Sugar-free polyol gum, lozenges, hard candy; Nonfluoride varnishes help prevent cavities

Recommended in conjunction with fluoride for patients at high-risk for developing cavities

2011-09-13

(Press-News.org) CHICAGO, Sept. 12, 2011 – A multi-disciplinary expert panel, convened by the American Dental Association (ADA) Council on Scientific Affairs, issued a report this month containing clinical recommendations that sugar-free chewing gum, lozenges and hard candy including xylitol or polyol combinations, and a prescription varnish with chlorhexidine and thymol could be beneficial in preventing cavities when used as adjuncts to a comprehensive cavity prevention program which includes the use of fluoride-containing products.

The panel noted in its report that these nonfluoride options could provide an extra benefit to prevent cavities in patients at high risk for developing cavities when used in addition to products such as toothpaste, dental sealants and varnishes that contain fluoride as well as community water fluoridation and good eating habits.

The full report is available on the ADA's Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry (EBD) website (http://ebd.ada.org/contentdocs/clinical_recommendations_non_fluoride_caries_preventive_agents_full_report.pdf) . The executive summary of the report entitled, "Nonfluoride Caries Preventive Agents," is published in the September issue of The Journal for the American Dental Association and is available on the EBD website (http://jada.ada.org/content/142/9/1065.full.pdf ). The clinical recommendations from the expert panel were reviewed and approved by the ADA's Council on Scientific Affairs.

The ADA recommends that clinicians determine a patient's risk for developing cavities by conducting a caries risk assessment, which includes completing a caries risk assessment form that can be used as a communications tool with their patients. The Caries Form (Patients Ages 0𔃄 Years) (http://jada.ada.org/content/142/9/1065.full.pdf ) and the Caries Form (Patients Over 6 Years) (http://jada.ada.org/content/142/9/1065.full.pdf) are available on ADA.org.

Nonfluoride agents In addition to a comprehensive cavity-prevention program which includes the use of fluoride, the scientific panel recommended that clinicians consider applying a mixture of cholrhexidine-thymol varnish to the teeth of high-risk adults and the elderly every three months to reduce cavities developing in the root of the tooth.

The panel encouraged clinicians to consider advising parents and caregivers of healthy children older than 5 years who are at higher risk for cavities to chew sugar-free polyol gum after meals for 10 to 20 minutes to prevent cavities.

A polyol is a low-calorie sweetener such as xylitol, sorbitol or mannitol, which is not broken down by the bacteria in the mouth and therefore does not contribute to tooth decay. The panel also recommended that sucking xylitol-containing sugar-free lozenges or hard candy after meals may reduce cavities in children.

The panel's recommendations are based on a review of evidence from 71 published articles that described 50 randomized controlled trials and 15 nonrandomized studies to assess the effectiveness of various nonfluoride agents in preventing cavities.

ADA expert panels, Evidence-Based Dentistry The clinical recommendations, developed by expert multidisciplinary panels convened by the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs, assessed available scientific evidence and developed practice-oriented recommendations through a comprehensive evidence-based process.

Evidence-based clinical recommendations are intended to provide dentists and other health professionals with a review of the latest scientific evidence on particular topics and are not considered a standard of care. Rather, health care professionals can consider clinical recommendations, patient preference and their own clinical judgment when diagnosing and treating patients.

### Evidence-based clinical recommendations are a product of the Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry (EBD). The ADA created the Center for EBD to connect the latest research findings with the daily practice of dentistry. The EBD website (http://jada.ada.org/content/142/9/1065.full.pdf ) provides on-demand access to systematic reviews, summaries and clinical recommendations (http://jada.ada.org/content/142/9/1065.full.pdf ) that translate the latest scholarly findings into a user-friendly format that dentists can use with their patients.

The ADA Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry has a two-fold vision: to disseminate the most current scientific evidence and to help dentists implement the current best evidence in practice. The Center has several ongoing programs to help dentists implement EBD, including the EBD Champion Program and the ADA Evidence Reviewer Workshop. For more information, visit http://ebd.ada.org/.

About the American Dental Association The not-for-profit ADA is the nation's largest dental association, representing more than 156,000 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public's health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA's state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the practice of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance long has been a valuable and respected guide to consumer dental care products. The monthly Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) is the ADA's flagship publication and the best-read scientific journal in dentistry. For more information about the ADA, visit the Association's Web site at www.ada.org

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

High-fat diet and lack of enzyme can lead to heart disease in mice

2011-09-13

PHILADELPHIA - It's no secret that a high-fat diet isn't healthy. Now researchers have discovered a molecular clue as to precisely why that is. Writing in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Mitchell Lazar, MD, PhD, the Sylvan Eisman Professor of Medicine and director of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues, describe that mice lacking a gene-expression-controlling enzyme fed a high-fat diet experience rapid thickening of the heart muscle and heart failure. This molecular ...

Cognition research aims to reduce medical errors

2011-09-13

WASHINGTON – How doctors, nurses and other health care professionals can be better prepared to reduce medical mistakes and improve patient care is the focus of several studies published in a special issue of the American Psychological Association's Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied. "These studies examine the cognitive issues related to a wide range of important safety problems in various health care scenarios, from hospital operating rooms to young adult education programs about sexually transmitted disease," said Daniel G. Morrow, PhD, of the University of ...

SAFEPED helps cities fix dangerous intersections

2011-09-13

Traffic planners and engineers worry about "black spots" — intersections that experience a high incidence of traffic accidents. But when it comes to designing safer roads, they lack effective tools to determine what turns a junction into a danger zone for cars and pedestrians alike. Now Ph.D. student Gennady Waizman of Tel Aviv University's Geosimulation Lab at the Department of Geography and the Human Environment and Porter School of Environmental Science has developed SAFEPED, a computer simulation that integrates robotics and statistics on driver and pedestrian behavior ...

3 in 1: team finds the gene responsible for three forms of childhood neurodegenerative diseases

2011-09-13

This press release is available in French. A Montreal-led international team has identified the mutated gene responsible for three forms of leukodystrophies, a group of childhood-onset neurodegenerative disorders. Mutations in this gene were identified in individuals from around the world but one mutation occurs more frequently in French-Canadian patients from Quebec. Published in the September issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics and selected for the Editors' Corner of the journal, the findings are crucial to the development of diagnostic tests and genetic ...

Making 1 into 2 -- first German genome comprehensively resolved at its molecular level

2011-09-13

This press release is available in German. Errors in the copying and reading of genes can have very serious consequences. Fortunately human genetic material is available in duplicate as everyone inherits a complete genome from both their mother and father. However, the two genomes are different: researchers refer to the different variants of the gene sequence on the individual chromosomes as "haplotypes" and the complete analysis of the genome requires detailed knowledge of both haplotypes. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin have now ...

Bands and Musicians Make An Impression and Save Money With High Quality Band and Musician Press Kits From Print It Fast Online

2011-09-13

Print It Fast Online, a leading online printing company, has recently expanded their line of printed products to include Band and Musician Press Kits. Musicians can now easily purchase all their printed press kit materials at discount prices at one online printing store. Band and Musician Press kits typically include a cover letter, artist bio, lyric sheets, set list, business card, and promotional posters or flyers along with a demo CD in a presentation folder. Print It Fast Online's discount prices on high quality printed press kits help independent artists put together ...

X-ray protein probe leads to potential anticancer tactic

2011-09-13

Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have identified a new type of potential anticancer drug. The compound, named FOBISIN, targets 14-3-3 proteins, important for the runaway growth of cancer cells. The researchers were using X-rays to see how FOBISIN fits into the clamp-shaped 14-3-3 protein structure. Unexpectedly, the X-rays induced the compound to be permanently bonded to the protein. The finding suggests that compounds like FOBISIN can be used in combination with radiation to trigger potent anticancer activity. The results were published online Sept. ...

Oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico claim 139 lives in helicopter crashes

2011-09-13

A new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy finds that helicopters that service the drilling platforms and vessels in the Gulf of Mexico crash on average more than six times per year resulting in an average of 5 deaths per year. From 1983 to 2009, 178 crashes resulted in 139 deaths, including 41 pilots and 3 co-pilots. Mechanical failure was the most common cause, leading to 68 crashes (38 percent of the total), followed by bad weather (16 percent of the total). While the challenges such as bad weather and long travel distances ...

Tinnitus discovery could lead to new ways to stop the ringing

2011-09-13

Berkeley — Neuroscientists at the University of California, Berkeley, are offering hope to the 10 percent of the population who suffer from tinnitus – a constant, often high-pitched ringing or buzzing in the ears that can be annoying and even maddening, and has no cure. Their new findings, published online last week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest several new approaches to treatment, including retraining the brain, and new avenues for developing drugs to suppress the ringing. "This work is the most clearheaded documentation to ...

Researchers focus on secondary stroke prevention after study reveals room for improvement

2011-09-13

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – September 12, 2011 – A year after hospital discharge, the majority of stroke patients are listening to doctor's orders when it comes to taking their prescribed secondary stroke prevention medications, new data out of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center shows. However, there is room for improvement, according to investigators. "Medication non-compliance is a major risk factor for stroke and heart disease, and we know that non-compliance with stroke prevention medications increases over the year or two after a stroke," said Cheryl D. Bushnell, M.D., ...

Sugar-free polyol gum, lozenges, hard candy; Nonfluoride varnishes help prevent cavities

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: