Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Flap's Dentistry Blog Links - April 14, 2009

The current evidence on the role of the social, behavioral, and community determinants of dental caries is based on cross-sectional analyses. The available evidence has not been based on analysis of multiple determinants within the same population. This longitudinal study addresses both of these limitations. The study included data from 788 dyads of children and their caregivers (77% follow-up), who were examined in 2002–03 and 2004–05. The families were assessed by calibrated dentists for severity of caries at both time periods. Additionally, the caregivers answered questionnaires administered by trained interviewers. The caries increment was adjusted for reversals. Significant predictors of higher caries increment were higher consumption of soda drinks, older age of child, greater weight-for-age, fewer dental treatment visits, higher baseline caries levels of children and their caregivers, dental fatalism, and neighborhood disadvantage status.
Eating broccoli sprouts may be an effective way to control the germ that causes most peptic ulcers and is strongly associated with stomach cancer, a small study has found.
Of course, as with any health insurance coverage, it is important to consider the type of coverage that will be the best fit for your lifestyle. This is especially important if you know that you will require dental implants at some point in the future, as this procedure is generally not covered by most dental health coverage plans due to its high cost. Dental implants are often excluded from coverage as it is a procedure that is more often performed for cosmetic reasons. It’s also a relatively complex procedure that requires several different steps during the surgery, and several custom dental items, such as posts and crowns. Each of these steps in the procedure may require their own seperate payment.
Scientists at the 87th General Session of the International Association for Dental Research, convening today in Miami Beach, report new studies on the connection between oral disease and systemic disease. A recurring theme is the relationship between periodontal (gum) disease and infant prematurity, diabetes, or stroke. Studies reporting on the efficacy of treating periodontal disease to lower the incidence of infant prematurity worldwide may be conflicting when pregnant mothers with periodontal disease are treated with scaling and root planing (tooth cleaning above and below the gum line). While treatment of mothers with mild periodontal disease usually does not have an effect on infant prematurity, the greatest effect has been reported by scientists to be observed in mothers with generalized severe periodontal disease. A higher prevalence of premature births is found among African-Americans than among Caucasians in America or Europe. The reasons are not clear but warrant further stud
Loma Linda University research just published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compares the effects of walnuts and fatty fish in the fight against heart disease, demonstrating that in healthy individuals, walnuts lower cholesterol more than fish, while fatty fish lower triglycerides. Both can reduce the overall risk of coronary heart disease. "The practical significance of the study is that eating an easy-to-incorporate amount of walnuts and fatty fish can cause meaningful decreases in blood cholesterol and triglycerides even in healthy individuals," says lead author Sujatha Rajaram, PhD, associate professor in the department of nutrition at Loma Linda University School of Public Health.

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