of All Cancer Deaths by Taking Four Actions
A recent finding published in the Journal JAMA Oncology reveals how fostering healthy lifestyles could prevent a disease that claims over 600,000 Americans lives annually and another 1.6 million with a new diagnosis. Approximately half of cancer deaths in the United...
Dental Calculus May Hold Clues About Ancient Life
Archaeologists have successfully sequenced DNA from fossilized dental calculus on 700-year-old teeth. Christina Warinner and colleagues describe in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology how they found 25 times more DNA in calculus than ancient teeth or bone,...