Dentistry News and Research

Latest Dentistry News and Research

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

Common antibiotic called minocycline may slow or prevent diabetic retinopathy

The team found that minocycline, often used to treat acne, limits by about 50 percent the retinal damage caused by microglia. Microglia are cells that act as the "cleanup crew" for the Central Nervous System (CNS).

11 May 2005

Reconstruction of the lower jaw with a fibula autotrasplant

The University Hospital of the University of Navarra has carried out a complicated surgical operation on a child who had a particularly large benign tumour located in the mandibular region. The procedure involved the extraction of the lower jaw and its substitution by a bone transplant from the fibula of the patient.

10 May 2005

Mother of all treatments could cure baldness, and banish stretch marks!

A new discovery by scientists might just be the 'mother of all treatments' in promising a treatment for balding men, women with stretchmarks and anyone who has gum disease.

3 May 2005

Discovery could ease the pain of sensitive teeth

The problem currently affects around 15 per cent of the adult population and rising, as people retain their teeth for longer. The most common cause is receding gums, resulting from teeth grinding, abrasion or tooth decay, which exposes the dentine.

2 May 2005

Fiber supplements may lower cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetics

Fiber supplements lower "bad" low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and increase "good" high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's Sixth Annual Conference on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.

1 May 2005

No wisdom in pulling wisdom teeth

No reliable studies exist to support removal of trouble-free impacted wisdom teeth, according to a systematic review of evidence. Despite this surprising lack of data, extraction of third molars has long been considered appropriate care in most developed countries.

1 May 2005

$577 million provided for new Alberta health and learning centre

Alberta has committed $577 million to build a world-class health and learning facility that will change the way patients are diagnosed and treated and how medical students are trained.

28 Apr 2005

RCN nurses demand prostitution be decriminalised

A dynamic slogan designed to grab attention "Be bold. Be daring. Be caring and support decriminalisation," has been used in an attempt by the Royal College of Nursing in the UK, to call on the government to decriminalise prostitution in order to protect the health of vulnerable women and men who feel unable to access NHS and social services.

27 Apr 2005

Increased risk associated with combining carotid artery, coronary artery surgeries

Among patients undergoing evaluation for coronary artery bypass surgery, stroke neurologists are frequently consulted when the patient also has severe carotid artery stenosis (blockage of an artery that supplies blood to the brain).

27 Apr 2005

Increased risk associated with combining carotid artery, coronary artery surgeries

25 Apr 2005

Dundee Diabetes Research Centre in Scotland

In a joint venture between two faculties with a common interest in Diabetes research, a facility, the Dundee Diabetes Research Centre has been launched reinforcing the city's standing as one of the world's key hubs of research into the disease.

21 Apr 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

Compound derived from cottonseed oil could help improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy at treating head and neck cancer

The findings, which will be presented Tuesday, April 19, at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting, could lead to a treatment that provides an effective option to surgically removing the cancer, helping patients preserve vital organs involved in speech and swallowing.

19 Apr 2005

Allergic diseases have increased

The rate of allergic diseases (atopy) in adults has steadily increased over the last quarter of the 20th century, but the reason for the increase is still unknown, according to a study published online by the BMJ.

19 Apr 2005

Electric toothbrushes best for fighting gum disease

Powered toothbrushes with circular bristle heads that rotate in alternating directions are better at removing plaque and reducing the risk of gum disease than ordinary manual toothbrushes, a review of recent studies concludes.

19 Apr 2005

Stress can give the immune system a beneficial boost

New research in mice provides more evidence that a brief bout of stress can give the immune system a beneficial boost – under certain conditions.

19 Apr 2005

Low doses of bisphenol–A (BPA) can impair brain function

Low doses of the environmental contaminant bisphenol–A (BPA), widely used to make many plastics found in food storage containers, including feeding bottles for infants, can impair brain function, leading to learning disabilities and age–related neurodegenerative diseases, according to Yale researchers and colleagues.

12 Apr 2005

Dental patients agreeable to tobacco interventions

Dental patients don't mind if their dentists give them a nudge to stop using tobacco products, according to the findings of survey conducted at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine.

11 Apr 2005