Dentistry News and Research

Latest Dentistry News and Research

Potential treatments for mouth ulcers

The drug pentoxifylline appears to have limited benefit in the first-line treatment of mouth ulcers due to recurrent apthous stomatitis, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Dermatology.

17 Apr 2007

Astrocytes may contribute to Lou Gehrig's disease

Two papers by Columbia and Harvard researchers report for the first time that astrocytes (the most abundant non-neuronal cells in the central nervous system), which carry a mutated gene known to cause some cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS/Lou Gehrig's disease), induce motor neuron death.

16 Apr 2007

GlaxoSmithKline initiates study of PROMACTA in chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura

GlaxoSmithKline has announced the initiation of a global, open-label, single group trial that will assess the efficacy, safety and tolerability of PROMACTA (eltrombopag olamine) in patients previously treated for chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP).

15 Apr 2007

Clinical psychologist to discuss stress disorder and soldiers in Iraq

Clinical psychologist Katherine T. Platoni, who is a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Service Corps, will discuss her experiences treating soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder during active combat in Iraq Thursday, April 26, at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

12 Apr 2007

Novalar Pharmaceuticals submits NDA for dental anesthetic reversal agent

Novalar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the submission of a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for marketing approval of NV-101, a local dental anesthetic reversal agent.

11 Apr 2007

Scientists decode genome of Streptococcus sanguinis

Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have decoded the genome of a bacteria normally present in the healthy human mouth that can cause a deadly heart infection if it enters the bloodstream.

7 Apr 2007

Hypnotism as a potential component of care

Hypnotism has expanded its realm from magic shows to health care.

5 Apr 2007

Milk, water, fruits and vegetables worsen taste of cigarettes

Milk does the body good -- and may help smokers break the habit, say researchers at Duke University Medical Center.

5 Apr 2007

Handheld instrument assesses dental disease in minutes

Who would have guessed that when the Star Trek medical diagnostic tool known as the tricorder makes its appearance in real life, the first user might be . . . your dentist.

5 Apr 2007

People with physical disabilities endure substandard health care

Rachel steered her wheelchair into a Chicago area medical center for a series of upper gastrointestinal tests.

4 Apr 2007

Washington University study China's earliest modern human

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) in Beijing have been studying a 40,000-year-old early modern human skeleton found in China and have determined that the "out of Africa" dispersal of modern humans may not have been as simple as once thought.

4 Apr 2007

Sheep gene research sheds light on human condition - ectodermal dysplasia

Sheep gene research at the University of Adelaide's Roseworthy Campus aimed at helping maximise wool production for Australian producers, has shed light on a human genetic hair and skin disorder.

4 Apr 2007

Impact of secondhand smoke on periodontitis

A study published in this month's issue of the Journal of Periodontology found that subjects with periodontitis who were exposed to secondhand smoke were more likely to develop bone loss, the number one cause of tooth loss.

4 Apr 2007

Researchers document rare case of hepatitis B virus transmission

Researchers have documented a case of hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission between two patients at a dentist's office in the United States.

4 Apr 2007

Dingell introduces bill that would expand dental coverage for children enrolled in Medicaid, SCHIP

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair John Dingell (D-Mich.) last week introduced a bill (HR 1781) that would help improve the delivery of dental services to low-income children enrolled in Medicaid and SCHIP, CQ HealthBeat reports.

3 Apr 2007

Antisocial behaviour in boys leads to poor health in men

A study of over 500 men born in the early 70s in Dunedin reveals that the costs associated with antisocial behaviour may be much higher than previously thought. The research led by scientists from the MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre based at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London is published in Archives of General Psychiatry.

3 Apr 2007

New type of chemistry promises less expensive drugs

With a newly discovered method of assembling organic molecules, a team of Princeton University chemists may have found a way to sidestep many of the expensive and hazardous barriers that stand in the way of drug development.

3 Apr 2007

Information technology boosts mammography screening rates

Findings of a new Mayo Clinic study published in Archives of Internal Medicine show that a computerized mail and phone reminder program can significantly increase the percentage of patients receiving preventive health services and improve the value of health care.

2 Apr 2007

Maternal beef consumption associated with lower sperm concentration

New research has shown that women who ate a lot of beef while pregnant had sons who were more likely to suffer from poor sperm quality as adults, and it suggests that the growth promoters used in cattle may play a role in these men's reduced fertility.

2 Apr 2007

Monthly premiums for low-cost health plans in Massachusetts fell by 8% in second round of bidding

Monthly premiums for the four lowest-cost health plans submitted to the Massachusetts Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority decreased by an average of 8% in the second round of bidding, the Boston Globe reports.

2 Apr 2007