dental health

ADA Breaking Down Barriers to Oral Health for All Americans: Repairing the Tattered Safety Net

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On August 12, 2011, the American Dental Association (ADA) released the second paper in their series of papers on access to oral health. The paper is available for download from the ADA at http://www.ada.org/sections/advocacy/pdfs/breaking-down-barriers.pdf The first paper released on February 22, 2011, was titled Breaking Down Barriers to Oral Health for All Americans: The Role of Workforce as available for download from the ADA at http://www.ada.org/sections/advocacy/pdfs/ada_workforce_statement.pdf. I have previously commented on this first paper here https://blog.teethremoval.com/breaking-down-barriers-to-oral-health-for-all-americans-ada-workforce-statement/ Like the first paper, in the opening of the document is a message from Raymond Gist, D.D.S. and President of the American Dental Association. In this message Dr. Gist states “…increasing numbers of Americans find themselves unable to pay for dental care….For this growing population, the so-called oral health safety net is the only recourse for preventing and treating oral disease….the general definition of safety net … Read more

Breaking Down Barriers to Oral Health for All Americans – ADA Workforce Statement

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Today (February 22, 2011) the American Dental Association (ADA) issued a 16 page document titled Breaking Down Barriers to Oral Health for All Americans: The Role of Workforce. This can be downloaded on the ADA website at http://www.ada.org/sections/advocacy/pdfs/ada_workforce_statement.pdf The document is intended as the first in a series of documents which will be subsequently released intended to help improve the oral health of Americans who may not currently have proper access to dental care. In the opening of the document is a message from Raymond Gist, D.D.S. and President of the American Dental Association. In this message Dr. Gist states “As the nation’s leading advocate for oral health, the ADA believes that we can and will reach the day when no American who needs and seeks the care that leads to good oral health will be denied. We believe that … Read more

Lactobacillus Reuteri Helps Oral Health

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A recent study by researchers at Malmö University in Sweden show that the lactic acid bacteria called Lactobacillus reuteri improves oral health. Lactobacillus reuteri was first discovered in the 1960s and at this time 30-40% of the population had it naturally in their bodies. Today this number is down to around 10-20% of the population and this is believed to be due to changes in lifestyle and food consumption. Many preservatives found in foods today kill the bacteria. Gabriela Sinkiewicz a researcher at Malmö University also found that Lactobacillus reuteri occurs naturally in breast milk of women but that on average women in Japan and Korea have higher concentrations. Gabriela Sinkiewicz says that Lactobacillus reuteri is important for infants as it help’s their intestinal system and immune system. In addition, she determiend that that the occurrence of both plaque and … Read more

Poor Dental Health Linked to Atherosclerosis

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Previous research has shown that poor dental health and periodontitis have been linked to atherosclerosis, which is a condition where fatty material collects along artery walls. This causes the arteries to become narrower and can lead to cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks, angina (chest pain), and stroke. Researchers in Sweden recently tested the hypotheses that bacteria from the mouth and/or the gut could end up in the atherosclerotic plaque and contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease. The researchers found the number of bacteria in the plaque correlated with the number of white blood cells. This meant that this was a cause of inflammation. The researchers used sequencing methods to determine the composition of the bacteria in the mouth, gut and arterial plaque of 15 patients in both a control and a study group. They observed that bacteria were … Read more

Fluoride in Water at Birth Helps Dental Health in Later Adult Life

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A new study has looked at how fluoride in water that you drink when you are a child affects your teeth when you reach middle age. The study was done by Matthew Neidell and his colleagues and has found that the when you are a child and have added fluoride in your water it will help with dental health much later in adult life. “Your fluoridation exposure at birth is affecting your tooth loss in your 40s and 50s, regardless of what your fluoridation exposure was like when you were 20 and 30 years old,” said Neidell. Neidell and his researchers used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention community health study in addition to a water census to look at the impact of drinking fluoridated water in the 1950s and 1960s on tooth loss in the 1990s. … Read more