1 in 4 Californian Children Have Never Seen a Dentist

Study Finds That 1 in 4 Californian Children Have Never Seen a Dentist

It seems American families are still struggling with how to afford to take children regular dental appointments according to a new study published in the journal Health Affairs .

In fact, the study, “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Dental Care for Publicly Insured Children,” revealed that nearly 25 percent of children in California age 11 and under have never seen a dentist.

The study, “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Dental Care for Publicly Insured Children,” examines barriers to dental care among California children age 11 and under, using data from the 2005 California Health Interview Survey. The study contains data on nearly 11,000 children.

Researchers Nadereh Pourat, of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, and Len Finocchio, of the California HealthCare Foundation, used data from the 2005 California Health Interview Study to determine how the dental care needs of children in California were being met.

The study also revealed that Latino and African American children with all types of insurance were less likely than Asian American and white children to have visited the dentist in the previous six months — or even in their entire lifetime.

The authors say their research did uncover that having any form of dental insurance significantly increases the odds of seeing a dentist on a regular basis. The studied showed that 54 percent of privately insured children and 27 percent of publicly insured children had seen the dentist during the previous six months, compared with 12 percent of children without dental coverage.

New Study from University of North Carolina Confirms Dental Bib Clips Contaminated

New Study from University of North Carolina Confirms Dental Bib Clips Contaminated

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has shown that unsterilized bib clips pose a significant hygiene risk.

UNC researchers in the school’s oral microbiology lab found that one in five bib clips sampled from hygiene and dental operatories showed a measurable presence of staphylococci, streptococci, pseudomonas, and the enteric bacteria E. coli.

These microorganisms were not just from skin but also from saliva and/or plaque, skin, or water lines. These findings are logical, as chains and clips are seldom sterilized, are touched by gloved and ungloved hygienists and dentists, and are used on many patients throughout each day.

Bib chains tested in the hygiene environment were found to have equal growth as those in an operative, periodontic/endodontic environment.

To avoid clip contamination:

• Sterilize clips between patients. Perhaps the best way to do this is to have several clips available in each work station at the start of each day.

• Use disposable clips, or bibs that don’t require clips.

• Use clips and chains that have fewer surfaces in which debris can accumulate.

Study Links Tooth Loss and Heart Disease

Taking Care of Teeth Good For Heart

Study Links Tooth Loss and Heart Disease

A recent study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine has, once again, linked tooth loss in adults with a greater risk of developing heart disease.

Researchers analyzed the data from the 1999 to 2002 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, an ongoing telephone survey operated by state health agencies with assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The study was conducted based on 41,891 adults aged 40 to 79 years old in 22 states and the District of Columbia.

Study participants who still had all of their natural teeth, 4.7 percent had heart disease.

From there, risk of heart disease increased dramatically. Those who were missing one to five teeth were 21 percent more likely to have heart disease. Heart disease increased by 60 percent among those missing six to 31 teeth, and by 81 percent among those with no remaining natural teeth.

The results of this study join the growing body of research linking gum disease and tooth loss with an increased risk of heart disease.

Children With Special Needs Also Have Special Oral Care Needs

Handle with Care

Children with Special Needs Also Have Special Oral Care Needs

Treating patients with special needs simply isn’t the same as treating other children. Some children may not be able to sit still long enough for a full treatment. Others may struggle with the sensory issues the dental office presents – new smells and sounds along with bright lights might simply overwhelm them.

Now the May/June 2010 issue of General Dentistry reports that children’s special needs, including behavioral issues, cognitive disorders, genetic disorders and systemic diseases may increase a child’s risk of developing tooth decay and other oral diseases.

According to the article, the special diets, frequent use of medicines and lack of proper oral hygiene all add up to a significant challenge in maintaining good oral health.

For example, some parents may not know that special diets for children with below-average weight or unique food allergies can unintentionally promote tooth decay. Underweight children may be directed to consume drinks containing high amounts of carbohydrates, which can cause demineralization of teeth.Medications can also be a source of concern. Because children often find it difficult to swallow pills, many of their medicines may utilize flavored, sugary syrups. When parents or guardians give these syrups to a child, especially at bedtime, the sugars can pool around the child’s teeth and gums, promoting decay.

Adult caregivers and parents also need to help children with special needs brush their teeth, not only to overcome the dietary issues, but also to help overcome dexterity issues faced by children with special needs.

Taking children with special health care needs to the dentist is as important as caring for their other medical needs, the article concludes.

Periodontal Bacteria Linked to Respiratory Illness

Brushing Teeth As Important as Washing Hands to Avoid Respiratory Infections

Periodontal Bacteria Linked to Respiratory Illness

If you want to avoid getting a respiratory infection, be sure to wash your hands frequently, right? Simply washing hands isn’t the only way to keep respiratory infections at bay. Experts say that brushing teeth plays a major factor in avoiding respiratory infections.

According to the American Academy of Periodontology, periodontal disease of is contributing factor for respiratory diseases, noting that the bacteria that cause periodontal disease also negatively impact the immune system.

Bacterial respiratory infections are thought to be acquired through aspiration of fine droplets from the mouth and throat into the lungs. These droplets contain germs that can breed and multiply within the lungs to cause damage. Recent research suggests that bacteria found in the throat, as well as bacteria found in the mouth, can be drawn into the lower respiratory tract. This can cause infections or worsen existing lung conditions. People with respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, typically suffer from reduced protective systems, making it difficult to eliminate bacteria from the lungs.

The American Academy of Periodontology reported that, “Scientists have found that bacteria that grow in the oral cavity can be aspirated into the lung to cause respiratory diseases such as pneumonia, especially in people with periodontal disease. This discovery leads researchers to believe that these respiratory bacteria can travel from the oral cavity into the lungs to cause infection.”

The bacteria that are multiplying in the mouth are not only being used as factories for the viruses but are also being breathed into the susceptible lungs.

The same care that is necessary for avoiding periodontal disease – twice daily brushing and once daily flossing – is necessary for helping to lower the risk of respiratory infections in those with periodontal disease.

Study Links Hypertension, Periodontal Bacteria

More Research Regarding the Relationship Between Oral Health and Cardiovascular Health

Study Links Hypertension, Periodontal Bacteria

The hundreds of bacteria in the human mouth are there for a reason. Many of them are completely innocuous bacteria that like the conditions of the human mouth – it is, after all, warm, dark and wet, which are ideal conditions for growing many types of bacteria.

A handful of the bacteria in the mouth help support the health of teeth and gums. Another handful of bacteria found in the human mouth can be harmful not only to oral health, but to the health of the body as a whole.

Researchers believe that the true link between oral health and heart health lies in the balance of those bacteria.
A recent study published in the May 5, 2010 edition of the Journal of Hypertension revealed that those with significantly higher levels of periodontal bacteria in plaque samples of those with hypertension.

Seven investigators from Columbia University, the University of Miami, the University of Minnesota, and the French School of Public Health collected 4,533 subgingival plaque samples from 653 patients enrolled in the Oral Infections and Vascular Disease Epidemiology Study (INVEST). They analyzed the samples for the presence of 11 different species of periodontal bacteria, including Actinomyces naeslundii and Prevotella intermedia.

The researchers, led by Moise Desvarieux, M.D., Ph.D., found that the odds ratio for prevalent hypertension was 3.05 among the patients in the highest tertile of bacterial burden compared to those in the lowest tertile.

The team found that, after adjusting for conventional risk factors, the mean systolic blood pressure increased significantly with increasing cumulative bacterial burden, at 136, 138, and 143 mmHg for the first, second, and third tertile, respectively (p = 0.0004). The diastolic blood pressure also increased significantly, at 77, 79, and 81 mmHg, respectively.

The prevalence of hypertension was 57%, 62%, and 68%, respectively. This translated into more than threefold higher odds of hypertension between the third and first tertiles; after further adjustment for white blood cell count and titer of hs-CRP, this rose to 3.93. The increase between the first and third tertiles in both hypertension and diastolic blood pressure was more than twice as large for men as for women, while the increase in systolic blood pressure was nearly three times as large in men.

Researchers Link Obesity, Tooth Decay in Toddlers

Researchers Link Obesity, Tooth Decay in Toddlers

Researchers at the University of Buffalo, NY, studied the relationship between tooth decay and obesity in children who were 2 to 5 years old. In doing so, they found a direct relationship between obesity and tooth decay.

“Poor eating habits may play a role in both tooth decay and obesity in preschoolers,” the study’s lead author, Kathleen Bethin, MD, PhD, said. “Dental decay is the most common chronic disease of childhood, and obesity in youth is a growing problem. To prevent these problems, the dentist’s office may be an important place to educate families about nutrition,” Bethin is a pediatrician at Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo and an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Buffalo in New York.

With funding from the New York State Department of Health, the doctors at the Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo and University of Buffalo studied the relationship between poor dental health and overweight in 65 children who were 2 to 5 years old. All children needed dental work due to decay and had their dental procedure and blood work performed while they were under anesthesia.

Each child’s height and weight were measured before the procedure to calculate the body mass index, or BMI. For most people, BMI reliably indicates the amount of body fat. Also, the child’s guardian completed a questionnaire about the child’s recent average daily food consumption.

The data showed that 18 of the 65 children, approximately 28 percent, had a BMI above the 85th percentile, which Bethin noted might be higher if the children hadn’t been fasting.

The data also revealed that many of the children were eating far more calories than the recommended 1200 calories per day, with some eating upwards of nearly 1600 calories daily.

Study Finds Dentists Uniquely Positioned to Help Smokers Quit

Study Finds Dentists Uniquely Positioned to Help Smokers Quit

Smokers whose dentists offer intervention strategies like nicotine patches or lozenges are far more likely to quit according to a report published in the May issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

In the largest study of its kind, University of Arizona researchers have proven the effectiveness of quit-tobacco interventions in public dental care settings serving low-income patients. People who received an intervention – advice and assistance including nicotine patches or lozenges – were two to three times more likely to have quit smoking 7.5 months afterward than participants who received the usual care, the journal explained.

“The dental setting is different from a medical clinic in that physicians can’t pull out a lung and show the patient the damage caused by smoking. The oral health team has a unique opportunity to show the immediate effects of smoking or tobacco use to their patients,” said lead researcher Judith Gordon, an associate professor in the University of Arizona’s department of family and community medicine.

What Gordon found is that dentists and hygienists are able to simply able to had patients a mirror and show them exactly how smoking is impacting their oral health. Once patients see the damage, the dental staff can explain the long-term risk of cancers of the mouth and throat.

Another reason researchers believe the trained dental clinics were so successful in encouraging patients to quit is that dentists usually see their patients more often than doctors do.

Funded by the National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute, the study involved 14 federally funded community health center dental clinics in Mississippi, New York and Oregon that serve racially/ethnically diverse patients.

In randomly selected clinics, staff members were trained to provide interventions as recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service. The training included a 3-hour, in-service workshop on integrating and delivering a brief, tailored tobacco intervention including self-help materials, referral to a tobacco quit line, as well as training on the proper use of nicotine replacement therapy.

Mother’s Oral Hygiene Directly Impacts Child’s Oral Health

Bacteria, Habits Influence Oral Health

Mother’s Oral Hygiene Directly Impacts Child’s Oral Health

A recent study of pediatric dentistry from the Virginia Commonwealth University found that not only does a mother’s oral health impact a healthy pregnancy, it also impacts the overall health of the child.

“Ideally, the oral health education for any family will begin with prenatal education and the establishment of a dental home by the time the child is 12 to 18 months of age,” says Tegwyn Brickhouse, study author. “Many people don’t realize that the oral health of the mother affects both the infant’s future oral health and the child’s overall health.”

Mothers share their oral health habits with their children, setting an example of the importance of regular brushing and flossing. And mothers who visit the dentist regularly are far more likely to make sure their kids get to the dentist both at a young age and at regular intervals.

It’s recommended that children see a dentist at about age 1, or within 6 months of getting their first tooth, and every six months after that to assess teeth for decay, examine bite and evaluate oral health concerns, like use of bottles and sippy cups and thumb sucking.

It’s also been determined that if mothers’ mouths are harboring high levels of the harmful bacteria Streptococcus mutans, it’s likely that her child’s mouth is too.

Streptococcus mutans is a bacteria commonly found in human mouths. S. mutans produces lactic acid which erodes tooth enamel allowing for increased tooth decay.

S. mutans can be transmitted from a mother or another caregiver to an infant or child via saliva. For instance, by allowing infants or children to put their fingers in the parent’s mouth and then into their own mouths, testing the temperature of a bottle with the mouth, sharing forks and spoons, sharing food and “cleaning” a pacifier or a bottle nipple that has fallen by sucking on it before giving it back to the infant or child.

Have You Heard of Oral Care Probiotics?

When Someone Asks…

Have You Heard of Oral Care Probiotics?

Our bodies are homes to thousands of bacteria. Many of those bacteria simply live in and on our bodies because they are simply a convenient environment in which to live. Some of the bacteria in and on our bodies can be harmful (think of skin infections) while still others are beneficial (think of how bacteria in the gut are said to aid in digestion).

Probiotics are live microbial organisms that are naturally present throughout the body. They are often referred to as “beneficial” or “good” bacteria. Because there are bacterial colonies throughout the body, there are different types of probiotics to support good health.

Oral Care Probiotics

There has been much media attention given to the effectiveness of probiotics of to assist in digestion. So, too, are there probiotics that can help support gum and tooth health by competing with harmful bacteria for both nutrients and space in the mouth. In doing so, oral care probiotics also help eliminate the bacteria that creates the volatile sulfur compounds responsible for bad breath.

Oral care probiotics are available in the convenient, easy-to-use, travel-friendly form of mints to be taken twice per day after brushing. Called EvoraPlus, these probiotic mints are available at many major retailers and online.

EvoraPlus also offers a completely safe and natural way to gently whiten teeth to their maximum potential by producing a byproduct of a continuous low dose of natural hydrogen peroxide. Because it is such a low dose of hydrogen peroxide, there are none of the negative side effects associated with using other over-the-counter whitening products, which instead employ high doses of harsh, chemical hydrogen peroxide.

EvoraPlus oral care probiotics offer a cutting edge solution for tooth and gum health, fresher breath and naturally whiter teeth.