cavity

Few Children Under 1 See a Dentist

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Unfortunately, new research has shown that few children under the age of 1 are seeing a dentist. This was touched on in an earlier blog post over at https://blog.teethremoval.com/will-health-care-reform-result-in-more-dental-visits/ where it was mentioned that for children between ages 1 and 4 around 60% of them have seen a medical doctor (physician) during the year, but not a dentist. The new research appears in an article titled “Factors Associated With Dental Care Utilization in Early Childhood,” by Denise Darmawikarta and et al. which was published online in Pediatrics in May 2014. The study looked at 2505 children in Toronto, Canada, who were seen for primary health care between September 2011 and January 2013. The study was past of TARGet Kids (The Applied Research Group for Kids), a collaboration between doctors and researchers from St. Michael’s Hospital and the Hospital for Sick Children in … Read more

Cut Sugar to Prevent Cavities

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If you are looking to avoid cavities in your teeth and wisdom teeth, then you may want to consider limiting your intake of sugar. Free sugars are added to many foods and are naturally present in other food such as honey and fruit juice. Since 1990, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said they suggest less than 10% of all calorie intake should be from free sugars. A study conducted by Newcastle University and commissioned by the WHO and was published last year in the Journal of Dental Research explored free sugar intake as a percentage of calorie intake and the incidence of dental cavities. The article found when less than 10% of total calories in the diet is from free sugars there are much lower levels of cavities (tooth decay). The article also found that when less than 5% … Read more

Is Creative Diagnosis on the Rise in Dentistry?

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A very interesting MyView column by the American Dental Association (ADA) is titled “Creative Diagnosis” by Jeffrey Camm, D.M.D. located over at http://www.ada.org/9151.aspx and published October 21, 2013. In the column the author touches on an issue he faces as a dentist where he has patients who have seen other dentists who were likely unethical in their treatment (and treating when it is not warranted) – a term he calls creative diagnosis. Of course one can ask, what is the motivation for creative diagnosis and one would answer money and staying afloat. Essentially the author describes several cases he has dealt with at his practice: A 16 year old patient who graduates from his pediatric practice and sees a new dentist who then says she has 16 cavities. The patient and her mother of course are upset and he reviews … Read more

Bisphenol A Exposure in Early Age May Damage Enamel

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Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical compound that is used to make up resins and plastics. For example, bisphenol A is used in bottles, inside drink cans, and inside food tins. Research has shown that bisphenol A has been found in human blood and urine hence indicting that it has been ingested. Other research has shown that bisphenol A has adverse effects on the development and reproduction of lab animals. Bisphenol A has already been banned from being used in the manufacturing process of baby bottles in Europe. A recent study set out to determine if teeth of rats when treated with low daily doses of bisphenol A are damaged. The researchers showed that the teeth of rats treated with low daily doses of bisphenol A are in fact damaged and that the characteristics present are similar to what has … Read more

Cheese may aid in cavity prevention

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In an article appearing in the May/June 2013 issue of General Dentistry, it was found that eating cheese and other diary products may be beneficial in protecting teeth against cavities. The study sampled 68 subjects between the ages of 12 and 15 and looked at their dental plaque pH in their mouth before and after eating cheese, yogurt, and milk. In fact, three different groups were used one that eat cheddar cheese another that drink milk and another that eat sugar free yogurt. Each group was told to eat/drink for around 3 minutes and then swish their mouth with water. Then the researchers measured the pH level of each subject’s mouth at 10, 20 and 30 minutes after they finished eating/drinking. The researchers found that the groups who drank milk and ate yogurt had no changes in pH levels in … Read more