Fluoridated water benefits people of all ages

ou might save money on dental treatment costs by simply turning on your tap and drinking water with optimal levels of fluoride—no matter what your age.

Researchers at the Indiana University School of Dentistry in Indianapolis studied patients of all ages who were members of a dental health maintenance organization and had access to dental care through their insurance coverage. Some patients lived in communities with an optimally fluoridated public water system; others did not.

Scientists found that patients with access to fluoridated water had fewer dental restorations and lower dental care costs during the five-year study period—and older adults benefited the most.

"Much of the focus of research on community water fluoridation has been on children," said Dr. Gerardo Maupomé, the lead author of the study. "There has been significantly less research on adults and even less on older adults. Individuals are keeping their teeth through adulthood into their older years. We need to study dental health through all decades of life."

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 67 percent of the U.S. population that receives water from a public water supply now drinks water with optimal fluoride levels for preventing decay.

Dr. Maupomé noted that although the study examined patients with dental insurance, many older adults, who are often retired, don't have dental insurance and need to protect their oral health.

"Community water fluoridation is a sound public health investment for people of all ages," he added.

To learn if your water is fluoridated, contact your local water supplier or the local/county/state health department. Additionally, many states participate in the CDC’s "My Water’s Fluoride" ("http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/MWF/index.asp") which lists fluoridation status by water system.

Patients, dentists differ on smile ratings

What do people consider the most important features of an attractive face?

Teeth and eyes, according to a new study. Patients also rate their smiles higher than dentists do, and those younger than age 50 were the ones most satisfied with their smiles.

Published in the December Journal of the American Dental Association, the study asked 78 patients in Norway to rate their own smiles on a 100-point satisfaction scale. The patients’ regular dentists and an independent periodontist later rated the patients’ smiles from photographs using the same satisfaction scale.

Patients were more satisfied with their own smiles than dentists, according to the survey—rating their smiles an average 59.1 on the 100-point scale. Dentists’ ratings of the patients’ smiles were much lower—averaging 38.6 (from the independent periodontist) and 40.7 (from the patients’ own dentist).

It may be difficult to understand what a smile satisfaction level of 59 really means, researchers say, adding it might be more accurate to say patients are “accepting of, or contented with, their smiles.”

Participants in the study, who were not actively seeking cosmetic dental treatments, averaged 51 years of age (ranging in age from 22 to 84 years) and numbered 50 women and 28 men.

“The fact that the patients had much higher opinions of their smiles than we dentists did is interesting,” the researchers wrote, adding that patients expressed their opinions from memory while the dentists made their assessments from photographs.

Had patients used the clinicians’ detailed approach to include assessing lip lines, tooth shade, spacing and crowding, their opinions about their smiles might have been different, said the researchers.

“Dentists should be aware that patients who seek esthetic services may have different perceptions of their smiles than patients who do not express such desires,” they concluded.

Snake venom may speed healing after oral surgery

An adhesive made from an enzyme found in snake venom may be a more effective and beneficial adhesive than traditional sutures when used to close surgical incisions, according to a study published in a recent issue of the Journal of Periodontology.

Researchers performed gingival graft procedures in contralateral mandibular premolars of 15 patients, so that each subject received one treatment of each type. When the investigators used the fibrin adhesive made of buffalo plasma-derived fibrinogen (a protein involved in coagulation) and an enzyme obtained from snake venom, patients experienced faster recovery and had better results than they did with traditional sutures.

"This unique type of adhesive may stimulate faster tissue repair," said study author Monica Barbosa, PhD, Bauru Dental School, University of São Paulo, Brazil. "It is a more natural form of adhesive in comparison to traditional sutures used after surgery."

"More studies are needed to fully evaluate the effectiveness of this alternative," Dr. Barbosa added.

"This adhesive may be a less infectious alternative to traditional sutures," said Preston D. Miller, president, American Academy of Periodontology. "This research highlights the array of therapies available for patients—both traditional and natural alternatives."

Study links avocados to oral cancer prevention

Can you eat your way to better oral health?

Researchers at Ohio State University have found that nutrients taken from avocados can attack some oral cancer cells and prevent other pre-cancerous cells from developing into actual cancers of the mouth.

According to the researchers, previous research has found an association between the consumption of fruits and vegetables and reduced risk for various types of cancers. This effect is attributed to the high levels of phytonutrients and phytochemicals found in dark colored fruits and vegetables.

Focusing on the Hass avocado–the most readily available variety of avocado–the OSU researchers found that phytochemicals extracted from the bumpy-skinned fruit can target multiple signaling pathways and increase the amount of reactive oxygen within pre-cancerous oral cells, leading to cell death. However, the same chemicals have no negative effect on healthy, normal cells.

"As far as we know, this is the first study of avocados and oral cancer,” said lead author Steven M. D'Ambrosio, a member of the molecular carcinogenesis and chemoprevention program at OSU’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. "We think these phytochemicals either stop the growth of pre-cancerous cells in the body or they kill the pre-cancerous cells without affecting normal cells."

"Our study focuses on oral cancer," Dr. D'Ambrosio added, "but the findings might have implications for other types of cancer. These are preliminary findings, and more research is needed."

In addition to their possible oral cancer preventive effects, avocados are full of other beneficial phytonutrients and antioxidants including vitamin C, folate, vitamin E, fiber and unsaturated fats.