Improper Consumption Of Acidic Foods Could Lead To Destroyed Enamel May 10, 2008
Posted by Dentist.Com in -GEN. INFO.Tags: effect of acid on the teeth, enamel, hypersensitivity, tooth erosion
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ScienceDaily — Fruit, yogurt, citric and soft drinks, may seem like harmless snacks and beverages, but improper consumption and overuse may lead to devastating and permanent damage to teeth. It’s known as tooth erosion, the break down of tooth structure caused by the effect of acid on the teeth that leads to decay. According to David Bartlett, BDS, PhD, who will lead a discussion at the Academy of General Dentistry’s annual meeting titled, “Acid Erosion-Why is it Important to My Patients?”, “Early diagnosis and prevention of the effects of tooth erosion are fundamental to keeping teeth healthy for life.”
“Sipping or holding acidic drinks in the mouth before swallowing increases the risk of erosion on dental enamel,” says Dr. Bartlett. Dental enamel is the thin, outer layer of hard tissue that helps maintain the tooth’s structure and shape while protecting it from decay.
Soft drinks, which contain acids, break the tooth surfaces. These acids also damage tooth enamel over time by dissolving the mineral structure of teeth, thinning the teeth. Eventually, because of repeated exposure to acid, the tooth’s enamel will lose its shape and color and as the damage progresses; the underlying dentin, (which is the tissue that makes up the core of each tooth), becomes exposed causing the teeth to look yellow.
To prevent tooth erosion, Dr. Bartlett advises patients who eat or drink an acidic food or beverage to wait at least 20 minutes before brushing the teeth so as not to destroy the weakened enamel. He also suggests eating acidic foods within five minutes, instead of snacking on them throughout the day, and eating these foods just during meal times in order to minimize the amount of time the acid is on the teeth.
Mice Teeth Explain The Troubles With Human Wisdom Teeth May 10, 2008
Posted by Dentist.Com in -GEN. INFO.Tags: mice teeth, molar development, wisdom teeth
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ScienceDaily — During evolution, many of a species’ properties are shaped by ecological interactions. This is readily evident in mammalian teeth, whose many features closely reflect what each species eats.
However, for a long time scientists have suspected that genetic and developmental interactions may also influence species-specific properties. Now, researchers at the University of Helsinki’s Institute of Biotechnology show how development affects the evolution of teeth, and have devised a simple developmental model to predict aspects of teeth across many species. The results were published in Nature.
In the study in the field of evolutionary developmental biology, the researchers Kathryn Kavanagh, Jukka Jernvall and Alistair Evans in the Institute of Biotechnology of the University of Helsinki first studied cheek tooth, or molar, development in mice. Similarly to human teeth, mouse molars develop from front-to-back so that the first molar appears first and the posterior molars bud sequentially along the jaw.
Normally the last molar to develop is the third, or wisdom tooth. Experiments on cultured mouse molars revealed that the size and number of posterior molars depend on previously initiated molars. The mechanism, called an ‘inhibitory cascade’, acts much like a ratchet that cumulatively increases size differences of teeth along the jaw. By quantifying their experiments, the researchers constructed a simple mathematical model which they then used to predict relative size and number of molars across many other mouse and rat species.
They show that the model accurately predicts tooth proportions and numbers, one curious effect being that the second molar makes up one-third of total molar area, irrespective of species-specific molar proportions.
This new research demonstrates that with advances in the study of the molecular regulation of development, it is now possible to identify how development influences evolution. And this may help explain the troublesome wisdom teeth of modern humans – the blame may lie within a weak inhibitory cascade that allows the development of the last molar in a jaw that is too small.
Dental Crowns Reveal The Diet Of A Species May 10, 2008
Posted by Dentist.Com in -GEN. INFO, -GEN. INFO.Tags: diet of extinct animals, teeth of various species
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ScienceDaily — According to recent research, the complexity of tooth surfaces reveals the diet of a species. Scientists at the University of Helsinki’s Institute of Biotechnology and Department of Geology showed that the more complex the surface of an animal’s teeth, the greater the share of vegetables in its diet. For instance, the teeth of carnivores and rodents differ in almost every aspect, but if a carnivore and a rodent eat similar food, their teeth are equally complex. The results were published in Nature Magazine.
The size, number, occlusion and dental crown cusps of carnivores and rodents, such as cats and mice, are very different. Based on their research, the Helsinki scientists discovered that although the teeth of rodents and predators seem very different, the values describing their complexity correspond if the species share a similar diet. Both groups have species that eat both meat and vegetable foods.
The scientists studied the differences in the teeth of various species by measuring the molar crowns of 81 mammalian species and, based on the measurements, creating 3D virtual models of them. The models were then used to develop new methods of measurement, which enable scientists to identify all the parts of teeth that break down the food, the ‘tools’, as it were.
New database is the first to offer information on phenotypes
The 3D virtual models were entered in the MorphoBrowser database created by the team’s scientists. The database now contains data on fossils, existing animals as well as the modified teeth of mutant mice. The open access database for the first time makes phenotypes, or 3D models of the information contained in the genes, publicly available on the Internet. This can be compared to the information on the genetic sequences of different species (such as the human genome), which have been available on public databases for quite a while.
3D measurements enable scientists to determine the diet of extinct animals even in taxonomic groups that have no counterparts in living species. Indeed, the database is particularly useful to evolutionary scientists, who study the diet of extinct species based on the shape of their molars. This new approach also creates opportunities for studying the relationship between dental shapes and developmental biology.
The research was financed by the Systems Biology and Bioinformatics Research Programme of the Academy of Finland.
Osteoporosis Drugs Linked to Jaw Infection, Study Shows May 10, 2008
Posted by Dentist.Com in NEWS.Tags: Actonel, bisphosphonates, Boniva, Fosamax, jawbones, Microbial biofilms, osteoporosis
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ScienceDaily — A group of University of Southern California School of Dentistry researchers says it has identified the slimy culprits killing the jawbones of some people taking drugs that treat osteoporosis.
Microbial biofilms, a mix of bacteria and sticky extracellular material, are causing jaw tissue infections in patients taking bisphosphonate drugs, said Parish Sedghizadeh, lead researcher and assistant clinical professor at the USC School of Dentistry.
Sold under brand names such as Fosamax, Boniva and Actonel, bisphosphonates are prescribed to millions of patients to combat osteoporosis, a bone-wasting disease that increases the risk of fractures.
Sedghizadeh said there have been increasing reports of osteonecrosis (bone death) of the jaw in patients who have been taking the drugs for osteoporosis or for treatment from the bone-wasting effects of cancer. He said he decided to investigate further after seeing patients in USC dentistry clinics who had the unusual jaw infection.
“This is the first study that identifies microbial biofilms in the bone of bisphosphonate patients who have osteonecrosis of the jaw,” Sedghizadeh said.
Jaw osteonecrosis occurs when bacteria-laden biofilms infect the jaw after the bone is exposed, typically because of a tooth extraction or injury.
The USC research team includes renowned biofilm expert J. William Costerton, director of the Center for Biofilms at the USC School of Dentistry.
Salivary Diagnostics, The ‘Magic Mirror’ To Your Health … At Your Personal Computer May 10, 2008
Posted by Dentist.Com in NEWS.Tags: oral cancer, saliva, Salivaomics Knowledge Base (SKB), salivary diagnostsics
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ScienceDaily — Accuracy, convenience, and non-invasiveness are the most critical characteristics for any diagnostic tool. A new concept, Salivaomics Knowledge Base (SKB), an in silico (i.e., performed on computer or via computer simulation) saliva diagnostic atlas, is launching during the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Dental Research in Dallas, Texas.
With people increasingly adopting a ‘digital life’, the SKB will serve as a catalyst for future development and expansion of salivary diagnostics. For over three years, saliva has shown genuine promise as a diagnostic tool for oral cancer detection. As a result, the scientific community and general public have developed a keen interest in its value.
Central to the SKB is the recent creation of two diagnostic alphabets in saliva, the proteome and the transcriptome. In the SKB, the salivary proteome and transcriptome are mapped to 23 human chromosomes, totaling1166 distinct proteins and 851 unique mRNA transcripts in saliva. The available information presently includes profiles from healthy males and females, as well as oral cancer patients.
These profiles can be used to determine distinct differences between groups of interest. For example, if one wants to know the differences in the salivary protein or transcriptome profiles of males and females, the user-friendly interface can be utilized to retrieve information from the database. First, an overview of the biomarker distribution on the 23 human chromosomes can be determined. Then, one can zoom in on specific gene segments to extract more detailed information, all done on one’s personal computer.
This is the first step of this SKB initiative. The database is expanding and will soon include information for pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, diabetes,and Alzheimer’s disease. The short-term goal of the SKB is to share information with scientists globally in an effort to reduce redundancy and enhance the appeal of salivary diagnostics.
This is a summary of abstract #1179, “Salivaomics Knowledge Base (SKB)”, by W. Yan et al., of UCLA, USA, presented April 5, 2008 during the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Dental Research.
Beverly Hills Dentist Finds Proprietary Gum Bleaching Technique Better than Laser Methods May 10, 2008
Posted by Dentist.Com in -GEN. INFO, -GEN. INFO.Tags: dark gums, gum bleaching
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Beverly Hills, CA (PRWEB) — It’s not a treatment you hear much about, but for men and women living with dark gums, gum bleaching is a popular periodontal procedure. Recently, more and more people living with this condition have learned about a new laser technique to de-pigment gums, but Beverly Hills dentist / periodontist Dr. Alex Farnoosh has created a unique method to treat gum discoloration and has become a leader in this treatment. He urges people considering laser treatment to learn more about all available gum bleaching options that are more effective.
Gum discoloration can occur for several reasons. Commonly, people who have darker skin may be prone to a buildup of melanin in their gum tissue, additionally certain medications may cause gum discoloration to develop over time. Prior to any cosmetic gum treatment, a board certified dentist or periodontist (a specialist in gum treatment) needs to address any underlying gum disease to maximize oral health and ensure that the tissue is healthy before treatment may commence. This is best determined by a periodontist who is the most highly qualified in the diagnosis and treatment of gum disease.
Dr. Farnoosh has authored several articles on his technique and is published in journals such as the Journal of Periodontology and Journal of Pathology.
“I’ve been performing a proprietary gum bleaching technique for over 15 years,” says Dr. Farnoosh. “I continue to see some of the initial patients who were treated, and even after all this time, the gum pigmentation has not returned. That gives my patients significant assurance that the results of their procedure will last many years.”
Unlike Dr. Farnoosh’s method, laser gum bleaching has a very short track record and relapse has proven to be a common problem. In addition, the long-term efficacy and extent of tissue damage caused by the laser technique has not been studied. “Laser treatment has not generated the same long term results, and is less comfortable for patients,” says Dr. Farnoosh. Gum bleaching is safe to perform for patients from all walks of life and protects oral health.
All areas of gum discoloration can be treated with a single visit. Dentists who are unfamiliar with gum bleaching techniques may incorrectly inform their patients that nothing can be done to permanently improve the appearance of the gums. Patients are often pleasantly surprised by how quickly the gum bleaching procedure can be performed. Because the amount of pigment saturation and location of gum discoloration varies from patient to patient, it is posssible to carefully customize treatments based on a patient’s needs.
