Emerging Research

Pregnancy is stressful enough without having to worry about a child’s future dental health. But, researchers now say, mothers may need to be thinking about just that.

A recent study in Germany examined a group of over 23,000 subjects to explore the relationship between cigarette smoking, smoking cessation and rates of tooth loss.

When dental problems necessitating surgery arise, the logical response is to treat the condition. However, recent research has found that numbing children up for dental procedures may be causing damage to the very teeth the dentist is trying to treat.

Criminals be warned: Leaving a tooth fragment at a crime scene could be your undoing. A new test lets police determine important identifying information about suspected perpetrators from tooth samples.

Blueberries are a popular snack, but do their benefits go beyond their satisfying taste? Absolutely, says a new study by the American Chemical Society, which found that blueberries could help treat periodontitis and reduce the need for antibiotic therapy.

A new study by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health found 77 percent of dentists do. It also found that more than half of dentists (54 percent) believe it is their responsibility to conduct these screenings.

Researchers from the Cochrane Oral Health Group, however, did find data suggesting water fluoridation may reduce cavities in children, although they most of the studies were conducted before widespread adoption of preventive measures such as fluoridated toothpaste and sealants.

How much school missed: 18 percent of parents reported their children missed at least a half a day of school, while 4 percent said their children missed one day, 4 percent reported children missing two days and 6 percent said their children had to miss three or more days.

In the case of baby formula, the need to better understand human iron metabolism has become more urgent with the global popularity of formula and fortified cereals. Adding iron to formula has been an industry standard for decades, in part because about two billion people worldwide – mostly in developing nations – are thought to have chronic anemia and iron deficiency.

The study was published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA).

With thousands of British children being admitted into National Health Services (NHS) hospitals every year to treat tooth decay, a British-based company is imploring dental practices to look at how they promote and encourage regular check-ups. 

“Jedes kind kostet die mutter einen zahn,” says an old German saying; “every child costs the mother one tooth.” While many people dismiss old wives tales, this is one that has some basis in reality: According to researchers at New York University, the risk of tooth loss and gum disease increases with the number of children a woman bears.

Many people dread going to the dentist, but at least they only have to think about it a few times a year. This is not the case for one British man who, due to a bizarre case of amnesia, wakes up every morning thinking it’s the day of his dental appointment.

While stretching out in the sun this summer has its cancer-causing risks, it can also ensure a healthier smile. Research has found that a healthy dose of sunlight could actually help stave off gum disease and increase gum health.

A new study is calling on dental teams to alert parents to the oral health risk of sharing spoons with toddlers at mealtimes.

According to new guidelines from the American Dental Association (ADA), dentists treating patients with chronic periodontitis, a severe form of gum disease that can lead to tooth loss, are advised to use scaling and root planing (SRP), deep cleaning of the teeth, as initial treatment.

In all our years of fanatically watching Shark Week, we’ve learned a few things: Don’t go swimming at dusk; avoid inserting body parts into a shark’s mouth; we’ll probably need a bigger boat, and, perhaps most interestingly, that a shark can endlessly replace its teeth-which could have major implications for human dental health.

A recent study by researchers at the Indiana University – Purdue University Department of Health Policy and Management found that access to health care – in particular dentists and pharmacists – increases the availability and subsequent abuse of prescription opioids.

Not everything gets better with age.

Are your patients lying to you about their oral hygiene habits? Probably so, says one new national survey. 

Brazilian researchers discovered that consumption of alcoholic beverages can have adverse effects on the health of a person’s gums, aggravating existing cases of severe periodontal disease or increasing periodontal disease risk factors. 

Researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine and the Departments of Urology and Pathology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center reported that treating gum disease reduced symptoms of prostate inflammation, called prostatitis.

A recent study found that tooth loss could be a predictor for future cardiovascular events, diabetes and even death.

A recent study out of Tufts University found that the accuracy of impression techniques can be affected by partial vs. complete edentulism. The study evaluated the differing levels of success of conventional and digital impression techniques in partially and completely edentulous patients.  It also assessed the effect different variables, such as materials, angulation, and connection type, had in regard to the accuracy of implant impressions.

A new antimicrobial agent could have serious benefits for dentistry by helping combat bacterial and fungal infections that cause composite filling failure and oral health issues.

A recent study out of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden found that adults suffering from severe dental anxiety (DA) often struggle with poorer oral health and depression, but that cognitive behavior therapy can help alleviate anxiety.

The International and American Associations for Dental Research (IADR/AADR) have announced the publication of a study titled "Spectrum of Dental Phenotypes in Nonsyndromic Orofacial Clefting," which is the largest international cohort to date of children with nonsyndromic clefts, their relatives and controls. 

Using a communal bathroom? There’s probably poop on your toothbrush.

To help orthodontists and physicians more accurately treat children who need orthodontic or other craniofacial interventions, a team of researchers from the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine and several other universities is conducting the largest study of craniofacial growth in different facial types in the world.

In the modern era, teeth are important for people to take care for many reasons, including general health, function and, of course, a welcoming smile. For archaeologists and other people interested in the past, teeth are important as they act as portals into past diets, food preparation, family relationships and childhood health.