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Dental Research / 22.11.2024

Your smile is more than just a reflection of your mood or a means of communication—it’s a gateway to your overall health. While many people associate a bright smile with good hygiene or confidence, its impact goes far beyond appearances. The science of oral health reveals that maintaining a healthy smile is essential if you want to look after your entire body. Here’s how your oral health connects to your overall health and why prioritizing your smile is one of the best things you can do for your body. The Oral-Systemic Connection The mouth is often referred to as the “window to the body,” and for good reason. It’s home to a diverse community of bacteria, both beneficial and harmful. While proper oral hygiene keeps harmful bacteria in check, neglecting your oral health can allow these bacteria to grow unchecked, leading to oral infections like gum disease and tooth decay. But the effects don’t stop there. The inflammation and bacteria associated with oral health issues can spread to other body parts, contributing to systemic health problems. (more…)
Dental Research / 27.07.2023

This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact a qualified dentist or medical professional before engaging in any physical activity, or making any changes to your dental program, diet, medication or lifestyle, For years, medical research has found that fluoride in toothpaste helps to prevent tooth decay and protect against cavities. As a result, most toothpastes contain between 1,000 to 1,100 mg/L of sodium fluoride or monofluorophosphate. But a new study has found that fluoride-free toothpaste is just as effective at preventing cavities as fluoride-based toothpaste. So, does this mean the end of using toothpaste enhanced with fluoride?
The study’s key findings
dental-fluoride-toothpaste-pexels-photo-8191884Poznan University of Medical Sciences carried out a study involving 171 participants over a period of 18 months. The participants were split into two groups. One group used hydroxyapatite (fluoride-free) toothpaste and the other group used fluoridated toothpaste throughout the study. Six-monthly trips to a dental clinician were completed and a DIAGNOcam device and plaque-disclosing solution were used to check for signs of cavities and plaque. The end results revealed that almost 90% of people in both groups had no new cavities, which indicates that both hydroxyapatite toothpaste and fluoridated toothpaste keep cavities at bay.
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Author Interviews, Dental Research, JAMA, Mental Health Research, Mineral Metabolism, Pediatrics / 19.08.2019

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Rivka Green, MA Doctoral Candidate Clinical Developmental Neuropsychology York University  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: We conducted a study on 512 mother-child pairs from 6 major cities across Canada, about half of whom lived in a region that receives fluoridated water. We found that prenatal fluoride exposure was associated with lower IQ scores in 3-4 year old children. (more…)
Author Interviews, BMJ, Endocrinology, Thyroid Disease / 25.02.2015

Professor Stephen Peckham Director, Centre for Health Services Studies Professor of Health Policy Department of Health Services Research and Policy London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Director, Policy Research Unit in Commissioning and the Healthcare System University of KentMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Professor Stephen Peckham Director, Centre for Health Services Studies Professor of Health Policy Department of Health Services Research and Policy London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Director, Policy Research Unit in Commissioning and the Healthcare System University of Kent   Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Community water fluoridation remains a controversial public health measure. There have been continued debates about both its effectiveness in the prevention of dental caries and also its safety. Previous studies have suggested that there is an association between fluoride ingestion and the incidence of hypothyroidism few population level studies have been undertaken. In April 2014 Public Health England published a monitoring report that used secondary analysis of routine health statistics to identify whether water fluoridation in England was associated with any adverse health outcomes. While hypothyroidism data is available this was not included in their monitoring report.  In England approximately 10% of the population lives in areas with community fluoridation schemes and hypothyroidism prevalence can be assessed from general practice data. Tt examine whether there is a relationship – as suggested in smaller studies – we used a cross-sectional study design using secondary data to develop binary logistic regression models of predictive factors for hypothyroidism prevalence at practice level using 2012 data on fluoride levels in drinking water, 2012/13 Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) diagnosed hypothyroidism prevalence data, 2013 General Practitioner (GP) registered patient numbers, and 2012 practice level Index of Multiple Deprivation scores. We found a positive association between fluoride levels and hypothyroidism. High hypothyroidism prevalence was found to be at least 30% more likely in practices located in areas with fluoride levels in excess of 0.3mg/L. This population study supports earlier hypotheses that fluoride is associated with hypothyroidism. In the UK water is fluoridated at 1ppm (1mg/L) and in areas where water is fluoridated the model predicts that after controlling for other factors, practice populations are significantly more likely to have higher levels of hypothyroidism than those in non-fluoridated areas. Higher levels of fluoride in drinking water, therefore, provide a useful contribution for predicting prevalence of hypothyroidism. For example in contrasting two urban areas we found that practices located in the West Midlands (a wholly fluoridated area) are nearly twice as likely to report high hypothyroidism prevalence in comparison to Greater Manchester (non-fluoridated area). (more…)