Dental Research

The American Dental Hygienists' Association recently published an article, "Variations in Periodontal Diagnosis Among Clinicians: dental hygienists' experiences and perceived barriers," in their June 2018 edition. The purpose of the study was to investigate how different clinicians face barriers when they try to use evidence-based protocols to diagnose and treat periodontal disease. The researchers wanted to understand how the dental hygienists'...

Researchers at Umea University in Sweden have recently released the results of a study that links highly virulent types of the Streptococcus mutans bacterium to children with increased risk of dental caries. The study, conducted over five years, sampled saliva from 452 children at 12 years of age and then reviewed their dental health again at 17 after five years of ordinary dental and...

Dental technology has advanced tremendously in the past few decades, and it continues to move forward at a rapid pace as new materials and techniques are constantly being introduced. A wide variety of appliances are now being used in the treatment of countless conditions, and many of these innovative devices are manufactured from plastics. While plastics offer numerous advantages to...

Dental caries - tooth decay - is hardly a glamorous condition and may seem insignificant in light of other more complex, dental conditions and diseases. However, its impact on humanity is practically immeasurable, as dental caries is a persistent problem that continues to affect billions of people globally. Treatment options continue to be fairly straightforward, but somewhat limited, and...

Dental anxiety may be dismissed by some individuals as inconsequential, but the reality is that dental anxiety can be crippling for those affected. Because of dental anxiety, individuals don't always receive the level of care needed to prevent and/or treat dental problems. As a result, minor concerns can become worse due to neglect, and major problems can linger and...

New research has revealed that postmenopausal women who have experienced tooth loss are more likely to be diagnosed with hypertension by their physician in the future. The study, "Association of Periodontal Disease and Edentulism with Hypertension Risk in Postmenopausal Women," was reported in the January 2019 edition of the American Journal of Hypertension. About Hypertension The heart circulates blood throughout the body...

Research suggests there is a correlation between the failure of dental implants and certain osteoporosis medications. Ongoing research seems to confirm this correlation such as the study in the Journal of Oral Implantology titled, "Influence of Bisphosphonates on Implant Failure Rates and Characteristics of Postmenopausal Woman Mandibular Jawbone." The research provides more information on how the osteoporosis medication, bisphosphonate, can affect...

Orthodontics make teeth straighter. It is often assumed that straight teeth will make patients more confident, and therefore more optimistic and happier. Researchers in Australia recently put that assumption to the test. The Study Design The study followed a cohort, or group, of adolescents in Australia. The children were chosen in the late 1980s when they were 13 years old. Over time,...

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...

A recent thesis out of Sahlgrenska Academy (of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden) is convincingly positing the importance of proper dental hygiene education in battling rising obesity levels among children. Studying the Diets of Children Specifically, one of the sub-studies presented in the paper "Diets of European Children, With Focus on BMI, Well-being, and Families" looked into eating behaviors in addition...