Dental News - Researched Dental News

Researchers report a bioactive peptide that coats tooth surfaces, helping prevent new cavities and heals existing ones in lab experiments.

Written By Kevin Kerfoot / Reviewed By Ray Spotts

Reviewed By Ray Spotts

Researchers have found potent antibacterial capabilities in dental restoratives – also known as filling materials. Tooth decay is among the costliest and most widespread bacterial diseases. Virulent bacteria cause the acidification of tooth enamel and dentin, which, in turn, causes secondary tooth decay. This disease is a major causative factor for dental restorative material failure and affects an estimated 100 million patients a year at an estimated cost of over $30 billion.

As a natural sweetener, xylitol has been used in chewing gum and mints for years upon years. Recent studies from the University of Washington have shown more positive benefits to the sugar compound than previously imagined.

Reviewed by Ray Spotts

Dual discoveries at USC propose a promising method to regrow nonliving hard tissue, lessening or even eliminating pain associated with tooth decay, which the National Institutes of Health calls the most prevalent chronic disease. 

Teeth gaps normally happen and many people oftentimes ignore them - especially young children. While some people say that teeth gaps make them feel and look young, teeth gaps or Diastema can actually affect your overall dental health. The misalignment can cause severe issues with your gums and jaw bones as well. Here are some facts about the impact of teeth gaps on your overall dental health to give awareness and stop common misconceptions that come with it.

Of those examined in the study - representative of the more than 14,000 New Zealanders living in aged care - recently published in the journal Gerodontology, about half had severely impaired cognitive function, and more than a third required fillings or extractions. Those with severely impaired cognitive function had greater numbers of teeth with decay. They also had higher oral debris scores, reflecting poorer daily oral hygiene care.

"Adding particles packed with antimicrobial drugs to a filling creates a line of defense against cavity-causing bacteria," says Hatton. "But traditionally there's only been enough drug to last a few weeks. Through this research we discovered a combination of drugs and silica glass that organize themselves on a molecule-by-molecule basis to maximize drug density, with enough supply to last years." This discovery of using antimicrobials which self-assemble means the team can pack 50 times as much of the bacteria-fighting drugs into the particles.