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.”

Professional Teeth Whitening Superior To Over-The-Counter Options

In a column in the Master Herald, Faramarz Hedayati considers the “increased demand for teeth whitening.” Hedayati adds, “Professional teeth whitening treatment is far more effective and safer compared to do-it-yourself teeth whitening products that can already be purchased over-the-counter.” Such treatments can contain ingredients harmful to teeth, have limited effectiveness and consistency, and weaken tooth enamel. Additionally, over-the-counter teeth bleaching products are not regulated by the Federal Drug Administration.

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.

Study Suggests Link Between Gum Disease Bacteria And Rheumatoid Arthritis

HealthDay reported a study published online Dec. 14 in the journal Science Translational Medicine found signs of infection by the bacteria A. actinomycetemcomitans, which is linked to gum disease, “in almost half of the rheumatoid arthritis patients compared to just 11 percent of another group of people without gum disease or rheumatoid arthritis.” This suggests “that the germ could cause both gum disease and rheumatoid arthritis,” although study co-author Dr. Felipe Andrade said that this is “an early finding that needs confirmation by others,” and “it may be decades before researchers can actually prove a cause-and-effect relationship between the two.”

US, Canadian Researchers Warn E-Cigarettes May Harm Gums

The Daily Mail reports scientists are warning that vaping can “trigger severe gum disease – and even increase the risk of mouth cancer.” Experts at the University of California Los Angeles say that e-cigarette toxins and nanoparticles can “kill the top layer of cells in the mouth and gums.” University of Rochester researcher Dr Irfan Rahman said, “When the vapours from an e-cigarette are burned, it causes cells to release inflammatory proteins. This aggravates stress within cells, resulting in damage that could lead to oral diseases.” Université Laval researchers say e-cigarettes can cause gum tissue to mutate.

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.