CORVALLIS, Ore. – A few years from now millions of people around the world might be walking around with an unusual kind of glass in their mouth, and using it every time they eat.

Engineers at Oregon State University have made some promising findings about the ability of “bioactive” glass to help reduce the ability of bacteria to attack composite tooth fillings – and perhaps even provide some of the minerals needed to replace those lost to tooth decay.

Prolonging the life of composite tooth fillings could be an important step forward for dental treatment, the researchers say, since more than 122 million composite tooth restorations are made in the United States every year. An average person uses their teeth for more than 600,000 “chews” a year, and some studies suggest the average lifetime of a posterior dental composite is only six years.

The new research was just published in the journal Dental Materials, in work supported by the National Institutes of Health.

“Bioactive glass, which is a type of crushed glass that is able to interact with the body, has been used in some types of bone healing for decades,” said Jamie Kruzic, a professor and expert in advanced structural and biomaterials in the OSU College of Engineering.

“This type of glass is only beginning to see use in dentistry, and our research shows it may be very promising for tooth fillings,” he said. “The bacteria in the mouth that help cause cavities don’t seem to like this type of glass and are less likely to colonize on fillings that incorporate it. This could have a significant impact on the future of dentistry.”

Bioactive glass is made with compounds such as silicon oxide, calcium oxide and phosphorus oxide, and looks like powdered glass. It’s called “bioactive” because the body notices it is there and can react to it, as opposed to other biomedical products that are inert. Bioactive glass is very hard and stiff, and it can replace some of the inert glass fillers that are currently mixed with polymers to make modern composite tooth fillings.

“Almost all fillings will eventually fail,” Kruzic said. “New tooth decay often begins at the interface of a filling and the tooth, and is called secondary tooth decay. The tooth is literally being eroded and demineralized at that interface.”

Bioactive glass may help prolong the life of fillings, researchers say, because the new study showed that the depth of bacterial penetration into the interface with bioactive glass-containing fillings was significantly smaller than for composites lacking the glass.

Fillings made with bioactive glass should slow secondary tooth decay, and also provide some minerals that could help replace those being lost, researchers say. The combination of these two forces should result in a tooth filling that works just as well, but lasts longer.

Recently extracted human molars were used in this research to produce simulated tooth restoration samples for laboratory experiments. OSU has developed a laboratory that’s one of the first in the world to test simulated tooth fillings in conditions that mimic the mouth.

If this laboratory result is confirmed by clinical research, it should be very easy to incorporate bioactive glass into existing formulations for composite tooth fillings, Kruzic said.

The antimicrobial effect of bioactive glass is attributed, in part, to the release of ions such as those from calcium and phosphate that have a toxic effect on oral bacteria and tend to neutralize the local acidic environment.

“My collaborators and I have already shown in previous studies that composites containing up to 15 percent bioactive glass, by weight, can have mechanical properties comparable, or superior to commercial composites now being used,” Kruzic said.

This work was done in collaboration with researchers from the School of Dentistry at the Oregon Health & Science University and the College of Dental Medicine at Midwestern University.

Source: Oregon State University, News & Communication 

MELVILLE, N.Y., Dec. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Henry Schein, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSIC), the world's largest provider of health care products and services to office-based dental, animal health and medical practitioners, announced its commitment to donate $250,000in health care products over the next two years to the America's Dentists Care Foundation (ADCF).  The donation will support the ADCF's work at 50 dental Mission of Mercy (MOM) clinics, which provide free dental care to the underserved across the U.S.

As part of a two-year agreement with the ADCF, Henry Schein will donate health care product kits valued at $5,000 each, including exam gloves, surgical face masks, gowns and medical gauze, to up to 50 MOM events taking place in 2016 and 2017. The donation is an initiative of Henry Schein Cares, the Company's global social responsibility program. The MOM events are staffed by volunteer dentists and dental hygienists who provide dental exams, x-rays, fillings, extractions, and instructions on proper oral hygiene to people in need. Dental assistants and lay volunteers also contribute to the efforts in various capacities. According to the ADCF, a typical two-day MOM event serves an average of 1,600 patients.

"Given the integral connection between good oral health and overall health, access to proper dental care is an essential component of community wellness," said Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Henry Schein, Inc. "Despite its importance, access to oral care is limited or nonexistent for many underserved populations. We applaud Mission of Mercy for providing immediate treatment to people in need, and for raising community awareness of the critical importance of oral care. All of us at Henry Schein are pleased to stand with the ADCF to help health happen."

Kansas and Nebraska dentists began hosting MOM clinics in 2003 and 2005, respectively. After lending their own equipment to support the growing number of MOM clinics, they formed the ADCF in 2008 to own, maintain, and provide the equipment necessary to host events. Today, the ADCF owns three semi-trailers, each with the equipment, tools, and instruments needed for a dental clinic.

"MOM volunteers provide more than just quality oral health care, they restore a person's confidence in their smile," said Bill Blasing, Executive Director, ADCF. "Henry Schein's donation will make an important contribution to our efforts to expand access to care to as many people as possible, and we are grateful to the Company for its generosity and deep commitment to helping the underserved."

WICHITA, Kan., Dec. 18, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Delta Dental of Kansas (DDKS) donated 359,856 toothbrush kits, valued at $205,117, to 82 Kansas organizations. The annual toothbrush kit program supports multiple community-focused organizations' early intervention efforts and dental health education activities throughout the state. Donations are made to new initiatives, new components of existing programs or one-time events that promote prevention of dental disease, have a significant impact and/or are sustainable or innovative solutions to oral health issues in Kansas.

"Each year we see the program expand as we receive additional requests for kits, which each include a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss," said Sarah Patterson, Vice President, Marketing & Communications. "We're pleased to meet our community's most basic dental hygiene needs through this program."

For a full list of toothbrush kit recipients visit www.deltadentalks.com/aboutus/newsroom/pressreleases

Ivoclar Vivadent announced its 2016 course calendar. The courses are listed below:

Alexandria, Va., USA - The American Association for Dental Research (AADR) Board of Directors is pleased to announce that AADR will continue the activities of the Friends of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research(FNIDCR) after the latter ceases operations at the end of the year.

Recognizing the need to increase efficiency, eliminate duplication of advocacy efforts, provide a stronger voice for patient advocates, and provide greater support for the NIDCR director, the FNIDCR Board of Directors voted unanimously to cease operations as of December 31, 2015, and transfer programmatic activities of FNIDCR to AADR effective January 1, 2016.

FNIDCR President Christian Stohler commented that, “Although this was a challenging decision for the FNIDCR Board, it was the right thing to do on behalf of all of the NIDCR stakeholders and to streamline our activities under AADR.”

"AADR is excited about pursuing the activities formerly conducted by FNIDCR and supported by such key stakeholders as the ADA, ADEA, dental industry, dental schools and patient advocates. This new arrangement will enable the dental, oral, and craniofacial community to speak with one voice on Capitol Hill and amplify our efforts to educate the public about the important role of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research," said AADR President Paul Krebsbach.

AADR will also add the patient advocacy community to its governance, advocacy and programmatic activities. Specifically, the FNIDCR Patient Advocacy Council will be incorporated into the AADR governing structure and the AADR Board will appoint a patient advocate representative to become a member of the AADR Board of Directors. During the upcoming year AADR will work closely with longtime FNIDCR supporters to ensure a smooth transition of activities to AADR, maintain and strengthen the FNIDCR brand, and to enhance support of NIDCR.

Look for exciting developments from AADR in the early months of 2016, including February 23, 2016 Advocacy Day under the AADR and FNIDCR banner.

About the American Association for Dental Research

The American Association for Dental Research (AADR) is a nonprofit organization with more than 3,700 individual members dedicated to: (1) advancing research and increasing knowledge for the improvement of oral health, (2) supporting and representing the oral health research community, and (3) facilitating the communication and application of research findings. AADR is the largest Division of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR). To learn more, visit www.aadr.org.

PHILADELPHIA — Postmenopausal women with periodontal disease were more likely to develop breast cancer than women who did not have the chronic inflammatory gum disease, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. 

“Periodontal disease is a common condition, and it has been shown to be associated with heart disease, stroke, and diabetes,” said lead author Jo L. Freudenheim, PhD, distinguished professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health in the University at Buffalo’s School of Public Health and Health Professions. “Previous research has found links between periodontal disease and oral, esophageal, head and neck, pancreatic, and lung cancers, so we wanted to see if there was any relationship with breast cancer.”

Freudenheim and colleagues monitored 73,737 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study, none of whom had previous breast cancer. Periodontal disease was reported in 26.1 percent of the women. Because prior studies have shown that the effects of periodontal disease vary depending on whether a person smokes, researchers examined the associations stratified by smoking status.

After a mean follow-up time of 6.7 years, 2,124 women were diagnosed with breast cancer. The researchers found that among all women, the risk of breast cancer was 14 percent higher in women who had periodontal disease.

Among women who had quit smoking within the past 20 years, those with periodontal disease had a 36 percent higher risk of breast cancer. Women who were smoking at the time of this study had a 32 percent higher risk if they had periodontal disease, but the association was not statistically significant. Those who had never smoked or had quit more than 20 years ago had a 6 percent and 8 percent increased risk, respectively, if they had periodontal disease.

Freudenheim said the fact that the highest risk was found in the smokers who had quit within the past 20 years may indicate that previous exposure to smoking affected the carcinogenic process, and that the effects of smoking were slow to be reversed. “We know that the bacteria in the mouths of current and former smokers who quit recently are different from those in the mouths of nonsmokers,” Freudenheim explained.

There are several possible explanations for the link between periodontal disease and breast cancer. One possibility is that there is a systemic inflammation with periodontal disease that affects the breast tissues. Another possible explanation is that bacteria from the mouth can enter the circulatory system and they affect breast tissues. However, further studies are needed to establish a causal link, Freudenheim said. “If we can study periodontal disease and breast cancer in other populations, and if we can do more detailed study of the characteristics of the periodontal disease, it would help us understand if there is a relationship,” Freudenheim said. “There is still much to understand about the role, if any, of oral bacteria and breast cancer.”

One limitation of the study is that women self-reported their periodontal disease status, after being asked whether a dentist had ever told them they had it. Also, Freudenheim pointed out that since her research focused on women who were already enrolled in a long-term national health study, they were more likely than the general population to be receiving regular medical and dental care, and were likely more health-conscious than the general population. She estimated that the general population would have a higher rate of periodontal disease and other risk factors, such as smoking, diabetes, and obesity.

This study was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the National Institutes of Health; and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Freudenheim declares no conflicts of interest.

Source: AACR press release

Coronary heart disease patients with no teeth have nearly double the risk of death as those with all of their teeth, according to research published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.[1]

The study in more than 15,000 patients from 39 countries found that levels of tooth loss were linearly associated with increasing death rates.

“The positive effects of brushing and flossing are well established.”

“The relationship between dental health, particularly periodontal (gum) disease, and cardiovascular disease has received increasing attention over the past 20 years,” said lead author Dr. Ola Vedin, cardiologist at Uppsala University Hospital and Uppsala Clinical Research Center in Uppsala, Sweden. “But it has been insufficiently investigated among patients with established coronary heart disease who are at especially high risk of adverse events and death and in need of intensive prevention measures.”

This was the first study to prospectively assess the relationship between tooth loss and outcomes in patients with coronary heart disease. The study included 15,456 patients from 39 countries on five continents from the STABILITY trial. At the beginning of the study patients completed a questionnaire about lifestyle factors (smoking, physical activity, etc), psychosocial factors and number of teeth in five categories (26-32 [considered all teeth remaining], 20-25, 15-19, 1-14, and none).

Patients were followed for an average of 3.7 years. Associations between tooth loss and outcomes were calculated after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors and socioeconomic status. The primary outcome was major cardiovascular events (a composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction and stroke).

Patients with a high level of tooth loss were older, smokers, female, less active and more likely to have diabetes, higher blood pressure, higher body mass index and lower education. During follow up there were 1,543 major cardiovascular events, 705 cardiovascular deaths, 1,120 deaths from any cause and 301 strokes.

After adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors and socioeconomic status, every increase in category of tooth loss was associated with a 6% increased risk of major cardiovascular events, 17% increased risk of cardiovascular death, 16% increased risk of all-cause death and 14% increased risk of stroke.

Compared to those with all of their teeth, after adjusting for risk factors and socioeconomic status, the group with no teeth had a 27% increased risk of major cardiovascular events, 85% increased risk of cardiovascular death, 81% increased risk of all-cause death and 67% increased risk of stroke.

“The risk increase was gradual, with the highest risk in those with no remaining teeth,” said Dr Vedin. “For example the risks of cardiovascular death and all-cause death were almost double to those with all teeth remaining. Heart disease and gum disease share many risk factors such as smoking and diabetes but we adjusted for these in our analysis and found a seemingly independent relationship between the two conditions.”

“Many patients in the study had lost teeth so we are not talking about a few individuals here,” continued Dr. Vedin. “Around 16% of patients had no teeth and roughly 40% were missing half of their teeth.”

During the study period 746 patients had a myocardial infarction. There was a 7% increased risk of myocardial infarction for every increase in tooth loss but this was not significant after adjustment for risk factors and socioeconomic status. Dr. Vedin said: “We found no association between number of teeth and risk of myocardial infarction. This was puzzling since we had robust associations with other cardiovascular outcomes, including stroke.”

Gum disease is one of the most common causes of tooth loss. The inflammation from gum disease is thought to trigger the atherosclerotic process and may explain the associations observed in the study. Poor dental hygiene is one of the strongest risk factors for gum disease.

“This was an observational study so we cannot conclude that gum disease directly causes adverse events in heart patients,” said Dr. Vedin. “But tooth loss could be an easy and inexpensive way to identify patients at higher risk who need more intense prevention efforts. While we can’t yet advise patients to look after their teeth to lower their cardiovascular risk, the positive effects of brushing and flossing are well established. The potential for additional positive effects on cardiovascular health would be a bonus.”

REFERENCE

[1] Vedin O, Hagström E, Budaj A, et al on behalf of the STABILITY Investigators. Tooth loss is independently associated with poor outcomes in stable coronary heart disease. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. 2015; DOI: 10.1177/2047487315621978.

Source: AlphaGalileo

MEMPHIS, TN – Cagenix announced that it has revamped its corporate website at Cagenix.com, introducing a fresh new look and several new features to better serve customers. As a leading manufacture of custom dental implants, Cagenix serves the needs of prosthodontists and their patients across the US. The changes and improvements at Cagenix.com are meant to enable dental professionals to more easily review the company's products, download associated literature, and submit cases to Cageninx when they are ready to initiate the custom implant design process.

“The work that has gone into this total revamp of Cagenix.com highlights our company’s ongoing focus to customer service and satisfaction,” says Cagenix CEO Daryl Newman. “Our innovative product development, commitment to quality, and rock-solid guarantee are now better supported by the additional tools and features we provide online. We look forward to serving the needs of current and future customers through this improved interface.”

Newman notes that the new website is also mobile-friendly, with a design that automatically adapts for use on a desktop, laptop, tablet, or cell phone.

“In today’s world, it’s important for us to be responsive to our customers, no matter where they are or when they need assistance," he says. "The new Cagenix.com site is one more step in our continuing journey to satisfy our customers as we help them help their patients.”

New site features include:

Submit a Case

A quick all-in-one reference enabling customer to quickly review acceptable connections, components needed to submit a case, and downloadable prescription forms for each of the company’s product lines.

Enhanced Product Pages

Central access to complete data on the company’s three product lines — AccuFrame, AccuFrame IC, and Cagenix 360 — including detailed product information, associated literature, and order forms.

Frequently Asked Questions

A compilation of answers to commonly asked questions, found on the site’s Contact page, is designed to help customers save time.

Researchers from the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, working with colleagues from the Tokyo Medical and Dental University, have found a way to—literally—multiply teeth. In mice, they were able to extract teeth germs—groups of cells formed early in life that later develop into teeth, split them into two, and then implant the teeth into the mice’s jaws, where they developed into two fully functional teeth.

Teeth are a major target of regenerative medicine. According to Takashi Tsuji, the leader of the team, approximately 10 percent of people are born with some missing teeth, and in addition, virtually all people lose some teeth to either accidents or disease as they age. Remedies such as implants and bridges are available, but they do not restore the full functionality of the teeth. Growing new teeth would be beneficial, but unfortunately humans only develop a limited number of teeth germs—the rudimentary cell groups from which teeth grow.

“We wondered,” says Tsuji, “about whether we might be able to make more teeth from a single germ.” To demonstrate that it might be feasible, the group focused on the fact that teeth development takes place through a wavelike pattern of gene expression involving Lef1, an activator, and Ectodin, an inhibitor. To manipulate the process, they removed teeth germs from mice and grew them in culture. At an appropriate point in the development process, which turned out from their experiments to be 14.5 days, they nearly sliced the germs into two with nylon thread, leaving just a small portion attached, and continued to culture them. The hope was that signaling centers—which control the wave of molecules that regulate the development of the tooth—would arise in each part, and indeed this turned out to be true. The ligated germs developed naturally into two teeth, which the team transplanted into holes drilled into the jaws of the mice. The teeth ended up being fully functional, allowing the mice to chew and feel stimulus, though they were only half the size of normal teeth, with half the number of crowns—a result that could be expected given that the researchers were using already developed germs.

Significantly, they were able to manipulate the teeth using orthodontic methods, equivalent to braces, and the bone properly remodeled to accommodate the movement of the teeth.

Looking to the future, Tsuji says, “Our method could be used for pediatric patients who have not properly developed teeth as a result of conditions such as cleft lip or Down syndrome, since the germs of permanent teeth or wisdom teeth could be split and implanted. In the future, we could also consider using stem cells to grow more germs, but today there are barriers to culturing such cells, which will need to be overcome.”

The research was published in the December 17 edition of Scientific Reports, an online journal of the publishers ofNature.

Source: RIKEN Global Relations and Research Coordination Office

CHICAGO, Dec. 17, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Prosthodontist Stephen D. Campbell, DDS, MMSc, FACP, received special recognition from the American College of Prosthodontists (ACP). Dr. Campbell was awarded a presidential citation due to his outstanding efforts as a member of the Commission on Dental Accreditation's (CODA) Review Committee at the 2015 Annual Session of the ACP in Orlando.

"A presidential citation recognizes the extraordinary contributions of individuals and honors those who have brought great distinction to the college and helped it achieve its mission," said ACP President Carl F. Driscoll, DMD, FACP.

Dr. Campbell is a Past President of the American College of Prosthodontists. He serves as Professor and Head of the Department of Restorative Dentistry at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry, as well as Director of the Implant and Innovations Center and Director of the Center for Digital Excellence.

He has been very active in issues pertaining to diagnostic coding for practice and dental accreditation, including a variety of Site Visitor roles for the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). As a member of CODA's Predoctoral Review Committee, he helped craft a total rewrite of the predoctoral accreditation standards from 2008-2012. He has also served on the Commission's Prosthodontic Review Committee and is presently serving as Prosthodontic Commissioner to the Commission on Dental Accreditation.

"In August, Dr. Campbell was instrumental in securing passage of revised Accreditation Standards for Advanced Specialty Education Programs in Prosthodontics, which now require that all graduates be competent in the surgical placement of dental implants. These new standards will be implemented in July 2016," said ACP Immediate Past President Dr. Tuminelli, who presented the award to Dr. Campbell during the 45th Annual Session of the ACP.

"You do not for these things for the recognition. You do it because of the impact it has on oral health, every graduating student and ultimately every patient. Nonetheless, I was deeply honored receiving this recognition for 20 years of effort with accreditation and the Commission," said Dr. Campbell.