Alcohol Consumption Increases Oral Cancer Risk for Men

Alcohol Consumption Increases Oral Cancer Risk for Men

Written by Dentistry TodayFriday, 01 March 2013 10:55

Oral cancer risk in men goes up significantly as a result of alcohol consumption, according to a new study.

The American Journal of Public Health study indicated that there are about 20,000 cancer deaths each year in the United States that stem from cancer. Men are at the largest increased risk for oral cancer while breast cancer risk in women goes up based on alcohol consumption.

There were roughly 6,000 deaths in men that resulted from some type of cancer in the esophagus, mouth or throat. About the same number of deaths in women was caused by breast cancer.

People who could be considered light drinkers—1.5 drinks or fewer daily—even comprised 30 percent of the alcohol-related cancer deaths, based on research from the Boston University School of Medicine and the School of Public Health.

Many previous studies have shown that men increase their risk of developing cancer in the esophagus, larynx, liver, oral cavity and pharynx by consuming alcohol.

The study concludes that about 3.5 percent of all cancer deaths stem from alcohol in some way. The study also makes it clear that more needs to be done to reduce alcohol consumption.

Some researchers suggest that since alcohol is an accepted human carcinogen, there is not a level of consumption that could be considered safe and that people should eschew alcohol entirely.

Sensitive Teeth Could Pose Problem for Some People

Sensitive Teeth Could Pose Problem for Some People

Written by Dentistry TodayTuesday, 05 March 2013 16:04

There may be a reason why some people have some kind of sharp pain after eating some hot or cold food.

One out of every eight people has oversensitive teeth. The recent study showed that younger adults, women, and people with receding gums were most at risk for sensitive teeth.

The study was conducted by a University of Washington team. The information appeared in the Journal of the American Dental Association.

It showed that the pain came in stretches of days at a time and sometimes weeks at a time before going away.

Sensitive teeth stem from when the enamel on the outside of the tooth or tissue between the teeth wears away. Small tubes that connect the nerves are then vulnerable.

There were 787 adults surveyed for this study from 37 general practices.

Dentists taking part in the study asked their patients if they had recently experience any kind of pain, sensitivity or discomfort in their teeth or gums. The dentist then examined the patient to confirm the condition. There were 12 percent of patients that clearly had tooth sensitivity that didn’t stem from any other issue.

Earlier studies on this subject had wide-ranging conclusions. Some studies showed that only 1 percent of people suffered from tooth sensitivity while some studies have shown that 52 percent of patients have sensitive teeth.

This study wasn’t diverse, however, with 82 percent of the participants being white. It’s conceivable that the numbers may differ among other racial groups.

Another conclusion from this study was that people ages 18 through 44 were 3.5 times more likely to have sensitive teeth because the dentin gets stronger as people age. Also, women were 1.5 times more likely to have sensitive teeth than men. Receding gums and utilizing at-home whitening products also increased tooth sensitivity.

Dentists Warn of Impact From Squeezable Fruit Puree Snacks

Dentists Warn of Impact From Squeezable Fruit Puree Snacks

Written by Dentistry TodayWednesday, 06 March 2013 16:54

Squeezable fruit packs may not be all they’re cracked up to be.

The puree snacks have become a favorite of many children because they are quick, tasty and fruit-based. But dentists say that the snacks may have a devastating effect on a child’s oral health.

The snacks seem like they’re healthy based on their fruit and vegetable content. The products are also organic and possess no added sugar.

The issue lies in the concentrated fruit sugar that builds up on children’s teeth.

The fiber that comes from the fruit doesn’t appear in these drinks. Instead, distilled sugar is what is consumed.

Another problem stems from the fact that these pouches are sometimes consumed for a period of hours. This means teeth are exposed to the sugar for an extended period of time. For comparison’s sake, when eating fruit, the teeth are only exposed to the sugar for a matter of minutes.

Rinsing and brushing are the keys to minimizing the possible negative effects from the sugar.

Experts Warn South Koreans About Cosmetic Jaw Surgery

Experts Warn South Koreans About Cosmetic Jaw Surgery

Written by Dentistry TodayThursday, 30 May 2013 15:03

South Koreans have recently gone to a new extreme for aesthetic purposes. The current trend sweeping through the country among women is a procedure to reduce the jaw size.

But dental experts want people to know the danger associated with such a procedure. The specifics include cutting the jawbone tissue to realign the upper and lower jaws, with the goal being to make the face look smaller.

There are advertisements throughout the country portraying the enhanced beauty that results from the surgery. These ads never mention the unnecessary harmful situation these women are putting themselves in.

The problems with the surgery stem from the fact that it changes the entire bone structure of the face. It’s much more drastic than even Botox or a nose job.

A recent study documented about 5,000 cases of this type of procedure each year. About 52 percent of the women encountered major sensory problems after the surgery. Some of the other problems include misaligned teeth, chewing issues and jaw pain. There was even a case in which a woman committed suicide after surgery based on the depression she felt from serious jaw pain. The pain was so intense she was unable to eat.

Half of World’s Population Needs Better Oral Health

Half of World’s Population Needs Better Oral Health

Written by Dentistry TodayFriday, 31 May 2013 14:58

Nearly 4 billion people have bad teeth. That would be roughly one of every 2 people in the world.

The information comes from Queen Mary, University of London. The dental school conducted a recent study on the matter.

The study was done during a three-year period. It also concluded that dental diseases have risen by 20 percent during the last 20 years.

The top reason for the increase in oral diseases stems from the rise in the world’s population. The dental problems are only exacerbated by the increase in life expectancy.

Many people go with untreated toothaches that are so severe the people can’t eat or sleep. There are even more people with small cavities or minor cases of gum disease.

Some older people that still have their natural teeth are dead-set on keeping them, which could pose problems.

There were 500 scientists worldwide who took part in this study. The goal is for people to value or realize the importance of oral health, including governments that need to step to lower tooth decay and gum disease rates.

Teeth Whitening Permitted by Nondentists in North Carolina

Teeth Whitening Permitted by Nondentists in North Carolina

Written by Dentistry TodayTuesday, 04 June 2013 15:36

You officially don’t have to be a dentist in North Carolina to perform teeth whitening.

The North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners lost an appeal to the US Federal Trade Commission that backed the rights of nondentists to perform teeth whitening tasks. The U.S. Court of Appeals made this decision on May 31.

The original complaint stemmed from June 2010, when the board sent numerous letters to try to block the nondentists from performing teeth whitening based on the idea that the nondentists were performing illegal dentistry. The board also did all it could to stop the nondentists from opening teeth whitening businesses.

The FTC claims that the dental board urged malls not to allow these businesses to open.

In November 2010 the dental board then wanted the FTC charges to be dismissed. In February 2011, a lawsuit was filed by the dental board regarding this issue. Later in the month, the FTC rejected the dental board’s motion to dismiss the FTC complaint.

In July 2011, a judge determined that the dental board’s course of action was “unreasonable restraint of trade and an unfair method of competition.” One month later there was an appeal, but the FTC upheld the ruling in December of that year. Another appeal was made and this decision shoots down the latest appeal.

“Here, the fact that the Board is comprised of private dentists elected by other private dentists, along with North Carolina’s lack of active supervision of the Board’s activities, leaves us with little confidence that the state itself, rather 37 than a private consortium of dentists, chose to regulate dental health in this manner at the expense of robust competition for teeth whitening services,” Circuit Judge Barbara Milano Keenan wrote in the denial. “Accordingly, the Board’s actions are those of a private actor and are not immune from the antitrust laws under the state action doctrine.”

New Technique May Help Scared Dental Patients

New Technique May Help Scared Dental Patients

Written by Dentistry TodayThursday, 11 July 2013 08:01

There may be another way to get fearful patients to visit the dentist.

The latest idea involves a nasal spray that is undergoing tests to see if it can do the job oral injections normally perform.

The early indications are that the trials were a success. It’s even possible that permission will be granted for implementation later this year.

If a nasal spray successfully fills in for the oral injections in administering anesthesia, it may go a long way toward shedding the negative connotation associated with dental visits.

Several techniques have been explored in recent years to try to eliminate prospective dental patients from dealing with stress. The methods have included anything from medical to physiological.

If successful, the dental spray could be used in place of oral injections. The spray, however, wouldn’t fully end the dental fear that many people develop.

Teeth Could be Grown from Urine

Teeth Could be Grown from Urine

Written by Dentistry TodayWednesday, 31 July 2013 09:51

Urine may have the ability to do something that no one ever could have imagined: grow teeth.

Researchers in China recently utilized human urine to grow teeth.

The information from the study, which appears in the Cell Regeneration Journal, indicates that small, teeth-like structures began to develop. The research team hopes to eventually create full-grown teeth, which may later replace teeth people lose from some kind of injury or decay.

The Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health collected urine, and the cells were harvested in a laboratory setting to be given a chance to become stem cells. A combination of the cells and other bodily material from mice were transferred into the mouse. After about 3 weeks, a tooth-like structure developed. The structure contained pulp, enamel and dentin.

The information from this study doesn’t necessarily mean that urine should be directly turned into teeth. The information, however, provides a nice baseline for more studies utilizing this evidence.

On the other hand, there may be problems that arise from utilizing urine as the source of stem cells. Some studies have demonstrated that urine is not the best source of the cells, and this is coupled with the fact that only a small number of these cells can be translated into stem cells.

A contamination risk may also exist, something that doesn’t happen frequently with other sources of stem cells.

Single Male Smokers at Risk of Oral Cancer

Single Male Smokers at Risk of Oral Cancer

Written by Dentistry TodayWednesday, 17 July 2013 15:14

Single male smokers are at a greater risk of developing oral cancer than any other group.

This new study discovered that single men who live alone smoke are atop the list of people at risk for developing oral cancer. They also have the highest risk of developing the human papilloma virus. HPV is generally spread by sexual contact.

The information recently appeared in the The Lancet.

For healthy men, the virus is uncommon and doesn’t stick around in the body for more 12 months at the most.

Despite all of the programs to combat smoking and the fact that HPV has been pinpointed as a major risk factor for oral cancer, smoking is still the main risk factor for oral cancer. About half of smokers eventually die from an illness related to smoking, particularly mouth cancer.

It’s essential in the future to increase the awareness about the risk factors involved with oral cancer. There is twice the amount of cases as there were just 10 years ago. The survival rates for people with other forms of cancer have increased but the same can’t be said for oral cancer because people simply don’t know enough about it. Therefore, many cases aren’t diagnosed until they reach an advanced stage when survival becomes more of a challenge.

Improper Pacifier Cleaning Could Lead to Dental Decay

Improper Pacifier Cleaning Could Lead to Dental Decay

Written by Dentistry TodayMonday, 12 August 2013 07:35

Parents need to be careful with their children’s pacifiers. If not, dental decay could be the result.

Numerous studies show that dental decay can be transmitted to a child when an adult sucks on the pacifier to clean it.

A recent study in the journal Pediatrics goes into detail about this issue. There are few, if any, immunizing effects from adult saliva. Therefore, licking or sucking something to clean it off does nothing to get rid of germs.

It’s also important that parents don’t drip pacifiers in honey, juice, sweetened drinks or any kind of sugar. When exposed to those substances or anything with sugar, the result is often cavities or tooth decay.

The best way to clean a pacifier is to use something that is proven to be a disinfectant.

Illegal Dentistry Possibly Resulted in Canadian Health Issue

Illegal Dentistry Possibly Resulted in Canadian Health Issue

Written by Dentistry TodayTuesday, 13 August 2013 15:42

About 1,500 dental patients may need to see a doctor.

A certification board in British Columbia issued a warning after Tung Shen Wu—also known as David Wu—was declared unqualified to practice dentistry, according to the College of Surgeons of British Columbia.

The college raided Wu’s bedroom, which was used as this illegal clinic. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation obtained video showing dirty and unorganized conditions, dusty shelves and a lack of sterilized water, among other problems.

It’s conceivable that the patients—mainly Chinese-Canadians—were exposed to HIV and hepatitis B or C. These patients were urged to be tested for these diseases.

Wu had already received a court injunction to halt his practice 10 years ago. After telling authorities he was leaving the country, his current clinic was found in May. Wu received some kind of dental training in another country but his level of expertise is not up to British Columbia’s standards.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police will determine whether or not criminal activity occurred. Coincidentally, there happens to be another dentist with the same name who lives in Burnaby, British Columbia who wants to clear his name because he was not associated with this illegal dentistry.

Illegal Dentistry Possibly Resulted in Canadian Health Issue

Illegal Dentistry Possibly Resulted in Canadian Health Issue

Written by Dentistry TodayTuesday, 13 August 2013 15:42

About 1,500 dental patients may need to see a doctor.

A certification board in British Columbia issued a warning after Tung Shen Wu—also known as David Wu—was declared unqualified to practice dentistry, according to the College of Surgeons of British Columbia.

The college raided Wu’s bedroom, which was used as this illegal clinic. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation obtained video showing dirty and unorganized conditions, dusty shelves and a lack of sterilized water, among other problems.

It’s conceivable that the patients—mainly Chinese-Canadians—were exposed to HIV and hepatitis B or C. These patients were urged to be tested for these diseases.

Wu had already received a court injunction to halt his practice 10 years ago. After telling authorities he was leaving the country, his current clinic was found in May. Wu received some kind of dental training in another country but his level of expertise is not up to British Columbia’s standards.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police will determine whether or not criminal activity occurred. Coincidentally, there happens to be another dentist with the same name who lives in Burnaby, British Columbia who wants to clear his name because he was not associated with this illegal dentistry.

Whole Exome Sequencing Seeks Out Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Also Included In: Dentistry;  Genetics
Article Date: 19 Jun 2013 - 0:00 PDT

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Whole Exome Sequencing Seeks Out Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma

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Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a slow-growing and often fatal malignancy that can occur at multiple organ sites, but is most frequently found in the salivary glands. The primary treatment is surgical removal; however, the majority of patients develop metastatic disease. 

In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers led by Andrew Futreal at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge, MA, performed a type of genetic sequencing known as whole exome sequencing of 24 ACC cases. They identified a genetic translocation that can precipitate disease and determined that a large number of disease-associated mutations occurred in genes that modify DNA. 

In the accompanying commentary, Henry Frierson, Jr. of the University of Virginia emphasizes that identifying individual mutations will aid the development of personalized therapy. 

TITLE: Whole exome sequencing of adenoid cystic carcinoma 

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/67201?key=d9e8a757b7c521272b6f 

ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY TITLE: Mutation signature of adenoid cystic carcinoma: evidence for transcriptional and epigenetic reprogramming 

The UK's First Intraoral Welding Implant Case Is Performed By Dr Peter Sanders

Main Category: Dentistry
Article Date: 04 Jul 2013 - 3:00 PDT

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The UK's First Intraoral Welding Implant Case Is Performed By Dr Peter Sanders

Patient / Public:		5 (1 votes)
Healthcare Prof:		5 (1 votes)

The ground breaking use of Intraoral Welding to improve the placement of dental implants has been successfully performed for the first time in the UK, by Dr Peter Sanders of Dental Confidence in Southampton. 

Following intensive training in 2012 with Dr Marco Degidi in Bolgna, Italy, Dr Sanders is now the first dentist in the UK to practise the advanced technique that enables the immediate loading of a fixed prosthesis supported by an intraorally welded titanium framework. 

After 3D CAD CAM planning and guided surgery, the abutments of Dr Sanders' first case were connected to the implants and a titanium bar was welded to the abutments whist in the patient's mouth. This framework was then used to support the prosthesis, which was fitted on the same day. 

Dr Sanders comments, "The biggest challenge in precision dentistry is transferring accurate information from the mouth to the model. Creating impressions, models and castings will inevitably lead to the possibility of inaccuracies. If inaccuracies exist, the framework has to be recast and therefore this process can often be long winded. With Intraoral Welding, the framework is welded to the components in the patient's mouth, and is therefore completely accurate from the outset. As a result a more passive, stress free structure is created." 

So far only a handful of dental implantologists in the world have received the specialist training that allows them to practice the Intraoral Welding technique. The welding technique itself is achieved when the titanium materials are joined together through pressure and the heat produced by electrical current. 

The previous challenge for the developers of the technology was to safely get the pressure and current perfectly accurate. Now this has been achieved, it is predicted that more and more implantologists will eventually adopt the technique. 

"Using the welding technique means there is no waiting time for the laboratory to cast a framework," Dr Sanders continues, "Instead I am able to create a framework instantly, and therefore the cost for implant loaded bridges and dentures is significantly reduced." 

If the framework is completely passive, complications such as failures in the screws, superstructure or actual implant are entirely avoided and so the consequences of stress are eliminated. 

The first patient to receive the treatment last week was Dave Dougan, from Portsmouth who said, "The treatment has been fantastic. I am more than happy with the results. The surgery was entirely pain free and the implants are perfectly comfortable. I was able to have full extraction and implant placement in a single day, and I must say I was astonished at how quickly I could get on with things- I was eating food the following day." 

Dr Sanders concludes, "Intra oral welding shortens treatment time, increases precision and consequently improves the overall success rate of implant placement. We are delighted to be the first implant centre in the UK to offer patients the benefits of this ground breaking technique." 

New Report Concludes That Dental Implants Can Save Costs And Improve Quality Of Life

Main Category: Dentistry
Article Date: 08 Jul 2013 - 1:00 PDT

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New Report Concludes That Dental Implants Can Save Costs And Improve Quality Of Life

Patient / Public:		4 (1 votes)
Healthcare Prof:		2.67 (3 votes)

A report published as the lead article in the International Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Implants shows that dental implants offer a cost-effective alternative to traditional treatments for tooth replacement.

The report, which is also cited on PubMed, the US National Library of Medicine located at the National Institutes of Health, is based on a systematic review of all available studies published in English between 2000 and 2010 relating to the cost-effectiveness of various tooth-replacement options. In total, 14 studies on long-term costs were included in the final review, which yielded the following conclusions:

For single-tooth replacement, implant-based solutions were generally cost-saving or cost-effective in comparison with traditional tooth-borne prostheses (bridges).

For patients with full dentures, implant-borne solutions were associated with higher initial costs than traditional (non-fixed) dentures. However, the consensus of most studies was that, over the long term, dental implants represent a cost-effective treatment option. Additionally, patient acceptance, satisfaction, and willingness to pay for dental implants were high, particularly in elderly edentulous patients. A trend toward improved overall improved oral-health-related quality of life and decreased health care costs was also reported.

A key objective of this review was to conduct an extensive literature search and to consolidate all the relevant findings into one document that could serve as a single point of reference for healthcare professionals and patients. The fact that it has been published by a leading peer-reviewed scientific journal endorses the quality of the authors' research.