Craniofacial News and Research

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$Bone quality regulator identified - possible target for preventing and treating bone fractures$

Bone quality regulator identified - possible target for preventing and treating bone fractures

University of California - San Francisco (UCSF) scientists have determined that the quality of bone matrix, a key component of bone, is regulated by a molecule known as transforming growth factor beta.

13 Dec 2005

Cichlid fish provide better understanding of the genetic factors that regulate bone shape

Researchers at the Forsyth Institute have discovered that the genes that influence the jaws of cichlid fish, tropical freshwater fish renowned for head shape diversity, offer insight into overall vertebrate diversity.

30 Oct 2005

Spire Corporation awarded grant to develop nanophase calcium phosphate coatings

Spire Corporation has announced that it has been awarded an SBIR Phase I grant for $156,878 from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health (NIH), to develop nanophase calcium phosphate coatings loaded with bone morphogenic proteins (BMPs).

27 Oct 2005

Salivary antimicrobial peptide expression and dental caries experience in children

A study comparing antimicrobial peptides, or AMPs, a group of small proteins that occur naturally in human saliva and act like antibiotics against oral bacteria, could lead to new ways to screen children for risk of tooth decay and protect them against this common, chronic problem.

28 Sep 2005

Toluidine blue dye reveals oral cancers

A team of Canadian scientists may have discovered a way to use a simple dye as a litmus test to identify abnormal areas of the mouth that may become cancers.

1 Sep 2005

Enzyme called matriptase, when left to its own devices, can cause cance

Scientists at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) and colleagues report in animal studies that a single, scissor-like enzyme called matriptase, when left to its own devices, can cause cancer.

16 Aug 2005

Plastic surgery to restore facial defects helps give mentally disabled children a better lease on life

Reconstructing severe facial deformities in children with mental disabilities can be a hard decision for parents. Insurance companies may consider some operations to be only for cosmetic purposes and refuse to cover them.

2 Aug 2005

New finding has potentially major implications for anti-angiogenic therapy

Scientists supported by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) have added a key new piece to the puzzle of how tumor cells induce new blood vessels to form and fuel their abnormal growth, a well-known process called angiogenesis.

18 Jul 2005

Extraordinary number of genes are required for prenatal mammalian development

A team of scientists led by Cornell University's Dr. John Schimenti reports today that an extraordinary number of genes are required for prenatal mammalian development. The researchers estimate that up to 19% of all genes are vital for embryogenesis in mice.

17 Jul 2005

Dental X-rays effectively identify stroke risk

General dentists from across the United States exchanged vital information today showing that dental X-rays, known as panoramic radiographs, used for oral health examinations, are effective in detecting some cases of clinically significant carotid artery stenosis, or blockages in the carotid artery, which can potentially lead to stroke.

15 Jul 2005

Global research network needed if scientists are ever going to understand and prevent cleft palate

Professor Bill Shaw, of The University of Manchester, says the complexity of craniofacial anomalies, like cleft lip and palate, means no one country, let alone institution, has the necessary expertise and resources to find all the answers to these distressing conditions.

From The University of Manchester 11 May 2005

A simple spit test could predict cancers

In future scientists say, a test as simple as spitting into a collection tube or cup might be a screening test for breast cancer and the early detection of other tumours.

19 Apr 2005

Fifteen-year hunt uncovers gene behind pseudothalidomide syndrome

A team of scientists from Colombia, the United States and elsewhere has successfully completed a 15-year-plus search for the genetic problems behind the very rare Roberts syndrome, whose physical manifestations often include cleft lip and palate and shortened limbs that resemble those of babies whose mothers took thalidomide during pregnancy.

11 Apr 2005

Seven-year research project to expand the evidence base in dentistry

Washington Dental Service, the University of Washington School of Dentistry and the School of Dentistry at Oregon Health Sciences University are partnering in a seven-year research project to expand the evidence base in dentistry.

5 Apr 2005

Poor oral health can affect newborn

A study published recently in the Journal of Periodontology has found that pregnant women with tooth decay are at risk for delivering Preterm Low Birth Weight (PLBW) babies.

23 Mar 2005

Dental researchers map the gene that causes dentinogenesis imperfecta

Dental researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center are the first in the world to successfully map the gene that causes dentinogenesis imperfecta (DGI) Type III, a disease that affects tooth density and color and over time can cause teeth to wear to the gum line.

16 Mar 2005

Radiography used to identify teens with sleep apnea

Fifteen percent of all teenagers in the United States undergo orthodontic treatment. Craniofacial Risk Index (CRI) scores, calculated from the radiographs routinely obtained on all orthodontic patients, correctly classified 80% of apneic and 78% of non-apneic adult snorers into high-and low-Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI) groups.

14 Mar 2005

Dental medicine is on the brink of profound change

Advances in stem cell biology will improve our understanding of degenerative diseases and assist in developing therapies for replacing damaged or diseased parts/tissues.

9 Mar 2005

Children can benefit from surgery for sleep apnea

Times have changed. Within the last ten years, the primary reason that children have had surgery to remove their tonsils and adenoids is not because of infection. Instead, up to 90 percent of the adenotonsillectomy surgeries are to correct obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

1 Mar 2005