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Dental Health

Related Topics:

• halitosis

Products:

• Gum Go-Betweens at Amazon.com.  I dip them in PerioGard® but they tell you not to rinse with PerioGard® as it will discolor your teeth. 1.1% sodium fluoride toothpaste at Amazon.com
• Spry xylitol gum at Amazon.com
• Braun Oral-B products
• GUM Go-betweens Proxabrush Cleaners Wide [3614] 8 Each (Pack of 3)
• Sunstar Butler Proxabrush GUM Eez-Lok Handle
• GUM Go Betweens Proxabrush Refills, Wide, 8-Count Packages (Pack of 6)
• Butler 612 Soft Picks or Butler Ultra-Fine - use these narrower brushes for the front teeth
• GUM® Proxabrush® Snap Ons Handle - Includes 2 brushes
• Butler G-U-M Proxabrush Snap-On Tapered Interdental Brush Refills 624R
• Butler Gum Proxabrush Snap-On Cylindrical Interdental B 622

Suggested method for periodontal disease:

• Periogard - Needs a prescription but is usually available at you dentist for around $10.
• GUM Go-betweens Proxabrush Cleaners Wide [3614] 8 Each (Pack of 3).  These are wide and will only word for the back four slots but that's where most of the problem lies.
• Put a few tablespoons of Periogard into a small glass.  Soak the brush in it and run it between your teeth.

Alternative News:

• Gum Disease Linked to Colorectal Cancer: COLDENT Study - Medscape, 2/10/22 - "Periodontal disease (PD) ... The rate of new CRC diagnoses among individuals in the study who had a history of PD was nearly 50% higher than in those with no such history"
  • How to Prevent or Get Rid of Gum Disease Naturally - Erskine Family Denistry - "Xylitol is anti-bacterial and will help to make the harmful bacteria disappear and over time the pockets that you've developed in your gum line will heal and recede back to their normal condition"
• Chewing Xylitol Gum May Modestly Reduce Preterm Birth - Medscape, 2/4/22 - "Aagaard's team decided to test the effectiveness of xylitol – a natural prebiotic found in fruits, vegetables, and bran – because harmful oral bacteria cannot metabolize the substance, and regular use of xylitol reduces the number of harmful mouth bacteria while increasing the number of good microbes in the mouth. In addition, a study in 2006 found that children up to 4 years old had fewer cavities and ear infections when their mothers chewed gum containing xylitol and other compounds. Aagaard noted that gums without xylitol do not appear to produce the same improvements in oral health ... Of the 4,349 women who chewed xylitol gum, 12.6% gave birth before 37 weeks, compared with 16.5% preterm births among the 5,321 women in the control group – a 24% reduction" - See xylitol gum at Amazon.com.
• Beverages Containing Plant-Derived Polyphenols Inhibit Growth and Biofilm Formation of Streptococcus mutans and Children’s Supragingival Plaque Bacteria - Beverages 2021, 7(3) - "Polyphenols in edible berries and tea plant (Camellia sinensis) suppressed virulence factors of oral pathogens. We investigated if the commercially marketed plant polyphenols-containing beverages inhibited growth and biofilm formation of Streptococcus mutans and children’s dental plaque ... Test beverages included 26 marketed packaged teas, ready-to-drink bottled raspberry flavored teas and cranberry juice cocktails with and without added sugars ... Brewed infusions from black, green and cinnamon or raspberry flavored teas bags inhibited growth and biofilm formation of children’s plaque bacteria. Compared to controls, bottled raspberry flavored teas and cranberry juice cocktails significantly inhibited growth and biofilm formation of test bacteria. Added sugar did not significantly impact the inhibition (p > 0.05). Biofilms formed in these beverages were loosely attached and easily dislodged from surfaces"
• Bleeding gums may be a sign you need more vitamin C in your diet - Science Daily, 2/1/21 - "bleeding of the gums on gentle probing, or gingival bleeding tendency, and also bleeding in the eye, or retinal hemorrhaging, were associated with low vitamin C levels in the bloodstream. And, the researchers found that increasing daily intake of vitamin C in those people with low vitamin C plasma levels helped to reverse these bleeding issues ... both a gum bleeding tendency and retinal bleeding could be a sign of general trouble in one's microvascular system, of a microvascular bleeding tendency in the brain, heart and kidneys ... There was a time in the past when gingival bleeding was more generally considered to be a potential marker for a lack of vitamin C. But over time, that's been drowned out or marginalized by this overattention to treating the symptom of bleeding with brushing or flossing, rather than treating the cause" - See vitamin C products at Amazon.com.
• Efficacy and Safety of Tetrahydrocurcuminoids for the Treatment of Canker Sore and Gingivitis - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2020 Dec 16 - "Tetrahydrocurcuminoids (THCs) are among the major metabolites of curcuminoids with a higher bioavailability and physiological stability and exhibit a broad spectrum of therapeutic activities ... Patients were instructed to self-administer one chewable tablet containing 100 mg of THCs twice daily for up to 21 days ... THCs treatment significantly reduced the reddening at the site, difficulty in chewing, swallowing, and VAS pain score in the canker sore patients. Further, both single and multiple lesions were completely healed. In gingivitis patients, gingival appearance, bleeding, and inflammation were significantly reduced. No adverse effects were observed during the study" - [Nutra USA] - See curcumin at Amazon.com.
• Positive effect of curcumin on experimental peridontitis via suppression of IL-1-beta and IL-6 expression level - Int J Vitam Nutr Res 2020 Jul 28 - "This study examined the effect of curcumin on T-helper (Th17) and T-regulatory (Treg) cells regarding the mRNA of cytokines/mediators in the gingiva. Thirty-five male albino Wistar rats were divided into four groups: Group 1: periodontitis (n = 9); Group 2: periodontitis with curcumin treatment (n = 8); Group 3: periodontally healthy with curcumin treatment (n = 10); and Group 4: periodontally healthy (n = 8). Curcumin was administered via oral gavage (30 mg/kg/day) for a total of 15 days ... When the periodontitis groups were compared, curcumin treatment resulted in lower IL-1β (Group 2 median: 0.002, Group 1 median: 0.12) and IL-6 (Group 2 median: 0.031, Group 1 median: 0.078) and higher IL-17 (Group 2 median: 1.07, Group 1 median: 0.583) relative mRNA expression in Group 2 than in Group 1 (p < 0.001). Group 3 also had higher IL-10 relative expression (median: 0.067) than Groups 1 and 4 (median: 0.028, 0.007, respectively. p < 0.001). These results indicate that curcumin might be a promising agent for the prevention and/or treatment of periodontal diseases due to its decreasing effect on IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA expression" - See curcumin at Amazon.com and iHerb.
• In vitro inhibitory effect of two commercial probiotics on chromogenic actinomycetes - Eur Arch Paediatr Dent 2020 Feb 7 - "Streptococcus salivarius M18 and Lactobacillus reuteri were tested against Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Actinomyces naeslundiiusing their cell-free fermentative broth in a planktonic growth inhibition test." - [Nutra USA] - See probiotic supplements at Amazon.com and iHerb.
• Does Streptococcus Salivarius Strain M18 Assumption Make Black Stains Disappear in Children? - Oral Health Prev Dent 2020;18(2):161-164 - "This randomised controlled study evaluated the effectiveness of an oral probiotic, Streptococcus salivarius M18 (SsM18), in children with black stains (BSs) in order to counteract their reformation ... BSs formation in children could be prevented by administering S. salivarius M18" - [Nutra USA] - See probiotic supplements at Amazon.com and iHerb.
• Effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium lactis on gingival health, dental plaque, and periodontopathogens in adolescents: a randomised placebo-controlled clinical trial - Benef Microbes. 2018 Apr 10:1-10 - "Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) and Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12 ... Both groups received two probiotic-laced or placebo lozenges twice a day during a four-week period ... Probiotic lozenges significantly reduced levels of A. actinomycetemcomitans and F. nucleatum in saliva and plaque (P<0.05) and levels of P. gingivalis in plaque (P<0.05), while no significant changes were found in the control group. A significant reduction (P<0.001) was also noted in the total salivary bacterial counts of the test group. The short-term daily consumption of LGG and BB-12 probiotic lozenges improved the gingival health in adolescents and decreased the microbial counts of A. actinomycetemcomitans, and P. gingivalis. Hence probiotic supplements may serve as a simple adjunct to standard oral care for promoting the oral health in adolescents" - [Nutra USA] - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.
• Ibuprofen, acetaminophen more effective than opioids in treating dental pain - Science Daily, 4/17/18 - "The research found that, for adults, a combination of 400 milligrams of ibuprofen and 1,000 milligrams of acetaminophen was superior to any opioid-containing medications studied"
• Wine polyphenols could fend off bacteria that cause cavities and gum disease - Science Daily, 2/21/18 - "The researchers checked out the effect of two red wine polyphenols, as well as commercially available grape seed and red wine extracts, on bacteria that stick to teeth and gums and cause dental plaque, cavities and periodontal disease. Working with cells that model gum tissue, they found that the two wine polyphenols in isolation -- caffeic and p-coumaric acids -- were generally better than the total wine extracts at cutting back on the bacteria's ability to stick to the cells. When combined with the Streptococcus dentisani, which is believed to be an oral probiotic, the polyphenols were even better at fending off the pathogenic bacteria. The researchers also showed that metabolites formed when digestion of the polyphenols begins in the mouth might be responsible for some of these effects."
• Clinical efficacy of probiotic as an adjunctive therapy to non-surgical periodontal treatment of chronic periodontitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis - J Clin Periodontol. 2016 Mar 1 - "root planing (SRP) ... chronic periodontitis (CP) ... Meta-analysis showed a statistically significant CAL gain (-0.42 mm, p=0.002) and bleeding on probing (BOP) reduction (-14.66, p=0.003) for SRP + probiotic treatment versus SRP at short-term. Only a tendency (p=0.06) has been observed in terms of overall PPD reduction, whereas results were significant when stratified for moderate (-0.18, p=0.001) and deep pockets (-0.67" - [Nutra USA] - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.
• Arterial stiffness in periodontitis patients and controls - J Hum Hypertens. 2015 May 14 - "Increased arterial stiffness (AS) is an important indicator for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACVD) ... Periodontitis patients showed a significantly increased PWV compared with the reference group (8.01±0.20 vs 7.36±0.22 m s-1 respectively; P=0.029) and this remained significant after adjustments for ACVD risk factors (P=0.019). After periodontal therapy, no significant reduction in PWV was seen (8.00±1.8 to 7.82±1.6 m s-1; P=0.13), but systolic blood pressure (SBP) was significantly reduced (119.8±14.6 to 116.9±15.1 mm Hg; P=0.040). It can be concluded that periodontitis is associated with increased AS"
• Naturally occurring amino acid could improve oral health - Science Daily, 5/7/15 - "in the lab L-arginine -- found in red meat, poultry, fish and dairy products, and is already used in dental products for tooth sensitivity--stopped the formation of dental plaque ... nearly 24 percent of adults in the United States have untreated dental caries, and about 39 percent have moderate-to-severe periodontitis, a number that rises to 64 percent for those over age 65 ... It appears arginine can change how cells stick together, and can trigger bacteria within biofilms to alter how they behave so that they no longer stick to surfaces" - See L-arginine products at Amazon.com.
• Inhibitory Effects of French Pine Bark Extract, Pycnogenol® , on Alveolar Bone Resorption and on the Osteoclast Differentiation - Phytother Res. 2014 Oct 21 - "Pycnogenol® (PYC) ... PYC treatment significantly inhibited osteoclast formation. Addition of PYC (1-100 µg/ml) to purified osteoclasts culture induced cell apoptosis. These results suggest that PYC may prevent alveolar bone resorption through its antibacterial activity against P. gingivalis and by suppressing osteoclastogenesis. Therefore, PYC may be useful as a therapeutic and preventative agent for bone diseases such as periodontitis" - See Pycnogenol at Amazon.com.
• Severe Periodontitis Is Inversely Associated with Coffee Consumption in the Maintenance Phase of Periodontal Treatment - Nutrients. 2014 Oct 21;6(10):4476-4490 - "A total of 414 periodontitis patients in the maintenance phase of periodontal treatment completed a questionnaire including items related to coffee intake and underwent periodontal examination ... presence of severe periodontitis was correlated with smoking (former, OR = 1.35, p = 0.501; current, OR = 3.98, p < 0.05), coffee consumption (≥1 cup/day, OR = 0.55, p < 0.05), number of teeth present (OR = 0.95, p < 0.05), and bleeding on probing ≥ 20% (OR = 3.67, p < 0.001)"
• Docosahexaenoic Acid and Periodontitis in Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial - J Dent Res. 2014 Jun 26 - "Fifty-five adults with moderate periodontitis were randomized to 2,000 mg of DHA or identical soy/corn oil capsules. All participants received 81 mg of aspirin but received no other treatments ... In this randomized controlled trial, aspirin-triggered DHA supplementation significantly improved periodontal outcomes in people with periodontitis, indicating its potential therapeutic efficacy" - [Nutra USA] - See docosahexaenoic acid at Amazon.com.
• Intakes of calcium, vitamin D, and dairy servings and dental plaque in older Danish adults - Nutr J. 2013 May 16;12(1):61 - "Intakes of calcium dairy-servings within-recommendations were inversely associated with plaque, among those with higher, but not lower, vitamin D intakes. Due to the cross-sectional nature of the study, it is not possible to infer that this association is causal" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
• Big Xylitol Trial Finds Scant Benefits in Adult Caries - Medscape, 1/16/13 - "In the X-ACT trial, 691 participants aged 21 through 80 years consumed five 1-g xylitol or placebo lozenges a day for 33 months. Researchers counted the decayed and filled surfaces of their teeth, where decay penetrated the enamel (D<2FS), at baseline and at 12, 24, and 33 months ... the crude annualized D<2FS increment in the xylitol group was 2.69 compared with 2.98 in the placebo group, a 10% lower increment. However, this difference did not reach statistical significance ... other research has led him to believe a larger dose (6 - 10 g/day, in 2 - 3 applications) is more efficacious, at least in children ... Xylitol is not a magic bullet, but that doesn't mean it doesn't work at all ... In addition, xylitol chewing gum may have a mechanical effect of scrubbing plaque from teeth or might stimulate saliva flow more that lozenges ... One reason the researchers chose lozenges in their adult population is that chewing gum is less socially acceptable among adults ... A few patients seem to get caries no matter what you do ... You have to throw everything you have at them" - Note:  I've always felt that people were wasting their time with the lozenges because it's not getting the xylitol to where it needs to be in an effective way.  The study should have been done with the gum.  I'll bet that 85% of the xylitol from lozenges goes down your throat without even touching most of the teeth.  If you're going to pay the bucks for the study, do it right.
• Vitamin D Supplements May Reduce Risk for Dental Caries - Medscape, 12/4/12 - "There have been 3 studies conducted recently ... They were very favorable, but they increased vitamin D levels by low amounts through full-spectrum lighting, making it unclear if the caries reduction was due to vitamin D or due to the pineal gland activation"
• Vitamin D linked to lower rates of tooth decay - Science Daily, 11/27/12 - "The review, published in the December issue of Nutrition Reviews, encompassed 24 controlled clinical trials, spanning the 1920s to the 1980s, on approximately 3,000 children in several countries. These trials showed that vitamin D was associated with an approximately 50 percent reduction in the incidence of tooth decay" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
• Dietary antioxidants and periodontal disease in community-based older Japanese: a 2-year follow-up study - Public Health Nutr. 2012 May 22:1-9 - "Intakes of dietary antioxidants (vitamin C, vitamin E, α-carotene and β-carotene) were assessed with a validated FFQ ... A higher intake of dietary antioxidants was inversely associated with the number of teeth with periodontal disease progression, controlling for other variables. The multivariate-adjusted incidence rate ratios in the first, second and third tertiles were 1.00, 0.76 (95 % CI 0.60, 0.97) and 0.72 (95 % CI 0.56, 0.93) for vitamin C; 1.00, 0.79 (95 % CI 0.62, 0.99) and 0.55 (95 % CI 0.42, 0.72), for vitamin E; and 1.00, 1.02 (95 % CI 0.81, 1.29) and 0.73 (95 % CI 0.56, 0.95) for β-carotene" - See Jarrow Formulas, CarotenALL at Amazon.com and Garden of Life, Radical Fruits Antioxidant Complex at Amazon.com.
• High-Fiber Foods Reduce Periodontal Disease Progression in Men Aged 65 and Older: The Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study/Dental Longitudinal Study - J Am Geriatr Soc. 2012 Feb 8 - "Dental and physical examinations were conducted every 3 to 5 years. Diet was assessed using food frequency questionnaires (FFQs). Mean follow-up was 15 years (range: 2-24 years) ... alveolar bone loss (ABL) ... In men aged 65 and older, each serving of good to excellent sources of total fiber was associated with lower risk of ABL progression (HR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.60-0.95) and tooth loss (HR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.53-0.97). Of the different food groups, only fruits that were good to excellent sources of fiber were associated with lower risk of progression of ABL (HR = 0.86 per serving, 95% CI = 0.78-0.95), PPD (HR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.91-0.99), and tooth loss (HR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.78-0.99). No significant associations were seen in men younger than 65"
• My dentist recommended xylitol gum to prevent cavities.  Basically the bacteria eat it thinking it's sugar but end up starving from lack of calories.  The same theory supports using it to prevent halitosis.  Here's some research on:
  • 8 Ways to Get Rid of Bad Breath - WebMD - "While anything that makes you salivate will improve your breath, a gum that is sweetened with xylitol is your best option. Xylitol is a sugar substitute that not only increases salvation but also works to prevent bacteria from replicating in the mouth"
  • The science of xylitol: How it negatively impacts the bacteria that cause tooth decay.
  • Xlear Spry Peppermint Gum, 600-Count (Made with 100% xylitol) at Amazon.com
• Resveratrol may boost oral health: Cell study - Nutra USA, 10/26/11 - "If additional studies support the Hong Kong findings then oral health may also be added to the list of potential benefits of resveratrol ... Results showed that levels of both A. actinomycetemcomitans and P. gingivalis were significantly decreased after 1 hour and that no viable bacterial cells were observed after 24 hours ... Resveratrol had no effect on the other non-periodontitis promoting oral microorganisms, said the researchers ... the researchers note that periodontal disease involves an inflammatory process, and that a recent study has suggested that resveratrol may block this process by preventing the binding of a pro-inflammatory compound called nuclear factor kappaB" - [Abstract] - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com.
• More evidence vitamin D boosts immune response - Science Daily, 6/17/11 - "Laboratory-grown gingival cells treated with vitamin D boosted their production of an endogenous antibiotic, and killed more bacteria than untreated cells, according to a paper in the June 2011 issue of the journal Infection and Immunity. The research suggests that vitamin D can help protect the gums from bacterial infections that lead to gingivitis and periodontitis" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
• n-3 Fatty Acids and Periodontitis in US Adults - J Am Diet Assoc. 2010 Nov;110(11):1669-75 - "Compared with the lowest tertiles, the adjusted odds ratios for periodontitis associated with the highest tertiles of dietary n-3 intake were 0.78 (95% CI 0.61 to 1.00; P=0.009) for DHA, 0.85 (95% CI 0.67 to 1.08; P=0.10) for EPA, and 0.86 (95% CI 0.60 to 1.23; P=0.28) for LNA" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
• Consuming polyunsaturated fatty acids may lower the incidence of gum disease - Science Daily, 10/26/10 - "There was an approximately 20% reduction in periodontitis prevalence in those subjects who consumed the highest amount of dietary DHA. The reduction correlated with EPA was smaller, while the correlation to LNA was not statistically significant" - See Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
• Human trial of liposomal lactoferrin supplementation for periodontal disease - Biol Pharm Bull. 2010;33(10):1758-62 - "The PD was significantly reduced by L-bLF supplementation, but the BOP and GCF volume were not significantly changed. The MCP-1 level in GCF was significantly reduced, while levels of other cytokines were not changed. Four-week L-bLF supplementation also showed significant decreases of LPS-induced cytokine production from PBMCs. Relative gene expressions of TLR2 and TLR4 did not change. These results suggest that L-bLF supplementation can be effective in the treatment of periodontal disease, although prospective controlled large-scale studies are required" - See lactoferrin products at iHerb.
• 'Jailbreak' bacteria can trigger heart disease - Science Daily, 9/5/10 - "Poor dental hygiene can lead to bleeding gums, providing bacteria with an escape route into the bloodstream, where they can initiate blood clots leading to heart disease"
• Oral bacteria may offer probiotic potential against upper respiratory infections - Science Daily, 6/18/10 - "So far, the benefits of probiotics have been predominantly explored in the intestinal tract, however, other initial studies suggest probiotics may contribute to wellness in the stomach, vaginal tract, skin and mouth ... A probiotic strategy effective in the prophylaxis of pharyngitis, therefore, could provide a significant social benefit"
• Brushing Teeth May Keep Away Heart Disease - WebMD, 5/27/10 - "people who admitted to brushing their teeth less frequently had a 70% extra risk of heart disease ... People who reported poor oral hygiene also tested positive for bloodstream inflammatory markers such as fibrinogen and C-reactive protein"
• Treatment of gum disease may lower blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes - Science Daily, 5/12/10 - "Current belief is that, when bacteria infect the mouth and cause inflammation, the resulting chemical changes reduce the effectiveness of insulin produced in the body, thus making it more difficult for diabetics to control their blood sugar"
• Green tea may boost oral health, reduce tooth loss - Nutra USA, 3/17/10 - "analysed data from 25,078 people aged between 40 to 64 years. By measuring tooth loss in people with up to 20 teeth still remaining, the researchers calculated that one to two cups of green tea per day was associated with an 18 per cent reduction in tooth loss risk. The same reduction was calculted for three to four cups per day, while five or more cups was associated with a 23 per cent reduction in risk ... The researchers noted that the a certain level of tea was required to produce the effect" - [Abstract] - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Association between green tea consumption and tooth loss: Cross-sectional results from the Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study - Prev Med. 2010 Apr;50(4):173-179 - "Consumption of >/=1 cup/day of green tea was significantly associated with decreased odds for tooth loss, and the association appeared to fit a threshold model. In men, the multivariate-adjusted ORs for tooth loss with a cut-off point of <20 teeth associated with different frequencies of green tea consumption were 1.00 (reference) for <1 cup/day, 0.82 (95% CI, 0.74-0.91) for 1-2 cups/day, 0.82 (95% CI, 0.73-0.92) for 3-4 cups/day, and 0.77 (95% CI, 0.66-0.89) for >/=5 cups/day" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Omega-3 may combat mouth bacteria, boost oral health - Nutra USA, 2/10/10 - "The study, sponsored by the US National Institutes of Health, found that all six compounds showed cent 50 per cent inhibitory activity for concentrations ranging from 1 to 10 micrograms per millilitre" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
• Omega-3 may reduce risk of dental disease: Study - Nutra USA, 1/28/10 - "The average number of dental disease events was 1.5 times higher in people with low DHA levels, compared to those with the highest average levels of DHA" - [Abstract] - See Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
• Longitudinal relationship between dietary omega-3 fatty acids and periodontal disease - Nutrition. 2010 Jan 22 - "Low DHA intake was significantly associated with more periodontal disease events. The mean number of periodontal disease events for participants who consumed the lowest tertile of DHA was approximately 1.5 times larger (lowest tertile, incidence rate ratio 1.49, 95% confidence interval 1.01-2.21) than the reference group (highest tertile of DHA consumption), after simultaneously adjusting for possible confounders" - See Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
• Probiotics may protect against gum disease: Yakult study - Nutra USA, 9/30/09 - "One group was required to drink 65 ml of Yakult daily, giving a daily probiotic dose of 100 billion bacteria per 100 ml. The other group was given no product to consume at all ... analysis of the fluid between the gum and the tooth (gingival crevicular fluid) showed that the probiotic was associated with reductions were in elastase activity, and enzyme linked to inflammation, and matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), an enzyme that is responsible for the degradation of extracellular matrix components and known to have increased activity during inflammation" - [Abstract] - See probiotics at Amazon.com.
• The influence of a probiotic milk drink on the development of gingivitis: a pilot study - J Clin Periodontol. 2009 Oct;36(10):850-6 - "Interproximal PI and papillary bleeding were not different between the groups. In the test group, elastase activity and MMP-3 amount were significantly lower after the intake of the probiotic milk drink (p<0.001 and 0.016). There was a significant increase of MPO activity in the control group; both groups were different at the end of the study (p=0.014). CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest a beneficial effect of the probiotic milk drink on gingival inflammation" - See probiotics at Amazon.com.
• Patients With Moderate To Severe Periodontitis Need Evaluation For Heart Disease Risk - Science Daily, 6/30/09 - "Periodontitis is common, with mild to moderate forms affecting 30 to 50% of adults and the severe generalized form affecting 5 to 15% of all adults in the USA. In addition, there is now strong evidence that people with periodontitis are at increased risk of atherosclerotic CVD — the accumulation of lipid products within the arterial vascular wall"
• Resolvins Have Potential To Resolve Periodontal Inflammation And Restore Tissue Health - Science Daily, 4/4/09 - "These results support the hypothesis that both EPA- and DHA-derived Resolvins have therapeutic potential in resolving periodontal inflammation and restoring the tissues' health" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
• Drink Green Tea For Healthy Teeth And Gums - Science Daily, 3/5/09 - "those who regularly drank green tea had superior periodontal health than subjects that consumed less green tea ... Green tea's ability to help reduce symptoms of periodontal disease may be due to the presence of the antioxidant catechin. Previous research has demonstrated antioxidants' ability to reduce inflammation in the body, and the indicators of periodontal disease measured in this study, PD, CAL and BOP, suggest the existence of an inflammatory response to periodontal bacteria in the mouth" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• UV Light-enhanced Tooth Bleaching Dangerous To Eyes and Skin, Study Shows - Science Daily, 1/29/09 - "The light treatment gives absolutely no benefit over bleaching without UV, and damages skin and eyes up to four times as much as sunbathing"
• Treating Gum Disease Linked To Lower Medical Costs For Patients With Diabetes - Science Daily, 12/23/08 - "treating gum disease in patients who have diabetes with procedures such as cleanings and periodontal scaling is linked to 10 to 12 percent lower medical costs per month"
• Grape seed extract may boost oral health: Study - Nutra USA, 11/26/08 - "The extracts showed a good antibacterial activity, as evidence by the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the test compound against the two strains" - See grape seed extract at Amazon.com.
• Bleeding Gums Linked To Heart Disease - Science Daily, 9/10/08 - "People with poor dental hygiene and those who don't brush their teeth regularly end up with bleeding gums, which provide an entry to the bloodstream for up to 700 different types of bacteria found in our mouths. This increases the risk of having a heart attack"
• My dentist tells me that I have periodontal problems and he doesn't think I will be able to keep my teeth much longer. Is there anything that I can do? - Dr. Murray
• Mouthful of Mercury? - Dr. Weil, 8/25/08
• Want Healthy Gums? Hit The Dairy Aisle - Science Daily, 2/6/08 - "subjects that consumed 55 or more grams of products containing lactic acid each day had a significantly lower prevalence of deep PD and severe CAL, therefore demonstrating a lower instance of periodontal disease"
• Winemaking Waste Proves Effective Against Disease-causing Bacteria In Early Studies - Science Daily, 1/2/08 - "specific polyphenols, present in large amounts in fermented seeds and skins cast away after grapes are pressed, interfere with the ability of bacteria to contribute to tooth decay. Beyond cavities, the action of the wine grape-based chemicals may also hold clues for new ways to lessen the ability of bacteria to cause life-threatening, systemic infections" - See grape seed extract at Amazon.com.
• Research shows benefits of cranberries -MSNBC, 11/20/06 - "A compound Howell discovered in cranberries, proanthocyanidine, prevents plaque formation on teeth" - See cranberry supplements at Amazon.com.
• Diseased gums raise risk of pancreatic cancer - MSNBC, 11/13/06 - "that men with gum disease and recent tooth loss had a 2.7-fold increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer compared with those who reported neither gum disease nor tooth loss"
• Case Researchers Find Exercise, Eating Right and Maintaining Weight Benefit Oral Health - Doctor's Guide, 8/22/05
• Healthy Gums May Help Fight Alzheimer's - WebMD, 6/20/05 - "Brushing your teeth may be one of many ways to help keep your mind healthy and lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease"
• Electric Toothbrushes May Be Better At Fighting Plaque, Gum Disease - Science Daily, 4/20/05 - "Over the short term of one to three months, the rotating brushes reduced plaque by 11 percent over manual toothbrushes and reduced the signs of gingivitis, or gum inflammation, by 6 percent over the regular brushes ... The powered brushes reduced gingivitis by 17 percent over the manual brushes after more than three months’ use" - See Braun Oral-B products at drugstore.com.
• Pearly Teeth Could Help Save Your Heart - WebMD, 3/11/05 - "It's possible that in someone with gum disease the mouth's pesky bacteria travel through the bloodstream and prompt inflammation that clogs arteries"
• Yogurt: An Antidote to Bad Breath? - WebMD, 3/10/05 - "the participants ate about 3 ounces of yogurt twice daily for six weeks .... levels of plaque and the gum disease gingivitis were also significantly lower among yogurt eaters"
• Guarding Your Gums? - Dr. Weil, 6/16/03 - "Periodontal disease is a chronic gum infection caused by bacteria in plaque ... Coenzyme Q10: Take 120 mg per day of a soft-gel form with meals ... young women who get less than 800 mg of calcium a day have double the risk of periodontal disease" - See ubiquinol at Amazon.com.
• Green Tea Boosts Antimicrobial Properties Of Toothpaste - Intelihealth, 5/21/03 - "green tea extracts (GTE) and polyphenol (PP) have an adverse effect on bacteria that cause strep throat, dental caries, and other infections"
• Calcium, Vitamin D Help You Hold on to Those Pearly Whites - WebMD, 10/29/01 - "examined 145 healthy men and women aged 65 and older who had taken either calcium plus vitamin D supplements or placebo ... The calcium was given at a dose of 500 mg and vitamin D at 700 IU daily ... 27% of the placebo group, but only 13% of the supplement group, lost one or more teeth during the three-year study ... Once the study was finished, the researchers continued to count teeth for a couple of more years. Again, they found that those taking in at least 1,000 mg of calcium each day were able to hold on to more teeth"

Other News:

• Periodontal disease is associated with elevated atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk score - Am J Med Sci 2022 Apr 8 - "We hypothesized that PD would be associated with an elevated atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk (ASCVD) score ... Moderate periodontitis was associated with a greater than five-fold increased odds of high-risk ASCVD"
• Periodontal disease as a risk factor for sporadic colorectal cancer: results from COLDENT study - Cancer Causes Control 2022 Jan 26 - "the rate of new diagnosis of CRC in persons with a positive history of PD was 1.45 times higher than in those with a negative history of PD adjusting for age, sex, BMI, education, income, diabetes, family history of CRC, regular use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, lifetime cumulative smoking, lifetime consumption of red meats, processed meats, and alcoholic drinks, and lifetime total physical activity score"
• Gum disease increases risk of other illness such as mental health and heart conditions, study suggests - Science Daily, 12/20/21 - "The results of the study showed, in patients with a recorded history of periodontal disease at the start of the study, the increased risk of developing mental ill-health was 37%, while the risk of developing autoimmune disease was increased by 33%, and the risk of developing cardiovascular disease was raised by 18%, while the risk of having a cardiometabolic disorder was increased by 7% (with the increased risk much higher for Type 2 diabetes at 26%) ... Previous studies have shown that people with RA were four times more likely to have gum disease than their RA-free counterparts and it tended to be more severe. This research provides further clear evidence why healthcare professionals need to be vigilant for early signs of gum disease and how it can have wide-reaching implications for a person's health, reinforcing the importance of taking a holistic approach when treating people"
• Gum Disease Bacteria a New Treatment Target for Alzheimer's? - Medscape, 11/23/21 - "Results from the phase 2/3 GAIN trial of atuzaginstat (Cortexyme Inc), which targets the gum bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), suggest the pathogen is a "potential driver of AD.""
• Self-reported periodontal health and incident hypertension: longitudinal evidence from the NutriNet-Santé e-cohort - J Hypertens 2021 Jul 13 - "Self-reported assessed periodontitis was associated with incident arterial hypertension over an 8-year period. The present results highlight the importance of considering periodontal health when assessing an individual's risk of arterial hypertension"
• Periodontal disease as a predictor of chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage in older adults - J Int Med Res 2021 Jul - "Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN) ... The highest CPITN values (CPITN-3 and CPITN-4) were associated with CKD stages 2 and 3. Thus, periodontal disease may be associated with progression of CKD"
• Why Your Dentist Might Seem Pushy - WebMD, 5/19/21 - "But sometimes dentists escalate to outright fraud. A recent article in the Journal of Insurance Fraud in America put it plainly: “Medicaid fraud is the most lucrative business model in U.S. dentistry today.”"
• Imbalance in gum bacteria linked to Alzheimer's disease biomarker - Science Daily, 4/12/21 - "Older adults with more harmful than healthy bacteria in their gums are more likely to have evidence for amyloid beta -- a key biomarker for Alzheimer's disease -- in their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) ... adds to the growing evidence of a connection between periodontal disease (gum disease) and Alzheimer's. Periodontal disease -- which affects 70 percent of adults 65 and older, according to CDC estimates -- is characterized by chronic and systemic inflammation, with pockets between the teeth and gums enlarging and harboring bacteria ... Alzheimer's disease is characterized by two hallmark proteins in the brain: amyloid beta, which clumps together to form plaques and is believed to be the first protein deposited in the brain as Alzheimer's develops, and tau, which builds up in nerve cells and forms tangles"
• People with severe gum disease may be twice as likely to have increased blood pressure - Science Daily, 3/29/21 - "a diagnosis of gum disease was associated with higher odds of hypertension, independent of common cardiovascular risk factors. Individuals with gum disease were twice as likely to have high systolic blood pressure values ?140 mm Hg, compared to people with healthy gums (14% and 7%, respectively). Researchers also found: ... The presence of active gum inflammation (identified by bleeding gums) was associated with higher systolic blood pressure ... Participants with periodontitis exhibited increased glucose, LDL ("bad" cholesterol), hsCRP and white blood cell levels, and lower HDL ("good" cholesterol) levels compared to those in the control group ... Nearly 50% of participants with gum disease and 42% of the control group had blood pressure values for a diagnosis of hypertension, defined as ?130/80 mmHg."
• Periodontal disease increases risk of major cardiovascular events - Science Daily, 2/22/21 - "researchers performed positron emission tomography and computer tomography (PET and CT) scans on 304 individuals to view and quantify inflammation in the arteries and gums of each patient. In follow-up studies approximately four years later, 13 of those individuals developed major adverse cardiovascular events. Presence of periodontal inflammation was shown to be predictive of cardiovascular events, even after researchers controlled for all other risk factors, such as smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes ... Researchers hypothesize that local periodontal inflammation activates and mobilizes cells signaling through bone marrow, which triggers the inflammation of arteries, leading to adverse cardiac events"
• Add Gum Disease to List of Risk Factors for Severe COVID-19 - WebMD, 2/9/21 - "Of the 568 patients, those with periodontitis -- the most severe form of gum disease -- were at least three times more likely to have severe COVID‐19 complications."
• Toothbrush Disinfection May Protect Against COVID-19 - Medscape, 1/14/21 - "individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 have "high viral loads in saliva, nasopharynx and oropharynx ... Considering that toothbrushes can act as reservoirs for microorganisms and favor the transmission of diseases such as COVID-19, the authors estimate that disinfecting the brushes would be important to control the transmission of the virus in shared spaces ... commercially available mouthwashes can inactivate SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. The results showed that antiseptic solutions containing ethanol and essential oils — exemplified by the brand Listerine Cool Mint, to name one — had satisfactory effects in reducing viral load ... Wash your hands with soap and water or sanitize them with 70% alcohol ... Disinfect the toothbrush handle surface with 70% alcohol for 1 minute ... Brush your teeth ... Wash the brush and perform a new disinfection of its handle surface with 70% alcohol for 1 minute ... Leave the brushhead immersed in a solution with ethanol and essential oils for 20 minutes ... Store the brush individually after letting it dry"
• More Evidence Links Gum Disease and Dementia Risk - Medscape,  8/19/20 - "Over a 20-year period, investigators prospectively followed more than 8000 individuals around the age of 63 years who did not have cognitive impairment or dementia at baseline, grouping them based on the extent and severity of their periodontal disease and number of lost teeth ... Results showed that 14% of participants with healthy gums and all their teeth at baseline developed dementia, compared with 18% of those with mild periodontal disease and 22% who had severe periodontal disease. The highest percentage (23%) of participants who developed dementia was found in those who were edentulous (toothless)"
• Gum Disease Tied to Colon Cancer Risk - NYT, 8/12/20  - "Compared with people with no history of periodontal disease, those who had gum disease had a 17 percent increased relative risk of having a serrated polyp and an 11 percent increased risk of a conventional adenoma. The scientists also found that the loss of four or more teeth was associated with a 20 percent increased risk for having a serrated polyp"
• Gum Disease Tied to Alzheimer’s Disease Risk - NYT, 7/29/20 - "Researchers looked at 8,275 men and women whose average age was 63 at the start of the study. Over an average follow-up of more than 18 years, 19 percent of them developed Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia ... After controlling for various characteristics, including age, sex, education, cholesterol, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, smoking and body mass index, they found that compared with people with healthy gums, those who had severe gingivitis with tooth loss had a 22 percent increased relative risk for dementia. Being toothless was associated with a 26 percent increased risk"
• Immune-regulating drug improves gum disease in mice - Science Daily, 4/28/20 - "Rapamycin is an immune-suppressing drug currently used to prevent organ rejection in transplant recipients. Previous studies in mice have also suggested that it may have life-extending effects, which has led to interest in studying the drug's effects in many age-related diseases ... added the drug to the food of middle-aged mice for eight weeks and compared their oral health with untreated mice of the same age ... the treated mice had more bone than the untreated mice, and had actually grown new bone during the period they were receiving rapamycin ... The work also showed that rapamycin-treated mice had less gum inflammation. Genetic sequencing of the bacteria in their mouths also revealed that the animals had fewer bacteria associated with gum disease and a mix of oral bacteria more similar to that found in healthy young mice ... By targeting this aging process through rapamycin treatment, our work suggests that we can delay the progress of gum disease and actually reverse its clinical features ... while rapamycin is already used to treat certain conditions, it can make people more susceptible to infections and may increase their risk of developing diabetes, at least at the higher chronic doses typically taken by organ transplant patients" - See Sirolimus at reliablerxpharmacy.
  • Sirolimus - wiki - "Sirolimus, also known as rapamycin, is a macrolide compound that is used to coat coronary stents, prevent organ transplant rejection and treat a rare lung disease called lymphangioleiomyomatosis.[4][5][6] It has immunosuppressant functions in humans and is especially useful in preventing the rejection of kidney transplants"
• Commonly used mouthwash could make saliva significantly more acidic, change microbes - Science Daily, 3/24/20 - "Overall, chlorhexidine was found to reduce microbial diversity in the mouth, although the authors cautioned more research was needed to determine if this reduction in diversity itself increased the risk of oral disease ... One of the primary roles of saliva is to maintain a neutral pH in the mouth, as acidity levels fluctuate as a result of eating and drinking. If saliva pH gets too low, damage can occur to the teeth and mucosa -- tissue surrounding the teeth and on the inside of the mouth ... chlorhexidine disrupted the ability of oral bacteria to turn nitrate into nitrite, a key molecule for reducing blood pressure. Lower saliva and blood plasma nitrite concentrations were found after using chlorhexidine mouthwash, followed by a trend of increased systolic blood pressure. The findings supported earlier research led by the University that showed the blood pressure-lowering effect of exercise is significantly reduced when people rinse their mouths with antibacterial mouthwash rather than water"
• Ouch: Patients prescribed opioids after tooth extraction report worse pain - Science Daily, 3/13/20 - "Surprisingly, patients in the opioid group actually reported worse pain than the non-opioid group for both types of extractions ... Alternatives such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or acetaminophen appear to control pain better, and patient satisfaction remains high ... Nalliah gives two possible reasons for this. First, dentists may have prescribed opioids in only the toughest cases, which would have resulted in more pain regardless ... Or alternatively, and this is the reason I tend to accept, is that our study concurs with previous studies that suggest opioids are not the most effective analgesic for acute dental pain"
• Frequent Tooth Brushing Tied to Lower Diabetes Risk - NYT, 3/5/20 - "Using Korean government health records and self-reports, researchers gathered health and behavioral data on 188,013 men and women, average age 53, who were free from diabetes. More than 17 percent had periodontal disease. Over the course of the 10-year study, 31,545 developed diabetes ... After controlling for age, sex, socioeconomic status, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, lipid levels, hypertension and other factors, they found that people with periodontal disease had a 9 percent increased risk for developing diabetes ... Compared with people who did not brush or brushed only once a day, those who brushed twice a day had a 3 percent reduced risk for diabetes, and those who brushed three times a day an 8 percent reduced risk. The loss of 15 or more teeth was associated with a 21 percent increased risk for developing diabetes"
• Brush your teeth to protect the heart - Science Daily, 12/2/19 - "Tooth brushing three or more times a day was associated with a 10% lower risk of atrial fibrillation and a 12% lower risk of heart failure during 10.5-year follow up ... While the study did not investigate mechanisms, one possibility is that frequent tooth brushing reduces bacteria in the subgingival biofilm (bacteria living in the pocket between the teeth and gums), thereby preventing translocation to the bloodstream"
• As we age, oral health plays increasing role in overall health - Science Daily, 9/26/19 - "the prevalence of cavities is more than twice as high in older adults than younger adults. The prevalence of periodontitis -- a serious gum infection that damages the soft tissue and destroys the bone that supports your teeth -- also increases with age. As many as 64% of older adults in the U.S. have periodontitis ... Periodontitis is associated with a variety of medical conditions including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Patients with replacement heart valves and prosthetic joints should be particularly careful regarding their oral hygiene" - See Gum Go-Betweens at Amazon.com.  I dip them in PerioGard® but they tell you not to rinse with PerioGard® as it will discolor your teeth.
• Gum disease linked with higher risk of hypertension - Science Daily, 9/24/19 - "Moderate-to-severe periodontitis was associated with a 22% raised risk for hypertension, while severe periodontitis was linked with 49% higher odds of hypertension"
• Gum Disease Bacteria a Novel Treatment Target for Alzheimer's? - Medscape, 7/22/19 - "As more disappointing results emerge from anti-amyloid drug trials in Alzheimer's disease (AD), there is growing interest in novel treatment approaches for this condition ... One such approach is based on the hypothesis that Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), the bacteria involved in periodontal disease, may cause AD ... Almost 100% of the samples from Alzheimer's patients had Pg, and about one third or maybe 40% of the control brains had Pg"
• Study: Dentists Prescribe Antibiotics Far Too Often - WebMD, 6/5/19 - "Antibiotics have been recommended to dental patients who have certain heart conditions to prevent mouth bacteria from infecting the heart ... But antibiotics can cause serious side effects and contribute to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance ... In the Northeast, 78% of the prescriptions were unnecessary, as were 83% in the Midwest and 80% in the South"
• Brush your teeth -- postpone Alzheimer's - Science Daily, 6/3/19 - "We discovered DNA-based proof that the bacteria causing gingivitis can move from the mouth to the brain ... The bacteria produces a protein that destroys nerve cells in the brain, which in turn leads to loss of memory and ultimately, Alzheimer´s ... Brush your teeth and use floss ... Mydel and his colleagues examined 53 persons with Alzheimer´s and discovered the enzyme in 96 per cent of the cases." -  Err!  They keep ignoring the fact that there's little evidence flossing helps.  I'm for dipping GUM Go-Betweens in Periogard and going between the teeth.  You'll need to get a prescription for the Periogard from a dentist.
  • Medical benefits of dental floss unproven - Washington Post, 8/2/16 - "The AP looked at the most rigorous research conducted over the past decade, focusing on 25 studies that generally compared the use of a toothbrush with the combination of toothbrushes and floss. The findings? The evidence for flossing is “weak, very unreliable,” of “very low” quality, and carries “a moderate to large potential for bias.” ... The majority of available studies fail to demonstrate that flossing is generally effective in plaque removal"
• Gum bacteria implicated in Alzheimer's and other diseases - Science Daily, 4/7/19 - "The researchers compared brain samples from deceased people with and without Alzheimer's disease who were roughly the same age when they died. They found P. gingivalis was more common in samples from Alzheimer's patients, evidenced by the bacterium's DNA fingerprint and the presence of its key toxins, known as gingipains ... In studies using mice, they showed P. gingivalis can move from the mouth to the brain and that this migration can be blocked by chemicals that interact with gingipains ... P. gingivalis commonly begins to infiltrate the gums during the teenage years. About one in five people under age 30 have low levels of the bacterium in their gums. While it is not harmful in most people, if it grows to large numbers the bacteria provoke the body's immune system to create inflammation, leading to redness, swelling, bleeding and the erosion of gum tissue ... The best way to prevent P. gingivalis from growing out of control is by brushing and flossing regularly and visiting a dental hygienist at least once a year"
• Oral bacteria in pancreas linked to more aggressive tumors - Science Daily, 3/14/19 - "We were surprised to find oral bacteria in the pancreas, but it wasn't totally unexpected ... The bacteria we identified has already been shown in an earlier, smaller study to be higher in the saliva of patients with pancreatic cancer ... maybe we can reduce the risk of transferring oral bacteria to the pancreas by rinsing the mouth with an antibacterial agent and ensuring good oral hygiene prior to examination"
• Could Common Germs Be Tied to Alzheimer's? - WebMD, 3/7/19 - "They found that people who had had gum disease for 10 years were 70% more likely to develop Alzheimer's. However, the study did not say that gum disease caused Alzheimer’s" - Note:  I'm all for oral hygiene but this may be the chicken or the egg.  People whose minds are slipping may also be neglecting oral hygiene.
• Gum Disease Bacteria Found in Alzheimer's Brains - WebMD, 1/15/19 - "Tests on mice confirmed the bacteria, Porphyromonas gingivalis could migrate from the mouth to the brain and that a toxic protein they secrete (gingipain) destroyed brain neurons ... The bacteria also boosted production of amyloid beta, a component of brain plaques associated with Alzheimer's ... The study adds to evidence of a link between gum disease and dementia, but it's still not clear if gum disease bacteria actually trigger Alzheimer's ... Previous studies linking gum disease with dementia include one published last year that found that people with chronic gum disease for 10 years or more had a 70 percent higher risk of Alzheimer's than those without gum disease" - Note:  See a dental hygienist. Ask them about soaking Gum Go-Betweens in Periogard to get the bacteria between your teeth.
• Periodontal disease bacteria may kick-start Alzheimer's - Science Daily, 10/4/18 - "The researchers found that the mice chronically exposed to the bacteria had significantly higher amounts of accumulated amyloid beta -- a senile plaque found in the brain tissue of Alzheimer's patients. The study group also had more brain inflammation and fewer intact neurons due to degeneration ... These findings were further supported by amyloid beta protein analysis, and RNA analysis that showed greater expression of genes associated with inflammation and degeneration in the study group. DNA from the periodontal bacteria was also found in the brain tissue of mice in the study group, and a bacterial protein was observed inside their neurons."
• Study: Fluoride Crucial To Prevent Cavities - WebMD, 8/15/18 - "While oral hygiene may help a bit, it's the fluoride that makes the difference in getting to the plaque and preventing cavities ... The ADA recommends brushing twice a day with a fluoride-containing toothpaste ... For those who do not want to use fluoride-containing toothpastes, another option is going on a very low-carb diet, generally less than 50 grams a day"
• The effectiveness of chlorhexidine is limited in preventing infections in oral procedures - Science Daily, 7/19/18
• Stop Using OTC Benzocaine Teething Products, FDA Says - Medscape, 5/23/18 - "Symptoms include pale, gray- or blue-colored skin, lips and nail beds; shortness of breath; fatigue; headache; lightheadedness; and rapid heart rate ... Health care professionals should warn patients of the possibility of methemoglobinemia and advise them of the signs and symptoms when recommending or prescribing local anesthetic products ... Some of the more common brand names are Anbesol, Baby Orajel, Cepacol, Chloraseptic, Hurricaine, Orabase, Orajel and Topex. Prescription local anesthetics include articaine, bupivacaine, chloroprocaine, lidocaine, mepivacaine, prilocaine, ropivacaine, and tetracaine."
• Dentists keep dying of this deadly lung disease. The CDC can’t figure out why - Washington Post, 3/10/18 - "the dentist who alerted the CDC never smoked, “but reported not wearing a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health-certified respirator during dental activities throughout his 40-year dental practice,” the CDC said. During the past 20 years, he started wearing a surgical mask, which still may have been inadequate"
• Severe Gum Disease Increases Both Cancer Risk and Mortality - Medscape, 1/23/18 - "severe periodontitis was associated with a 24% increased risk for cancer, with the highest risks seen for lung cancer and colorectal cancer ... periodontitis was associated with a 33% increased risk for overall cancer mortality"
• Comparing the Effect of 0.06%, 0.12% and 0.2% Chlorhexidine on Plaque, Bleeding and Side Effects in an Experimental Gingivitis Model - Medscape, 10/23/17 - "Chlorhexidine is the gold standard of dental plaque prevention ... A commercially available mouthwash containing 0.2% chlorhexidine had statistically significant better effect in preventing dental plaque than the 0.12% and 0.06% solutions"
• Gum disease, tooth loss may increase postmenopausal women’s risk of death - American Heart Association, 3/29/17 - "Our findings suggest that older women may be at higher risk for death because of their periodontal condition and may benefit from more intensive oral screening measures"
• FDA: Chlorhexidine Gluconate May Cause Allergic Reactions - Medscape, 2/2/17
• Could Gum Disease Cause Rheumatoid Arthritis? - NBC, 12/14/16 - "First off, they found a distinct pattern of damage called hypercitrullination in the gums of patients with periodontal disease — the same pattern of damage seen in many rheumatoid arthritis patients ... "We found that in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, almost half of the patients have evidence of infection by the bacteria," Andrade said. That compared to just 11 percent of people without rheumatoid arthritis"
• Medical benefits of dental floss unproven - Washington Post, 8/2/16 - "The AP looked at the most rigorous research conducted over the past decade, focusing on 25 studies that generally compared the use of a toothbrush with the combination of toothbrushes and floss. The findings? The evidence for flossing is “weak, very unreliable,” of “very low” quality, and carries “a moderate to large potential for bias.” ... The majority of available studies fail to demonstrate that flossing is generally effective in plaque removal" - I've always thought the same thing just looking at the mechanics of it.  I still think you have to kill the bacteria, not rub it in with floss.  Here's a cut and paste from my dental page:
  • Periogard - Needs a prescription but is usually available at you dentist for around $10.
  • GUM Go-betweens Proxabrush Cleaners Wide [3614] 8 Each (Pack of 3).  These are wide and will only word for the back four slots but that's where most of the problem lies.
  • Put a few tablespoons of Periogard into a small glass.  Soak the brush in it and run it between your teeth.
• Periodontitis is associated with the risk of subclinical atherosclerosis and peripheral arterial disease in Korean adults - Atherosclerosis. 2016 Jul 14;251:311-318 - "Our data showed that periodontitis is a substantially important risk factor for atherosclerotic vascular disease among Korean adults"
• New link between periodontal and cerebrovascular diseases - Science Daily, 7/18/16 - "We observed that people diagnosed with periodontal disease had about a 4-fold increased risk of developing lacunar stroke compared with those without periodontitis"
• Periodontal diseases and risk of oral cancer in Southern India: Results from the HeNCe Life study - Int J Cancer. 2016 May 23 - "Generalized gingival recession was significantly associated with oral cancer risk (Odds Ratio=1.83"
• Gum Disease Connected to Open-Angle Glaucoma - Medsacpe, 3/14/16 - "The hypothesis for this link is that local infection and inflammation at the base of the tooth could release factors that travel to the eye and trigger an inflammatory response that could lead to the development of glaucoma ... The risk for primary open-angle glaucoma was 43% higher in men who reported the loss of one or more teeth at the most recent update than in men who reported no lost teeth ... And the risk for primary open-angle glaucoma was an 86% higher in men who reported any tooth loss with periodontal disease"
• Link between gum disease and cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s - 3/10/16 - "The presence of gum disease at baseline was associated with a six-fold increase in the rate of cognitive decline in participants over the six-month follow-up period of the study ... growing evidence from a number of studies links the body's inflammatory response to increased rates of cognitive decline, suggesting that it would be worth exploring whether the treatment of gum disease might also benefit the treatment of dementia and Alzheimer's Disease"
• Oral bacteria linked to risk of stroke - Science Daily, 2/16/16 - "This study shows that oral health is important for brain health. People need to take care of their teeth because it is good for their brain and their heart as well as their teeth ... The study and related work in our labs have shown that oral bacteria are involved in several kinds of stroke, including brain hemorrhages and strokes that lead to dementia ... Multiple research studies have shown a close association between the presence of gum disease and heart disease, and a 2013 publication by Jan Potempa, Ph.D., D.Sc., of the UofL School of Dentistry, revealed how the bacterium responsible for gum disease worsens rheumatoid arthritis"
• Periodontal disease associated with increased breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women - Science Daily, 12/21/15 - "among all women, the risk of breast cancer was 14 percent higher in women who had periodontal disease ... Among women who had quit smoking within the past 20 years, those with periodontal disease had a 36 percent higher risk of breast cancer ... One possible explanation for the link between periodontal disease and breast cancer is that those bacteria enter the body's circulation and ultimately affect breast tissue"
• Dental implants frequently lead to complications - Science Daily, 11/5/15 - "A total of 596 patients at 37 Swedish clinics were examined at a 9-year follow-up. "Altogether, 7.6 % of patients had lost at least one implant and 14.5 % had developed peri-implantitis with pronounced bone loss," ... Peri-implantitis appears to develop within a few years and then progresses quickly and at an accelerating pace"
• Preventing dental implant infections - Science Daily, 11/4/15 - "researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM in Bremen have developed a new type of implant coating in cooperation with industry partners. The DentaPlas coating helps prevent the growth of bacteria, thus allowing the implant to properly take hold and thereby form a faster and more permanent bond with the jawbone"
• Relationship Between Prehypertension/Hypertension and Periodontal Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study - Am J Hypertens. 2015 Jul 23 - "In the short-term prospective cohort study, a significant association between presence of periodontal disease and hypertension was observed in Japanese university students"
• Treating gum disease reduces prostate symptoms, researchers find - Science Daily, 5/5/15 - "gum disease not only affects the mouth, but is a system-wide condition that can cause inflammation in various parts of the body ... During the periodontal care, the men received no treatment for their prostate conditions. But even without prostate treatment, 21 of the 27 men showed decreased levels of PSA. Those with the highest levels of inflammation benefited the most from the periodontal treatment. Six participants showed no changes ... Bissada is now conducting follow-up research to support the first study's findings. He hopes to make periodontal treatment a standard part of treating prostate disease"
• How gum disease treatment can prevent heart disease - Science Daily, 4/14/15 - "using an oral topical remedy to reduce inflammation associated with periodontitis, more commonly known as gum disease, also results in the prevention of vascular inflammation and can lower the risk of heart attack ... The study, titled, "Resolvin E1 Prevents Atheromatous Plaque Formation," will be published in print in the May issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (ATVB), a journal of the American Heart Association. It is the first paper to show a rabbit model of accelerated heart disease, demonstrating a range of atherosclerotic plaque stages that more closely resemble those in humans without genetic modification of the animal"
• Treating a common gum condition could reduce risk of heart attacks in kidney disease patients - Science Daily, 4/1/16 - "more than 85% of people with CKD have inflammatory gum problems, caused by inadequate removal of dental plaque from between the tooth and gum margin and made worse by impaired immunity and wound healing. Experts have identified that bacteria in the mouth can enter the bloodstream through periodontal conditions, causing blood cells to malfunction and leading to clots and narrowing of the arteries"
• Periodontal disease associates with higher brain amyloid load in normal elderly - Neurobiol Aging. 2014 Nov 5 - "The accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques is a central feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) ... clinical attachment loss (≥3 mm), representing a history of periodontal inflammatory/infectious burden, was associated with increased PIB uptake in Aβ vulnerable brain regions (p = 0.002). We show for the first time in humans an association between periodontal disease and brain Aβ load. These data are consistent with the previous animal studies showing that peripheral inflammation/infections are sufficient to produce brain Aβ accumulations" - Note:  Here's a cut and paste from my dental page with my solution to periodontal disease in addition to dental cleaning and good hygiene:
  • Periogard - Needs a prescription but is usually available at you dentist for around $10.
  • GUM Go-betweens Proxabrush Cleaners Wide [3614] 8 Each (Pack of 3).  These are wide and will only word for the back four slots but that's where most of the problem lies.
  • Put a few tablespoons of Periogard into a small glass.  Soak the brush in it and run it between your teeth.
• Association between periodontal disease and its treatment, flow-mediated dilatation and carotid intima-media thickness: A systematic review and meta-analysis - Atherosclerosis. 2014 Jun 17;236(1):39-46 - "Meta-analysis demonstrated that the diagnosis of PD was associated with a mean increase in c-IMT of 0.08 mm (95% C.I. = 0.07-0.09) and a mean difference in FMD of 5.1% compared to controls (95% C.I. = 2.08-8.11%). A meta-analysis of the effects of periodontal treatment on FMD showed a mean improvement of 6.64% between test and control (95% C.I. = 2.83-10.44%)"
• On the link between periodontitis and atherosclerosis - Science Daily, 7/10/14 - "P. gingivalis modifies its lipid A structure in order to evade host defenses and establish chronic infection leading to persistent systemic low-grade inflammation ... uniquely among gram-negative pathogens, P. gingivalis evasion of TLR4-mediated host immunity results in progression of inflammation at a site that is distant from local infection by gaining access to the vasculature"
• Gum disease bacteria selectively disarm immune system, study finds - Science Daily, 6/11/14 - "bacteria responsible for many cases of periodontitis cause this imbalance, known as dysbiosis, with a sophisticated, two-prong manipulation of the human immune system ... the periodontal bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis acts on two molecular pathways to simultaneously block immune cells' killing ability while preserving the cells' ability to cause inflammation. The selective strategy protects "bystander" gum bacteria from immune system clearance, promoting dysbiosis and leading to the bone loss and inflammation that characterizes periodontitis. At the same time, breakdown products produced by inflammation provide essential nutrients that "feed" the dysbiotic microbial community. The result is a vicious cycle in which inflammation and dysbiosis reinforce one another, exacerbating periodontitis"
• Periodontal Care Cuts Admissions, Costs for Diabetes and CVD - Medscape, 3/21/14 - "The study supports the theory that treating periodontitis can improve other chronic diseases ... compared those who had periodontal treatment with those who did not ... those who chose the care were less likely to be hospitalized for illness associated with type 2 diabetes, cerebral vascular disease, coronary artery disease, and complications associated with the preterm birth of their children ... the patients who received periodontal treatment cost the insurer significantly less in claims associated with their systemic conditions ... Those who got periodontal care were also less likely to make claims or be hospitalized for reasons associated with their rheumatoid arthritis"
• Byproducts of bacteria-causing gum disease incite oral cancer growth, study shows - Science Daily, 2/25/14 - "Kaposi's sarcoma-related (KS) lesions and tumors in the mouth ... These new findings provide one of the first looks at how the periodontal bacteria create a unique microenvironment in the oral cavity that contributes to the replication the Kaposi's sarcoma Herpesvirus (KSHV) and development of KS ... The research focuses on how the bacteria, Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) and Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn), which are associated with gum disease, contribute to cancer formation ... high levels of these bacteria are found in the saliva of people with periodontal disease, and at lower levels in those with good oral health ... These individual are susceptible to the cancer"
• High-Dose Statins Reduce Gum Inflammation in Heart Disease Patients - Science Daily, 10/2/13 - "Periodontitis and atherosclerosis are both primarily driven by inflammation. These inflammatory conditions tend to co-exist within individuals and their biologies may be intertwined ... patients with heart disease or a high heart disease risk were assigned to take either an 80 mg statin or a 10 mg statin daily for 12 weeks ... The 59 patients included in the final analysis showed a significant reduction in gum inflammation after as few as four weeks of treatment with the high-dose statin. Interestingly, the improvement in gum inflammation tracked closely with improvement in atherosclerotic disease"
• High Dose Atorvastatin Reduces Periodontal Inflammation: A Novel Pleiotropic Effect of Statins - J Am Coll Cardiol. 2013 Sep 23 - "Eighty-three adults with risk factors or with established atherosclerosis, who were not taking high-dose statins, were randomized to atorvastatin 80 mg vs. 10mg in a multicenter, double-blind trial to evaluate the impact of atorvastatin on arterial inflammation ... After 12 weeks, there was a significant reduction in periodontal inflammation in patients randomized to atorvastatin 80 vs. 10 mg (ΔTBR mean [95 CI], 80mg vs. 10mg group = -0.43 [-0.83, -0.02], p=0.04). Between-group differences were greater in patients with higher periodontal inflammation at baseline (-0.74 [-1.29, -0.19], p=0.01) and in patients with severe bone loss at baseline (-0.61 [-1.16, -0.054], p=0.03). Furthermore, the changes in periodontal inflammation correlated with changes in carotid inflammation"
• Bacteria Responsible for Gum Disease Facilitates Rheumatoid Arthritis - Science Daily, 9/12/13 - "Taken together, our results suggest that bacterial PAD may constitute the mechanistic link between P. gingivalis periodontal infection and rheumatoid arthritis, but this ground-breaking conclusion will need to be verified with further research ... compared to the general population, people with periodontal disease have an increased prevalence of RA and, periodontal disease is at least two times more prevalent in RA patients. Other research has shown that a P. gingivalis infection in the mouth will precede RA, and the bacterium is the likely culprit for onset and continuation of the autoimmune inflammatory responses that occur in the disease" - See the top of my dental page for my Periogard suggestion which was the only thing that worked to get my periodontal disease under control.
• Periodontal Disease and Rheumatoid Arthritis - Medscape, 9/9/13 - "The research reviewed highlights recent studies describing the relationships between rheumatoid arthritis and periodontal disease, and the potential biological mechanisms to explain these associations ... Closer attention to oral health in all patients will improve quality of life and address what is now recognized as an important rheumatoid arthritis comorbidity"
• Study Ties Poor Oral Health to Cancer-Causing Virus - New York Times, 8/21/13 - "the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston reviewed data on both high-risk and low-risk oral HPV infection and oral health in 3,439 adults, ages 30 to 69 ... being male, smoking cigarettes, and having multiple oral sex partners increased the likelihood of oral HPV infection, findings similar to those in an earlier analysis of NHANES data ... after controlling for smoking and the number of oral sex partners, the new study found that self-rated poor oral health was an independent risk for oral HPV infection. The odds of having an oral HPV infection were 55 percent higher among those reporting poor to fair oral health"
• How bacteria found in mouth may cause colorectal cancer - Science Daily, 8/14/13 - "gut microbes known as fusobacteria, which are found in the mouth, stimulate bad immune responses and turn on cancer growth genes to generate colorectal tumors ... fusobacteria are prevalent in human adenomas -- benign tumors that can become malignant over time -- suggesting that these microbes contribute to early stages of tumor formation. In a mouse model of colorectal cancer, these bacteria accelerated the formation of tumors by attracting immune cells called myeloid cells, which invade tumors and stimulate inflammatory responses that can cause cancer"
• Association of ED with chronic periodontal disease - Int J Impot Res. 2013 Jul 4 - "To examine the relationship between chronic periodontal disease (CPD) and ED, the interview sheet including the CPD self-checklist (CPD score) and the five-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) was distributed to 300 adult men who received a comprehensive dental examination ... There was a statistically significant correlation between the CPD score and the presence of ED (P=0.0415). The results in the present study suggest that ED is related to the damage caused by endothelial dysfunction and the systematic inflammatory changes associated with CPD. The present study also suggests that dental health is important as a preventive medicine for ED"
• Relationship Between Oral Health and Frailty in Community-Dwelling Elderly Individuals in Brazil - J Am Geriatr Soc. 2013 May 6 - "One thousand three hundred seventy-four community-dwelling individuals representing 998,528 individuals aged 60 and older in the city of São Paulo, Brazil ... Oral health measures were number of teeth, use of dental prostheses, need for dental prostheses, presence of decayed teeth, clinical attachment loss of 4 mm or greater, and periodontal pocket of 4 mm or greater ... The need for dental prostheses was significantly associated with frailty, independent of socioeconomic and general health status"
• Best and Worst Foods for Teeth - ABC News, 5/2/13 - "Citrus fruit ... Chewy candy ... Hard candy ... Pickles ... Soda ... Sports drinks ... Wine ... Crackers ... Coffee ... Tea"
• Researchers increase the success rate of tooth implants - Science Daily, 4/29/13 - "it consists on covering the implant with a biodegradable coating that, upon contact with the bone, dissolves and during this degradation process is able to release silicon compounds and other bioactive molecules which induce bone generation"
• Periodontal disease and mouthwash use are risk factors for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma - Cancer Causes Control. 2013 Apr 9 - "We measured history of oral hygiene and dental care on 513 HNSCC cases and 567 controls from a population-based study of HNSCC ... Periodontal disease was associated with a slightly elevated risk of HNSCC (OR = 1.09, 95 % CI: 1.02, 1.16). Using any type of mouthwash at least once per day was associated with increased risk compared to never using mouthwash (OR = 1.11, 95 % CI: 1.02, 1.20). HNSCC was associated with frequent use of non-alcoholic mouthwash compared to using any kind of mouthwash rarely or never (OR = 1.24, 95 % CI: 1.05, 1.47)"
• Smile: Gingivitis bacteria manipulate your immune system so they can thrive in your gums - Science Daily, 1/3/13 - "this pathogen prompts the production of the anti-inflammatory molecule Interleukin-10 (IL-10). This, in turn, inhibits the function of T-cells, which would otherwise help to protect the host from this particular microbial infection ... Gum diseases and the infections that cause them can be incredibly stubborn and difficult to treat"
• Men with erection problems are three times more likely to have inflamed gums, study finds - Science Daily, 12/4/12 - "Turkish researchers compared 80 men aged 30 to 40 with erectile dysfunction with a control group of 82 men without erection problems ... the men with severe periodontal disease were 3.29 times more likely to suffer from erection problems than men with healthy gums"
• Treating gum disease may fix erection troubles, too, study finds - nbcnews.com, 12/3/12 - "The study involved 120 patients with severe or moderate erectile dysfunction and chronic periodontitis. Half received treatment for their gum disease, while half did not. They filled out questionnaires about their erectile function, and patients who received treatment for their gum disease reported that levels of erectile function improved after three months ... I feel that the causal element is probably vascular disease, poor general health status, lack of medical attention (gum disease), underlying diabetes/hypertension, or all of the above"
• Gum Disease Is Linked to an Increased Risk of Pancreatic Cancer - NYTimes.com, 10/1/12 - "To be sure, the research showed only an association, not a causal relationship. But other studies have also found intriguing results. One at Harvard found that men with poor gum health had a 63 percent higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer than men who did not have gum disease. And a New York University study found that high levels of P. gingivalis were linked to greater risk of dying of pancreatic and colorectal cancer, even in people without overt gum disease"
• It Pays to Treat Periodontal Disease in Diabetes - Medscape, 9/7/12 - "we found that in patients who received treatment for their periodontal disease, hospitalizations decreased by a whopping 60% -- in fact, more than 60%. Physician visits declined by more than 40% with periodontal treatment. With periodontal treatment, cost of medical care fell by $1814 per person per year, a huge number ... We found this spectacular. We believe it may be a result of reducing the inflammation with a curette, thereby reducing the hemoglobin A1c level so that the diabetes was under better control"
• Brush your teeth! Dental health linked to dementia risk - MSNBC, 8/21/12 - "Inflammation stoked by gum disease-related bacteria is implicated in a host of conditions including heart disease, stroke and diabetes ... It's thought that gum disease bacteria might get into the brain, causing inflammation and brain damage ... followed 5,468 residents of a Californian retirement community from 1992 to 2010. Most people in the study were white, well-educated and relatively affluent. When the study began, participants ranged in age from 52 to 105, with an average age of 81 ... All were free of dementia at the outset, when they answered questions about their dental health habits, the condition of their teeth and whether they wore dentures ... followed up 18 years later ... Of 78 women who said they brushed their teeth less than once a day in 1992, 21 had dementia by 2010, or about one case per 3.7 women ... In comparison, among those who brushed at least once a day, closer to one in every 4.5 women developed dementia which translates to a 65-percent greater chance of dementia among those who brushed less than daily"
• Erythritol More Potent Than Xylitol Against Dental Caries - Medscape, 6/28/12 - "Xylitol has become increasingly available in commercial products as evidence has mounted for its ability to slow decay. Erythritol is much harder to find ... However, it is not clear whether erythritol works against bacteria in the same way xylitol does"
• Periodontitis Linked to HPV-Positive Oral Tumors - Medscape, 6/19/12 - "After adjustment for age at diagnosis, sex, and smoking status, each millimeter of alveolar bone loss was associated with a 2.6-times increased odds of an HPV-positive tumor (odds ratio [OR], 2.61; 95% confidence interval, 1.58 to 4.30). The strength of this association was greater for patients with oropharyngeal lesions (OR, 11.70) than for those with oral cavity tumors (OR, 2.32) and laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OR, 3.89)"
• Joint failures potentially linked to oral bacteria - Science Daily, 4/18/12 - "The culprit behind a failed hip or knee replacements might be found in the mouth. DNA testing of bacteria from the fluid that lubricates hip and knee joints had bacteria with the same DNA as the plaque from patients with gum disease and in need of a joint replacement ... it might be the reason why aseptic loosening or prosthetic wear of the artificial joints fail within 10 years when no infection appears to be present ... For a long time, we've suspected that these bacteria were causing problems in arthritis patients, but never had the scientific evidence to support it"
• Study hints at why gums suffer with age - Science Daily, 4/17/12
• Poor Dental Health Linked to Dementia Onset - Medscape, 4/13/12 - "those who had few teeth and who did not use dentures or who did not visit a dentist regularly had a significantly higher risk for dementia onset than the participants who practiced better dental health practices ... Gum Disease a Likely Culprit ... The participants who had few teeth without dentures had a significantly higher risk of developing dementia than those who had 20 teeth or more (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.85 ... Not having a regular dentist was also a significant risk factor for dementia onset (HR, 1.44 ... One possibility is that periodontal disease...increases concentrations of circulating inflammatory markers [that] may be involved in the pathogenesis of dementia. A second possibility is that poor nutrition, including decreased intake of vitamins, may result from tooth loss and dementia onset"
• Studies Show No Advantage to Low-Fluoride Toothpaste - Medscape, 3/30/12 - "children tend to swallow a substantial amount of toothpaste when brushing ... those brushing with low-fluoride toothpastes had 13% more decayed, missing, or filled teeth than those brushing with standard toothpaste ... low-fluoride toothpaste did not significantly reduce the risk for aesthetically objectionable fluorosis in the upper anterior permanent teeth ... It would be reasonable to accept that using toothpaste with low fluoride should reduce the amount of fluorosis, but that's not what the studies show ... A high concentration of fluoride in toothpaste may be important because the fluoride comes into direct contact with teeth"
• Periodontal Treatment Cost Effective for Diabetics - Medscape, 3/27/12 - "Patients with diabetes who are treated for periodontal disease are less likely to see a physician and less likely to be hospitalized. Furthermore, they cost the healthcare system $1800 less per patient per year ... There was a 33% reduction in the number of hospitalizations with treatment; the mean number of hospitalizations was 5.9 in the treatment group and 9.0 in the control group ... There was a savings of $1814 (or 25%) with treatment; mean medical cost was $5522 in the treatment group and $7336 per year in the control group"
• Salivary Testing for Periodontal Disease - Medscape, 3/26/12 - "Salivary samples were sent to the laboratory for a DNA-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test (My Perio Path®; OralDNA Labs; Brentwood, Tennessee) to test for the presence of high-risk pathogens and a periodontal susceptibility test (PST®, OralDNA Labs, Brentwood, Tennessee) for the probability of more severe periodontal disease. The DNA bacteria test identifies the type and concentration of pathogenic bacteria that are known to cause periodontal disease. The PST detects variations in the genes for interleukin 1A and 1B that suggest a predisposition for overexpression of inflammation and risk for periodontal disease. These tests permit appropriate treatment of the patient's periodontal disease, without overtreating or undertreating, and take the level of risk for future disease and complications into consideration ... All of these pathogens are associated with periodontal disease. Aa leukotoxin kills white blood cells in a variety of ways, allowing pathogenic bacteria to survive the immune response and releasing compounds that are essential for bacteria survival and growth. Aa leukotoxin is involved in attachment loss in adolescents, indicating that it plays a role in the pathogenesis of aggressive periodontitis ... Specific home care instructions: Use a power toothbrush ... Use a water irrigator ... Use antibacterial tooth paste ... Use antibacterial mouth rinse ... Eat a balanced diet high in antioxidants ... Take high-quality nutritional supplementation ... Get adequate rest and exercise ... adjunct to treatment based on the patient's bacterial profile: amoxicillin 500 mg 3 times daily for 8 days and metronidazole 500 mg twice daily for 8 days beginning on the last day of periodontal therapy ... Taking into consideration the transmissible nature of Aa, the odds that his wife has a similar periodontal pathogen profile are substantial"
• Bottled water may boost kids' tooth decay, dentists say - MSNBC, 3/20/12 - "the practice of skipping tap water in favor of bottled water may be contributing to rising rates of tooth decay in young children ... You should brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste ... bottled water may not have a sufficient amount of fluoride, which is important for preventing tooth decay and promoting oral health" - See 1.1% sodium fluoride toothpaste at Amazon.com.
• In New Jersey, a Battle Over Fluoridation, and the Facts - New York Times, 3/2/12
• In the mouth, smoking zaps healthy bacteria - Science Daily, 2/15/12 - "They need a more aggressive form of treatment, because even after a professional cleaning, they're still at a very high risk for getting these pathogens back in their mouths right away"
• How bacteria fight fluoride in toothpaste and in nature - Science Daily, 12/22/11
• Oral bacteria enables breaking bond on blood vessels to allow invaders in - Science Daily, 12/15/11 - "The microbiologist at the dental school has studied the oral bacteria over the past decade and was the first to find direct evidence that linked it to preterm labor and fetal death. But its presence is found in other infections and abscesses in the brain, lungs, liver, spleen and joints ... These junctures are like a hook and loop connection, but for some unknown reason when F. nucleatum invades the body through breaks in the mucous membranes of the mouth, due to injuries or periodontal disease, this particular bacterium triggers a cascade of signals that causes the hook to recede back into the endothelial cell. The oral bacterium leads the way with any other harmful invaders following along ... This cascade knocks out the guard on duty and allows the bacteria to enter the blood and travel like a bus loaded with riders throughout the system. Whenever the F. nucleatum wants to get off the bus at the liver, brain, spleen, or another place, it does ... When it disembarks from its ride through the blood, it begins to colonize. The colony of bacteria induces an inflammatory reaction that has a range of consequences from necrosis of tissue to fetal death" - Note:  The point is that it shows all the problems that can be caused by bad oral health.
• Cleaning your teeth can cut heart attack risk - MSNBC, 11/14/11 - "According to data compiled by researchers in Taiwan, people who had their teeth professionally scraped and cleaned had a 24 percent lower risk of heart attack and 13 percent lower risk of stroke compared to those who never had a dental cleaning"
• Periodontal Disease and Decreased Kidney Function in Japanese Elderly - Am J Kidney Dis. 2011 Oct 14 - "periodontal inflamed surface area (PISA) ... During the 2-year follow-up (2003-2005), 45 participants (14.2%) developed decreased kidney function. The highest PISA quartile was associated significantly with a greater cumulative incidence of decreased kidney function (OR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.05-4.79) than the referent group (the other 3 quartiles) after adjusting for covariates"
• Does Maternal Oral Health Predict Child Oral Health QOL? - Medscape, 9/27/11 - "oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQOL) ... maternal self-rated oral health when a child is young has a bearing on that child's OHRQOL almost three decades later ... OHRQOL can be influenced by circumstances early in the life course means the when, and for whom, of preventive interventions must be carefully considered. As far as effective intervention is concerned, later may be simply too late. Intervention early in the life-course is essential. As for whom, those children whose mothers (and these days, fathers) rate their own oral health unfavourably must be considered to be at greater risk than most"
• Going Swimming? Guard Your Teeth - ABC News, 7/15/11 - "39 percent of competitive swimmers suffered from dental enamel erosion. In this recent paper, dentists from the New York University College of Dentistry analyzed the case of a 52-year-old man who complained of sensitive teeth, dark tooth staining, and enamel loss that came on quickly and had lasted for just five months. The only logical explanation for these sudden changes the researchers could pinpoint was his newly adopted, 90-minutes-per-day swimming routine ... Damage to tooth enamel occurs when the pH balance of swimming pool water drops too low, or becomes too acidic"
• Gum disease can increase the time it takes to become pregnant - Science Daily, 7/5/11 - "women with gum disease took an average of just over seven months to become pregnant -- two months longer than the average of five months that it took women without gum disease to conceive ... Prof Hart said that the reason why pregnancies in non-Caucasian women were more affected by gum disease could be because these women appeared to have a higher level of inflammatory response to the condition"
• Diet and halitosis - Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2011 Jun 13 - "Transient-altered breath smell usually reflects the effects of foodstuffs, whereas longstanding halitosis is almost always because of oral disease such as gingivitis or periodontitis. There is, however, increasing evidence that upper gastrointestinal tract disease may give rise to halitosis and that extracts of foodstuffs may be future therapeutic agents for the treatment of halitosis derived from the mouth or upper gastrointestinal tract" - Note:  The point being that mouth wash isn't going to cure gingivitis or periodontal disease so you're probably wasting your money.  I've never had any luck with flossing plus who has that much time?  Halitosis is one of my pet peeves.  I was at Home Depot the other day and someone was shopping in an area that I was looking for something and it was so bad I had to go somewhere else until he moved on.  Same thing for some in my west coast swing class.  I can't understand why people ignore something that offensive.  Here's my suggestion along with frequent dental cleaning by a dental hygienist:
  • Periogard - Needs a prescription but is usually available at you dentist for around $10.
  • Sunstar Butler Proxabrush GUM Eez-Lok Handle
  • Sunstar Butler GUM Proxabrush Refill Ultra Wide (614) - use this wide brush for the back teeth
  • Butler 612 Soft Picks or Butler Ultra-Fine - use these narrower brushes for the front teeth
  • Put a few tablespoons of Periogard into a small glass.  Soak the brush in it and run it between your teeth.
• Mouth Rinse Effective in Reducing Risk for Preterm Birth - Medscape, 3/18/11 - "An over-the-counter mouthwash reduced the risk for preterm birth by more than two thirds in women with periodontal disease ... Only 6.1% of the women using the rinse experienced preterm births, which the researchers defined as birth at less than 35 weeks. In comparison, 21.9% of the untreated group experienced preterm births" - Note: It makes you wonder if the bacteria in your mouth my me just as harmful with increasing diabetes and heart disease.
• Potentially pathogenic microbes growing on at least half of all orthodontic retainers, study suggests - Science Daily, 3/15/11 - "Our mouths are full of different types of bacteria, some of which promote oral health. However, the researchers were looking for microbes which are not normally found in the oral cavity. They were particularly interested in two species of microbes; Candida, a type of yeast, and Staphylococcus including MRSA. Dr Pratten and his team found that species of these microorganisms were present on 66.7% and 50% of retainers respectively regardless of the retainer type. These microbes were also present on the interior cheeks and tongue of retainer wearers ... Candida and Staphylococcus rarely cause problems in healthy individuals but are potentially highly problematic in people with a compromised immune system. The bacteria on the retainers live in biofilms, which are communities of bacteria living together covered in a layer of slime. Once these biofilms form they are very difficult to remove and often have high levels of resistance to antimicrobials"
• Message to postmenopausal women: 'Increase yearly dental checkups,' researcher urges - Science Daily, 3/10/11 - "Two annual dental checkups aren't enough ... Twenty-eight postmenopausal women with normal bones were compared with 28 women on bisphosphonate therapies for at least two years or more ... Both groups of women had followed the recommended American Dental Association oral health standards to brush twice daily, floss and have at least two dental checkups a year ... The findings for bone strength and other markers for osteoporosis were similar for both groups. But the researchers found both groups had increased dental plaque levels, which could endanger the jawbone of normal postmenopausal women and reverse any benefits gained in bone mass"
• Denture wearers warned about risk of excess zinc consumption - Science Daily, 3/4/11 - "Denture wearers are advised to pay special attention to the amount of zinc they consume ...A single tube should last three to 10 weeks with daily use, although actual usage depends on the number of applications per day ... Over time, toxic levels of zinc could cause a copper deficiency, which has been linked to neurological damage"
• Mouth Rinse Reduces Preterm Birth in Women With Periodontal Disease - Science Daily, 2/16/11 - "the incidence of preterm birth at less than 35 weeks was 6.1% in the rinse group and 21.9% in the control group (P = .01). In the intent-to-treat analysis, the relative risk for preterm birth was 0.26 in the rinse group. The mean gestational age in the rinse group was significantly higher than in the control group (38.4 vs 36.8 weeks; P < .011). The analysis also showed that the mean birth weight in the rinse group was significantly higher than in the control group (3087 vs 2633 g; P < .001)"
• Healthy gums, healthy lungs: Maintaining healthy teeth and gums may reduce risk for pneumonia, chronic obstructive pumonary disease - Science Daily, 1/18/11 - "patients with respiratory diseases had worse periodontal health than the control group, suggesting a relationship between respiratory disease and periodontal disease. Researchers suspect that the presence of oral pathogens associated with periodontal disease may increase a patient's risk of developing or exacerbating respiratory disease"
• Association Between Periodontitis and Impaired Fasting Glucose and Diabetes - Diabetes Care. 2011 Jan 7 - "clinical attachment loss (CAL) ... Participants in the top quintile category of CAL had higher prevalence odds of IFG (odds ratio [OR] 1.55 [95% CI 1.16-2.07]) and diabetes (4.77 [2.69-8.46]) after adjustment for related confounders, compared with those in the bottom quintile. The highest quintile of pocket depth was positively associated with IFG (1.39 [1.00-1.92]) and diabetes (1.63 [1.10-2.42]) compared with the lowest quintile. ORs for CAL increased from the lowest to the highest quintile (P value test for trend <0.01) for all outcomes. The ORs for pocket depth also tended to rise across quintiles. CONCLUSIONS Chronic periodontitis measured by CAL and pocket depth was positively associated in a linear relation with IFG and diabetes in U.S. adults"
• Bacteria eyed for possible role in atherosclerosis - Science Daily, 1/5/11 - "a chronic infection may underlie the process of atherosclerosis, an infection that can be initiated by the systemic dissemination of bacteria though different "gates" in the vascular wall -- as in the case of a septic patient, through intestinal infection. The data support Dr. Kozarov's previous studies, where his team identified periodontal bacteria in carotid artery, thus pointing to tissue-destructing periodontal infections as one possible gate to the circulation"
• Gum disease found to be significant public health concern - Science Daily, 9/22/10 - "the prevalence of periodontal disease may have been underestimated by as much as 50 percent. The implication is that more American adults may suffer from moderate to severe gum disease than previously thought ... If left untreated, it can lead to tooth loss, and may also interfere with other systems of the body. Several research studies have associated gum disease with other chronic inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and rheumatoid arthritis"
• Dental sealants temporarily raise BPA levels - USA Today, 9/6/10 - "BPA levels in saliva can spike to 88 times higher than normal immediately after a dental sealing"
• Periodontal disease and carotid atherosclerosis: Are hemodynamic forces a link? - Atherosclerosis. 2010 Jul 29 - "Worse periodontal health was associated to the presence of carotid atherosclerosis. Patients with carotid plaques (n=19) had higher periodontal indices compared with subjects without plaques (n=14) (gingival index: 1.40+/-0.71 vs. 0.69+/-0.64, p=0.006) ... In the 66 examined common carotids, wall shear stress was inversely related to all periodontal indices (r=0.54, p<0.00001 for peak wall shear stress and gingival index) ... The present study identifies for the first time a link between periodontal indices and wall shear stress, suggesting that an alteration of hemodynamic profile might contribute to atherosclerosis in subjects with periodontal disease"
• Gum inflammation linked to Alzheimer's disease - Science Daily, 8/3/10 - "cognitively normal subjects with periodontal inflammation are at an increased risk of lower cognitive function compared to cognitively normal subjects with little or no periodontal inflammation ... subjects with Alzheimer's disease had a significantly higher level of antibodies and inflammatory molecules associated with periodontal disease in their plasma compared to healthy people ... the Digit Symbol Test, or DST, a part of the standard measurement of adult IQ ... periodontal inflammation at age 70 was strongly associated with lower DST scores at age 70. Subjects with periodontal inflammation were nine times more likely to test in the lower range of the DST compared to subjects with little or no periodontal inflammation" - Note:  See my dental page.  Gum disease has been linked to several other heath conditions including diabetes and heart disease.  Over the years I've tried several methods for gum disease including floss, Periostat and Arestin and here is the only method that worked:
  • Periogard - Needs a prescription but is usually available at you dentist for around $10.
  • Sunstar Butler Proxabrush GUM Eez-Lok Handle
  • Sunstar Butler Proxabrush GUM Eez-Lok Handle - a better model than the above
  •  Sunstar Butler GUM Proxabrush Refill Ultra Wide (618) - use this wide brush for the back teeth
  • Butler 612 Soft Picks or Butler Ultra-Fine - use these narrower brushes for the front teeth
  • Soak the brush in the Periogard than run it between your teeth.
• Drinking tap water may help you avoid dentist's drill, study says - Science Daily, 4/13/10 - "The controlled addition of a fluoride compound to public water supplies is considered to be the most cost-effective way to prevent cavities and fight tooth decay ... The second-most effective source of fluoride is varnish. Varnish, applied quickly and easily by a dentist, is one of the most concentrated products available commercially. Varnishes that contain sodium fluoride adhere to tooth surfaces when saliva is present, providing an excellent fluoride treatment"
• Toothpaste with triclosan/copolymer kills harmful germs, study finds - Science Daily, 4/13/10 - "Toothpaste that contains triclosan/copolymer is better than regular fluoride toothpastes at killing the kinds of bacteria that live in people's mouths" - Note:  I thought this article was interesting because see the article below titled "FDA Reviewing Antibacterial Chemical Widely Used in Soaps and Body Washes" where they claim triclosan shouldn't even be used externally in soaps and shampoos let alone toothpaste.
  • FDA Reviewing Antibacterial Chemical Widely Used in Soaps and Body Washes - Medscape, 4/12/10 - "In animal studies, triclosan has been found to interfere with hormones crucial for normal brain development and function and reproductive system development and function"
• Are Mercury Dental Fillings Safe? - U.S. News, 1/20/10
• Oral health and risk for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: the Carolina Head and Neck Cancer Study - Cancer Causes Control. 2010 Jan 5 - "squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck (SCCHN) ... Routine dental visits were associated with 30% risk reduction (OR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.53, 0.87). CONCLUSIONS: These data provide support for a possible modest association of periodontal disease, as measured by self-reported tooth loss indicators, but not tooth loss per se, with SCCHN risk" - Interesting because I survived neck cancer with about a 1 in 10 chance of survival (it will be 5 years next month, click here).  I've been getting my teeth cleaned every three months for about twelve years.
• More than 90 percent of people with gum disease are at risk for diabetes, study finds - Science Daily, 12/15/09 - "An overwhelming majority of people who have periodontal (gum) disease are also at high risk for diabetes and should be screened for diabetes ... 93 percent of subjects who had periodontal disease, compared to 63 percent of those without the disease, were considered to be at high risk for diabetes and should be screened for diabetes"
• Older dental fillings contain form of mercury unlikely to be toxic, study finds - Science Daily, 12/9/09
• Look Ma, No Mercury In Fillings! - Science Daily, 11/26/09
• Gum Disease Raises Arthritis Risk - WebMD, 10/20/09
• Chronic periodontitis and the incidence of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma - Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2009 Sep;18(9):2406-12 - "Patients with periodontitis were more likely to have poorly differentiated oral cavity SCC than those without periodontitis (32.8% versus 11.5%"
• Prevent Periodontitis To Reduce The Risk Of Head And Neck Cancer - Science Daily, 9/8/09 - "Chronic periodontitis, a form of gum disease, is an independent risk factor for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma"
• Open Wide And Say 'Zap': New Way To Clinically Assess Condition Of Tooth Enamel Using Lasers - Science Daily, 8/22/09
• Flying By The Skin Of Our Teeth - Science Daily,8/19/09
• FDA: Mercury Fillings Not Harmful - WebMD, 7/28/09
• Tooth Gel: Healing Power Of Aloe Vera Proves Beneficial For Teeth And Gums, Too - Science Daily, 7/17/09
• Link Between Oral Infections And Cardiovascular Disease Morbidity Explained - Science Daily, 7/9/09 - "A recent study that will be cited during the presentation explored the existence of bacteria known to cause periodontitis and the growth of blood vessel walls, which is a symptom of CVD. After examining the subjects used, the investigators found a positive connection between the growth of blood vessel walls and the existence of bacteria found in dental plaque, causing periodontitis"
• New Treatment For Receding Gums: No Pain, Lots Of Gain - Science Daily, 7/1/09
• Orange Juice Worse For Teeth Than Whitening Agents - Science Daily, 6/30/09 - "the effects of 6 percent hydrogen peroxide, the common ingredient in professional and over-the-counter whitening products, are insignificant compared to acidic fruit juices. Orange juice markedly decreased hardness and increased roughness of tooth enamel"
• Treating Gum Disease May Help Rheumatoid Arthritis - WebMD, 6/12/09 - "It was exciting to find that if we eliminated the infection and inflammation in the gums, then patients with a severe kind of active rheumatoid arthritis reported improvement on the signs and symptoms of that disease"
• Placement Of Dental Implants Results In Minimal Bone Loss - Science Daily, 5/12/09
• New Evidence Of Periodontal Disease Leading To Gestational Diabetes - Science Daily, 4/4/09 - "Gestational diabetes is characterized by an inability to transport glucose -- the main source of fuel for the body -- to the cells during pregnancy. The condition usually disappears when the pregnancy ends, but women who have had gestational diabetes are at a greater risk of developing the most common form of diabetes, known as Type 2 diabetes, later in life ... In addition to its potential role in preterm delivery, evidence that gum disease may also contribute to gestational diabetes suggests that women should see a dentist if they plan to get pregnant, and after becoming pregnant"
• Your Oral Health Is Connected To Your Overall Health - Science Daily, 4/4/09 - "While treatment of mothers with mild periodontal disease usually does not have an effect on infant prematurity, the greatest effect has been reported by scientists to be observed in mothers with generalized severe periodontal disease"
• Obesity Associated With Periodontal Disease - Science Daily, 4/4/09 - "The team observed significant associations between all measures of obesity and periodontal disease when accounting for age, smoking, race, dental profession, physical activity, fruit and vegetable intake, and diabetes status at baseline. Obesity (BMI > 30 kg/m2) at the beginning of follow-up and over follow-up was significantly associated with a 25% and 29% increased risk compared with normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m2), respectively ... These results provide the first evidence following a large group of people over time with clear evidence of obesity occurring prior to periodontal disease, and support an association between obesity and risk of periodontal disease"
• The More Oral Bacteria, The Higher The Risk Of Heart Attack, Study Shows - Science Daily, 4/1/09 - "two oral pathogens in the mouth were associated with an increased risk of having a heart attack, but that the total number of germs, regardless of type, was more important to heart health"
• New Tooth Cavity Protection: Make Surface Too Slippery For Bacteria To Adhere - Science Daily, 12/20/08
• Inflamed Gums Linked To Heart Disease - Science Daily, 12/20/08 - "a protein associated with inflammation (called CRP) is elevated in people who are at risk for heart disease. But where's the inflammation coming from? ... infected gums may be one place ... something as simple as taking good care of your teeth and gums can greatly reduce your risk of developing serious diseases"
• Root Canal or Dental Implant? - WebMD, 11/19/08
• Periodontal Disease May Independently Predict New-Onset Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 8/7/08 - "Individuals with elevated levels of periodontal disease were nearly twice as likely to become diabetic in that 20-year timeframe"
• Most Effective Dental Braces Are Least Attractive - Science Daily, 7/9/08
• Warning issued for silver dental fillings - USATODAY.com, 6/12/08
• Gum Disease May Make Diabetes Worse - WebMD, 6/6/08 - "The suggestion from the study is that treating gum disease could actually slow down the progression to diabetes in those at high risk of developing the disease"
• Mercury dental fillings may harm some - MSNBC, 6/4/08
• Gum Disease May Raise Cancer Risk - WebMD, 5/27/08 - "Compared to men with healthy gums, men with a history of gum disease were: ... 14% more likely to develop cancer overall ... 49% more likely to develop kidney cancer ... 54% more likely to develop pancreatic cancer ... 30% more likely to develop blood cancers"
• New Drug Reverses Dentists' Anesthesia - WebMD, 5/12/08
• Bonelike Coating For Dental Implants Makes Everyone Smile - Science Daily, 4/4/08
• Periodontal Disease Can Lead To Gestational Diabetes, Study Shows - Science Daily, 3/24/08 - "Inflammation associated with periodontal disease is believed to play a role in the onset of gestational diabetes, perhaps by interfering with the normal functioning of insulin, the hormone that regulates glucose metabolism"
• When And How Often You Consume Acidic Foods Or Beverages Affects Dental Health - Science Daily, 2/5/08
• Periodontal Disease Is Associated With Chronic Kidney Disease - Medscape, 1/30/08 - "subjects with periodontal disease and those who were edentulous were nearly twice as likely to have CKD (adjusted odds ratios, 1.60 and 1.85, respectively)"
• Dental Tooth Fillings Containing Mercury Don't Affect Children's Brain Development, Study Suggests - Science Daily, 1/25/08
• Healthy Smile May Promote A Healthy Heart - Science Daily, 1/8/08 - "individuals with periodontal disease whose biomarkers showed increased bacterial exposure were more likely to develop coronary heart disease or atherogenesis (plaque formation in the arteries)"
• Huge Success With Directly Loaded Implants In The Mouth - Science Daily, 12/16/07
• Treating Your Periodontal Pockets May Benefit Your Pocket Book - Science Daily, 11/28/07 - "prevention of periodontal diseases may lead to savings on not only dental costs, but also medical care costs. Periodontal, or gum diseases have been linked to systemic health conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory problems ... cumulative health care costs were 21% higher for those patients with severe periodontal disease than those with no periodontal disease"
• Smoking Can Harm The Long-term Effects Of Some Oral Plastic Surgery Procedures - Science Daily, 9/18/07
• Chronic Gum Disease Associated With Tongue Cancer - Science Daily, 5/23/07
• Treat Gum Disease, Help Heart? - WebMD, 2/28/07 - "One group got standard gum disease treatment -- having a dentist scrape and polish their teeth ... The other group got more aggressive treatment, including a shot of anesthesia to let dentists remove plaque below the gum line and extract teeth, if necessary ... two months later, the intensive treatment group had better endothelial function than the standard treatment group. That advantage was still seen at the end of the six-month study"
• Gum Disease Ups Pancreatic Cancer Risk - WebMD, 1/16/07 - "subjects who reported gum disease were 64% more likely to have pancreatic cancer ... Michaud and colleagues suggest that long-standing gum infections trigger a body-wide immune response: inflammation. Inflamed tissues give off chemical signals that promote tumor growth"
• Periodontal Therapy Helps Patients With Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 10/31/06
• Tooth Whiteners Work, at Least Briefly - WebMD, 10/17/06
• New Study Finds a Positive Association Between Periodontal Disease and Coronary Heart Disease - Doctor's Guide, 9/27/06 - "A number of pathways are suspected to be involved," said Geismar. "One way is that periodontal bacteria directly invade the arterial wall and another way is that bacterial products from the periodontal pocket exert a systemic effect on atherosclerosis development based on the immune system."
• Safety of Dental Fillings Questioned - WebMD, 9/7/06
• Study Supports Findings That Periodontal Bacteria May Be Linked to Heart Disease - Doctor's Guide, 7/21/06 - "acute coronary syndrome (ACS) ... Seventy-seven percent of the participants in the ACS group and 42 percent in the control group demonstrated evidence of periodontitis"
• No Harm Found in Amalgam Fillings - WebMD, 4/18/06
• Periodontitis Associated With Pregnancy Complications - Doctor's Guide, 2/6/06
• Treating Gum Disease May Reduce The Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease - Science Daily, 1/6/06 - "inflammation in the mouth has a measurable effect in the bloodstream, and therefore the rest of the body"
• Tooth Loss and Heart Disease Linked, Even Among Nonsmokers - Doctor's Guide, 12/20/05 - "Heart disease was present in 4.7% of those without tooth loss, 5.7% of those with 1 to 5 missing teeth, 7.5% of those with 6 to 31 missing teeth, and 8.5% of those with total tooth loss"
• Common Antibiotic May Affect Tooth Enamel - WebMD, 10/3/05
• Dangers of Teeth Whitening Obsession - ABC News, 7/30/05 - "When people abuse teeth whitening products, the results aren't pretty ... The edges of your teeth will become bluish-translucent in color, and that is irreversible ... Your teeth can become very sensitive. You can harm the gum tissue and burn it away"
• Certain Drinks Can Permanently Damage Teeth - CBS2 Chicago, 6/9/05
• Dental Erosion -- Consume Pickles, Lemons And Soft Drinks In Moderation - Science Daily, 5/29/05
• Wisdom Teeth Removal Often Unnecessary - WebMD, 5/5/05
• New Dental Implants Build Bone, Speed Healing - CBS 2 Chicago, 4/26/05
• Electric Toothbrushes May Be Better At Fighting Plaque, Gum Disease - Science Daily, 4/20/05 - "Over the short term of one to three months, the rotating brushes reduced plaque by 11 percent over manual toothbrushes and reduced the signs of gingivitis, or gum inflammation, by 6 percent over the regular brushes ... The powered brushes reduced gingivitis by 17 percent over the manual brushes after more than three months’ use"
• Live Oral Bacteria Found In Arterial Plaque - Science Daily, 3/31/05 - "Gum disease has been linked to hardening of the arteries ... This report certainly provides a smoking gun that live bacteria have become seeded from the oral cavity to become inhabitants of the vessel wall ... The exciting implications focus on the known ability of these bacteria to destroy connective tissue in the mouth, suggesting that when infecting the vessel wall they may contribute to the instability of the atherosclerotic plaque — leading to acute events such as heart attack or stroke"
• Columbia Study Suggests Brushing Your Teeth May Reduce Risk Of Stroke And Heart Attack - Science Daily, 2/17/05 - "people with gum disease are more likely to suffer from atherosclerosis – a narrowing of blood vessels that can lead to stroke or heart attack ... one possible explanation for the link is that the bacteria that cause the gum disease may migrate throughout the body via the bloodstream and stimulate the immune system, causing inflammation that results in the clogging of arteries"
• Which Drinks Damage Your Teeth the Most? - WebMD, 2/16/05 - "noncola soft drinks, energy/sports drinks, and commercial lemonade "showed the most aggressive dissolution effect on dental enamel,""
• Listerine no replacement for flossing? - MSNBC, 1/7/05
• Little Evidence To Link Mercury Fillings To Human Health Problems - Science Daily, 12/20/04
• Possible Link Between Oral and Overall Health in Diabetics - Doctor's Guide, 12/13/04
• Mercury Fillings: They're Not Risky - WebMD, 12/9/04
• Dental Plaque May Harbor Pathogens for Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia - Medscape, 11/11/04
• Further Evidence Reveals The Association Between Periodontal Disease And Coronary Artery Disease - Science Daily, 10/27/04 - "One reason is that periodontal pathogens could enter the bloodstream, invade the blood vessel walls and ultimately cause atherosclerosis ... Another hypothesis is based on several studies that have shown that periodontal infections can be correlated with increased plasma levels of inflammation such as fibrinogen (this creates blood clots), C-reactive protein, or several cytokines"
• Can Tooth Whiteners Cause Oral Cancer? - WebMD, 8/7/04 - "the active ingredient in these popular whiteners -- available at a dentist's office or in over-the-counter kits -- may be the reason why two patients with no other identifiable risk factors developed advanced tongue cancer while in their 20s ... Free Radical Damage Suspected"
• Repeated Treatment Of Gum Disease Reduces Levels Of Inflammatory Factors Known To Increase Heart Disease Risk - Science Daily, 4/8/04 - "in people who had elevated levels of CRP at baseline, removal of dental plaque bacteria by scaling or scaling combined with topical antibiotics produced a statistically significant reduction, bringing CRP levels close to the low-risk level. Both treatments also significantly reduced levels of fibrinogen in patients with elevated fibrinogen levels"
• Tooth-Whitening Strips and Trays Face Off - WebMD, 3/18/04
• Eating Breakfast May Prevent Cavities - WebMD, 1/16/04
• Angry, Lonely Men Prone to Gum Disease - WebMD, 12/22/03
• Oral Piercing Causes Long-Term Dental Damage - WebMD, 7/21/03
• Painless Root Canal Quicker, Cheaper - WebMD, 7/18/03
• Obesity Leads to Gum Disease - WebMD, 6/2/03
• Dental Erosions Due to Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Often Undiagnosed - Doctor's Guide, 5/22/03
• Secondhand Smoke Leads to More Cavities - WebMD, 3/11/03
• Sink Your Teeth Into Denture Alternative - TheSanDiegoChannel.com, 2/10/03
• Dental Problems From Depression Drugs - WebMD, 2/4/03
• Dental Health Associated With Nutritional Status In Older Adults - Doctor's Guide, 1/20/03 - "individuals with no posterior occluding pairs, one to four pairs or complete dentures had consistently lower scores on the [Healthy Eating Index] HEI than individuals with five to eight posterior occluding pairs of teeth ... Those with impaired dentition also ate fewer servings of fruit and had lower serum values of beta carotene and ascorbic acid ... Dietary intake levels of vitamin A, carotene, folic acid and vitamin C were poorer in individuals with impaired dentition, as were HEI scores for diet variety, cholesterol and sodium"
• Tooth Loss Linked to Stroke Risk - WebMD, 12/12/02 - "tooth loss may increase the risk of stroke by as much as 74% compared with those who have a healthy mouthful of teeth ... The findings add more evidence to support the growing link between gum (periodontal) disease, which is caused by bacterial infections, and the risk of stroke and heart disease" - Possible solution?:
  • Low-dose Periostat (Doxycycline) Shows Benefits in Patients with Heart Failure - Doctor's Guide, 11/20/02 - "At six-month follow-up, sub-antimicrobial dose doxycyline significantly reduced CRP levels by 45.8 percent compared to baseline values (p<0.05). The drug was also associated with a 33.5 percent reduction in interleukin-6 and a 50 percent reduction in metalloproteinase ... The findings are exciting, since research is now showing that CRP is both a key marker of inflammation leading to future acute coronary events, but also that CRP itself may contribute to the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis"
• Periodontitis in Estrogen-Deficient Women - Archives of Internal Medicine, 12/9/02 - "The influence of estrogen deficiency directly on alveolar bone seems likely to only partially explain the association between the lack of estrogen and tooth loss. Many studies suggest a beneficial influence of estrogen directly on gingival and periodontal tissues even though this concept is not mentioned in recent reviews of risk factors for periodontal disease ... We continue to see nonsmoking women without diabetes mellitus in their 50s and 60s whose periodontal disease is strikingly improved within a few months following the onset of systemic estrogen therapy without other interventions"
• Periodontal Diseases Increase C-Reactive Protein In Haemodialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 11/7/02
• Risk of Preterm Low Birth Weight in Women With Periodontal Disease Reduced By Periodontal Therapy - Doctor's Guide, 9/2/02
• Delayed Maxillary Implants Best for Buccal Dehiscence Defects - Doctor's Guide, 8/20/02
• Subantimicrobial Dose Doxycycline Reduces Deep Pockets In Severe Periodontitis - Doctor's Guide, 8/8/02
• Amniotic Fluid Infection May Be Linked To Dental Plaque - Doctor's Guide, 6/5/02
• Periapical Status Of Tooth And Survival Of Tooth After Root Filling - Doctor's Guide, 6/4/02
• Periodontitis Link to Autoreactive B Cells - Doctor's Guide, 5/17/02
• Study of Heart Transplant Patients Further Demonstrates Periodontitis May Be A Risk Factor For Heart Disease - Doctor's Guide, 5/8/02 - "This study adds one more piece of significant evidence that, along with high cholesterol and blood pressure, periodontal disease should be seen as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease ... It is now common practice for dentists to prescribe antibiotics prior to oral surgery or even advanced cleaning techniques for patients with particular heart health profiles. Among the newer methods for administering antibiotics is the product Arestin(TM), which uses patented microsphere technology to deliver the antibiotic minocycline beneath the gum, directly into the infected periodontal pocket, after deep cleaning of the teeth and gums with a common method of treatment known as scaling and root planing" - see Arestin.com
• Potentially Dangerous Oral Spots and Sores Need More Attention - Doctor's Guide, 3/28/02
• Good Denture Design Assists Tooth Health - Doctor's Guide, 3/14/02
• Strong Link Found Between Mother's Gum Disease and Premature Birth, Low Birth Weight - Doctor's Guide, 3/7/02
• Vioxx (Rofecoxib) Relieves Acute Pain from Dental Surgery Better than Oxycodone/Acetaminophen Combination - Doctor's Guide, 3/4/02
• Old Toothbrushes Not Up To Job - Intelihealth, 2/12/02
• One-Third Skip Annual Dental Visit - Intelihealth, 1/29/02
• Goodbye, Dentures: Implants Are Gaining Favor - Intelihealth, 9/11/01
• New Material Enhances Fillings, Rebuilds Teeth - WebMD, 8/27/01
• Too Much Soda Taking Its Toll on Kids' Teeth - WebMD, 7/12/01
• Incidence of Periodontal Disease High In People With Rheumatoid Arthritis - Doctor's Guide, 6/21/01
• Is Mercury in Fillings Really a Problem?, Dentists Split on Controversial Issue - WebMD, 5/29/01
• Passive Smoke Linked to Cavities in Children, Tooth Decay Nearly Doubles in Smoking Homes - WebMD, 5/1/01 - "the rate of cavities in children was nearly double in smoking households, even after considering a number of variables including sex, race, dental visits, family income, and nutrition status"
• Brush Your Teeth -- It Prevents More Than Cavities, Oral Health Strongly Impacts Overall Health - WebMD, 4/19/01 - "having bad teeth and gums contributes to high cholesterol, which is linked to a host of other illnesses, including heart disease. Poor oral health also may place you at increased risk for developing diabetes"
• Chronic Periodontal Disease May Be Risk Factor For Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 4/20/01 - "While it has been established that people with diabetes are more prone to developing periodontal disease, new research is suggesting that periodontal disease may, in turn, be a risk factor for diabetes ... Periodontal disease can cause bacteria to enter the bloodstream and activate immune cells. These activated cells produce inflammatory biological signals (cytokines) that have a destructive effect throughout the entire body"
• Tattletale Toothpaste, Toothbrush May Help Keep Cavities in Check - WebMD, 3/26/01
• FDA Approves Arestin (Minocycline) For Adult Periodontitis - Doctor's Guide, 2/19/01
• Technology makes possible a designer smile - CNN, 2/19/01
• Link May Exist Between Passive Smoking And Periodontal Disease, Researchers Say - Doctor's Guide, 2/15/98
• Straight Talk on Invisible Braces, They Work -- But For a Price - WebMD, 11/30/00
• New Research Finds Link Between Gum Disease, Acute Heart Attacks - Doctor's Guide, 11/13/00
• Bad Gums, Bad Heart Link Questioned - Intelihealth, 9/20/00
• FDA Approves Atrisorb Tissue Regeneration Barrier With Doxycycline - Doctor's Guide, 9/14/00
• Too Few Heart Patients Take Antibiotics Before Dental Work - WebMD, 7/5/00
• Women With Periodontal Disease More Likely to Delivery Premature Babies - Doctor's Guide, 5/8/00
• Atridox Periodontal Disease Treatment Approved In Europe - Doctor's Guide, 1/4/00
• Hormone Replacement May Slow Progression Of Periodontal Disease - Doctor's Guide, 8/30/99
• What Do You Think Of These New Teeth Whitening Methods? - Dr. Dean, 8/20/99
• Atridox Effective For Chronic Adult Periodontitis - Doctor's Guide, 6/16/99
• Periodontal Disease May Increase Risk Of Stroke - Doctor's Guide, 4/21/99
• Trip to the dentist becoming less painful - CNN, 11/30/98
• Atridox Therapy Now Available In U.S. For Periodontal Disease - Doctor's Guide, 12/12/98
• First Capsule For Adult Periodontitis, Periostat, Available in U.S. - Doctor's Guide, 11/18/98
• PerioChip Now Available In The U.S. For Periodontitis Treatment - Doctor's Guide, 9/16/98
• FDA Approves Atridox Periodontal Disease Treatment - Doctor's Guide, 9/8/98
• Study Of Bacteria Further Supports Possible Link Between Gum And Heart Disease - Doctor's Guide, 2/24/98
• Osteoporosis And Oral Health Closely Linked, Study Shows - Doctor's Guide, 2/16/98
• Medications Have Unintended Positive and Negative Side Effects on Gums - Doctor's Guide, 10/3/97
• Gum Grafting Provides New Smile Options - Doctor's Guide, 10/3/97
• Is a Trip to the Dentist Necessary for Moms-To-Be? - Doctor's Guide, 10/3/97
• Scientists Link Gum Health And Heart Disease In Humans - Doctor's Guide, 6/18/97
• New Product Launched to Repair Diseased Gums - Doctor's Guide, 4/16/97
• Oral Hygiene Aids, (Part One) - Toothbrushes by Robert B. Stevenson, DDS, MS