Today's Dental News

The debate over dental amalgam continues.

The United States Food and Drug Administration recently held a town hall meeting in Irving, Texas to discuss the concerns about dental amalgam. Average Americans, public health figures and dentists attended the meeting.

The issue at hand is the possible health problems caused by fillings. The new white composite fillings are the first choice for most people compared to the old silver dental amalgam fillings that contain mercury. The new fillings blend in with the tooth and are regarded as safer than the older types of fillings.

Read more: FDA Holds Town Hall Meeting to Discuss Dental Amalgam

If retainers aren’t cleaned fully, microbes tend to build up on them, according to the UCL Eastman Dental Institute.

A study was recently conducted analyzing the types of microbes that live on retainers. At least 50 percent of retainers contain pathogenic microbes, according to the study.

This study appears in the journal Letters in Applied Microbiology.

Based on the findings in the study, new cleaning products are necessary to improve the cleanliness on retainers.

Read more: Many Retainers Contain Some Form of Bacteria

Chronic periodontitis, which affects about half of all Americans over 55, is two to four times more likely to be developed by people with diabetes.

That conclusion was made by the Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine, which conducted a study on whether or not treatment of chronic periodontitis will help treat diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association states that Type 2 diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States.

Read more: Periodontitis Could Lead to Diabetes

Postmenopausal women likely aren’t visiting the dentist enough.

According to a study by the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine and the Cleveland Clinic, two dental checkups each year aren’t enough. The conclusion was made after studying women who are on bone-strengthening bisphosphonate therapies for osteoporosis.

Leena Palomo, the assistant professor of periodontics from the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine, and Maria Clarinda Beunocamino-Francisco from Center for Specialized Women’s Health at the clinic wanted to analyze the impact of bisphosphonate therapies on the jawbone. However, they ended up determining that postmenopausal women should visit the dentist more often.

Read more: Researcher Claims Postmenopausal Women Should Increase Dental Visits