Enamel Composition May Help Predict Tooth Health

An interesting article titled “Mesoscale structural gradients in human tooth enamel” appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences written by Robert Free and et. al. (vol. 119, no. 52, pp. e2211285119, December 19, 2022). The article explores the hierarchical architecture of human enamel which is integral to the function of human teeth. In the article, discussion is made of how tooth decay has lead to many dental visits due to cavities. There is not much known about how or why many people experience tooth enamel decay or congenital conditions. In the article, the authors used synchrotron X-ray diffraction at submicrometer resolution technology, to observe tiny differences on the order of picometers in the crystallographic parameters of enamel crystallites, which they linked to the presence of ions such as magnesium and sodium or carbonate. Features of enamel at length scales smaller … Read more

Dental Professionals can help increase HPV vaccinations

An interesting article titled “Could oral health care professionals help increase human papillomavirus vaccination rates by engaging patients in discussions?” appears in the Journal of the American Dental Association on December 8, 2022, written by Sharon Casey an et. al. The article discusses how oral healthcare such as dentists may be able to help prevent human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal and other HPV-related cancers by increasing HPV vaccination rates. The researchers searched four databases (MEDLINE [PubMed], EMBASE, APA PsycInfo, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance system 2018 data. They looke for the prevalence of HPV vaccination and dental visits for patients between 18 and 49 years old. The researchers were left with 24 studies that they included in the review. From these studies the authors found that knowledge regarding HPV prevalence, transmission, disease processes, … Read more

Rheumatoid arthritis linked to dental disorders

An interesting article titled “Increased dental visits in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a secondary cohort analysis of population based claims data,” appears in BMC Oral Health written by Ching-Ya Juan, Chia-Wen Hsu, and Ming-Chi Lu (published December 15, 2022). The article sought to eplore the use of dental care in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and explore the incidence of dental disorders in patients with and without RA. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that characterized by persistent joint infammation. RA can affect not only the joints, but it can also involve other organ systems, such as the lung and lead to systemic comorbidities. In the article the authors selected 1,337 patients newly diagnosed with RA between January 2000 and December 2012 and 13,370 patients without RA. The authors found that patients with RA had a higher prevalence (70.3% vs. … Read more

Dentists Report Half of Their Patients Show up High

An interesting study from the American Dental Association (ADA) suggests patients show up to dental visits high on marijuana or another drug. As of November 2022, recreational marijuana can be used legally in over 20 states in the U.S. and also Washington D.C., while medicinal use is legal in nearly 40 states. Dentists now report that more patients use marijuana reguarily because it is now legal in many states. However, showing up at the dentist high on marijuana can hinder the effectiveness of the appointment. The ADA conducted two surveys of in 2022: 1) a survey of 557 dentists and 2) a survey of 1,006 consumers. The survey of dentists found 56% limit treatment to patients when they are high. Further 46% of dentists in a survey reported needing to increase anesthesia amount to treat patients as a result of the … Read more

Tooth Wear and Affect on Quality of Life

An interesting article titled “Tooth Wear and Oral-Health-Related Quality of Life in Dentate Adults” appears in the Journal of Dentistry written by Mireille Kanaan and et. al. (2022). The article sought to determine the extent to which tooth wear when adjusted for oral health risk indicators, adversely impacts the Oral-Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) for adults. In the study the authors investigated 570 adult patients with complete or near-complete dentition. All patients in the study had at least one bilateral molar occlusal contact and were 18 years or older with a median age of 52. The study participants answered a self-applied questionnaire that consisted of four domains: (1) characteristics of the participants, (2) oral care attendance, (3) oral health conditions and lifestyle, and (4) complaints of OHRQoL. The athors found that 62.8% of the patients in the study had complete … Read more