Tuesday 3 September 2013

Oral Bacteria May be Sign of Pancreatic Cancer







Written by Dentistry TodayWednesday, 19 September 2012 15:14



An infectious oral bacterium may be a sign for pancreatic cancer.

According to a new study, researchers claim that people who have high levels of antibodies for an infectious oral bacterium ended up having double the risk for developing pancreatic cancer. If a person has high antibody levels for harmless oral bacteria, there’s a reduced risk of cancer.

This study pinpoints the association between antibodies for multiple oral bacteria and the risk of pancreatic cancer.

The study comes from data involving more than 800 Europeans adults. It was published in the journal Gut.

The data explored the fact that higher antibody levels for at least one of the more infectious strains of bacteria meant a two-fold risk for pancreatic cancer. Conversely, there’s a 45 percent lower risk when there are high levels of antibodies for harmless bacteria.

This could be pivotal information, according to one of the paper’s authors, Brown University epidemiologist Dominique Michaud.

Pancreatic cancer causes 40,000 deaths each year in the United States. It’s difficult to detect and kills most patients within six months after diagnosis.

Dental Records Could Enable Early Diagnosis of Osteoporosis







Written by Dentistry TodayMonday, 24 September 2012 15:31



It’s conceivable that osteoporosis may be identified many years before a person displays symptoms.

Dental researchers at the University of Manchester are developing a new technique known as Osteodent. This technique would diagnose osteoporosis before a person ever displayed any symptoms. Some dentists are beginning to use Osteodent to analyze scans and dental records to see if a person is at a higher risk for osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis causes one’s bones to become thinner and weaker. There is no way, as of now, to determine if a person is at higher risk for the disease. The condition is only diagnosed after a person shows symptoms and a bone density test is conducted.

Bone scans on the jaw can pinpoint signs of deterioration in other bone tissues. According to research for this method, bone density in women doesn’t change until a person is 42. There were 5,000 patients studied between the ages of 15 and 94.

Dentists are in a prime position to be at the forefront of this because of all of the jaw x-rays they conduct. If the Osteodent method is as effective as the study indicates, many lives could be saved and the lives of others could be greatly improved.

Soda Ban in New York Should Boost Oral Health






Written by Dentistry TodayTuesday, 25 September 2012 14:17



The state of oral health in New York City may soon be on the rise.

City health officials voted, 8-0, in favor of banning 16-oz soft drinks. New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg brought up the legislation earlier this year.

The goal behind this legislation was to lower obesity rates, which have become a major problem in the United States. Without consuming sodas in the same large quantity as in the past, oral health will likely improve. The amount of sugar in soda, especially 16-oz serving sizes, is extremely problematic for one’s dental health.

A standard size soft drink contains 12 teaspoons of sugar on average.

Sugar results in many oral health problems, including gingivitis and decay. Plaque eventually develops from the bacteria, which damages the tooth enamel.

A University of California study has determined that soft drink consumption has continually gotten worse during the last 50 years, which has adversely impacted oral health as a whole. Excessive sugar consumption results on obesity, in addition to various oral health problems.

You can also see this story on this week's The Wednesday Watch.