oral health

Special oral health hospitals across India soon

The government plans to set up hospitals exclusively for oral health care at both the national and regional levels, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said Thursday.

Special oral health hospitals across India soon

“Facilities for dental treatment and oral health are still inadequate in India. In rural areas, they are practically absent,” he said while inaugurating the Centre for Oral Health Promotion at the Centre for Dental Education and Research at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here.

The minister said the coming years would see more investment in dental hospitals and colleges at the national and regional levels.

These would have the latest sophisticated equipment and research facilities.
The new centre at AIIMS has been recognised by the World Health Organization as a partner.

“Doctors on their own should act as points of dissemination of information on positive and healthy habits,” Harsh Vardhan said.

“While the government will do its duty of framing policies and schemes and implementing them, it would require the cooperation and involvement of all to make ‘health for all’ a social movement,” he said.

Source: yahoo news

7 healthy reasons to eat raisins!

Raisins are also considered to be nature’s healthy alternative to candies as they are extremely sweet and convenient to eat. In terms of cost too, they are cheaper as compared to other dry fruits like pistachios and cashew nuts.

1. Keeps you energetic

If you are feeling fatigued and low on energy, try eating raisins. They contain sugars like fructose and glucose and promote the efficient absorption of nutrients in your body.

2. Good for your oral health

Unlike candies which are notorious for causing cavities, raisins contain oleanolic acid which prevents the growth of harmful bacteria in your mouth. This in turn helps in keeping oral health problems like tooth decay and cavities at bay.

3. Strengthens your bones

Calcium, a nutrient present in raisins helps strengthen your bones and keeps debilitating diseases like arthritis and osteoporosis at bay. Additionally, they have a micronutrient called boron which aids in the absorption of calcium.

4. Acts as an aphrodisiac

Eating raisins is a great way to rev up your love life as it contains an amino acid called arginine that raises your libido. Along with raisins, you could also eat foods like walnuts and pomegranate to boost your sex life.

5. Treats infections

Raisins can be an effective home remedy to treat infections as they have polyphenols with anti bacterial and anti inflammatory properties.

6. Keeps cancer at bay

Raisins are rich in antioxidants which prevent your cells from suffering from free radical damage which helps in preventing cancer. In particular, a polyphenolic antioxidant called catechin present in raisins has been found to protect against cancer.

7. Helps cure constipation

Constipation can be an extremely unpleasant condition to have. Raisins are rich in fibre which helps clear the food stuck in your bowel. You could also try eating papaya and guavas to help relieve the symptoms.

All of these properties ensure that you stock up on raisins the next time you go to the supermarket.

Source: The health

Healthy lifestyle to improve oral health in diabetics

Diabetics, who are at a higher risk of suffering from oral health problems, can avoid these by adopting a healthy lifestyle.

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have helped a large group of diabetics to markedly improve their oral health through health coaching.

“Diabetics are at a higher risk of suffering oral health issues like periodontitis and caries and other problems like dry mouth, fungal infections and poor wound healing,” said Ayse Basak Cinar, assistant professor at department of odontology at the university.

In all, 186 patients with type 2 diabetes participated in the study done in Turkey – the first in the world – to demonstrate the role of health coaching in improving dental health.

The patients with diabetes were divided into two groups.

One group was given traditional health information, for example a brochure on good dental hygiene.

The other group was offered motivational health coaching in the form of 3-6 sessions over a six-month period, focusing on diet, stress management and dental care, said the research published in the journal Clinical Oral Investigations.

“In patients who were given personal health coaching, biological markers for periodontitis – also known as loose teeth disease – were reduced by as much as 50 percent over a six-month period,” the research noted.

“The patients in the trial group saw a significant decline in long-range blood sugar levels, whereas figures for the control group were unchanged,” said.

“Health coaching is a resource-intensive intervention. However, dishing out brochures to patients with diabetes and thinking that this would help is also a costly approach for the society,” he added.

Source; Business standard

Does green tea stain the teeth?

Does green tea stain the teeth? Unfortunately, the answer is yes, say oral health experts. Here’s how to prevent the damage.

Nobody debates it and wellness gurus swear by it. We’re talking about the health benefits of green tea. But who would have thought that while looking chic sipping multiple cups of this beverage, one can get his/her teeth stained in the bargain? Not very chic after all, right? Well fret not, as you can correct the damage and prevent it too. Read on to know how…

Riddhima Choudhary (name changed) a call centre employee in her mid-20s was habituated to drinking green tea frequently, around four cups a day since two years now. She did so as she worked around the clock. This had stained her teeth because of which she was not confident about her smile. She wondered why her teeth were getting stained, until she visited a dentist who pointed out the probable cause.

Green tea does stain the teeth
Considering its popularity, not many are aware that green tea can stain the teeth. “Green tea today is the most consumed beverage amongst youngsters and adults specially women as it contains essential nutrients which are very low in calories and high in antioxidants. Two cups of green tea is healthy, but when you tend to turn something into habit and increase the amount of intake there are some drawbacks which otherwise could be cumbersome. Excessive intake would not damage the teeth to that extent but does dampen the teeth mildly. It can change the natural white colour of your teeth to a more yellow and stained appearance,” opines cosmetic dentist Dr Karishma Jaradi.

How does it happen?
Not just green tea, the same can be said for herbal teas as well, though their staining properties is lesser than that of black tea. Agrees dentist Dr Rani Shah saying, “I definitely agree, tea in general is a hard-hitter for stains. Green tea contains plant compounds known as tannins which increase the staining potential of teeth although to a lesser degree than black tea.” But how and why do teas in general stain the teeth? “Such beverages are acidic in nature and increase the porosity of the enamel (outer layer) of teeth. This makes it easier for the pigmented molecules found in teas to adhere to the enamel and therefore cause staining,” she explains.

Other foods and drinks that stain the teeth
Caffeine in coffee has a corrosive effect on the tooth enamel. In addition, the acid in coffee can contribute to the wearing away of enamel, which exposes the yellower layer beneath it called dentin. Some other drinks which are high in acidic in nature are orange juice, tea, tomatoes and other citrus juices. Cola, wine, sauces like soy, tomato and curry sauce also tend to stain teeth. Smoking also causes staining and discolouration of the teeth due to the nicotine present in it. Both red as well as white wine too can stain the teeth. Excessive intake of sugar can lead to tooth staining, warns Dr Jaradi.

Treating the damage
Stains are normally removed by a dental procedure called Oral Prophylaxis which includes scaling and polishing of the dentition. This is a one-sitting procedure which should be done every six months along with a routine checkup. However, it is not to be treated a substitute for daily brushing and flossing, says Dr Shah.

One could also opt for teeth whitening, an hour-long one-time procedure. However, some things that need to be kept in mind are that no two people are alike and the procedure may work faster for one person than another. Also, teeth whitening costs will range from dentist to dentist and patient to patient depending on the difficulty and severity of the case.

Preventing the damage
Dr Jaradi lists the following guidelines:

  • Flossing at home is one of the immediate preventions for teeth staining. It also helps in limiting plaque.
  • Rinsing the mouth with water is advisable after consuming tea/coffee/green tea.
  • Whitening strips or toothpaste can also be used to remove stains.
  • Proper dental care which includes brushing, flossing and rinsing after meals will definitely assist in stain removing stains.
  • If discolouration of teeth appears to be of an abnormal colour without a logical explanation it is advisable to see your dentist.

Source: Dna India

New candy eats ‘bad’ bacteria in the mouth, benefitting teeth

Our mouths are a delicate balance of good and bad bacteria. When we clean our teeth, the aim is to knock out cavity-causing bacteria, while allowing beneficial oral bacteria to thrive. Now, researchers have developed a sugar-free candy, which contains dead bacteria that bind to bad bacteria, potentially reducing cavities.

The importance of good oral health has been emphasized by doctors for years. Poor oral health has been linked to many conditions, from Alzheimer’s disease to pancreatic cancer, not to mention cardiovascular disease.

To promote better oral health, a team from the Berlin-based firm Organobalance GmbH, Germany, created a new candy, which they claim reduced levels of ‘bad’ bacteria in study subjects’ mouths.

Their research was published in Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins.

They note that after we eat, bacteria on the surface of the teeth release acid, which can dissolve the tooth enamel, leading to cavities.

The most common strain of this “bad” bacteria is called Mutans streptococci. However, the researchers say that in previous studies with rats, another bacteria called Lactobacillus paracasei has been shown to reduce levels of the cavity-causing bacteria, decreasing the number of cavities in the rodents.

The team, led by Christine Lang, believe that by binding with M. streptococci, the L. paracasei bacteria prevent this bad bacteria from reattaching to the teeth, causing it to get washed away by saliva.

Candy ‘significantly lowered’ bad oral bacteria levels
In a pilot trial involving 60 subjects, Lang and her team tested whether their sugar-free candy, which contained heat-killed samples of L. paracasei DSMZ16671, reduced levels of bad oral bacteria.

One-third of the subjects ate candies with 1 mg of L. paracasei, while another third ate candies with twice this amount (2 mg). The final third served as a control group and ate candies that were similar in taste but that contained no bacteria.

In total, all subjects ate five candies during the 1.5-day study. They were not allowed to perform any oral hygiene activities during this time, and they were also not allowed to consume coffee, tea, wine or probiotic foods.

Results showed that nearly 75% of the participants who ate candies with the good bacteria had “significantly lower” levels of Mutans streptococci in their saliva than before, compared with the control group.

Additionally, the subjects who ate candy with 2 mg of L. paracasei had a reduction in bad bacteria levels after eating only one piece of candy.

The researchers write:

“We think it remarkable that this effect was observed after exposure to only five pieces of candy containing 1 or 2 mg of dead L. paracasei DSMZ16671 consumed in 1.5 days.”

They say that by using dead bacteria, they avoided problems that live bacteria might have caused. They also note that the L. paracasei does not bind with beneficial oral bacteria, which is why this is a better cavity prevention method than other probiotics.

“Additionally,” they add, “sugar-free candies stimulate saliva flow, a benefit to oral health.”

Source: Medical News Today

4 birth defects that could affect your oral health

It is likely that you have seen kids with a cleft in the lip sometimes continuing into the palate (or roof of your mouth) or tooth/teeth missing from birth. Well, these are what are called congenital anomalies or birth defects. In this post, we see how such defects often lead to oral health problems. Treatment in such cases is complex and involves multiple specialities in dentistry.

Congenital defect #1: Cleft lip and/or palate

Cleft lip and/or palate are the most common birth defects of the mouth. Cleft lip occurs when the two structures or processes that make up the lip do not fuse completely before birth. When the two developmental plates of the skull that form the roof of the mouth (hard palate) fail to join completely cleft palate is formed. Clefts lead to a gap or opening in the lip and palate. In cleft palate there is a direct connection between the mouth and the nose.

What problems can this cause?

Cleft lip and cleft palate can cause problems with sucking, swallowing, speech and socialization.

There could be a risk of aspiration (food going from the mouth to the nose and/or respiratory tract).

Teeth may be missing, deformed or displaced. This could cause adjoining teeth to move into the space causing improper bite, irregular gaps between teeth and difficulty in chewing etc.

Soft tissue folds and irregularities in the palate or roof of the mouth can increase the risk of gum disease.

 

Congenital defect #2: Congenital absence of teeth or anodontia.

This is a condition is which some or all of the teeth are missing by birth.

What problems can this cause?

Partially missing teeth can create huge gaps into which opposite and adjacent teeth move. This causes improper bite which can lead to excessive teeth wear, injury to the supporting structures (periodontium) of the teeth and loss of bone around the teeth. Misaligned teeth can also make it harder to clean them thereby causing decay and gum disease.

Congenital defect #3: Tongue tie or Ankyloglossia.

Here the tongue is literally ‘stuck’ or ‘tied’ to the floor of the mouth.

What problems can this cause?

Ankyloglossia can cause swallowing and speech difficulty.It may also make maintaining oral hygiene difficult giving rise to gum disease, cavities etc.

Congenital defect #4: Congenital enamel hypoplasia or Amelogenesis Imperfecta

Amelogenesis imperfecta is a genetic disorder in which there is underdevelopment of tooth enamel causing it to be unusually thin, discoloured, pitted and fragile. Rarely, it may be associated with abnormally enlarged gums which make oral hygiene difficult.

What problems can this cause?

This condition causes teeth to be prone to rapid wear and breakage. Thin enamel increases the sensitivity of the teeth to temperature changes. There is increased risk for teeth decay. When associated with gum enlargement, it can cause bad breath as well as discomfort when chewing or talking.

Source: News India