Latest Updates!

Hello dear readers, I haven't seen anything interesting happening on the research front so haven't reported anything for some time now. I am sure there will some interesting new happenings soon.
The latest news however is that Emdogain ( Staumann Regenration Product) got permission to enter into US again after a ban in 2007. Read the details here!

My earlier blog post about career options in dentistry as been one of the most viewed article on this site. I also found a nice interesting article which discusses research as a career choice for dentist. Read the article here. though the article is from a Indian journal it is applicable to any international dentist thinking of research as career in US.

For those interested in Dental implant videos, can watch all the videos on this site at the video gallery link located on the left side bar.

Keep reading and commenting!
Best wishes.....

Computer Guided Implants- A Unique Academy & Video

Computer aided implantology academy(CIA Academy) is a nonprofit association formed to provide continuous stimulus and education in computer aided implantology to the prosthodontists and implantologist. The traditional surgical approach has been revolutionized by the use of computer and software systems and platforms such as SimPlant®, SurgiGuides®, Procera®, Implant3D®, to name a few. Visit site here: CIA Academy

Below is one such video of computer guided flapless surgery.

Thanks to Dr. F. Valente & Dr. A. Sbrenna –Italy for this video.

IMTEC acquired by 3M- Interesting times for Mini Implant.

IMTEC Corp. is a well known name to those who know about mini implants. Yesterday 3M company acquired IMTEC Corp. IMTEC Corp has been the leading manufacturer of dental implants and cone beam computed tomography scanning equipment. The mini implants produced by Imtech is small diameter, single unit implants which do not need invasive surgery.

This is what IMTEC had to say
"This acquisition gives 3M ESPE access to two of the fastest growing segments in the dental industry. “Our combined digital products and expertise will enable a digital ‘total restorative’ approach with more options than ever, including IMTEC implants, 3M™ ESPE™ Lava™ crowns, and 3M’s advanced digital workflow solutions,” said Jeffrey Lavers, vice president and general manager, 3M ESPE. “Together, we will have an end-to-end implantology solution, making the process easier, faster and better for dentists everywhere.”

Another press release quote IMTEC as "This acquisition does not impact our commitment to continue to work with you in serving the dental market and exploring ways to strengthen our relations. It does not affect any other aspect of our current business with you."

The combination of two big companies now entering into the dental implant field makes it more interesting and all eyes will be on them to see how the mini implant market will be affected. Its interesting times in field of mini implants.

Read the IMTEC announcement here: Click here

Solar Tooth Brush

Did you any time think of brushing without tooth paste?? or for a change brushing in sunlight? Well you may do this one day when you have one of this new brush which works on solar energy. Soladey-J3X is a solar tooth brush made by Shiken Company of Japan with help of researchers Dr. Kunio Komiyama and his colleague Dr. Gerry Uswak. According to Komiyama, this brush needs solar light as the panel located as the base of the brush uses this light to transmit electrons to the top of the brush thorough a lead wire. These electrons react with the acid in the mouth and helps break down plaque without the need for toothpaste. When tested in the lab on two of the periodontal pathogens, the brush brought about complete destruction of the bacterial cells. Lets wait for the results from the clinical investigation on the brush been carried out at University of Saskatchewan.

Adapted from:

cannada.com(source:Janet French)

Human Oral Microbiome Database

The microbes of the oral cavity have always been a field of great interest to the scientists and there has been so much research around it. All the research has now been gathered into one place and is been developed into a Human Oral Microbiome Database [HOMD]. The scientists from The Forsyth Institute in Boston and King’s College London in England have put together this comprehensive database of approximately 600 distinct oral microorganisms.

The database has been considered to be digital equivalent of an Oxford dictionary of oral microorganisms, providing detailed biological entries for each species and an extensive catalogue of the thousands of genes that these microbes express.

The database also categorizes each microbe by its 16S rRNA sequence, a distinctive fingerprint of genetic information that scientists have used for the past two decades to identify microorganisms. This sequence information allows the microbes to be placed in a family tree that shows how they are related to one another. For those organisms whose DNA has been sequenced, HOMD provides online tools to view and analyze all of their genes and proteins. Each category of information in the database is interlinked, readily searchable, appropriately annotated, and will be frequently updated to remain current.

Full and partial oral bacterial genome sequences determined as part of this project and the Human Microbiome Project, are being added to the HOMD as they become available. HOMD offers easy to used tools for viewing all publically available oral bacterial genomes.

The HOMD presents a provisional naming scheme for the currently unnamed species so that strain, clone, and probe data from any laboratory can be directly linked to a stably named reference entity. The HOMD links sequence data with phenotypic, phylogenetic, clinical, and bibliographic information.

According to Dr. Bruce Paster, Ph.D., at The Forsyth Institute and another project scientist. "Since oral microorganisms appear in infections throughout the human body, the HOMD database certainly will be useful to physicians. Likewise, microbiologists in industry will find HOMD helpful because oral microbes sometimes contaminate food or the drug manufacturing process."

PerioTalk: When I checked the website I found it to be very user friendly and useful. All the oral organisms have been listed with in depth details of general and phenotypic characteristics, 16S rRNA sequence for most of the organisms, PubMed search links and Nucleotide search links. I am sure this database is as helpful tool for both the scientists and the novice. Its one place stop for all the information regarding the oral microbes. Visit the site at :www.homd.org

Adapted from:
1) NIH Original press release
Source: Bob Kuska
http://www.nih.gov/news/health/mar2008/nidcr-25.htm
2) HODM website : http://www.homd.org

Bioengineering Helps Develop Tooth and Bone

The ability to bioengineer combined tooth and bone constructs, which would grow in a coordinated fashion with the surrounding tissues, could potentially improve the clinical outcomes, and also reduce patient suffering.

Under the guidance of Dr. Pamela C. Yelick, a research team at Tufts University (Boston, MA), first reported the regeneration of tooth crowns, from cultured tooth bud cells seeded onto biodegradable scaffolds and implanted into rat hosts. Next, they generated a hybrid tooth-bone construct, by combining a bone-marrow-derived stem-cell-seeded scaffold with the previously used tooth model, implanted and grown in the omenta (tissues connecting abdominal structures) of rat hosts.

Their results showed the formation of organized bioengineered dental tissues closely resembling those of naturally formed teeth, including dentin, enamel, pulp, and periodontal ligament, after 12 weeks of implantation. These results demonstrate the feasibility and therapeutic potential for regenerating tooth and bone from autologous stem cells, for craniofacial reconstructions in humans. This model is currently being modified to improve alveolar bone formation, regenerated dental tissue orientation, tooth root development, and tooth eruption.

This is a summary of abstract #1168, "Reconstructing Mandibular Defects with Autologous Bioengineered Tooth and Bone", by W. Zhang et al., of Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA, presented on April 5, 2008, during the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Dental Research.

Reference:
International & American Association for Dental Research (2008, April 5). Reconstructing Mandibular Defects With Bioengineered Tooth And Bone. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 22, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/04/080405095752.htm

Dairy Products! Way To Periodontal Health

The recent article in Jol Of Peridontology reports the beneficial effects of dairy products on periodontal disease. Study Abstract. This is a interesting finding which encourages one to intake more dairy products in ones diet. Looking critically into the study we find facts that should be taken into account.

The study included a study population between age 40 through 79 years. The older population is known to have increased prevalence of periodontal disease and osteoporosis. Research has shown relationship between osteoporosis and alveolar bone loss. Decreased mineral density in body including jaw bone would leave alveolar bones more susceptible to periodontal disease.

The study included dairy products like milk, cheese, and lactic acid foods (yogurt and lactic acid drinks). Lactic acid is known to increase calcium absorption in intestine. Consumption of foods rich in lactose is bound to produce more lactic acid, lowering the local pH, bringing it to ideal level of calcium absorption. Research has shown the correlation between poor absorption, decreased intake of lactose and poor absorption of calcium, a factor which can lead to the development of osteoporosis and fractures.

Another interesting fact about Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is that they are immuno-modulatory and stimulate the nonspecific host defense mechanism. This results in increased phagocytic activity and release of immunological molecules such as secretory IgA which acts against pathogens. Some of the lactic acid bacterial strains are shown to produce biosurfactants. These surfactants exhibit strong adhesive properties against some of the known oral bacteria like S.mutans, S.epidermidis, C. albicans to various substrata. These surfactants coat the substratum and thereby change the physiochemical properties of it. This in turn would interfere with the adhesion of the target strains, either inhibiting their adhesion or releasing bound cells, which could affect the composition of the plaque formed. Therefore presence of more number of LAB in the oral cavity could act as probiotic and be beneficial.

So definitely consumption of foods rich in lactic acid (Dairy foods) would benefit us in improving our oral and general health in more than one way…..So next time just remember to have more cheese on your pizza!!.

More reasons to smile with new cosmetic gums

Party gums were something I had read about in my dental school days. As a periodontist I have often seen people complaining about gummy smiles or long teeth. Often surgical procedures are remedy to both the excessive gums and the toothy grin to make those smile more aesthetically pleasing. Some times the recession cannot be corrected because of the hard or soft tissue compromise.
This new invention has made some of answers to the above questions easier and less painful to those who want to opt out of the surgical procedures. This is possible from the new ceramic material ZIRCONIA created at Centre for Image dentistry in Bethesda, Maryland. This procedure pioneered by Dr Kristallis creates a realistic looking gums with texture, color and tint exactly matched by the dentist and which fits exactly, can be glued to in a matter of 10 mins.

Read more here
1) Cosmetic gums
2)New cosmetic gums developed :

Watch Video here

A Device to Grow Your Own Teeth (Repost)

A MACHINE that makes teeth grow back could be on market within two years.

The tiny ultrasound device fitted into the mouth where it gently massages gums to stimulate growth from the root.

Inventors intended it to help repair fractured or diseased teeth, but it could be developed to regrow teeth which have been knocked out.

Eventually the same technology could be even used to grow bones, raising the possibility that people could make themselves taller.

The system, developed by scientists at the University of Alberta, Canada, is wireless and controlled by pocket-sized remote carried by the patient. It needs to be activated for 20 minutes a day four weeks for noticeable results.

(As published in Daily Mail, Friday, June 30, 2006, a Scottish newspaper)

(Since this is a interesting piece of information I thought of reposting it once again)

Fresh Teeth in a Petridish!

Science just keeps growing and getting better. First we had dentures, then we had implants and now scientists in Japan are able to grow mouse teeth in a Petri dish. This budding tooth was dropped in place of a extreacted incisor seemed to develop into natural teeth with pulp, blood vessels and roots. In times to come humans teeth development should also be possible.
Bioengenering of organs sure is in its earliest phase but promises some intresting times ahead.
If Intrested you can read more about this HERE

Thanks to Ayman for the link