ADA Releases Resources On Genetics And Oral Health

In a release on PRNewswire, the American Dental Association discusses its new resources related to genetics and oral health that are available for dental professionals and the public. According to the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs’ Genetic Testing Workgroup, “While genetic testing holds potential for clinical application in the future, clinical measurements remain the best approach to assessment of caries and periodontal disease at this time.” The release states that “the ADA’s resource on genetics and genetic testing explains basic genetic principles, genetic testing and using genetic information in decision-making in dentistry.”

Retirees Encouraged To “Insure Adequately Or Save More.”

Investopedia provides tips to help retirees manage their healthcare costs, recommending, for example, that retirees “insure adequately or save more.” The article states that dental costs can be a “large health expense during retirement,” and “obtaining coverage in advance of anticipated dental needs is wise.”

Researchers Aim To Shed Light On Lab-Grown Teeth, Tissue Regeneration

The University of California – San Francisco states that “one of the enduring puzzles for stem cell researchers” is how these cells “know when it’s time for them to expand in numbers and transform into mature, adult cells in order to renew injured or aging tissue.” In an attempt to understand this “decision-making process,” the release states researchers are studying the front teeth of mice to identify the signals that trigger the teeth to continuously grow. UC San Francisco’s Ophir Klein, MD, PhD, a professor of orofacial sciences in UCSF’s School of Dentistry, explained, “Our lab’s objective is to learn the rules that let mouse incisors grow continuously to help us one day grow teeth in the lab, but also to help us identify general principles that could enable us to understand the processes of tissue renewal much more broadly.” A study published in Cell Stem Cell discusses some of their findings into this process.

NYTimes Examines Health Benefits Of Chewing Gum

The New York Times analyzes the health claims that William Wrigley Jr., founder of the Wrigley Company, made in the 1930s about the company’s chewing gum. In a letter mailed at the time, Wrigley wrote that chewing gum “is good for children’s teeth, which need more exercise than they get with modern soft food.” According to Dr. Jade Miller, president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, there is no evidence supporting this or other claims of oral health benefits from chewing the gum sold in the 1930s, which all contained sugar. However, the article notes that since then, “dental experts have come to the conclusion that chewing sugar-free gum after meals increases the flow of saliva, which can help clear sugars and bacteria from the mouth, neutralize plaque acids and strengthen teeth, all of which can help to prevent cavities.” In addition, Dr. Miller said the increased salivary flow may be particularly beneficial for people with dry mouth. “That can be caused by a lot of medications or medical problems, and increased salivary flow can really be helpful for reducing the risk of cavities,” he said.

Op-Ed: Dental Care Must Be Included As An Essential Benefit For Adults

In an opinion piece in the Washington Post, Dr. Donald L. Chi, a pediatric dentist and associate professor at the University of Washington School of Dentistry, states that in order to help ensure “everyone has a chance at good oral health,” dental care must be “recognized as an essential benefit.” Dr. Chi states that this would involve “including comprehensive dental coverage in Medicaid and the ACA as well as in Medicare (where it is excluded).” Doing so would help undeserved adults receive needed dental care, and although this would require funding, it would “also be an investment” since “fewer emergency room visits would result in cost savings,” writes Dr. Chi. In addition, Dr. Chi says adults with good oral health would experience “less suffering” and would be more apt to find employment “without the fear of appearance-related discrimination.”

Receiving Preventive Care Among Tips To Stay Healthy And Live Longer

        In an article and broadcast on its website, shares tips on how to stay healthy and live longer, while avoiding hip fractures. The tips include standing on one leg at a time while brushing teeth for two minutes to help with balance, along with incorporating jumping into exercise routines, receiving enough calcium and vitamin D3 each day, and managing stress. TODAY also emphasizes the importance of preventive care, including dental visits, to maintain health and avoid higher health costs in the future.

        MouthHealthy.org provides oral health information by life stages, including for adults between 40 and 60 and adults over 60.

Reader’s Digest: “Think Twice” Before Sharing A Toothbrush

Reader’s Digest discusses the “unnecessary health risks” associated with sharing a toothbrush, encouraging people to “think twice” when considering it as an option. Mouths contain “more than 700 species of bacteria,” according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, and while most of these bacteria are harmless, “some like staph and E. coli, can lead to infection and illness.” In addition to encouraging people not to share toothbrushes, the article notes the American Dental Association also advises rinsing toothbrushes with water after each use and storing them in an upright position, ensuring they are separated from other toothbrushes.

Six Dental Health Tips For Valentines Day

The American Dental Association provides six oral health tips for Valentine’s Day. “If you’re planning on cozying up to someone this year, make sure your mouth is in good health,” says ADA Spokesperson Dr. Alice Boghosian. “Taking care of your teeth and gums will help you stay healthy for Valentine’s Day – and every other day of the year.” The ADA states that “cavities can be contagious,” recommending people “brush twice a day for two minutes” and clean between teeth daily “for cleaner kisses and a cavity-free smile.” Proper “dental hygiene is especially important” for halitosis, the ADA states, adding that “over-the-counter antimicrobial (germ-killing) mouthwashes or chewing sugarless gum” can also help with bad breath. The ADA also encourages people to “share a life, not a toothbrush,” speak to their dentist if they are interested in whitening their teeth, avoid smoking, and visit the dentist regularly.

Methamphetamine Use Can Lead To Dental Damage

KTRK-TV Houston (1/5) discussed how methamphetamine use can harm health, sharing “photos of repeat meth offenders” to illustrate the physical side-effects of methamphetamine use. The article notes that methamphetamine use negatively affects dental health, often leading to tooth loss. The article states that “according to the American Dental Association, meth mouth is probably caused by a combination of the drug’s effects, both physical and psychological,” which can result in xerostomia and extended periods of poor oral hygiene.

        The ADA provides additional information on “Meth Mouth” atMouthHealthy.org. A study published in The Journal of the American Dental Association also examined dental disease in methamphetamine users.

Delta Dental Survey: Dentists Top List Of Health Practitioners Americans Want To See More Of

In a release on PRNewswire (1/4), the Delta Dental Plans Association states that “dentists lead the pack of health practitioners adults want to see more,” according to its 2016 Adult Oral Health Survey. The survey finds that “41 percent of American adults reported they do not get to the dentist as often as they’d like,” followed by dermatologists at 28 percent. According to the survey, adults who brush their teeth less than twice a day report wanting to see the dentist more than those who brush their teeth more often. “Seeing the dentist regularly is an important part of maintaining good oral health,” said Bill Kohn, DDS, Delta Dental Plans Association’s vice president of dental science and policy. “We’re at least glad to see that even those who aren’t getting to the dentist as often as they’d like, recognize the importance of making more time to do so.”

        WAND-TV Champaign, IL (1/4) reports that in Illinois, the survey finds 43 percent of adults report they do not visit the dentist as often as they’d like.

A Mom’s Guide to Fluoride

Treating cavities is important, but preventing cavities is best. That’s where fluoride comes in. Millions of children in the United States and around the world have been spared thanks to fluoride in tap water, toothpaste and routine dental checkups starting no later than a child’s first birthday.

Your patients who are parents may have a lot of questions about fluoride. We’ve got answers for them in a guide written for parents by a parent: dentist and Harvard researcher Dr. Brittany Seymour.

Share this fluoride guide with your patients today, and start the conversation that could lead to a lifetime of healthy smiles for their children.

Study Suggests Preventive Dental Care Will Increase In The Future

In The Hill “Congress Blog,” the authors of the article “Projections of Dental Care Use Through 2026: Preventive Care To Increase While Treatment Will Decline,” which was published in the December 2016 issue of Health Affairs, discuss their findings. Using data from the 1996-2013 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a forecasting model suggests visits for preventive dental care are projected to increase in the future, while visits for dental treatment are expected to decline. “More prevention and less treatment means significant savings for individuals and government – measured in both individual pain and suffering as well as dollars and cents,” the authors say.

Researcher Finds Evidence Cavemen Cleaned Teeth With Sticks

The Washington Post reports that researcher Karen Hardy broke down “calcified plaque from some of the oldest human remains in Europe,” finding “pieces of indigestible wood fibers.” The article adds that “Hardy believes they’re from small sticks early humans would jam in their teeth to clean them.” By examining the calcified plaque from a “fossil from the Sima del Elefante archaeological site in Atapuerca,” Hardy was also able “to discern that they ate grass, seeds, other plants and meat – all raw, indicating they didn’t yet use fire to cook.”

Study Suggests Few Older Americans Have Dental Insurance

InsuranceNewsNet reported Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research on Medicare beneficiaries, published in the December issue of the journal Health Affairs, suggests that “only 12 percent of older Americans have some form of dental insurance and fewer than half visited a dentist in the previous year.” Such “an enormous unmet need for dental insurance among those 65 and older in the United States” means older adults are “at risk for oral health problems that could be prevented or treated with timely dental care, including tooth decay, gum disease and loss of teeth.” The research also highlights “the financial burden associated with dental visits, among both the insured and uninsured.” Study author Amber Willink, PhD, an assistant scientist in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Bloomberg School, said, “With fewer and fewer retiree health plans covering dental benefits, we are ushering in a population of people with less coverage and who are less likely to routinely see a dentist. We need to think about cost-effective solutions to this problem.”

MouthHealthy.org provides a guide to finding and paying for dental care, listing factors to consider when determining if purchasing a dental benefit plan will save money on dental care costs.

Most Medicare Beneficiaries Lack Dental Coverage

Reuters reports in continuing coverage that a recent study suggests that “only about one in nine U.S. adults with Medicare coverage” also have dental coverage, and “many of them may be putting off oral healthcare as a result.” Researchers “examined nationally representative survey data for 56 million people on Medicare,” finding 80 percent of seniors with dental coverage had a dental visit in the previous year, while only 41 percent of seniors without dental coverage received a dental exam. “We knew that older adults in the U.S. have substantial oral health problems in the way of tooth loss or untreated tooth decay, but this article really brings to light the substantial differences in access to dental services by income groups and how dental insurance mitigates much of these access issues across incomes,” said lead study author Amber Willink, a public health researcher at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The analysis found dental coverage status “appeared to be the biggest predictor of whether a person received oral health care.”

        The findings are published in the December issue of the journal Health Affairs.

Oral Health Issues May Indicate “Serious Health” Problems

The New York Post (12/6, Shea) reports that oral health issues can indicate “serious health issues,” ranging from “digestive troubles to diabetes.” The article discusses what health conditions may be revealed by problems with gums, teeth, saliva, lips, and breath. For example, xerostomia may be an indicator of Sjögren’s syndrome, while red and bleeding gums may be a sign of gum disease or diabetes. In another example, the article reports that halitosis may result from poor oral hygiene practices but could also be a sign of acid reflux.

        TIME (12/6) carries a Health.com article that also discusses the association between poor oral health and other health conditions, stating “research suggests that the condition of your gums is connected to a variety of health issues,” such as heart disease. The article stresses the importance of cleaning between teeth every day to remove debris and help prevent plaque buildup.

Taking Care Of Children’s Oral Health Is Necessary

In an article in U.S. News & World Report, Jonathan Fielding, MD, professor of public health and pediatrics at UCLA, states that “we are not taking care of our children’s teeth,” noting that “tooth decay is among the most common chronic conditions of childhood,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Poor oral health in children can cause pain and infections and adversely affect school attendance and learning. Dr. Fielding notes that according to the American Dental Association, there are “more than 125 health conditions that may affect or be affected by oral health, including cardiovascular disease, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, HIV/AIDS, osteoporosis, obesity, and autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis.” In addition, the ADA states that children with tooth decay are more likely to have tooth decay as adults. Given this, Dr. Fielding recommends children practice good dental hygiene and make dietary changes, while also stressing the need for additional public health steps, such as expanding access to fluoridated water, applying fluoride varnish and sealants to teeth, increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates, and expanding the availability of dental coverage.

Medicare Advantage Plans Often Include Dental Coverage

MarketWatch encouraged people to understand the differences between Medicare and Medicare Advantage, noting that “unlike traditional Medicare, some Medicare Advantage plans also offer extended benefits, such as vision and dental care.”

        MouthHealthy.org provides information on paying for dental care after retirement.

Dentists, Health Organizations Warn Parents About Tooth Decay In Children

Opposing Views reported that dentists and health organizations are warning parents about the “increase in tooth decay among young children – particularly resulting from soft drinks.” About “42 percent of children aged 2 to 11 have had cavities in their baby teeth, and 21 percent of those aged 6 to 11 in their permanent teeth,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The article notes that consumption of sugars and acids, especially from sodas, contribute to tooth decay. In addition, some parents may be unaware that children need assistance with brushing their teeth until they are able to brush their teeth properly on their own. Dr. Edward Moody, president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, said, “It’s not that they don’t want to do a good job, they’re just not physically capable yet.”

        MouthHealthy.org provides information on nutrition and dental health, including nutrition tips for babies and children, and information on how to Care for a child’s teeth.

In its November newsletter, the National Institutes Of Health (11/1) states that although news stories have questioned the benefits of dental flossing due to lacking research, dentists have “seen the teeth and gums of people who floss regularly and those who haven’t,” and “the differences can be striking.” The article notes that “red or swollen gums that bleed easily” can indicate “flossing and better dental habits are needed.” A dental health expert at NIH says, “Cleaning all sides of your teeth, including between your teeth where the toothbrush can’t reach, is a good thing.” While strong evidence showing the benefits of flossing “may be somewhat lacking,” the article observes that “there’s little evidence for any harm or side effects from flossing, and it’s low cost.” The article encourages people to talk to their dentist to address any questions or concerns about their teeth or gums and to learn the proper flossing technique.