via RDH Magazine

Much of our time as dental hygienists is focused on caring for patients’ periodontal health, with an emphasis on calculus removal and prevention of periodontal disease. However, there is a growing push for the hygiene community to become more actively involved with caries prevention, beyond the typical practices of home-care instruction and evaluation. Several years ago, dental professionals began organizing the outlines of what would become known as Caries Management by Risk Assessment. The CAMBRA protocols represent a shift for the dental profession, from simply treating caries to actively working to prevent it by addressing its bacterial cause.  More »

via Mayo Clinic

Dental implants, rather than a fixed bridge or removable dentures, are an increasingly popular method of replacing teeth lost to an accident, gum diseases or tooth decay. In an interview in the January issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource, Dr. Sreenivas Koka, chair of Mayo Clinic Department of Dental Specialties, discusses the advantages of dental implants and what’s involved.  More »

via HealthCanal.com

Exposure to the common pathogen causing periodontitis is linked to poor performance on cognitive tasks among older individuals, according to a study offering preliminary evidence that periodontitis is a potential risk factor for dementia. This association has been found in a new research study led by Dr. James Noble, assistant professor of clinical neurology at the Columbia University Medical Center Affiliation at Harlem Hospital, in collaboration with physicians at Columbia University Medical Center. “Studies and research have looked into the correlation between oral health, stroke and shared risk factors between stroke and dementia, but little or no studies have delved into the dental world, specifically periodontitis, as it relates to cognition,” Noble said.  More »

via San Francisco Chronicle
As recently as a decade ago, Vitamin D was mostly thought of as a helper-nutrient — it allowed the body to absorb and use calcium for strong bones. With a diet of fortified foods and a little bit of sunshine every day, most people got plenty of it. Aside from its well-known reputation for building and maintaining strong bones, Vitamin D could be tied to cancer prevention and cardiovascular health, and some researchers are looking into a connection between Vitamin D deficiency and gum disease, said Dr. Mark Ryder, chair of the division of periodontology at the University of California at San Francisco School of Dentistry. More »

via Dentistry IQ

All drugs have effects on the body, both intended and unintended. Drugs with dry mouth side effects are Allegra, Zoloft, Nexium, and Xanax, which promote tooth decay. Drugs with vomiting side effects are Abilify, Accupril, Accutane, and Altace. Vomiting increases tooth erosion and decay. Dilantin causes gingival hyperplasia or overgrown gums and is used as an anti-seizure remedy. While being used to treat osteoporosis, Actonel causes jaw bone problems including infection and delayed or nonhealing areas following tooth extraction. Imagine all the thousands of medications that have side effects we don’t have time to mention. More »