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.

Scientists Unveil Self-Repairing Bioactive Glass Fillings

The Daily Mail reported in continuing coverage that scientists at the Queen Mary University of London have developed a new compound for tooth fillings, known as bioactive glass, that “not only blocks cavities but repairs bacterial damage.” According to the article, “The filling is made from bioactive glass composites that release fluoride as well as calcium and phosphate needed to form tooth mineral.” Professor Robert Hill, who helped develop the technology, said the new compound “fills in the gaps with tooth mineral thus preventing the oral bacteria which cause tooth decay from establishing themselves.” Professor Hill adds, “Research suggests this will potentially prolong the life of fillings and slow secondary tooth decay because the depth of bacterial penetration with bioactive glass fillings was significantly smaller than for inert fillings.”

Dental Sealants Safe And Effective In Preventing Tooth Decay

The ADA News reports that “a 6-year-old child is exposed to more BPA” from food, drinks, and cosmetic products “than from the amount that is in dental sealants,” according to research published in the August issue of the ADA Professional Product Review. The article reports that “the ADA Science Institute staff tested the BPA release from 12 dental sealants used by dentists in the U.S.,” finding the BPA released from dental sealants is .09 nanograms, “well below” the EPA’s “limit proposed for a 6-year-old child.” Dr. David Sarrett, PPR editor, said, “This issue of the PPR provides a much-needed perspective on the amount of BPA in dental materials compared with other sources of exposure.”

        In addition, a release on PRNewswire, states in continuing coverage that “a new systematic review and updated clinical practice guideline from the American Dental Association (ADA) and American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) show dental sealants are a powerful and effective therapy in the fight against childhood dental decay and disease.” The systematic review and the updated clinical practice guidelines are both available in the August issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association and the July/August issue of AAPD’s Pediatric Dentistry Journal. Lead author Dr. Timothy Wright said, “The joint report reaffirms that sealants should be a routine part of cavity prevention, as children with sealants are up to 80 percent less prone to cavities compared to those without them.”