Health

Proper Dental Care Can Lead to Less Respiratory Infections in the ICU

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A study appearing in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology suggests that proper dental care can lead to less respiratory infections in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital. The study was conducted by Brazilian researchers who used an observer-blind randomized clinical trial to analyze data from 254 patients who stayed in a ICU for at least 48 hours. The patients were randomized to receive enhanced dental care by a dentist or to receive standard oral hygiene by a nurse. Enhanced dental care included teeth brushing, tongue scraping, atraumatic restorative treatment, removal of calculus, extraction of teeth, and topical application of chlorhexidine 4 to 5 times a week. Regular dental care consisted of mechanical cleansing using gauze which was followed by chlorhexidine 3 times a week. The patients who received enchanced dental care were 56% less likely to develop a respiratory … Read more

Depression Drugs (SSRIs) Linked to Dental Implant Failure

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The Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) drugs are known to be the most widely used for depression. In a new study by the International and American Associations for Dental Research it has shown that SSRIs can reduce bone formation and lead to an increased risk of bone fracture. The study looked specifically at osseointegration implants and the risk of failures. The study was conducted on patients with dental implants from January 2007 to January 2013. A total of 916 dental implants in 490 patients were explored with 94 implants on 51 patients using SSRIs. The specific data analysis used generalized estimation equations models and Kaplain-Meier analysis. After 3 to 67 months of follow-up, 38 dental implants failed and 784 were successful in those without SSRIs and 10 dental implants failed an 84 were successful in SSRI users. When compared with … Read more

Natural Tooth Loss Linked to Memory and Walking Speed Declines

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A study appearing in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society looked at the memory and walking speed of older individuals with and without their natural teeth. A total of 3,166 adults age 60 and over from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing were looked at. The results showed that people with none of their own teeth were around 10% worse in both memory and walking speed tests when compared to people who still had some teeth. The results were adjusted for a large amount of potential factors such as existing health problems, physical health, drinking, depression, sociodemographic characteristics, and socioeconomic status. The link between older adults without any of their natural teeth who had worse memory and physical function was more evident in adults aged 60 to 74 years old than those aged 75 and older. The researchers say … Read more

Nutrition is Important for Oral Health

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The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has published a position paper on oral health and nutrition which looks at the current research literature to support that nutrition is an important component of oral health. The paper promotes the view that dietitian nutritionists should collaborate with oral health care professionals to help in disease prevention. The paper states “Oral health and nutrition have a synergistic multidirectional relationship. Oral infectious diseases, as well as acute, chronic, and terminal systemic diseases with oral manifestations impact functional ability to eat as well as diet and nutrition status. Likewise, nutrition and diet can affect the development and integrity of the oral cavity as well as the progression of oral diseases.” The paper was published in the the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in May 2013, and is available for download at http://www.eatright.org/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=8426. … Read more

High Acid Drinks Can Damage Teeth

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So I have previously written about how sports and energy drinks can cause permanent tooth damage. See the post https://blog.teethremoval.com/sports-and-energy-drinks-can-cause-permanent-tooth-damage/ where it is mentioned that the high acidity levels in the drinks erode tooth enamel. Similar sentiments are echoed in a more recent article titled “Three-dimensional profilometric assessment of early enamel erosion simulating gastric regurgitation,” appearing in the Journal of Dentistry in 2014 written by Chelsea Mann and et al. The researchers in this more recent article present results to show that lifelong damage is caused by acidity to teeth within the first 30 seconds of an acid attack. The researchers state that dental erosion is often detected clinically after extensive tooth wear has already occurred. Furthermore, the researchers state that drinks high in acidity like sports drinks, soft drinks, and fruit juice when combined with night time tooth grinding can cause … Read more