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Dentistry news

Dentistry

Countries agree to end mercury tooth fillings by 2034

Countries agreed Friday to phase out the use of mercury-based dental amalgams in tooth fillings by 2034, in a move that will change dentistry around the world.

Neuroscience

Over-the-counter painkillers match or surpass opioids for dental surgery in all adults, analysis confirms

Over-the-counter pain medications work as well or better than opioids after wisdom tooth extraction for both men and women, according to a Rutgers Health-led follow-up to a landmark paper on comparative pain relief.

Dentistry

Countries call for mercury dental fillings ban by 2030

Multiple countries including the United States called Monday for a worldwide ban on mercury-based dental amalgams by 2030, at a meeting of signatories to a treaty on limiting the toxic metal.

Medical research

Scientists find cells that know when, where and how to grow teeth

Tooth development is a dynamic process that involves the stages of the bud, the cap, and the bell, followed by root development and subsequent tooth formation. Processes such as the bud-to-cap transition are mediated by epithelial-mesenchymal ...

Medications

Antidepressants show promise for alleviating jaw pain

Certain antidepressants can help alleviate chronic jaw pain caused by temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), according to a research review by a team of researchers with expertise in dentistry and pharmacy published in the Journal ...

Dentistry

AI-assisted growth prediction advances orthodontics

Orthodontic treatment is most effective when timed to coincide with a child's growth peak. Traditionally, clinicians estimate growth by examining X-ray images of the cervical vertebrae—the neck bones visible in routine ...

Dentistry

Social isolation among older adults linked to having fewer teeth

Older adults who are socially isolated are more likely to have missing teeth—and to lose their teeth more quickly over time—than those with more social interaction, according to a new study of Chinese older adults led ...

Medical research

Disarming a blood-clotting protein prevents gum disease in mice

Blocking function of a blood-clotting protein prevented bone loss from periodontal (gum) disease in mice, according to research led by scientists at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), part ...

Dentistry

Mystery of children's 'chalky teeth' explained

One in five children have chalky tooth enamel—visible as discolored enamel spots—which often causes severe toothache and decay, and sometimes leads to abscesses, extractions and orthodontic problems.

Other

Doctors find tooth growing inside a patient's nose

A 38-year-old male patient complaining of difficulty breathing through one of his nostrils for several years was found to have an ectopic tooth growing in his nose. In their paper published in The New England Journal of Medicine ...

Dentistry

USPSTF urges docs to help prevent tooth decay in young children

(HealthDay)—The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that primary care clinicians take steps to prevent cavities in young children, many of whom may not visit a dentist. The final recommendation statement ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Ventilation is critical to battling COVID

As dentists and other healthcare providers continue to navigate the COVID pandemic and the emerging variants, an easy-to-use tool is now available to help them conveniently and accurately assess the ventilation rates of their ...

Dentistry

2019 to 2020 saw drop in children having dental exams, cleaning

(HealthDay)—From 2019 to 2020, there was a decrease in the percentage of children aged 1 to 17 years who had a dental examination or cleaning, according to a December data brief published by the U.S. Centers for Disease ...

Dentistry

A new phenotype of LRP6 mutation

A group led by Prof. Han Dong of Peking University School of Stomatology reported for the first time hand preaxial polydactyly in patients with tooth agenesis carrying a previously unknown mutation of low-density lipoprotein ...