Aspen Dental Dentist Dr. Brandon Arnow said are a number of studies indicating that your oral health impacts your overall health. For example, gum disease has been linked with the incidence of common health issues such as heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. And new research is coming out all the time. Recently, researchers at New York University found the first long-term evidence that gum disease may increase the risk of cognitive dysfunction associated with Alzheimer’s disease in healthy individuals as well as in those who already are cognitively impaired.

So, it’s incredibly important for people to maintain their oral health.

Unfortunately, people neglect their oral health for a variety of reasons: anxiety, fear, embarrassment. Another reason is that problems like gum disease don’t necessarily cause pain – and patients assume that their oral health is in good standing as long as they’re pain-free, so they don’t see twice-yearly dental exams as a priority.

Aspen Dental’s approach focuses on providing comprehensive care, which means addressing any immediate problems that may be causing pain, but also recommending treatment for long-lasting good health.

Back to Basics
Dr. Arnow explained that good oral hygiene at home is essential to help keep periodontal disease from becoming more serious or recurring. Even with the great new technologies that dentists have available, Dr. Arnow urged patients to remember the basics:

• Brush your teeth at least twice a day to help remove food and plaque on both natural teeth and dentures and floss at least once daily to remove plaque between teeth and below the gum line.
• Limit your intake of sweets, especially sugared, carbonated beverages.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables.
• Drink more water.
• And of course, have your mouth examined regularly by your dentist for signs of gum disease or infection.
• A Necessity for Denture Wearers, too

Dr. Arnow pointed out that good oral hygiene is equally as important for individuals with dentures, who should brush and rinse their dentures daily and clean with denture cleanser.

Denture-wearers should clean their gums to avoid plaque build-up that can irritate the tissue under dentures. Thoroughly clean dentures at night to avoid bacteria growth.

Another important tip for denture-wearers – pay attention to how much denture adhesive you use. If you’re going through more than one tube of denture cream every three weeks, your dentures may not fit properly and need replacement.

The American Dental Association recommends that dentures be replaced every 5 to 7 years, but in Dr. Arnow’s experience, many patients wait much longer than that, which can cause irritation or sores in the mouth over time.

Source:  ABC.com

A research at Emory University has found that people who sleep poorly are at a risk for heart disease and stroke because they have higher levels of inflammation.

Acute deprivation of sleep, in fact, might lead to increased production of inflammatory hormones and changes in the functioning of blood vessels. Researchers observed acutely sleep deprived participants for over 24 hours among a group of 525 middle aged people.

“Most of the studies looking at the body’s response to lack of sleep have looked at subjects who have been acutely sleep deprived for more than 24 hours in experimental sleep laboratories,” study author Alanna Morris, MD, a cardiology fellow at Emory University School of Medicine said. “Nothing of this sort has been investigated in epidemiologic studies.”

Researchers weighed the quality of sleep among the participants using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index survey, where a score over six is considered poor. The participants’ hours of sleep were also taken into consideration for analysis.

Those who slept for six or fewer hours often had higher levels of three inflammatory markers: fibrinogen, IL-6 and C-reactive protein. In particular, average C-reactive protein levels were about 25 percent higher (2 milligrams per liter compared to 1.6) among those who slept for less than six hours as compared to those who got adequate sleep between six and nine hours.

“For people who got little sleep, the C-reactive protein levels were increased, but still in the range of what health authorities would consider low to intermediate risk,” Morris said. “It remains uncertain whether short sleep duration contributes directly to cardiovascular mortality or whether it is a mediating or moderating factor”.

Source:  Medical Daily

ATLANTA – Researchers are using 21st-century technologies to investigate the century-old hypothesis that certain autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, are caused by bacteria living in the human body and will present their initial data this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that causes pain, stiffness, swelling, and limitation in the motion and function of multiple joints. Though joints are the principal body parts affected by RA, inflammation can develop in other organs as well. An estimated 1.3 million Americans have RA, and the disease typically affects women twice as often as men.

Researchers have long associated periodontal disease, or gum inflammation, and bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract with RA, although no specific bacteria have ever been identified by researchers as the bacteria to target as possible therapy. Nevertheless, studies have suggested that bacteria or bacterial products contribute to RA and other autoimmune diseases.

Led by co-principle investigators Steven Abramson, MD, and Dan Littman, MD, PhD, researchers from New York University’s Langone Medical Center, aimed to determine whether bacteria in the human mouth and intestines can trigger RA. They used DNA amplification technology to identify what type of bacteria exist in the mouths and intestines of study participants, which included eight people with newly developed RA, three people with psoriatic arthritis, and nine people without these diseases – who were considered healthy.

Previous studies have relied on traditional bacteria cultures, which are only able to identify 20 percent of bacterial species in the human body because of the inability to find the right nutrients to grow the culture, which highlights the uniqueness of this study. “By sending our samples for a deep DNA sequencing, we’re able to identify 100 percent of the bacteria that are present,” says Jose U. Scher, MD, director of New York University’s new Microbiome Center for Rheumatology and Autoimmunity and one of the lead investigators in the study. “So we’re taking a huge step forward by not missing 80 percent of the bacteria. Taking that step will allow us to identify bacteria that are related to rheumatoid arthritis.”

Although it’s too early for this to be applied in the diagnosis of rheumatic diseases in a clinical health care setting, the research is already yielding results that distinguish people with RA from those without. Through this study, researchers were able to identify an over-abundance of the prevotellaceae family of bacteria in the intestinal fecal samples of participants who were newly diagnosed with RA—and had not been treated with drugs for the disease—when compared to those participants in the study who were identified as healthy.

Additionally, researchers found that mouth samples of participants with RA exhibited an overabundance of the porphyromonas genus compared to healthy controls. To examine bacteria in the mouth, researchers studied the gums of participants with RA or psoriatic arthritis, and healthy individuals. When examining the gums of these participants, researchers noted that 78 percent of the examined sites bled during examination in participants with RA, which was a significantly higher percentage than those with psoriatic arthritis (38 percent) and those participants identified as healthy (12 percent). Overall, 66 percent of participants with RA had moderate gum disease – compared to 25 percent of the participants with psoriatic arthritis and 12 percent of the participants in the healthy group.

Additional studies by the group have demonstrated that specific microbes induce the differentiation of Th17 cells in the intestine. There is already strong genetic and therapy-based evidence that pro-inflammatory Th17 cells and anti-inflammatory regulatory T cells (Treg) have critical roles in autoimmune diseases, including RA, psoriatic arthritis, and Crohn’s disease.

“The basic premise is that there are different oral and gut bacteria that activate Th17 cells to promote inflammation,” Dr. Scher explains. “Our hypotheses are that characterization of Th17-inducing microbes in the human intestine will provide insight into disease pathogenesis, and that directed manipulation of the gut microbiota will result in the alteration of arthritis biomarkers, including Th17/Treg balance.”

The next step for the team is a study in which 90 participants with RA will be subdivided into three arms. The first two arms will be given antibiotics for a two-month period, and the third arm will be given placebo. The researchers believe that by modifying the microbial flora with antibiotics, they can identify molecular mechanisms by which RA-associated bacteria affect Th17 and Treg homeostasis and thereby develop new strategies to diminish or even prevent the inflammatory process that leads to chronic destructive arthritis.

The American College of Rheumatology is an international professional medical society that represents more than 8,000 rheumatologists and rheumatology health professionals around the world. Its mission is to advance rheumatology. The ACR/ARHP Annual Scientific Meeting is the premier meeting in rheumatology. For more information about the meeting, visit www.rheumatology.org/education. Follow the meeting on twitter by using the official hashtag: #ACR2010.

Source:  American College of Rheumatology

The dental profession is undergoing a dramatic increase in its understanding of disease processes and mechanisms, including the interaction between oral and systemic diseases and conditions. Many of these advances are the result of new research techniques. The link between oral conditions, most notably periodontal diseases, and systemic events is accepted in the dental and medical professions. Ongoing research efforts will shed more light on these associations as well as the potential impact of periodontal therapy on the body.

The common thread between the mouth and body is inflammation. Periodontal disease is a bacterial infection resulting in a chronic inflammatory response. David L. Cochran, president of the AAP, indicates that the inflammatory mediators in periodontitis are the same ones that stimulate pathologic processes in blood vessels in coronary heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and pregnancy complications. With this level of commonality, disease linkages make perfect sense.

Among the most recent findings is further affirmation of the link between periodontitis and cardiovascular disease. Some studies, in fact, provide evidence that some perio pathogens are causative agents. A 2009 study (J Periodontal Res 2009 Sept.) found that the potent periodontal bacterium, P. gingivalis, contributed to the development of vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis, which are primary risk factors for cardiovascular events.

Another area of research concerns the potentially significant connection between periodontal disease and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Many studies have shown an epidemiological association, frequently finding the two diseases in the same study subjects. Now, evidence of the biologic basis of the association is also being uncovered.

Recently published research (J Clin Perio 2009 Dec.) examined bacteria in subgingival plaque, serum, and synovial joint fluid by DNA analysis. The results demonstrated that all study subjects had perio pathogens in the synovial joint fluid. The authors concluded that perio pathogens could have a role in the etiology of RA.

Another study (Compend Contin Educ Dent 2009 May) indicated that chronic periodontal and joint inflammation share many common pathologic, cellular, and molecular features. The authors also stated that the mechanisms involved in the destruction of adjacent connective tissue are quite similar in the two diseases.

They found the perio pathogen P. gingivalis may serve to amplify autoimmune responses, ultimately initiating RA in genetically susceptible individuals. Finally, a 2009 interventional study (J Periodontol 2009 Apr.) found that nonsurgical periodontal treatment had a beneficial effect on RA’s signs and symptoms.

There does not appear to be a clear consensus at this time regarding the association between periodontal disease and adverse pregnancy events. Some recent studies indicate an increased frequency of preterm, low-birth-weight babies among pregnant women with periodontal disease, while other well-designed studies do not find this relationship.

A clinically prudent approach may be to actively educate women of childbearing age about the importance of periodontal health, and provide perio treatment for pregnant women, ideally between the 14th and 20th weeks of gestation. Obviously, periodontal disease prevention prior to pregnancy would be ideal.

The strongest perio systemic link is between periodontal disease and diabetes. When these two diseases are poorly controlled, they adversely affect each other. Diabetes is the number one systemic risk factor for periodontal disease, while uncontrolled perio disease worsens glycemic control by increasing insulin resistance.

Some recent studies indicate that providing perio treatment improves glycemic control. A 2010 review article (Diabetes Care 2010 Feb.) concluded that periodontal treatment improves glycemic control in type 2 diabetic individuals for at least three months.

Particularly interesting research is underway, investigating the potential to diagnose diabetes using gingival crevicular blood. This seems logical since high blood sugar is present everywhere, including the oral cavity. Chairside testing of gingival crevicular blood for sugar levels and diagnosing diabetes in a dental setting could be among the most impactful public health initiatives ever developed.

There is no doubt about the existence of oral-systemic connections. Continuing global research will indicate the strength of these associations and unravel the mechanisms involved.

Source:  www.dentaleconomics.com

There is more than what assaults the nose when it comes to halitosis. Bad breath is more than just a nose wrinkle. Beyond the social stigma aspect, bad breath might actually conceal a whole host of medical conditions that you ought to pay attention to. While it is true that bad breath or halitosis can be caused by eating or drinking food that is odorous (like garlic or onions), it must also be considered that the cause could lie in factors such as diet, medication, poor oral hygiene, diabetes,

Gastro-esophaegeal Reflux Disease, lactose intolerance, gum disease, chronic respiratory tract infections, lung and liver diseases, to name just a few.

C.D. Dwarakanath, periodontist, and President of the Indian society of Periodontology, explains that the causes could be both physiological and pathological. “Physiological causes can be easily attended to. There is nothing that good oral hygiene cannot take care of in such a case,” he says. However, people tend to ignore bad odour in themselves, or just get used to it over a period of time.

A good dentist can pick up a number of diseases just in the mouth, says KSGA Nasser, principal, Government Dental College. Often patients come in with complaints of caries and bad breath and are asked to get tests done for diabetes or cardio vascular disease.

Dr. Nasser says the basic cause however is insufficient brushing of teeth. “Not brushing teeth at night leads to these problems. Food particles remain in between the teeth, form a thin layer of plaque, which then gets calcified, forming tartar. Gums begin to recede and the result is bad breath,” he adds.

The second most common problem dentists see is gum disease, according to V.Rangarajan, prosthodontist. The primary reason is also gum disease that can be treated surgically and with drugs. How long a treatment lasts depending on the severity of the gum disease, he adds.

If the cause is only bad oral hygiene, brushing the teeth and following prescribed norms will help, Dr. Dwarakanath adds.

“In such cases we advice the patient to avoid odorous foods, smoking and recommend brushing twice a day, with rinsing. A mouthwash/freshener may be prescribed for temporary relief,” he says.

A visit to the dentist twice a year is a must, but is rarely followed in the country, says Dr. Dwarakanath.

While this will take care of basic oral hygiene problems, remember that the dentist can also look between the teeth to indicate further investigation for more serious conditions.

Source: The Hindu

TUESDAY, Oct. 5 (HealthDay News) — Older women who get regular dental care are about one-third less likely to suffer from heart disease than those who don’t, new findings suggest.

The study doesn’t prove that dental care directly improves the heart health of women by lowering the risk of conditions like heart attack and stroke, and dental care seemed to have no benefit for men at all in terms of heart disease, but even so, the study authors were still impressed by the findings.

The study, which was released online Sept. 29 in advance of publication in an upcoming print issue of Health Economics, analyzed the medical records of nearly 7,000 people aged 44 to 88 who had participated in another study. The data from that study had been collected between 1996 and 2004.

The authors of the new study came to their conclusions after reviewing the data and adjusting the numbers so they wouldn’t be thrown off by large or small numbers of people who were, among other things, overweight or users of alcohol and tobacco.

“We think the findings reflect differences in how men and women develop cardiovascular disease,” study co-author Dr. Stephen Brown, a obstetrician/gynecologist resident at West Virginia University, said in a news release from the University of California at Berkeley. “Other studies suggest that estrogen has a protective effect against heart disease because it helps prevent the development of atherosclerosis. It’s not until women hit menopause, around age 50 to 55, that they start catching up with men.”

Dr. Maria Emanuel Ryan, a professor of oral biology and pathology at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y., said she has seen signs of a link between dental care and heart disease in her own practice. The study, she said, “confirms the findings of some of the studies conducted in the insurance industry, which suggest that the medical costs for cardiac care and diabetes are reduced in patients who have regular dental visits.”

There does appear to be a connection between gum disease, in particular, and heart disease. Research suggests that chronic inflammation causes heart disease, Ryan noted, and gum disease “is the most common chronic inflammatory condition in the world. Unfortunately, periodontitis — or gum disease — is often a silent disease that goes undetected and untreated.”

Here is a list of important tips to prevent gum disease.

myfoxDetroit.com Staff

myFOXDetroit.com – According to realage.com , doctors already know good hygiene helps lower your chances of heart disease. Now there’s evidence that brushing and flossing can lower the chance of developing neck cancer.

A recent study says people with periodontis, a gum disease that breaks down the bones that hold the roots of teeth in place, had a higher risk of head and neck cancer.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Gum disease can be safely treated during pregnancy and appears to significantly reduce the risk of premature birth associated with periodontal disease, Pennsylvania researchers report.

“The present study has potential implications” for the calculations dentists make when deciding whether to treat gum disease during pregnancy, they write in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Gum disease — typically caused by a bacterial infection that deteriorates gum tissue and leaves it chronically inflamed — is a particular problem during pregnancy. Hormonal changes appear to make a pregnant woman more susceptible to developing it, yet the standard tetracycline-based therapy is not recommended because of its risk to the baby.

Nevertheless, considerable evidence points to gum disease itself raising the risk of premature birth.

Dr. Marjorie Jeffcoat of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Dental Medicine and her colleagues wanted to know if treating pregnant women with periodontal disease using non-drug methods would reduce their risk of early delivery.

The group recruited 322 pregnant women with gum disease for the study. Participants were randomly assigned to receive active treatment in the form of an aggressive teeth-cleaning method — known as scaling and planning — plus oral hygiene education, or to get oral hygiene education alone. (After delivery of their babies, all study participants were offered treatment for their gum disease).

At the study’s conclusion, the researchers found no statistically significant difference in the number of premature births among the women who had been treated and the ones who were not. Of the untreated women, 52.4 percent delivered early, while 45.6 percent of women getting treatment had early births.

On closer analysis, however, treatment — when it was successful in curing the gum disease — appeared to reduce the likelihood of an early delivery considerably; “a very exciting finding,” Jeffcoat said.

Among the women in the treatment group, 42 were treated successfully, meaning that on a second dental exam, their gum inflammation had disappeared and the separation of their gums from the teeth had not progressed any further. One hundred and eleven women in the treatment group continued to show signs of gum disease, representing unsuccessful treatment.

Just four of the 42 successfully treated women, or 10.5 percent, delivered prematurely compared to 69 premature deliveries, or 62 percent, among the 111 women who failed treatment.

The researchers conclude that their results confirm the non-drug treatment method is safe and associated with reduced risk of premature birth.

“It is appropriate for obstetricians to refer patients who require dental care to the dentist,” they write.

“It’s not enough to treat periodontal disease, however,” Jeffcoat told Reuters Health. “The treatment must be ’successful’ and why the scaling and planing treatment was successful in some women and not others isn’t known yet.”

Studies to answer those questions are currently underway.

SOURCE: link.reuters.com/ces47p British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, published online September 14, 2010.

We wiggle the baby tooth that’s about to fall out. When it does, the “tooth fairy” slips some cash under our pillow. That permanent tooth arrives, only to be forgotten and virtually ignored.

Dr. Henry Chiang, a Newport Beach, Calif., dentist who has launched a 2010 Oral Health Campaign for Seniors, wants to reverse that attitude.

His efforts to make seniors more aware of gum disease and denture care comes at the same time that New York University dental researchers have found the first long-term evidence that periodontal (gum) disease could increase the risk of cognitive dysfunction associated with Alzheimer’s disease in healthy individuals as well as those already impaired.

The NYU study offers fresh evidence gum inflammation might contribute to brain inflammation, neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s.

Dr. Chiang adds dry mouth conditions can exacerbate the problem. “For patients who suffer from dry mouth, contaminated dentures pose potential health risks. Dentures .. can harbor a huge number of harmful bacteria.

“In addition, the likelihood of dry mouth increases with the number of medications a person takes.”

Question: Will regular brushing solve this problem?

Answer: Some seniors lose dexterity, and that’s a challenge to having a clean mouth. And, let’s face it, most people don’t brush a full two minutes as recommended.

Question: What about using an electric toothbrush?

Answer: This is definitely a good option. But the electric brush can actually cause more harm to gums if the person brushes too hard.

Question: Do you believe proper denture care can solve periodontal problems?

Answer: Some people a lot of people sleep with their dentures in place. Dentures are plastic so they are porous. They should be brushed with a little warm soap and water, not toothpaste and not hot water. And no one…should sleep with them in place.

Question: Do a lot of seniors have dentures?

Answer: There are definitely more seniors with teeth into older age than before. But medications can dry out the mouth and this reduces the salivary flow and increases acidity in the mouth.

If the bacteria gets spent inside, it’s ingested inside your body. We find a lot of it the same as plaque in arteries. And it’s twice as likely to lead to cardiovascular problems if it exists.

Question: Are we aware of these problems?

Answer: Often not, because so many seniors don’t go to see a dentist. They may lack dental insurance. Meanwhile, they swallow the plaque constantly.

Source:  Poughkeepsie Journal

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) suggest more American adults may have gum disease; previous estimates underestimate periodontal disease in the US population

CHICAGO, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The prevalence of periodontal disease in the United States may be significantly higher than originally estimated. Research published in the Journal of Dental Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) suggests that the prevalence of periodontal disease may have been underestimated by as much as 50 percent. The implication is that more American adults may suffer from moderate to severe gum disease than previously thought.

In a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) pilot study, funded by the CDC’s Division of Oral Health, a full-mouth, comprehensive periodontal examination was conducted on over 450 adults over the age of 35. Periodontal disease was classified according to definitions determined by the CDC in collaboration with the AAP. The prevalence rates were then compared against the results of previous NHANES studies which used a partial-mouth periodontal examination. Historically, NHANES has served as the main source for determining prevalence of periodontal disease in US adults. The pilot study finds that the original partial-mouth study methodology may have underestimated true disease prevalence by up to 50 percent.

Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the gum tissue and other structures supporting the teeth. If left untreated, it can lead to tooth loss, and may also interfere with other systems of the body. Several research studies have associated gum disease with other chronic inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and rheumatoid arthritis.

“This study shows that periodontal disease is a bigger problem than we all thought.  It is a call to action for anyone who cares about his or her oral health.” said Samuel Low, DDS, MS, associate dean and professor of periodontology at the University of Florida College of Dentistry, and president of the American Academy of Periodontology. “Given what we know about the relationship between gum disease and other diseases, taking care of your oral health isn’t just about a pretty smile. It has bigger implications for overall health, and is therefore a more significant public health problem.”

Dr. Low explained that the increased prevalence of periodontal disease makes it essential to maintain healthy teeth and gums. “Not only should you take good care of your periodontal health with daily tooth brushing and flossing, you should expect to get a comprehensive periodontal evaluation every year,” he advised. A dental professional, such as a periodontist, a specialist in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of gum disease, will conduct the comprehensive exam to assess your periodontal disease status.

According to Paul Eke, MPH, PhD, epidemiologist at the CDC and lead author of the study, the findings have significant public health implications. “The study suggests we have likely underestimated the prevalence of periodontal disease in the adult US population,” he said. “We are currently utilizing a full-mouth periodontal examination in the 2009/10 NHANES to better understand the full extent and characteristics of periodontal disease in our adult population.” Dr. Eke added, “Research suggests a connection between periodontal health and systemic health. In light of these findings, understanding the relationships between periodontal disease and other systemic diseases in the adult U.S. population is more crucial than ever.”

To assess your risk for periodontal disease and learn more, visit perio.org.

About the American Academy of Periodontology

The American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) is the professional organization for periodontists – specialists in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases affecting the gums and supporting structures of the teeth, and in the placement of dental implants. Periodontists are also dentistry’s experts in the treatment of oral inflammation. They receive three additional years of specialized training following dental school, and periodontics is one of the nine dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association. The AAP has 8,000 members world-wide.

SOURCE American Academy of Periodontology