Researchers May Have Discovered Mechanism Connecting Periodontal Disease, Other Inflammatory Conditions

University of Toronto may have found “the mechanism of action” connecting “periodontal disease and certain inflammatory conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes.” The researchers suggest the connection may be “rooted in a hyperactive immune response.” The findings were published in the Journal of Dental Research. The University of Toronto …

Study: Nearly All Toddlers, And The Majority Of Babies, Eat Too Much Added Sugar In The US

CNN reports that a new analysis of national data “published Wednesday finds 98% of toddlers and two-thirds of infants consume added sugars in their diets each day.” In the study, infants aged 6 to 11 months “were typically given added sugars via flavored yogurt, baby snacks and sweet bakery products; …

Chewing Sugarless Gum May Help Prevent Tooth Decay, Review Finds

The Press Trust of India reports a systematic review suggests that chewing sugarless gum may “reduce the advancement of dental caries” and “be used as a viable preventative agent.” The researchers analyzed “12 studies published in the past 50 years which explored the impact and intervention outcome of chewing sugar-free …

Study Finds Dental Offices Among Safest, Most Essential Businesses Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Fast Company (6/15, Cohen) reported that a new study “identifies the businesses that have the best overall risk-benefit profiles when weighing important factors such as essential value to shoppers and the economy, as well as relative risk of contracting COVID-19 – or as one researcher put it, which businesses give …

Researchers Find “Normal” Body Temperature Has Dropped

TIME states that 98.6°F (37°C) has been considered the “normal” human body temperature since 1871, but “in a paper published last week in eLife, researchers at Stanford University reported that the normal human body temperature has dropped since that time.” Looking at data “collected between 1862 and 2017,” the team …

Antibiotic Use – and Overuse

Antibiotic resistance is one of the most serious public health problems in the United States and threatens to return us to the time when simple infections were often fatal. CDC works to improve antibiotic prescribing and use in human health care, and educate patients about the importance of appropriate use. …

New Research Strengthens Association Between Gum Disease, Alzheimer’s

Noting that a study published earlier in the year in Science Advances found Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) may play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s, New Atlas reports researchers have “followed this line of investigation further,” exploring “the relationship between Pg and Alzheimer’s by examining brain samples of deceased subjects, both …