Being Overweight May Have Connection to Gum Disease Risk

Written by Dentistry TodayThursday, 07 February 2013 12:26



Obesity may have some unforeseen effects.

An article that appears in the January/February issue of General Dentistryindicates that obesity may be a risk factor for gum disease.

The correlation stems from the fact that obese people produce a higher level of cytokines, which are proteins with inflammatory properties. These cytokines then injure the gum tissues or lower blood flow to the gum tissues, making way for gum disease.

Half of all Americans 30 and older are impacted by gum disease. Gum disease also produces a high level of cytokines, resulting in a larger amount of inflammatory proteins in the bloodstream. Gum disease eventually initiates other inflammatory diseases throughout the body.

Visiting the dentist a regular basis is the best way to detect gum disease or to determine whether or not a person is at a higher risk for gum disease. Removing plaque and brushing regularly will also aid in this process.

More research is necessary to fully understand the relationship between obesity and gum disease.

Minnesota Bill May Increase Dental Reimbursement Rates

Written by Dentistry TodayMonday, 11 February 2013 16:31



Minnesota may enact sweeping changes to dental reimbursement rates.

The Minnesota Dental Association is in favor of new legislation that would update the Minnesota Medical Assistance base reimbursement rate to 75 percent of the 2011 median dental fee schedule.

If this update were to occur, it would be the first time the reimbursement rate would be updated in almost 15 years.

“The proposed legislation would bring dental fee reimbursement rates in line with current dental fee schedules,” Michael Flynn, president of the MDA, said in a press release. “The current rate of reimbursement for MA providers is based on the 1989 fee schedule, which is woefully inadequate for providers striving to meet the needs of Minnesota’s public program patients.”

This legislation was created to fix the current system in place because many new medical assistance patients are going to enter the system based on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

There’s no timetable on when the new legislation would come into effect.

Remineralizing Agents Have Minor Impact After Whitening

Remineralizing Agents Have Minor Impact After Whitening

Written by Dentistry TodayThursday, 28 March 2013 14:48

Using remineralizing agents doesn’t necessarily help teeth recoup their enamel after whitening procedures.

A new study indicates that following in-office teeth whitening with 35 to 38 percent hydrogen peroxide, the teeth generally don’t regain their enamel.

There are several studies that show bleaching with large quantities of hydrogen peroxide can change the makeup of the enamel.

This information appears in Acta Odontologica Scandinvica.

To compile the data, the research team bleached 60 bovine incisors with hydrogen peroxide containing 35 percent calcium or calcium-free 35 percent hydrogen peroxide. The teeth were later exposed to artificial saliva, sodium fluoride gel or a nanohydroxyapatite-based agent.

The makeup of the enamel was then studied after 24 hours and 14 days after treatment. People that were exposed to the nanohydroxyapatite-based agent showed the highest microhardness after 24 hours. The microhardness level, however, was not the same after 14 days. Also, the morphology for all of the samples after 14 days showed many abnormalities.

Cells May be Capable of Growing Human Bone

Cells May be Capable of Growing Human Bone

Written by Dentistry TodayWednesday, 03 April 2013 10:16

Plans are being made for an innovative study.

The first known human trial using embyronic-like stem cells from adult cells to grow bone cells will be happening soon. The cell technology, referred to as VSEL stem cells, come from adult cells, not fetuses. The distinction is important because it absolves the study from any possible ethical dilemmas.

The research will be conducted by the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and NeoStem, a New York-based company.

The research team believes that these stem cells have the ability to create a minimally invasive method to speed up painful bone regeneration for dental patients and other people that have experienced bone trauma.

The University of Michigan School of Dentistry’s role will be in the area of patient care, while NeoStem will be provide the cells.

Before the teeth are extracted, the researchers house the cells before NeoStem makes sure the samples aren’t tainted in any way. The VSEL stem cells are then separated from the person’s other cells. This ensures that the purest samples are used for the study.

The people in the control group for the study receive their own cells instead of the VSEL stem cells. After the new bone grows, the research takes out a portion of it for studying.

The University of Michigan has taken the necessary steps to file patent protection for the VSEL stem cells.

If this study is successful, it will provide many benefits, including disease treatment, based on the embryonic-like stem cells that will be produced for each patient.

Oklahoma May Expand Tests if Dentist Spread Disease

Oklahoma May Expand Tests if Dentist Spread Disease

Written by Dentistry TodayMonday, 08 April 2013 09:17

Oklahoma health officials are looking at many options after an oral surgeon’s unsanitary conditions.

Medical tests will be considered for W. Scott Harrington’s patients’ spouses and sex partners if the lab results reveal the spread of hepatitis or AIDS.

It’s not common for these infections to be spread through a dental practice. Nevertheless, Tulsa and Oklahoma health departments are recommending blood tests for signs of hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV for all of the patients. Around 1,500 had done so as of last Wednesday.

The Tulsa Health Department stated the many spouses and significant others were seeking medical testing.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recorded just three instances when infectious diseases spread in a dental office.

The Oklahoma Board of Dentistry filed a complaint with 17 counts against Harrington. The board said his clinics in Tulsa and Owasso disregarded basic safety practices mandatory by law.

For more information about the initial story, view last week's Wednesday Watch.

Based on information from the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry, Harrington’s practice included patients with infectious diseases.

Despite the regular appearance of Harrington’s office, his employees used rusty instruments on patients known to have infections, reused drug vials without changing needles and unlicensed assistants sedated patients. Drugs in the office were also outdated and there was uncertified sterilization equipment that was at least 6 years old.

Health officials looked through Harrington’s office after investigating the case for one of his patients. This patient had a hepatitis C infection.

The board wanted to stress how rare this case is and how well the dental profession manages infection control overall.