Alexandria, Va., USA – Today, at the 43^rd Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the American Association for Dental Research (AADR), held in conjunction with the 38^th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research, R. Constance Wiener, from West Virginia University, Morgantown, will present a research study titled “Association of Tooth Loss and Depression and Anxiety.”

Tooth loss from caries and periodontal disease is an outcome from complex, chronic conditions. Several biopsychosocial factors are involved, including accessing care. Individuals reporting dental anxiety may avoid dental care; and individuals with depression may be negligent in self-care. In this study, researchers examined a potential association of tooth loss with depression and anxiety.

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Survey is a complex, telephone survey of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments. In this study, the researchers used the BRFSS 2010 data (451,075 respondents). Analysis involved frequency, Chi square analysis, and complex survey logistic regression. Participants eligibility included being 19 years or older, and having complete data on depression, anxiety and tooth loss.

There were 76,292 eligible participants; and 13.4% of participants reported anxiety, 16.7% reported depression, and 5.7% reported total tooth loss. The sample was evenly distributed between males and females; there were 68.7% non-Hispanic whites, 12.7% non-Hispanic blacks, 12.5% Hispanics, and 6.8% other. In Chi-square analysis by tooth loss: depression, anxiety, and a combined category of depression or anxiety were significantly different in tooth loss (p <0.0001) v. participants without the conditions. The unadjusted odds ratio for tooth loss and anxiety was 1.58 (95% CI: 1.46, 1.71; p<.0001); for depression: 1.64 (95% CI: 1.52, 1.77; p<.0001); and for anxiety or depression as a combined category: 1.55 (95% CI: 1.44, 1.66; p<.0001). The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for anxiety was 1.13 (95% CI: 0.99, 1.30; p=0.0773); for depression: 1.16 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.32; p=0.0275); and in a separate analysis of the combined anxiety or depression category, the AOR was 1.23 (95% CI: 1.11, 1.36).

At the conclusion of this national study, the researchers found that depression and anxiety are associated with tooth loss. Funding for this study was provided by the National Institutes of Health National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the, U54GM104942.

(This is a summary of abstract #549, “Association of Tooth Loss and Depression and Anxiety,” to be presented by R. Constance Wiener Thursday, March 20, 2014, 3:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. at the Charlotte Convention Center, Exhibit Hall AB.)

Alexandria, Va., USA – Today during the 43rd Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the American Association for Dental Research, held in conjunction with the 38th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research, Mathilde C. Peters, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich., will present research titled “Resin Infiltration Effects in a Caries-Active Environment – 2 Year Results.”

The objective of this study was to compare carious lesion changes after resin infiltration of approximal non-cavitated lesions in a high caries risk population after two years. Resin infiltration (I=Icon, DMG-Germany) was compared to mock infiltration (C=Control) in a split-mouth RCT. Lesion progression was monitored at two levels (lesion depth rating (E2/D1/D2) and lesion depth changes within ratings) in caries-active subjects (mean DMFT=7.4+2.0, age=14-36yrs), receiving standard-of-care preventive measures including F-supplementation.

After two years, 15 tooth pairs (68% recall) in 10 patients were available for analysis. Lesion depth rating and depth increase (within ratings) were visually determined from digital radiographs by two independent examiners (intra-/inter-evaluator agreement: k>0.70). Depth increase was confirmed by digital subtraction radiography (SDR). Ratings were statistically analyzed by logistic regression. Discrete time survival analysis (logistic regression and GEE modeling) was used to examine effects of treatment on probability of lesion increase over time, controlling for baseline severity.

The researchers found that infiltration successfully stabilized early non-cavitated lesions in a small population with high caries-activity. Continuing follow-up may further confirm its efficacy.

This pilot study identified important promising trends between the plaque and salivary metabolomes from caries-active and caries-free children, despite a relatively low number of subjects. This study was supported in part by DMG Germany and University of Michigan.

(This is a summary of abstract #161, “Resin Infiltration Effects in a Caries-Active Environment – 2 Year Results,” which will be presented on Thursday, March 20, 2014: 10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. in Exhibit Hall AB of the Charlotte Convention Center.)

Chicago, March 14, 2014 – The appointment of Joseph Gian-Grasso, DMD, a periodontist from Philadelphia, Pa., to serve as president of the Academy of Osseointegration (AO) was made official at the organization’s Annual Business Meeting held March 8 in Seattle, Wash. He succeeds former Academy President Stephen Wheeler, DDS, a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon from Encinitas, Calif.

“I am honored to continue AO’s commitment to establishing a nexus where specialists and generalists from around the world can come together to learn and stay up-to-date on the rapidly advancing clinical research and innovations in the dental implant and tissue engineering industries,” said Dr. Gian-Grasso. “Having been with AO for nearly 30 years, I have grown to truly appreciate its unique role, the commitment of its board of directors, and the enthusiasm of its members to provide the best patient care possible.”

“I am ready to partner with my fellow Board Members to embrace fresh ideas while also carrying on our long-standing commitment to excellence,” added Dr. Gian-Grasso. The 2014-2015 Board of Directors serving with Dr. Gian-Grasso are:

Officers

- President-ElectRussell Nishimura, DDS, a prosthodontist from Westlake Village, Calif.

- Vice President Alan Pollack, DDS, a periodontist from New York, N.Y.

- Treasurer James C. Taylor, DMD, a prosthodontist from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

- SecretaryMichael Norton, BDS, FDS, RCS (Ed), an oral surgeon from London, England

- Past President Stephen Wheeler, DDS, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon from Encinitas, Calif.

Directors

- Jay Malmquist, DMD, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon from Portland, Ore.

- Clark Stanford, DDS, PhD, a prosthodontist from Iowa City, Iowa

- Steven Rosenstein, DMD, a general practitioner from Aventura, Fla.

- Tara Aghaloo, DDS, MD, PhD, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon from Los Angeles

- Lyndon Cooper, DDS, PhD, a prosthodontist from Chapel Hill, N.C.

- Amerian Sones, DMD, MS, a prosthodontist from Dallas, Texas

A diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology, Dr. Gian-Grasso specializes in the areas of periodontics and dental implantology in a Philadelphia group practice. He served as clinical assistant professor of postgraduate periodontics at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Dental Medicine, clinical associate professor of periodontology at Temple University School of Dentistry, and director of the Implantology Center at the Medical College of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Gian-Grasso is chair of the Academy’s Public Relations Task Force. He was elected to the AO Board in 2004 and previously served as treasurer, vice president and president elect. He is a national spokesperson for the American Academy of Periodontology, where he served as a trustee for six years. He is past president of the Pennsylvania Society of Periodontists, Philadelphia Society of Periodontology, and the Delaware Valley Academy of Osseointegration. 

His many prestigious dental and periodontology awards include the Abram Cohen Award, the American Academy of Periodontology Award, the Lactona Award, and the University of Pennsylvania University and Dental Alumni Awards of Merit. He has been chosen by his peers as one of America’s Top Dentists by the Consumers’ Research Council of America and is a Philadelphia Magazine “Top Dentist.” 

Dr. Gian-Grasso holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, a DMD from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Dental Medicine, and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Periodontics from the Boston University School of Graduate Dentistry.

Early childhood caries involve a highly aggressive and painful form of tooth decay that frequently occurs in preschool children, especially those who come from backgrounds of poverty. The resulting decay can become so severe that treatment frequently requires surgery.

New research by the University of PennsylvaniaSchool of Dental Medicine’s Hyun (Michel) Koo and colleagues suggests that this condition may result from an unhealthy partnership between a bacterium and a fungus.

“Our data will certainly open the way to test agents to prevent this disease and, even more intriguing, the possibility of preventing children from acquiring this infection,” Koo said.

The research was published ahead of print in the journal Infection and Immunity.

Koo is a professor in Penn Dental Medicine’s Department of Orthodontics. His collaborators on the study included the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Megan L. Falsetta, Damian J. Krysan, and William H. Bowen, among others.

Koo has spent 15 years studying how microbes construct the biofilms, also known as dental plaque, that have plagued teeth since humans invented agriculture, bringing large quantities of sugar and starch into the diet. Caries are common in Neolithic skeletons but virtually absent from our Paleolithic ancestors.

The bacterium Streptococcus mutans has long been assumed to be the main microbial culprit, but Koo and collaborators, as well as other investigators, noticed that a fungus, Candida albicans, was almost always present in plaque from cases of early childhood caries. S. mutans sticks to the surfaces of teeth by converting sugars to a sticky glue-like material called extracellular polysaccharide. In the mouth, Candida adheres mainly to cheek and tongue but had rarely been seen in dental plaque.

“However, we and others noticed that Candida was very frequently observed in plaque from patients who have early childhood caries,” Koo said. “We were puzzled. Candida usually does not associate with S. mutans, nor does it colonize teeth very effectively.”

The investigators discovered that the “exoenzyme” that S. mutans uses to produce extracellular polysaccharides from sugar also enables Candida to produce a glue-like polymer in the presence of sugar. This polymer, which is formed by the bacterial exoenzyme on the surface of Candida, allows the fungus to adhere to teeth and to bind S. mutans, two abilities it otherwise lacks. Under these circumstances, the fungus contributes the bulk of the plaque.

“The combination of the two organisms led to a greatly enhanced production of the glue-like polymer,” Koo said, “drastically boosting the ability of the bacterium and the fungus to colonize the teeth, increasing the bulk of the biofilms and the density of the infection.”

Because the biofilm has pockets of low pH, this accumulation led to greater levels of acid next to the teeth, dissolving enamel and leading to cavity formation.

The investigators showed that infection by S. mutans and C. albicans together doubled the number of cavities and boosted their severity several fold in rats.

“This represents a truly unique physical interaction where a bacterially-produced product attaches to and functions on the surface of an organism from another kingdom, converting this relatively innocuous fungus, with respect to teeth, into a fierce stimulator of cariogenic biofilm formation,” Koo said.

That observation, Koo noted, supports his hypothesis that early childhood caries in toddlers results from infection by both organisms, along with frequent exposure to sucrose.

A copy of the manuscript is at https://bit.ly/asmtip0314b. The final version of the article is scheduled for the May issue of Infection and Immunity.

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research.

Source: Penn News

The 43rd Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the American Association for Dental Research (AADR) will be held in conjunction with the 38th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research (CADR), March 19-22, 2014, in Charlotte, North Carolina. This meeting promises to be an excellent event with more than 2,500 attendees, who will learn the latest in dental, oral, and craniofacial research.

To enhance the meeting experience for delegates, AADR/CADR are offering a mobile app for the Annual Meeting & Exhibition. In addition to being able to receive important meeting updates, the app will give attendees access to the most up-to-date schedule of events, exhibitor listing, floor plans and more. Using your mobile device, visit www.aadr.org/2014app to download the app to your device or to view the Web version.

Following is the Distinguished Lecture Series line-up:

Thursday, March 20, 9:45 – 10:30 a.m.
 Pamela Robey,
 National Institutes of Health - National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Bethesda, Maryland, USA
“Stem Cells in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine"

Friday, March 21, 9:45 – 10:30 a.m.
 Ronald Dubner
, University of Maryland Dental School
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
“The Transition From Acute to Persistent Pain After Orofacial Nerve Injury”

Saturday, March 22, 10:45 – 11:30 a.m.
 Lawrence Appel, 
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
“Dietary Approaches to Prevent and Treat Elevated Blood Pressure”

To see the complete scientific program, please visit www.aadr.org/aaam. 

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Evaluation, Trials and Studies programmes fund independent research for health and social care decision makers. They are currently looking for peer reviewers in the field of oral health. The NIHR’s community of reviewers includes academics, clinicians, practitioners, public health professionals, members of the public, patients and carers. Reviewers make a significant contribution to the NHS and public health by shaping research and improving practice.

Members of the Oral Health Group’s Editorial Team are already involved in this important work, which includes reviewing research briefs, proposal and final reports. More details can be found on the NIHR website, and clinicians and academics can register online to join the pool of external reviewers. Members of the public can also become reviewers; more information can be found on the “become a public reviewer” page.

Human mouths contain a balanced mix of microbes which, when disrupted, can lead to oral diseases. A study published on March 13th in PLOS Pathogens compares the bacteria and fungi present in the mouths of healthy individuals with those from patients infected with HIV, and illustrates why oral candidiasis (aka "thrush") is a common complication of HIV infection.

Using high-throughput gene sequencing, Mahmoud Ghannoum, from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, USA, and colleagues catalogued the core oral bacteriome (the bacteria commonly present) and the core oral mycobiome (the fungi commonly present). They found little difference in the bacteria between healthy individuals and those infected with HIV (whose immune systems are compromised). In contrast, they saw clear and consistent differences in the oral fungi between both groups.

A family of fungi called Candidawas predominant in both groups, but present at higher levels in HIV-infected individuals. A second one, called Pichia, was present at fairly high levels in the mouths of healthy individuals but only at lower levels in people who were infected with HIV. This led the researchers to speculate that there was an antagonism between the two. And indeed, when they grew Pichiaalone in a liquid medium and then filtered the fungus out, the "Pichia spent medium" (or PSM) was able to suppress the growth of Candidaas well as several other disease-causing fungi.

Oral candidiasis is a common opportunistic infection in patients with HIV/AIDS, and even in the era of effective antiretroviral therapy, it compromises the quality of life of many patients. Making use of a mouse model of oral candidiasis, the researchers were able to show that mice treated with PSM had much less severe symptoms compared with untreated ones. Therefore, at least in this animal model, Pichia's antagonism of Candidacan suppress oral candidiasis.

The authors say, "Our findings have wide implications regarding the discovery of novel antifungal agents and will open the way to new therapeutic approaches for the management of fungal infections." They continue , "Detailed investigations are warranted to purify and characterize the specific Pichiafactor(s) that can inhibit Candidaand other disease-causing fungi."

Source: Science Daily

INTELIHEALTH - Daily denture cleansers destroy bacteria, but might encourage the growth of yeast, a study says.

Researchers from the State University of Campinas, Brazil, did the study. They grew five types of bacteria, plus one type of yeast, on dentures. The yeast, Candida albicans, can cause mouth infections.

For a week, half of the dentures were placed in denture cleanser for three minutes a day. The other dentures were not cleaned.

The cleaned dentures had fewer bacteria on them, but more yeast.

Other studies in actual denture wearers have found that denture cleansers were effective against bacteria, but did not seem to affect yeast levels. C. albicans is one cause of denture stomatitis. It leads to red and inflamed tissue in areas covered by the denture. Some studies have found that more than 70% of denture wearers have this condition at some point. Risk is highest among those who don't clean their dentures frequently and thoroughly, or who wear their dentures at night.

The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends daily brushing of dentures using toothpaste or mild soap. Many people also use denture cleansers. The ADA gives its seal of approval to denture cleansers that meet certain standards.

The Brazilian study appears in the March issue of the journal Clinical Oral Investigations.

Source: InteliHealth News Service

ANDOVER, Massachusetts – (March 11, 2014) – Join Straumann at The Worthington Renaissance in Dallas / Ft. Worth, Texas for the 3rd Annual Dental Implant Complications (DIC) Symposium on Friday, May 9. A full day of continuing education will be presented by a team of world-renowned speakers, including Dr. Stuart J. Froum, Dr. Paul S. Rosen, Dr. Will Martin, Dr. Kanyon Keeney, Dr. Bobby Butler, Dr. Don Clem, Dr. Ray C. Williams, and Dr. David Cochran.

This 1-day symposium brings together top surgeons and restorative clinicians to discuss commonly encountered complications in dental implant therapy. The objective of this program is to provide you with knowledge that can assist in delivering a better patient experience when managing implant complications. You will have the opportunity to explore a full range of potential clinical situations and learn from the experiences of this expert team.

Space is limited, so register today to gain a deeper understanding of how to prevent, diagnose, treat and collaborate on potential dental implant complications. “The Dental Implant Complications Symposium will give you the tools to diagnose and treat clinical issues in an effective manner,” says Dr. Will Martin.

Straumann® is a global leader in implant dentistry offering surgical, restorative, regenerative, and digital solutions for the dental and lab business. With world-class customer service, highly skilled technical support, and a team of experienced professionals readily available, its vision is to be the commercial partner of choice in implant, restorative, and regenerative dentistry.

To learn more about Straumann, visit www.straumann.us. For conference information, click here. Contact: Dawn Frick, dawn.frick@straumann.com, 1-800-448-8168.

It is estimated that 100 million Americans did not go to the dentist last year, and millions more live in communities where there is little or no access to care. To help tackle this issue and bring awareness, Aspen Dental and Oral Health America have teamed up to launch the Healthy Mouth Movement, an initiative designed to deliver free dental care to thousands of people in need, and oral health education to millions more.

Throughout 2014, dentists and team members from Aspen Dental practices in 27 states will volunteer a day to providing much-needed dental care to those who need it most – free of charge, no questions asked. And to reach places where care isn’t available, the newly constructed Aspen Dental MouthMobile, a fully equipped dental office on wheels, will go directly into communities to not only provide free service, but raise awareness. 

“The sad reality is that for many Americans, dentistry has become a luxury and not a priority,” said Dr. Clark Downey, Aspen Dental practice owner from Dayton, OH. “Every single day I and hundreds of other dentists at more than 400 Aspen Dental locations across the country see patients who are struggling financially and have put off regular dental care. The result is that people are living with infection and pain, and it’s impacting their health and quality of life.”

Added Dr. Downey, “Aspen Dental has always worked to remove barriers that keep people from getting dental care -- we keep fees low, stay open on evenings and weekends, and welcome emergency patients. But we want to do more, and that’s where the Healthy Mouth Movement comes in.”

According to Oral Health America’s 2013 State of Decay report, the oral health of many Americans is suffering, with more than half of the country rated as fair or poor when it comes to minimal standards affecting dental care access for older adults. And so to have the biggest impact, the Healthy Mouth Movement will make oral health education a priority.

“Dental care is the most common unmet health need in the U.S. Yet while the debate about healthcare has dominated the headlines in recent months, there has been very little discussion about oral health,” said Beth Truett, president and CEO of Oral Health America. “The Healthy Mouth Movement is a great opportunity for us to continue to not just raise awareness about these important issues, but also to connect people who need dental care with local resources.”  

The Healthy Mouth Movement kicked off last month in Atlanta, Georgia, Orlando and Tampa, Florida. A total of 257 Aspen Dental volunteers helped nearly 400 patients and performed dental services valued at more than $136,000. To receive free service, patients must make advance appointments at a participating Aspen Dental location by calling 844-ASPENHMM.