Dental Research

Regenerative medicine is a group of biomedical approaches to clinical therapies that might involve the use of stems cells. It looks at the process of replacing or regenerating human cells or tissues to regain normal function. Stem cells from umbilical cords, marrow, blood, fetal material, and teeth have been researched and tested for various cures for serious problems such...

Everyone is sick and tired of the coronavirus, and that's a simple fact. Its existence has transformed the world and devastated more people than we can count. As dental professionals, our protocols have changed in dealing with the crisis. Dental students had to take a break with the rest of us, and when we went back to work and learned...

After successfully completing dental hygiene school, we often think we know all there is to know about the anatomy of the head and neck. Dental hygiene students dive deep into the details of head and neck anatomy; however, the body is complex, and our education only goes as far as what is documented in the literature. In October 2020,...

Desquamative gingivitis, or DG, is a periodontal disease caused by an excessive overgrowth of flesh-eating bacteria on any tissue determined to be gingival. The presence of DG means that our patients most likely suffer from blisters, inflammation, redness, flaking skin, tooth erosion, and the appearance of blisters. DG, and the general signs of DG, can all be caused by...

It can be a challenge to treat kids with autism in the dental office. They are sensitive to lights, smells, sounds, and textures, and some of these patients don't respond well to verbal advice and directives. For example, many parents of autistic children find it difficult to get their kids to brush, as the intrusion of the toothbrush and...

Patients suffering from periodontitis may experience various symptoms, like receding gingiva, halitosis, alveolar bone loss, and edentulism in severe cases. Periodontal treatments like non-surgical periodontal therapy may help, but in some cases, surgical interventions like gingival grafts are necessary. In a recent randomized controlled clinical trial, researchers looked at the hormone erythropoietin (EPO) effects on wound healing after gingival graft...

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 47.2% of adults aged 30 years and above suffer from some form of periodontal disease. The condition worsens with age, with 70.1% of adults aged 65 years and above suffering from periodontitis. Recent research published in Clinical and Experimental Dental Research has revealed a link between heartburn medications (specifically proton pump inhibitors) and the...

The International Federation of Dental Hygienists, or IFDH, has always encouraged a high level of autonomy in dental hygienists. Autonomy refers to a person's ability and responsibility to make important decisions without external control or, in our line of work, making decisions about a patient's care without a dentist approving or standing over our shoulders. Mostly, in America and Canada,...

In Norway, dental treatment is run by the Public Dental Service (PDS) and is free for children, adolescents, and young adults until age 19. Anyone who has a documented mental disorder, developmental disability, the geriatric population, and people who live in assisted living or utilize at-home nursing care receive free dental care. As an extension to this rule, in...

Patients experiencing tooth loss may benefit from dentures or dental implants, but tooth transplants also show promising results. In a recent study, researchers used a substance extracted from the patient's own blood called concentrated growth factor, in addition to 3D-printed tooth replicas, to promote healing and recovery from tooth transplant surgery. Medical Applications of Concentrated Growth Factor A platelet-rich substance called concentrated growth...