Cardiologist Encourages Proper Dental Hygiene For Heart Health

In a Texas A&M University release on Newswise (2/8), Texas A&M Health Science Center cardiologist, John P. Erwin, M.D., discusses six symptoms that may indicate an unhealthy heart, including “sore, swollen or bleeding gums,” which may be a sign of periodontitis. Dr. Erwin discusses the association between gum disease and heart disease, recommending “people follow up regularly with their dentist for oral hygiene in addition to regular brushing and flossing.” The ADA discusses heart disease and oral health at MouthHealthy.org.

Poll Shows Dental Hygiene Highly Correlated With Americans’ Well-Being

The Washington Post (2/23, Chokshi) reports the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which “ranks 190 metropolitan areas by the well-being of their residents based on a survey of more than a quarter-million Americans,” was released Tuesday and found the most satisfied Americans “share at least one unintuitive characteristic: good dental hygiene.” The Post says “places where people have good dental health also tend to be places where they report being generally fulfilled.” The article goes on to list cities and states that rank highly in terms of well-being. At the top of the list for cities are Naples, FL, Salinas, CA, and Sarasota, FL. Florida, California, Colorado, and Texas were “home to many of the communities with the highest well-being scores.” Dan Witters, research director for the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, said dental care habits are a “surrogate” for well-being, adding, “People who take good care of their teeth generally think they have higher well-being lives.”

WSJ Reviews New Toothpaste That Turns Plaque Green

The Wall Street Journal (2/8, Johannes, Subscription Publication) reviews a new toothpaste that binds to plaque and shows it as green, aiming to improve oral hygiene by showing people areas they missed while brushing. The article states that researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago conducted a short-term study of Plaque HD, finding plaque was reduced by 51.3% after people brushed with the toothpaste for up to 10 days. American Dental Association spokeswoman Dr. Mary Hayes has not tried the toothpaste, but says it could serve as a consistent reminder to patients. Dr. Hayes adds that areas between the teeth and at the gumline are common areas patients miss.

Gum Disease Puts Patients With Kidney Failure At Greater Risk, Study Finds

Standard Digital (2/22, Kajilwa) continues coverage of a study published Feb. 18 in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology that found patients with both “chronic kidney disease patients and periodontitis (severe gum disease) have a higher mortality rate than those with chronic kidney disease alone.” According to the article, “individuals with both periodontitis and chronic kidney disease had an all-cause mortality rate of 41 per cent at 10 years, compared to 32 percent for those with chronic kidney disease alone.” Study co-author Praveen Sharma said, “Knowing the heightened risk that gum disease presents to patients who already have another chronic disease tells us that oral health has a significant role to play in improving patient outcomes.”

UCLA Researchers Find Protein Combination Could Improve Bone Regeneration

EurekAlert (1/28) hosted a release announcing “a UCLA research team has found a combination of proteins that could significantly improve clinical bone restoration.” The findings, which will appear in the February print edition of the American Journal of Pathology, “may be a big step toward developing effective therapeutic treatments for bone skeletal defects, bone loss and osteoporosis.” Dr. Kang Ting, professor at the UCLA School of Dentistry, said, “The combination of NELL-1 and BMP2 resulted in improved safety and efficacy of bone regeneration in animal models – and may, one day, offer patients significantly better bone healing.”

Dental Visit Was “Turning Point” For Runner With Eating Disorder

In an article in The Guardian (UK) (1/8), marathon runner Tom Fairbrother described how he developed and recovered from an eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, stating the “turning point” was when he went to the dentist to seek care for a toothache. Fairbrother said the dentist “asked if I was making myself sick, because my front teeth had been eroded by 75% due to the stomach acid from vomiting.” Fairbrother said, “It was the first time I had ever been asked directly, and I had no choice but to confess to him,” adding, “He informed me that if this behaviour continued, within six months I would lose my front teeth entirely.” The ADA provides additional information on eating disorders and oral health at MouthHealthy.org.

JADA Looks At Effectiveness Of Fluoride Varnish Treatment For Carious Lesions

The ADA News (1/29, Manchir) reported that “fluoride varnish may be an effective treatment for the reversal of incipient carious lesions in primary and permanent dentition, according to research in the February 2016 Journal of the American Dental Association.” After conducting a “systematic review and meta-analysis,” the researchers “found a significant trend of effectiveness of fluoride varnish on the reversal of the lesions,” although “further clinical trials concerning efficacy of topical fluorides for treating those lesions are still required, mainly regarding fluoride gel, researchers noted.” Lead author Tathiane Larissa Lenzi, PhD, said, “There is no clear evidence supporting the additional benefit of fluoride gel on reversal of active enamel caries lesions subjected to weekly supervised tooth brushing. However, there is an association between the number of inactive enamel lesions and the number of gel applications.” The full article is available online.