Marine Bacterial Enzyme May Help Fight Tooth Decay

Written by Dentistry TodayThursday, 05 July 2012 14:15



Seaweed bacterial enzymes could manage to thwart tooth decay.

Scientists at New Castle University in the United Kingdom have isolated an enzyme from the marine bacterium bacillus licheniformis. It has been determined that this seaweed cuts through plaque and cleans the hard-to-reach dental areas.

This bacterial enzyme is generally used to clean the hulls of ships. This information, however, may provide an alternative method for teeth scaling that removes plaque and tartar buildup in the area between the teeth and gumline. Regular brushing can’t always account for this.

While conducting this study, researchers learned that the biofilm created by the bacteria for the adhesion makes it immune to basic oral health treatment. But when the bacterium exits the bacterial colony, it gives off an enzyme that breaks down the external DNA and biofilm. There could soon be various dental products with this enzyme, including toothpaste, mouthwash, and other products.

More research is necessary on this seaweed enzyme. But if it truly does destroy the plaque that contains bacteria, it will soon become widely used.

Study Shows HPV Increases Risk of Periodontitis

Written by Dentistry TodayFriday, 06 July 2012 10:05



Another study indicates that the Human Papilloma Virus increases the risk of developing a form of gum disease, such as periodontitis.

The University of Buffalo study indicated that those infected with HPV tumors showed greater bone loss, something that’s generally associated with periodontitis.

Many other studies have demonstrated the link between poor oral health and the increased risk of cancer. This study pinpoints, the link of HPV and gum disease. Also, periodontitis is now the top cause of tooth loss, even greater than tooth decay.

Bad oral health raises the possibility of developing some type of oral cancer and is a major cause of gum disease.

Many recent studies have shown that the number of HPV-causing cancer cases is going up. The only way to turn back this trend is for people to practice better oral health as a whole.

Diagnosing HPV, gum disease and oral cancer early is one of the main factors in successfully treating the problems. Maintaining solid oral health is the best way to avoid the diseases completely.

UCLA Scientists Make Discovery that May Aid Dentistry

Written by Dentistry TodayMonday, 09 July 2012 15:38



Cancer scientists at the UCLA School of Dentistry have found two epigenetic regulating genes that impact cell-fate determination of human bone marrow stem cells. Translation: dental researchers may be able to dictate stem-to-cell differentiation to the point where bone diseases can be successfully treated.

The possibility of targeting treatments in craniofacial bone regeneration, bone construction, and osteoporosis could be on the horizon.

This information shows the improvement of the way gene structure is understood during epigenetic regulation of stem cell differentiation and how it’s altered without changing the DNA sequence, according to Dr. Cun-Yu Wang. Gene-activating enzymes serve to eliminate methyl markers from histone proteins, which would improve stem-to-bone cell differentiation.

Gene lineage favoring is the science behind this discovery. Genes that favor certain lineages are activated and genes that favor alternate lineages are deactivated. It’s possible for stem cells to differentiate into bone cells. The point of this research is to create the opportunity to possibly treat osteoporosis and gum disease.

The information appears in the most recent issue of Cell Stem Cell, a publication associated with the International Society for Stem Cell Research.

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.