Dentistry News and Research

Latest Dentistry News and Research

25% of U.S. kids received no dental care in at least one year

A University of South Carolina study of children's dental health has found that nearly one-fourth of the nation's children have had no dental care in at least a year.

11 Nov 2008

Epstein-Barr virus linked to inflammatory diseases of the mouth

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University's School of Dentistry have found that a significant percentage of dental patients with the inflammatory diseases irreversible pulpitis and apical periodontitis also have the Epstein-Barr virus.

11 Nov 2008

New guidelines for congenital heart disease

These days most children born with congenital heart disease live well into adulthood, thanks to innovative surgical, interventional and medical treatments.

8 Nov 2008

Smoking when pregnant doubles risk of cleft palate or lip in babies

Babies whose mothers smoked during pregnancy were more than twice as likely to have a cleft palate or lip as those whose mothers didn't, according to research results released today.

6 Nov 2008

Research looks at differential rates of psychoses by ethnicity

Researchers examining the occurrence of psychoses among migrant groups have shown a raised incidence for all black and ethnic minority subgroups compared with white British counterparts, and reveal that the risk of psychoses for first and second generations varies by ethnicity.

5 Nov 2008

Maturation process plays more of a role in learning and development of college students

How well young people learn and develop during their college years may be due more to the normal process of maturing rather than the college experience itself, according to a new student assessment tool developed by researchers at Indiana State University.

5 Nov 2008

Birth defects more common if pregnant mothers smoke

New research has revealed that women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to have a baby with a birth defect - smoking during pregnancy apparently doubles the risk of the baby having a cleft lip or palate.

5 Nov 2008

Parasites that live inside cells use loophole to thwart immune system

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have discovered a mechanism by which intracellular pathogens can shut down one of the body's key chemical weapons against them: nitric oxide. The researchers found that the microbes block nitric oxide production by subverting the biochemical machinery used by immune cells called macrophages to produce the chemical.

3 Nov 2008

Scientist says research indicates need for effective HPV vaccine for women and men and a simple HPV screening test

A call to explore a broader use of HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccines and the validation of a simple oral screening test for HPV-caused oral cancers are reported in two studies by a Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center investigator.

3 Nov 2008

Flu shot protects kids - even with a suboptimal vaccine match

Children who receive all recommended flu vaccine doses are less likely to catch the respiratory virus that the CDC estimates hospitalizes 20,000 children under 5 years old every year.

3 Nov 2008

Pulsed ultrasound used to remote control brain circuits

In a twist on nontraditional uses of ultrasound, a group of neuroscientists at Arizona State University has developed pulsed ultrasound techniques that can remotely stimulate brain circuit activity.

29 Oct 2008

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to lead nationwide aging study

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have been selected to lead a new national survey of older Americans to understand patterns of disability and aging.

27 Oct 2008

High dose flu vaccine boosts immune response in elderly

Giving people age 65 and older a dose four times larger than the standard flu vaccine boosts the amount of antibodies in their blood to levels considered protective against the flu, more so than the standard flu vaccine does. The findings from a study of nearly 4,000 people were presented Oct. 26 at a national meeting on infectious diseases.

26 Oct 2008

Exposure to low doses of mercury changes the way the arteries work

An international team of researchers has shown that mercury is another important factor in cardiovascular disease as it changes the way arteries work. One of the possible sources of exposure of humans to mercury is by eating contaminated fish.

23 Oct 2008

Why do women typically experience poorer dental health than men?

Reproduction pressures and rising fertility explain why women suffered a more rapid decline in dental health than did men as humans transitioned from hunter-and-gatherers to farmers and more sedentary pursuits, says a University of Oregon anthropologist.

14 Oct 2008

North Carolina County officials face lawsuit after denying permit to build health clinic expected to serve low-income residents

The North Carolina Tri-County Community Health Council has filed a lawsuit against Johnston County, N.C., alleging discrimination by county commissioners who denied a zoning permit to build a health clinic in a rural community that would serve low-income residents, the Raleigh News & Observer reports.

13 Oct 2008

Influenza vaccine not associated with reduced hospitalizations among young children

Use of the influenza vaccine was not associated with preventing hospitalizations or reducing physician visits for the flu in children age 5 and younger during two recent seasons, perhaps because the strains of virus in the vaccine did not match circulating strains, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

6 Oct 2008

Discovery of gene variant for cleft lip

About 20 percent of isolated cleft lip, one of the world's most common birth defects, may be due to a one-letter difference in the DNA sequence of a gene involved in facial development, researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health report.

6 Oct 2008

Bayer's new oral anticoagulant Xarelto (Rivaroxaban) gets European licence

A new drug launched today could help in the fight against what experts and campaigners are calling a 'major patient safety issue' - the prevention of hospital-acquired DVT (deep vein thrombosis).

2 Oct 2008

Molecule provides new understanding of cause of colon cancer

Scientists investigating a molecule known to play a key role in causing colon cancer have made a series of ground-breaking discoveries that could have major implications for future treatment of the disease, responsible for 655,000 deaths worldwide per year. Their findings are published in the journal Cancer Research.

30 Sep 2008