Link Between Poor Oral Health and Systemic Health

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An interesting article titled “Self-reported oral health is associated with systemic health outcomes and all-cause mortality” written by Yau-Hua Yu and et. al. appears in the Journal of the American Dental Association (vol. 155, no. 3, pp. 233-243, March 2024). There’s a growing body of evidence suggesting a strong link between oral health and overall health. This article explores how just asking people about their oral health can reveal important information about their risk of developing other chronic diseases. People who indicated they had poor oral health may be as likely as those already had gum disease to have negative systemic health outcomes. Image by Dana from Pixabay The Link Between Gums and General Health Researchers have known for some time about the connection between gum disease (periodontal disease) and health problems like heart disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis. This study looked at a different approach: using people’s … Read more

Hydrocortisone Shows Promise in Reducing Pain and Swelling After Wisdom Tooth Removal

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An interesting article titled “Efficacy of Hydrocortisone, Povidone-Iodine, and Normal Saline as an Irrigating Solution During Surgical Removal of Impacted Mandibular Third Molars: A Randomized Controlled Trial” written by Faheem Ahmed and et. al. appears in Cureus published February 01, 2024. The study sought to compare the effects of three irrigating solutions, hydrocortisone, povidone-iodine, and normal saline, on pain, trismus, and edema following removal of impacted lower wisdom teeth. Wisdom tooth removal, also known as the surgical removal of impacted third molars, is a common dental procedure, often accompanied by pain, swelling (edema), and difficulty opening the mouth (trismus). Researchers have been looking for ways to alleviate these post-surgical concers. The study metnioned in this article compared the effectiveness of three irrigation solutions used during surgery. The study involved 105 patients between the ages of 18 and 40 who needed … Read more

Microscopic Robots Could Revolutionize Stopping Infections

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Its possible one day that tiny robots one day can swim through your bloodstream, delivering medication directly to infected cells or removing harmful bacteria. This is the future of medicine, and it’s being made possible by microrobotics. Microrobots are micrometer-sized robots that have the potential to revolutionize healthcare. They can be used for a variety of purposes, including: Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania propose using microrobots to deliver medication and remove biofilms more effectively. Microrobots can be powered intrinsically or extrinsically. Microrobots are still in the early stages of development, but they have the potential to transform healthcare. These microrobots may be used to target infections stuck in areas, such as between the teeth. The technology may reduce antimicrobial resistance. Image by Thor Deichmann from Pixabay Microrobots also offer a new way to collect microbial samples that could be used to diagnose other diseases. Microrobotics relies on … Read more

Rare Case Highlights Importance of Communication and Follow-up After Dental Procedures

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An interesting article titled “The interplay among a dental procedure, infective endocarditis, and an acute ischemic stroke” appears in the Journal of the American Dental Association by Momodou G. Bah and et. al., published January 24, 2024. The article discusses a case report that shares the importance of communication and follow-up after dental procedures, especially when it comes to potential complications like infective endocarditis and stroke. The Case: A previously healthy 54-year-old woman experienced a cracked tooth while eating, specifically tooth #30 while chewing a popcorn kernel. Her dentist extracted the tooth, but she did not inform the dentist about persistent pain at the site for two weeks, and there were no follow-up calls scheduled. Five weeks later, she developed stroke symptoms and was diagnosed with infective endocarditis, a rare but serious infection of the heart valves. The Connection: Tests … Read more

Giving social support may help to lower inflammation and improve health

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An interesting article titled “Perceived social support-giving moderates the association between social relationships and interleukin-6 levels in blood,” appears in the 2022 edition of Brain, Behavior, and Immunity (no. 100: pp. 25-28) written by T. Jiang and et al. The article seeks to explore if perceived social support-giving (i.e. the belief that one can be available to give social support to others) moderates associations between social relationships and inflammation. Thus the article looks at the willingness to give social support to others such as family and friends instead of just receiving help from those same people. In the article, the researchers looked at data from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the U.S. (MIDUS II) and in particular 1054 healthy middle-aged adults between 34 and 84 years old. The data contained questionnaires on social integration, support-availability from others, positive relations … Read more