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Today's RDH

Today's RDH
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Today's RDH is for curious and passionate dental hygienists. We deliver the latest dental hygiene news, research, and entertainment on your phone, tablet, and computer.

Study: Periodontal Disease Increases Risk Esophageal and Gastric Cancer by 43%-52%

Scientists have long hypothesized that periodontal disease may increase someone's chances of developing cancer in the future. The topic was explored in an article titled, "Periodontal disease, tooth loss, and risk of esophageal and gastric adenocarcinoma: a prospective study." The piece was published in Gut, a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal on gastroenterology and hepatology by the British Medical Journal.  About...

Researchers Build a Smart Dental Implant that Resists Bacterial Growth

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a smart dental implant. The implant will resist bacterial growth and generate electricity from its piezoelectric qualities. The electricity could power a light for phototherapy that will protect periodontal tissue from inflammation and disease. The Smart Dental Implant Millions of Americans have dental implants, which replace missing teeth due to decay, injury, or...

Science Shows Dental Pain Better Treated with Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers Than Opioids

Dentists play an active role in managing the dental pain of their patients. It's important for every dental professional to maintain a delicate balance between the side effects and benefits of opioid and non-opioid therapies while providing the best pain relief possible. New evidence was published in The Journal of the American Dental Association that will affect how dentists prescribe medication to...

Clinician-patient Relationships Lessen Anxiety in Pediatric Patients

Children are inarguably the most sensitive and anxious type of patient for dental professionals (DP). They don't know what to expect from a visit, but many have fears of some sort of pain or other uncomfortable processes that they don't understand. Researchers and dental professionals want and need to know which approach to caries treatment on primary teeth is...

Research Questions the Accuracy of Oral Health Advice Given by Non-Professionals

Maternal oral health is a determining factor in a child's risk factor of decay. Many people don't realize that a mother's dental practices while pregnant and after the child's birth can affect a child's risk of caries as they age. Non-dental professionals offer advice every single day with mixed results. So, how can we further help our patients really understand...

Scientists Discover New Gene That Can Help Repair Teeth

Over 120 million people living in America are missing at least one tooth, according to the American College of Prosthodontics. Meanwhile, an estimated 36 million U.S. citizens do not have any teeth at all due to an injury or complicated health issue. To combat this problem, scientists from the University of Plymouth decided to look for potential solutions that could...

Science Shows Surprising Dental Benefits from Drinking Red Wine

dental benefits of red wine
Lovers of red wine the world over are encouraged to raise their collective glasses and cheer the latest positive news concerning the ongoing and expanding positive benefits of drinking the red fruit of the vine. It has already been acknowledged for years that drinking red wine benefits both hearts and colons, due to the concentrated presence of polyphenols. Now, thanks...

Study Suggests Periodontal Disease Bacteria May Be Linked to Depression

It's common knowledge that poor dental health may lead to serious systemic complications when left untreated. However, scientists have gathered evidence that suggests advanced stages of periodontal disease can also affect a patient's mental health. The Journal of Clinical Periodontology published an article titled "Periodontal diseases and depression: A pre‐clinical in vivo study" that further explored this theory.1 A Closer...

Science Confirms Water Fluoridation Prevents Tooth Decay in Children

Grand Rapids, Michigan made national headlines when they became the first city to add fluoride to their community's water in 1945. Since this landmark decision, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 42 out of 50 cities in the United States have decided to help fight tooth decay by adding fluoride to its drinking water. A new study published in the Journal...

Microbubbles & Biofilm: The Power of Cavitating Jets

Dental implants are an exciting alternative to bridges and dentures, eliminating many of the aesthetic and practical issues associated with removable dentures. The innovation doesn't stop there, however, as researchers devote resources to important studies, striving to make dental implants even easier to maintain and clean. Recently, researchers conducted a study on cavitating jets and their efficacy in cleaning...

Effects of Binge Drinking on Alveolar Bone Density

We all know how drinking alcohol affects your liver, kidneys, and perhaps even personal lives, but what about your mouth? Does drinking ethanol, or alcohol, negatively affect your teeth and jaw? A study, entitled Ethanol Binge Drinking Exposure Affects Alveolar Bone Quality And Aggravates Bone Loss In Experimentally-Induced Periodontitis, examines what damage sporadic or binge drinking cause on your...

Research Shows Tooth Loss May Lead to Cardiovascular Disease

Research reveals there may be a potential link between tooth loss and cardiovascular disease. Researchers presented data from a recent study at the Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Sessions during the 2018 American Heart Association's Epidemiology and Prevention conference. According to the results of the preliminary study, middle-aged patients who lost two or more of their natural teeth had a higher chance...

Regenerative Dentistry Research Reveals a New Way to Fix Dental Decay

A study published in Scientific Reports revealed an important advancement in the emerging field of regenerative dentistry. The researchers discovered certain drugs could help teeth regenerate and repair themselves. Dentists currently remove decay from a patient's tooth before restoring the tooth. However, dentists may be able to use this regenerative method to help patients’ teeth heal naturally instead of using synthetic materials to fill...

Proof of Concept: Shapeshifting Microbots Ability to Brush and Floss Teeth

Many of our patients find routine dental care burdensome, challenging, and time-consuming. It takes proper technique for oral home care to be efficacious, a technique that not all patients can achieve despite patients' best efforts and our best efforts with home care instruction. Even with the best technique, tooth morphology, deep grooves, furcation involvement, and crowding, among other factors,...

Better Dental Hygiene Linked to Improved Type 2 Diabetes Glycemic Levels

A study published in The Journal of Clinical Periodontology revealed a potential link between Type 2 diabetes and dental hygiene. The results of the study will have a significant impact in the medical community, especially because Type 2 diabetes accounts for approximately 90% of all diabetes cases and impacts over 30 million Americans according to the Center for Disease Control. A randomized clinical study...

Should Dental Hygienists Hand Out Halloween Candy?

Halloween is just around the corner, which is exciting for children, but concerning for many parents. Along with safety hazards to consider, there's the issue of excess sugar. Some families opt out of the holiday completely, and others put parameters in place, to mitigate sugar overload and tooth decay. So, where do dentists and hygienists fall on this spectrum?...