River Ridge Dental Care Blog

CHICAGO (April 12, 2012) — On Tuesday, April 10, 2012, in the journal Cancer, the American Cancer Society published an article entitled “Dental X-Rays and Risk of Meningioma,” which summarized a study that sought to develop a correlation between dental radiographs and brain cancer.

According to the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), a professional association of more than 37,000 general dentists dedicated to providing quality dental care and oral health information to the public, the study’s findings are not applicable to modern dentistry because the study was based upon an examination of outdated radiographic techniques, which produced considerably more radiation than patients would be exposed to today.

“Modern radiographic techniques and equipment provide the narrowest beam and shortest exposure, thereby limiting the area and time of exposure and reducing any possible risks while providing the highest level of diagnostic benefits,” said AGD President Howard Gamble, DMD, FAGD. “Today, patient safety is always maintained with the recommended use of thyroid collars and aprons.”

The article from the American Cancer Society, which received attention from many reputable news outlets, could cause the public to decide to limit or even refuse X-rays in an effort to keep their families safe.

“It is regrettable to think that an article based on outdated technology could scare the public and cause them to avoid needed treatment,” said Dr. Gamble. “With the radiography techniques in use today, the amount of radiation exposure is reduced and more controlled than it was in years past.”

The AGD supports radiographic guidelines provided by the American Dental Association (ADA) and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, and concurs with the ADA that dentists should order dental radiographs for patients only when necessary for diagnosis and treatment.

The AGD encourages patients to discuss their concerns with their dentists in order to determine what’s best for them. The AGD also encourages dentists to communicate with their patients and address any unexpressed concerns of radiographic risks in order to reduce fear and promote a better understanding of the benefits and the risks associated with the specific needs of each patient.

“Neglecting one’s oral health has serious oral and systemic risks,” said Dr. Gamble. “Radiographs play an important role in improving the oral health of the public, and patients should not be deterred from seeking oral health care due to misperceptions from this study.”

The Cancer study contained many inconsistencies and possibilities for error, including the fact that its findings were based upon a population-based case-control study. This means that it relied upon the patients themselves to recall and self-report past events, many of which were from decades earlier.

The AGD supports ongoing scientific research on any correlations between dental radiographs and incidents of disease in an effort to provide the most accurate information to the public and to correct any misperceptions created by the Cancerstudy.

The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) is a professional association of more than 37,000 general dentists dedicated to providing quality dental care and oral health education to the public. AGD members stay up-to-date in their profession through a commitment to continuing education. Founded in 1952, the AGD is the second largest dental association in the United States, and it is the only association that exclusively represents the needs and interests of general dentists. A general dentist is the primary care provider for patients of all ages and is responsible for the diagnosis, treatment, management, and overall coordination of services related to patients’ oral health needs. For more information about the AGD, visit www.agd.org.

Contact: The AGD public relations department at 312.440.4974 or media@agd.org.

Note:  Information that appears in General Dentistry, the AGD’s peer-reviewed journal, AGD Impact, the AGD’s newsmagazine, and related press releases do not necessarily reflect the endorsement of the AGD.

Scientists affiliated with a large, 7-year study, titled Orofacial Pain:  Prospective Evaluation and Risk Assessment (OPPERA), supported by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), have published the preliminary results of the most comprehensive and systematic analysis to date of risk factors associated with chronic temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders (TMJ).  These findings are published in a special issue of the Journal of Pain and include:

1. In women, the risk for chronic TMJ increases between the ages of 18 and 44 years, the age range evaluated in the study.  Previous studies have suggested that the risk was greatest during a woman’s early childbearing years and decreased thereafter.  In young men (ages 18 to 44 years), age was unrelated to TMJ incidence.
2. Chronic TMJ incidence does not correlate with low socioeconomic status.  This finding is in stark contrast to trends seen in other chronic pain conditions.
3. Chronic TMJ seems to be associated with alterations in some parts of the nervous system that control pain perception.  Researchers found that TMJ patients, when compared to healthy study volunteers, were much more sensitive to a variety of stimuli that evoke mildly painful sensations.  They also show elevated heart rate responses at rest and during mild physical and psychological stress.
4. Genetic variability contributes to chronic TMJ.  Researchers found that chronic TMJ patients had alterations in several genes, including some known to influence stress response, psychological well being, and inflammation.  These findings may help to explain the origins of TMJ and provide new targets for drugs to treat chronic pain.
5. TMJ patients frequently experienced many more chronic pain conditions, such as lower back pain, headaches, and fibromyalgia.  Evidence of abnormal jaw function associated with teeth grinding and clenching was also observed.  Future investigations will attempt to unravel whether grinding and clenching is a cause or consequence of the condition.

The director of NIDCR, Dr. Martha Somerman, said that these “initial results from the OPPERA Study mark an important first step in providing a clearer, more definitive accounting of the risk factors associated with TMJ and related conditions.  It has a lot more data in the pipeline, and the next few years will be extremely interesting and should greatly improve the diagnosis of TMJ.”

In response to what some say is a growing body of “misinformation” from antifluoride activists,
three national healthcare organizations on Tuesday launched the Campaign for Dental
Health, designed to educate the public about oral health and the need for U.S.
states and communities to invest in water fluoridation and other forms of
prevention.

“As a country, we have made great strides in oral health for our kids,” said
Bill Bentley, president and CEO of Voices for America’s Children, in a press
conference announcing the campaign. “But as a country, we are still letting our
children down. Some 16.5 million kids go without dental care every year in the
U.S., and children are most susceptible to tooth decay.”

The campaign will provide reliable, scientific information about oral health
through its new website, iLikeMyTeeth.org, with particular emphasis on water fluoridation.
The website will also link to FluorideScience.org, another site that will soon
go public, providing policymakers and health officials with concise, reliable
reviews of the research on fluoride.

“Water fluoridation is largely responsible for a tremendous decline in tooth
decay among our children,” Bentley said. “Simply put, it’s a no-brainer. It
helps the community protect its teeth without demanding people change their
lifestyles, and it pays for itself through savings in Medicaid.”

Currently, 72% of Americans whose homes are connected to public water systems
receive drinking water that is fluoridated. Yet less than half of residents in
nine states — Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, New Hampshire, New
Jersey , Oregon, and Wyoming — have access to fluoridated water. In all, more
than 70 million Americans lack access to fluoridated water.

Although the overall rate of fluoridation continues to rise, a small but
determined band of antifluoride activists is actively pressing communities not
to fluoridate. These activists are using the Internet to raise unfounded fears
and spread misinformation, ignoring the evidence showing that fluoridation is a
safe, effective strategy.

“We are in an era where states and local budgets are under a tremendous
strain, and communities need to ensure that what they are funding provides the
most bang for the buck. Water fluoridation certainly does that,” said Shelley
Gehshan, director of the Children’s Dental Health Campaign at the Pew Center on
the States. “However, over the years there has a been a persistent effort by a
very small group of activists to circulate inaccurate information and misleading
facts to try and stop communities from fluoridating and roll back fluoridation
in communities that already have it. And some communities wrongly believe they
will save money by cutting fluoridation, but studies have shown that they will
spend more in the long run.”

In fact, elected officials in several communities from Alaska to Florida have
voted recently to end water fluoridation. Some of these votes were prompted by
unfounded fears about safety or the desire to save tax dollars — a goal that is
dispelled by evidence showing that most cities save $38 for every dollar spent
on fluoridation, according to Pew.

“Public policy decisions about health should be based on sound science,”
Gehshan said. “Antifluoride activists are using a number of arguments that
misrepresent what the research says. Opponents have tried to raise fears about
fluoridation’s safety by citing foreign studies of fluoride levels that were at
least two or three times higher than the level used to fluoridate U.S. public
water systems.”

For the past 65 years, communities across the U.S. have been supplementing
naturally occurring fluoride in their water supplies to reach a level considered
sufficient to promote oral health, especially among children. The fluoride level
long recommended by health officials to prevent caries has been set at a range
of 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams per liter (mg/L) of water. Earlier this year, the
Department of Health and Human Services proposed the level be set at 0.7 mg/L of
water.

Water that is fluoridated at the optimum level, as recommended by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, is something parents can have confidence in,
added Mary Brown, MD, former member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
Board of Directors.

“The AAP and others who have joined this campaign are concerned by the
frightening messages that are being communicated to the public about water
fluoridation,” she said.

Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), the most commonly used detergent/surfactant in toothpaste as well as several other personal care products, has been known to cause adverse effects on oral soft tissues.  Although the exact reason is unknown, this detergent can disrupt the structural integrity of oral tissues and lead to sloughing or peeling off of the outer layers.  This condition is called oral mucosal desquamation and is characterized by a collection of white, string-like residue within the mouth.  SLS has also been blamed for a number of other conditions, including canker sores and bad breath.  The harshness of this detergent can aggravate existing oral problems, and cause some new ones.

There are a few detergent-free toothpastes available that do not result in oral desquamation.  If you experience any sloughing off of your oral tissues after using toothpaste, try some of the following brandnames:  ClōSYS Sulfate-Free Fluoride Toothpaste, Biotene Dry Mouth Original or Gel, or Tom’s of Maine Clean and Gentle Care with Fluoride.  Both Drs. Camp and Heubner use ClōSYS, which we sell here in our office.

A common complaint of these SLS-free toothpastes is that they do not foam up in the mouth, which leads some to think that their teeth are not being cleaned as well.  This is not the case, however, as the amount of foaming action is unrelated to how well toothpaste cleans teeth and tissues.

Changes abound at Camp’s office.