Study Proves Snuff Users Having Fewer Dental Caries is a Myth

Study Proves Snuff Users Having Fewer Dental Caries is a Myth

Written by Dentistry TodayTuesday, 27 November 2012 12:41

The theory, according to some, was that snuff users were at a lower risk for developing dental caries. But there was never really anything to back that up.

And now a study proves that the notion of snuff users being at a lower risk for dental caries is false. The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden conducted a study that indicated the carbohydrates and starch present in snuff actually increase the risk of developing cavities.

The study also shows that the snuff users weren’t at an increased risk for developing cavities, either. Still, snuff users need to be more careful about their dental health than people who don’t use stuff for all of the obvious reasons. In fact, nicotine-free snuff may be even worse than nicotine-containing snuff because of the increased starch (26 percent) and increased carbohydrates (6.5 percent) in that form.

The results from the study only included information from the snuff products studied. That doesn’t necessarily mean the information about all snuff products is the same.

The study also showed that tobacco use has decreased during the last two decades. Conversely, the number of snuff users has risen during the same time frame.

The study also concluded that single men were more likely to use tobacco than married men. There was no correlation with regards to education level or income.

Saliva Test Capable of Diagnosing Oral Cancer and Diabetes

Saliva Test Capable of Diagnosing Oral Cancer and Diabetes

Written by Dentistry TodayWednesday, 28 November 2012 15:46

A new molecular test has the ability to detect oral cancer and diabetes.

PeriRX, a Pennsylvania start-up company, is conducting clinical trials on this test, which has drawn a large amount of interest.

The test was developed by dentist Neil Gottehrer and David Wong, a leading professor in salivary diagnostics and professor of oral biology at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Dentistry.

Wong’s laboratory has been examining salivary diagnostics in regards to other health conditions, including oral cancer, type 2 diabetes, lung cancer and pancreatic cancer. Wong will be heavily involved in the way the product is designed. It will be able to analyze biological markers in saliva.

What separates this test from previous tests that could be considered similar is that there is nothing subjective involved with this one. Also, previous tests haven’t had much of an impact on curbing survival rates of oral cancer.

This test wouldn’t require a complicated testing process. A hygienist or dentist would simply gather a small sample of saliva that would be sent away to be studied. The results would be determined after 48 hours.

Vitamin D May Lower Rate of Tooth Decay

Vitamin D May Lower Rate of Tooth Decay

Written by Dentistry TodayFriday, 30 November 2012 16:23

Vitamin D may benefit dentistry in a major way.

Many recent studies have concluded that vitamin D may be capable of preventing dental caries or tooth decay. Based on 24 clinical trials from the 1920s through the 1980s, 3,000 children were studied in regards to vitamin D and its impact on the teeth. The results from these various studies showed that there was a 50 percent tooth decay reduction from the people who participated in the study.

The information appeared in the December issue of Nutrition Reviews.

The benefits of vitamin D in the area of bone health have never been disputed. Vitamin D’s impact on caries, however, has led to much debate.

The U.S. National Research Council concluded around 1950 that vitamin D aided protection against caries. But around the same time, the American Dental Association disputed this claim. The debate continued into the late 1980s.

Current studies by the Institute of Medicine, the U.S. Department of Human Health and Service and the ADA don’t infer anything about vitamin D and its impact on dental caries.

An ongoing factor lends more credence into the idea that vitamin D lowers the rate of tooth decay: vitamin D levels in many populations are going down while the number of dental caries seen in young children continues to rise. It’s conceivable that this data is purely coincidental.

Despite the years of research on the topic, more is necessary to definitively determine how vitamin D affects a person’s risk of developing tooth decay.