Blogs

Kent Coulter and his colleagues at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio have developed a new proof-of-concept dental restorative material under a program funded by the National Institutes of Health that seeks to replace amalgam with other materials. The new fillings are made with a plastic-like material containing zirconia nanoplatelets. Coulter and his colleagues designed a way to make a roll of this material under vacuum. They envision that this material would be lifted from the roll and packed in a dental cavity and then cured -- using an ultraviolet lamp or some other means -- so that it hardens in place without shrinking. It seems like ziconia continues to be a very exciting, useful and beneficial material in dental practice. Comments?

Source: Science Daily

A patient mentioned a great article written by Jane E. Brody in the Health section of the New York Times regarding dental implants as the treatment of choice when compared to fixed bridges. The author unfortunately had experienced failure of a conventional three unit fixed bridge. Fortunately, she has the option of restoring her quality of life with an implant supported crown. In our periodontal practice in Framingham and Newton, Massachusetts, implant dentistry and related procedures represent the bulk of our daily treatment activities. We have placed thousands of dental implants since 1988, with a success rate of greater than 98%. The majority of our cases result from failing root canals, tooth fractures, and recurrent decay. Although conventional tooth-supported three unit bridges still have a viable role in dentistry, it is refreshing to see that the general public is becoming more educated about the most ideal treatment options. Kudos to Jane E. Brody for her article today. Please share your thoughts on this topic.

photo credit: Cary Feuerman DMD

One day in medical clinics, the big picture of a patient’s state of health may be found in little pictures from the mouth, says Li Mao, MD, a new professor at the University of Maryland Dental School.

The mouth or oral cavity area is an excellent indicator of the whole body’s health, says Mao, who is the chair of the new Department of Oncology and Diagnostic Sciences at the School.

Mao recently joined the Dental School to be at the forefront of a movement to retool dental education, he says, to make dentists practice more within the bigger health care community.

Future lung cancer prevention trials, for example, could soon be designed so that surface tissues inside the cheek could be checked to detect tobacco-induced damage in the lungs, according to a study led by Mao last year published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.

“We hypothesized that tobacco-induced molecular alterations in the oral epithelium are similar to those in the lungs,” says Mao. “This might have broader implications for using the mouth as a diagnostic indicator for general health.” More..

Source: Newswise

An American Dental Association survey of dentists reported that a majority of dentist feel that their work level is comfortable. Given the current economic climate and jobless claims exceeding 10% on a national level, I wonder if those dentists would respond in the same way today. Comments?

A new study looks at the highly sophisticated structure of teeth and how this structure could be applied to aircraft and space vehicles of the future. It's been a mystery: how can our teeth withstand such an enormous amount of pressure, over many years, when tooth enamel is only about as strong as glass? Professor Herzl Chai of Tel Aviv University's School of Mechanical Engineering and his colleagues at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and George Washington University gives the answer. The researchers applied varying degrees of mechanical pressure to hundreds of extracted teeth, and studied what occurred on the surface and deep inside them. The study, published in the May 5, 2009, issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, shows that it is the highly-sophisticated structure of our teeth that keeps them in one piece — and that structure holds promising clues for aerospace engineers as they build the aircraft and space vehicles of the future. Check it out at Science Daily.

“White wine rots your teeth… and brushing makes it worse,” claimed the Daily Mail today, a British newspaper. This statement was based on a study published in the Journal of Nutrition Research. According to the study, dental erosion from red wine is not as severe. 'The tradition of enjoying different cheeses for dessert or in combination with drinking wine might have a beneficial effect on preventing dental erosion because cheese contains calcium in a high concentration.' The British National Health Service takes issue with the research and findings. What do you think?

Children are not "left behind" in the Democratic versions of the health care reform proposals, as reported by Kaiser Health News. This is encouraging news for our nation's children, but not without some pitfalls according to some. Your thoughts?

Researchers in China have hypothesized that third molar tooth buds could be harvested during development and later used to replace missing teeth in the future. Could this mean the end of dental implant treatment? The dental implant manufacturers probably have nothing to worry about anytime soon. Time will tell. Comments?

Congratulations on 150 Years!

The American Dental Association turned 150 years old this year, and it’s in very good health for its age. With 157,000 members, the ADA represents more than 70 percent of U.S. dentists, making it the world’s largest and oldest national dental association—America’s leading advocate for oral health.

It's hard to believe that the ADA has been in existence for 150 years. Are you satisfied with the benefits of membership, and the role that the ADA has played in organized dentistry, public health and dental awareness?