Today's RDH
Today's RDH is for curious and passionate dental hygienists. We deliver the latest dental hygiene news, research, and entertainment on your phone, tablet, and computer.
Effects of Binge Drinking on Alveolar Bone Density
We all know how drinking alcohol affects your liver, kidneys, and perhaps even personal lives, but what about your mouth? Does drinking ethanol, or alcohol, negatively affect your teeth and jaw? A study, entitled Ethanol Binge Drinking Exposure Affects Alveolar Bone Quality And Aggravates Bone Loss In Experimentally-Induced Periodontitis, examines what damage sporadic or binge drinking cause on your...
Research Shows Tooth Loss May Lead to Cardiovascular Disease
Research reveals there may be a potential link between tooth loss and cardiovascular disease. Researchers presented data from a recent study at the Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Sessions during the 2018 American Heart Association's Epidemiology and Prevention conference. According to the results of the preliminary study, middle-aged patients who lost two or more of their natural teeth had a higher chance...
Regenerative Dentistry Research Reveals a New Way to Fix Dental Decay
A study published in Scientific Reports revealed an important advancement in the emerging field of regenerative dentistry. The researchers discovered certain drugs could help teeth regenerate and repair themselves. Dentists currently remove decay from a patient's tooth before restoring the tooth. However, dentists may be able to use this regenerative method to help patients’ teeth heal naturally instead of using synthetic materials to fill...
Proof of Concept: Shapeshifting Microbots Ability to Brush and Floss Teeth
Many of our patients find routine dental care burdensome, challenging, and time-consuming. It takes proper technique for oral home care to be efficacious, a technique that not all patients can achieve despite patients' best efforts and our best efforts with home care instruction. Even with the best technique, tooth morphology, deep grooves, furcation involvement, and crowding, among other factors,...
Better Dental Hygiene Linked to Improved Type 2 Diabetes Glycemic Levels
A study published in The Journal of Clinical Periodontology revealed a potential link between Type 2 diabetes and dental hygiene. The results of the study will have a significant impact in the medical community, especially because Type 2 diabetes accounts for approximately 90% of all diabetes cases and impacts over 30 million Americans according to the Center for Disease Control.
A randomized clinical study...
Should Dental Hygienists Hand Out Halloween Candy?
Halloween is just around the corner, which is exciting for children, but concerning for many parents. Along with safety hazards to consider, there's the issue of excess sugar. Some families opt out of the holiday completely, and others put parameters in place, to mitigate sugar overload and tooth decay. So, where do dentists and hygienists fall on this spectrum?...
Down Syndrome: Parents’ Perspectives on Gaps in Training/Dental Treatment Needs
Decades of research show that children with Down syndrome have a higher prevalence of oral and dental conditions than children without intellectual and developmental disabilities. These kids also have a higher chance of developing medical problems associated with or that can lead to oral health consequences. As a result, health care providers recommend that they seek ongoing support from...
Chances for Chronic Periodontitis Increase with Various Common Skin Diseases
A study called The Association Between Oral Health and Skin Disease recently appeared in the June 2020 edition of The Journal Of Clinical And Aesthetic Dermatology. They ask a question about two subjects that many people may not put together. Does a person's oral health cause, or exacerbate, any dermatological issues that we know of, and if they do, why?
We ask for our...
The Relationship Between Poor Dental Hygiene and Cancer
In a study released January 16, 2018, from the Health Sciences Campus at Tufts University, researchers are reporting a noticeable connection between gum disease and incidents of cancer.
Connecting the Dots
This study came about through the collaborative efforts between two epidemiologists, Dominique Michaud (Tufts University School of Medicine) and Elizabeth Platz (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Kimmel Cancer Center)....
Research Reveals Dental Professionals Should Educate Patients about Vaping
Researchers have gathered information about the potential negative side effects of tobacco products with an Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS). The results of the academic research were presented in the February 2019 edition of the Journal of Dental Hygiene under the title, "Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems: Current trends and patient education opportunities for dental hygienists."
About Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems
Electronic Nicotine...
Tooth Loss in Postmenopausal Women Linked to Hypertension
Research has revealed that postmenopausal women who have experienced tooth loss are more likely to be diagnosed with hypertension by their physician in the future. The study, "Association of Periodontal Disease and Edentulism with Hypertension Risk in Postmenopausal Women," was reported in the January 2019 edition of the American Journal of Hypertension.
About Hypertension
The heart circulates blood throughout the body...
Using Primary Teeth to Identify Children’s Risk of Mental Health Disorders
According to a report by WHO, an average of one billion people globally suffer from mental health disorders. Factors such as war, climate crisis, and social and economic problems are the greatest threats to mental health.
Mental Health Defined
Mental health is related to your cognitive, psychological, and emotional well-being, and mental health largely contributes to physical health, social life, and relationships. Common...
Researchers Look at Tooth Longevity after Root Canal Therapy
Patients often ask dental hygienists about doctors' treatment recommendations, including further explaining the need for treatment, the procedure itself, and the outcome of said treatment recommendation. One of those treatment recommendations is root canal treatment (RCT) and the longevity of treated teeth.
According to a study published in the Journal of Dental Research on the longevity of teeth after root canal treatment,...
NHANES Study: Over One in Five U.S. Adults Has Untreated Caries
The study, Update on The Prevalence of Untreated Caries in the U.S. Adult Population, 2017-2020, is the most recent, up-to-date study shining a light on the prevalence of untreated caries and the main reasons behind a patient's inability to secure care. From the beginning of our dental education, we have been told over and over that caries is the most...
How Expansions in Public Dental Coverage Affect Access to Dental Care
Physicians are excellent at keeping diseases at bay. Similarly, dental hygienists help prevent oral health diseases and screen for cancer and systemic disease. As we know, frequent visits to a dental health professional are one of the ways to keep a patient's mouth healthy and their entire body healthy too.
However, recent research results reveal that most adults in the U.S. continue...
Test Your Oral Manifestations of Infectious Diseases Knowledge
Lets test your knowledge on oral manifestations of infectious diseases.