Runners more prone to dental problems

Runners are more prone to serious dental problems than the rest of the population. A study of almost 300 athletes at the 2012 Olympics in the British Journal of Sports Medicine reported that a majority displayed “poor oral health”. A fifth of the athletes surveyed indicated that their oral health damaged their training and performance. An athlete’s diet is the cause of all these problems. The diet of a runner is vitally important as it helps them to perform and recover, but there can be major issues with what they consume. Many of the energy drinks and gels runners use have incredibly high levels of sugar, which causes tooth decay, so by using them runners are at a higher risk of developing decay. Another big problem that runners face is the acids in their diet, which have a terrible effect on teeth. You don’t want to expose your teeth to acid, but by using these drinks that is exactly what is happening and it leads to tooth erosion. Runners are also heavy breathers. This can have a negative effect on their oral health as they’re gasping for oxygen. Breathing rapidly through the mouth reduces the saliva flow leading to dry mouth, which is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Runners should try to avoid consuming sugary or acidic foods and drinks wherever possible, but sometimes this may be unavoidable. A focus then needs to be on neutralising the effects of the sugar and acids as quickly as possible.

From www.runnersradar.com

New research uses squid ink to check for gum disease

AA new dental imaging method to examine the health of patients’ gums. A mixture of squid ink, water and cornflour is applied to the gums and examined using light and ultrasound. The development team from the University of California, San Diego believe the new method could be less invasive, more comprehensive and more accurate than anything else. Dr Jesse Jokerst, senior author of the study, said: “The last time I was at the dentist, I realised that the tools that are currently being used to image teeth and gums could use significant updating”. The usual way of checking pocket depth for any signs of gum disease is with a periodontal probe, and can be invasive and uncomfortable for some patients and measurements can vary greatly between dentists. For the new method, the mouth is first rinsed with a paste made of commercially-available food-grade squid ink, water and cornflour. The rinse serves as a contrast agent for an imaging technique called photoacoustic ultrasound. This involves shining a light signal onto a sample which heats up and expands, generating an acoustic signal that researchers can then analyse. Squid ink naturally contains melanin nanoparticles, which absorb light, and during the oral rinse, these are trapped in the pockets between the teeth and gums. When lit with a laser, the paste heats and swells, creating pressure in the pockets that is detected with ultrasound. This is what enables researchers to create a full map of the pocket depth around each tooth.

From www.dental-tribune.com

Study suggests link between verbal bullying and bruxism in adolescents

Postmenopausal women who have a history of gum disease also have a higher risk of cancer, according to a new study of more than 65,000 women. The study, led by researchers at the University at Buffalo, focused specifically on older women. It's also the first study to find an association between periodontal disease and gallbladder cancer risk in women and men. The findings were published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Jean Wactawski-Wende, the study's senior author said: "Our study was sufficiently large and detailed enough to examine not just overall risk of cancer among older women with periodontal disease, but also to provide useful information on a number of cancer-specific sites". The average age of the participants was 68, and most were non-Hispanic white women. As part of a follow-up health questionnaire, participants were asked: "Has a dentist or dental hygienist ever told you that you had periodontal or gum disease”? Women who reported a history of gum disease had a 14% increased risk of overall cancer. Of the 7,149 cancers that occurred in the study participants, the majority were breast cancer. "There is increasing evidence that periodontal disease may be linked to an increased cancer risk and this association warrants further investigation," said the paper's first author, Ngozi Nwizu, who worked on the research. The risk associated with periodontal disease was highest for oesophageal cancer, the researchers reported. Gallbladder cancer risk was also high in women who reported a history of gum disease.

From www.dental-tribune.com