Obesity Boosts Gum Disease Risk
from Forbes
Obese adults are at higher risk of gum disease than are normal-weight people, a new study finds. For many years, researchers have been trying to determine the link between gum disease and cardiovascular risk, said study author Monik Jimenez, a doctoral candidate at the Harvard School of Public Health. More

AAID Hails Florida Court Verdict Allowing Advertising of Bona Fide Dental Credentials
from PR News Wire
A Florida judge has ruled that a state law restricting how dentists can advertise credentials issued by bona fide professional organizations is unconstitutional and violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. The American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID) said today the verdict is a victory for consumers evaluating the qualifications and experience of dentists who perform implant procedures and for practitioners entitled to promote their credentials to the public. More

Caries Risk in Formerly Sealed Teeth
from Journal of the American Dental Association
Researchers examined the risk of caries development in teeth with partially or fully lost sealant (formerly sealed teeth) relative to the risk in teeth that never have received sealants (never-sealed teeth). The research authors searched the population of studies used in five reviews of sealant effectiveness as established in split-mouth design studies involving resin-based sealants with no reapplication of lost sealant. More

Human Embryonic Stem Cells May Revolutionize Treatment of Oral Disease
from Science Daily
Human embryonic stem cells provide a potentially unlimited source of oral mucosal tissues that may revolutionize the treatment of oral diseases. When fully exploited in the future, this source of cells will be able to produce functional tissues to treat a broad variety of oral diseases. More

Gum Disease May Reactivate AIDS Virus
from Forbes
Good dental health may help prevent AIDS, say Japanese researchers. The link, they say, could be periodontal, or gum, disease. The researchers found that periodontitis-causing P. gingivalis bacteria can trigger a pathway that causes reactivation of latent HIV-1, the virus that causes AIDS. P. gingivalis is among the most widely existent bacteria worldwide. More

Doctors Warn of Jaw Damage from Bone Drugs
from Tacoma News
After Geneva Grimpo fell and broke her hand and her arm, doctors put the tiny, fragile-looking woman on drugs to strengthen her bones. Three years into her drug therapy, trouble began. Her lower jawbone poked out through sores on the left side of her mouth where her gums had decayed. The visible bone was dead, and she used her fingers to fish out tiny bits as they broke off. "Now my right jaw hurts," said Grimpo. X-rays show that bone is dying, too. More

ADA Seeks Exclusion from Red Flags Rule for Dentists
from American Dental Association
The ADA continues to challenge the Federal Trade Commission on the applicability of the Red Flags Rule to dentists. Scheduled to go into effect May 1, the rule requires financial institutions and creditors to develop a written plan to prevent and detect identity theft. FTC staff has deemed dentists and physicians as creditors who are subject to the rule when they don't receive payment in full from their patients at the time of treatment. More

Study: Sports Drinks May Be Bad for Teeth
from CNN
Sports drinks can rehydrate you after a workout, but they also may wreak havoc on your teeth. Prolonged consumption of these types of beverages could lead to erosive tooth wear, according to a study presented recently at the International Association for Dental Research in Miami. Dental researchers immersed cow teeth (because of their similarity to human teeth) in either water or a top-selling sports drink − including Vitamin Water, Life Water, Gatorade, Powerade, and Propel Fit Water. After soaking for 75 to 90 minutes, to replicate consuming a beverage over time, researchers measured the strength of the teeth. More

Gene Therapy Appears Safe to Regenerate Gum Tissue
from Dental Office Magazine
Scientists at the University of Michigan have developed a method of gene delivery that appears safe for regenerating tooth-supporting gum tissue. The discovery assuages one of the biggest safety concerns surrounding gene therapy research and tissue engineering. Gene therapy is an accepted, viable therapeutic concept, but safety is a major hurdle, said William Giannobile, professor at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. More

New Dental Implant Research Study Open to Patients and Participating Dentists
from PR News Wire
Global2Labs, Inc. and the Northwest Implant Research Group announced a new dental implant research study now open for doctor participation in the US and internationally. The purpose of the study is to determine the success rates for newer implant designs coming to market. This study will help define whether the success rates with newer implant designs are at comparable rates as previous generations or at even higher rates of success. More

Rise in Hospital Admissions for Last-ditch Tooth Extractions
from The Independent
The number of people having teeth extracted has risen by a third in the past five years, according to new figures. More than 175,000 people had one or more teeth extracted in hospitals in England in 2007-08 – a rise of 32 percent in four years. The increase comes despite government pledges to expand preventative dental care by improving access to NHS dentists. More