dentistry

Deep Breaths by Children can Help Reduce Dental Fear

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An interesting article titled “Breathing out dental fear: A feasibility crossover study on the effectiveness of diaphragmatic breathing in children sitting on the dentist’s chair” written by Martina Levi and et al. appears in the International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry (Feb. 13, 2022). The article sought to explore if diaphragmatic breathing by children can help to reduce fear and anxiety in dental setting. In the study the authors evaulated 20 children who had two dental procedures done on different days who were between the ages of 7 and 13. The children were assigned two groups in one group the children were taught diaphragmatic breathing to be used prior to dental treatment and in the other group they were instructed to start their dental treatment normally. The children in the diaphramatic breathing group only had their dental treatment begin when they … Read more

Physical activity can help reduce gum disease

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An interesting article titled “Leisure-Time and Occupational Physical Activity Demonstrate Divergent Associations with Periodontitis: A Population-Based Study,” appears in the January 2, 2023, edition of Journal of Clinical Periodontology written by Marruganti Crystal et al. The article discusses how physical activity can help to reduce inflammation, which can potentially decrease the risk of developing periodontitis also known as gum disease. Reducing gum disease has been discussed before on this site, see for example the posts Blueberry extract could help treat periodontitis and Natural Supplements to Improve your Periodontal Health. In the article the authors examine data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009-2014 database. They retrieved data from 10,679 adults and assessed physical activity from the Global Physical Activity questionnaire which classified activity as either high or low leisure-time or occupational activity. A full-mouth periodontal examination was … Read more

Enamel Composition May Help Predict Tooth Health

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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

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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

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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