Clinical

Laura Dorr is the former executive editor of DPR's Modern Dental Network and a regular contributing author.

Articles

 While stretching out in the sun this summer has its cancer-causing risks, it can also ensure a healthier smile. Research has found that a healthy dose of sunlight could actually help stave off gum disease and increase gum health.

Studies find sunbathing linked to gum disease prevalence

A new study is calling on dental teams to alert parents to the oral health risk of sharing spoons with toddlers at mealtimes.

Study finds oral bacteria transmission from parent to child increases dental health risks

 According to new guidelines from the American Dental Association (ADA), dentists treating patients with chronic periodontitis, a severe form of gum disease that can lead to tooth loss, are advised to use scaling and root planing (SRP), deep cleaning of the teeth, as initial treatment.

American Dental Association releases new guidelines on gum disease treatment

 In all our years of fanatically watching Shark Week, we’ve learned a few things: Don’t go swimming at dusk; avoid inserting body parts into a shark’s mouth; we’ll probably need a bigger boat, and, perhaps most interestingly, that a shark can endlessly replace its teeth-which could have major implications for human dental health.

Everything we need to know about teeth, we learned from Shark Week

 A recent study by researchers at the Indiana University – Purdue University Department of Health Policy and Management found that access to health care – in particular dentists and pharmacists – increases the availability and subsequent abuse of prescription opioids.

Study finds increased prescription drug abuse in communities with greater access to dentists

Study finds postmenopausal women with osteoporosis have better quality of life when treated with dental implants

 Are your patients lying to you about their oral hygiene habits? Probably so, says one new national survey. 

Survey finds shocking number of patients lie to their dentists about flossing

 Brazilian researchers discovered that consumption of alcoholic beverages can have adverse effects on the health of a person’s gums, aggravating existing cases of severe periodontal disease or increasing periodontal disease risk factors. 

Study finds link between alcohol consumption and gum health

 Researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine and the Departments of Urology and Pathology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center reported that treating gum disease reduced symptoms of prostate inflammation, called prostatitis.

Can treating gum disease affect prostate symptoms?

 A recent study found that tooth loss could be a predictor for future cardiovascular events, diabetes and even death.

Emerging Research