Today's RDH

Substance abuse is on the rise across America with an estimated 3 million new users every year. This population has unique needs and identifying and understanding the consequences of substance abuse on dental health is crucial. A new review published in the journal, Addiction, shows a link between substance abuse and poorer dental health. Patients with a substance-abuse disorder have greater amounts...

It was simply a matter of time before smart technology met up with dentistry. In what can become a game changer in the dental industry, researchers are discovering a methodology for reducing the incidence of recurrent dental caries. Restorations: An Ideal Bacteria Building Chamber In what is likely a classic conundrum, for years dentists have struggled with recurrent caries. Recurrent caries...

Disclosure: We value transparency at Today’s RDH. This quiz is sponsored content from Dentsply Sirona Preventive as part of our sponsored partner program. 

Dental health problems, particularly the impact of various types of dental bacteria, is a complicated situation that is difficult to assess. Numerous studies have been taken to understand how genetics and environmental factors impact a child's dental development. The finding of one recent study is worth examining alongside that of similar reviews to get a feel for how parents...

Emerging research into the diagnostic phase of endodontics has exciting implications for emergency care, structural restoration, function, aesthetics, and most importantly--interdisciplinary care. Multidisciplinary dentistry has become essential for optimizing the patient outcome as well as the comfort and confidence of the clinician. The advances in technology afforded by thoughtful research allow for enhanced endodontic predictability. Learning endodontics techniques is an important method for...

The 2018 flu season has been one of the worst in 15 years. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in the final week of January 2018, 7.1% of all outpatient visits were for flu-like symptoms, an increase of .5% from the week before. This season has already led to the tragic deaths of 53 children from influenza, and it may only be...

A recent thesis out of Sahlgrenska Academy (of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden) is convincingly positing the importance of proper dental hygiene education in battling rising obesity levels among children. Studying the Diets of Children Specifically, one of the sub-studies presented in the paper "Diets of European Children, With Focus on BMI, Well-being, and Families" looked into eating behaviors in addition...

Disclosure: We value transparency at Today’s RDH. This quiz is sponsored content from Dentsply Sirona Preventive as part of our sponsored partner program.

Aloe vera gel has shown remarkable promise in treating a variety of oral health conditions, as demonstrated in study after study. Recently, a small study examined the effects of aloe vera gel in conjunction with SRP to treat chronic periodontitis. Patients were given standard SRP in one quadrant, with SRP and local aloe vera gel in another quadrant. Upon reexamination on the...

Chronic periodontitis is a chronic inflammation of the gum tissues, caused by an excess of dental plaque and the body's immune response to the harmful bacteria. Over time, it causes loss of bone and soft tissues, and evidence exists that links chronic periodontitis with an increased risk of certain cancers, rheumatoid arthritis, and even Alzheimer's Disease. Periodontitis is a common health problem, affecting nearly half...

Not many people like going to a dental office, whether it’s because of the amount of time that is spent or because of dental anxiety. Therefore, as dental hygienists, we try our very best to ensure that each patient has a smooth time in the office and our patients feel comfortable. However, there are a few things that patients...

There’s a wide range of emotions that can come from being a dental hygienist. From dealing with co-workers, staying on schedule, the satisfaction of a patient improving their homecare, or the opposite – a patient not caring in the slightest about their health. However, there’s one emotion that can be hard to deal with because it continues to grow...

Disclosure: We value transparency at Today’s RDH. This quiz is sponsored content from Dentsply Sirona Preventive as part of our sponsored partner program. 

Gum disease runs the range of being mildly uncomfortable to downright painful. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control estimate that nearly half -- 47.2 percent -- of adults over age 30 have some form of periodontal disease. Caused by harmful oral bacteria that proliferate in our mouths, periodontal disease symptoms range from sensitive or bleeding gums to gums pulling...

The world has been using digital products for so long that no one can remember the old analog days. On the other hand, those needing dental help remember the analog days, because they're still with us. Making a plaster mold of the mouth, sending off for crowns, bridges, partial plates and dentures are still analog procedures. It seems the...

A particularly intriguing study from the field of anthropology may give modern dental practitioners a way to see if their patients are low on Vitamin D. Vitamin D is produced by the human body in the presence of sunlight and is necessary for bone growth and health -- including teeth. The fat-soluble vitamin is also needed for cell growth, immune system function...

The composite resin materials that are used in fillings and other dental restorations are durable and easy to match to the tooth's enamel color, but they don't do anything special to repel the bacteria that led to decay in the first place. Further, they don't help eradicate harmful bacteria from forming on and around the new filling. Now, researchers...

It seems like science fiction, but researchers at The University of Nevada Las Vegas have developed a method for the harvestation of viable, preservable stem cells from tooth root pulp. The stem cells are then multiplied in Petri dishes and frozen for possible future use to treat any number of chronic illnesses. The multidisciplinary research team at UNLV has worked diligently to develop a...

Researchers at Umea University in Sweden have recently released the results of a study that links highly virulent types of the Streptococcus mutans bacterium to children with increased risk of dental caries. The study, conducted over five years, sampled saliva from 452 children at 12 years of age and then reviewed their dental health again at 17 after five years of ordinary dental and...