Concorde’s Kansas City Dental Hygiene Program Gives Kids a Smile

Concorde Career College in Kansas City is participating in the American Dental Association’s Give Kids a Smile Program. This annual event provides free dental hygiene services to local qualifying children and raises awareness of the epidemic of untreated dental disease.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one in four children aged 2 to 11 have untreated cavities in their baby teeth. In the U.S. alone, 9 million children lack health insurance and twice that number lack access to oral health services.

Concorde’s Dental Hygiene Program Director, Sandy Roe emphasizes that it is not only important to provide free services, but also to educate the community of the need. “Dental disease is preventable, yet dental care is the most common unmet health need in children today. The key is to build local, public, and private partnerships to increase access to oral healthcare to solve this crisis,” added Roe. “Concorde continues to serve Kansas City’s basic dental needs with our Dental Hygiene Clinic.”

“This is a great opportunity to serve the community and remind them of the resources available in our Dental Hygiene Clinic,” states Jami Frazier, Vice President of Operations for Concorde.

On Thursday, February 21, 2013, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Concorde Dental Hygiene Clinic will be providing free services to an estimated 50 children within the Kansas City metro area. The clinic will be staffed with one dentist, five hygienists, one assistant and 48 dental hygiene students.

Concorde Career College’s Dental Hygiene Clinic is located at 3217 Broadway Street, Suite 500, Kansas City, Missouri, 64111. To make an appointment, call 1-816-595-2079.

Source: Yahoo! / http://news.yahoo.com/concorde-kansas-city-dental-hygiene-program-gives-kids-174625607.html

Soap to Brush Your Teeth?

My friend once told me that her dad uses soap in cleaning his teeth and I was like “Seriously?!”, confused and shocked to hear that, plus I don’t know if they have a toothpaste at their house. Just recently, I found out that it is not only her Dad who does that, but other people  as well.

Here is the article:

Early yesterday two friends both sent me a link to the same blog post on brushing your teeth with bar soap or commercial tooth soap within a few minutes of each other!

“Karma”?

The blog was written by Dr. W. Gifford-Jones, a medical journalist with a private practice in Toronto in response to a report by Dr. Gerald F. Judd, professor emeritus of chemistry at Purdue University, who recommends using bar soap or commercial tooth soap instead of toothpaste!

According to Dr. Judd, all toothpastes contain glycerin which coats the teeth with a sticky film and prevents the enzyme adenosine diphosphatase (ADP) from providing phosphate to rebuild enamel.  He goes on to state that this oily substance often takes 20 or more rinses to remove.

Dr. Judd, like myself, is also against sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and fluoride so he now has my attention and therefore,  from my perspective, this means that most commercial  toothpastes might be worse to use than nothing at all.

Even better, Dr. Judd states that soap kills bacteria and viruses and removes oils like glycerin thereby allowing for greater remineralization of enamel.

Dr. Gifford –Jones in response to this information states that he is going to put it to the test and will report back in three months with the results.  The good doctor suggests that “all hell” from the dental profession would descend upon him as a result of this information.

He states in his post that he admires people who have the fortitude to question well-established theories that may be wrong; I second that opinion, would like to thank him for publishing this information and look forward to hearing his results in three months time!

What do you think?

Here on my blog, you’ll get commentluv. This is a plug in that allows you to leave a link back to your own site when you leave feedback. But you don’t have to be a blogger to leave a comment, I’d love to hear from everyone.

Until next time,

Kathleen”

Article Source:

Woodland and Dental / http://woodlanddental.ca/press/2011/03/29/soap-to-brush-your-teeth-my-response/

 

 

 

Gingivitis Bacteria Manipulate Your Immune System So They Can Thrive In Your Gums

I have no idea how serious a simple gingivitis could be after reading this article:

 

Gingivitis Bacteria Manipulate Your Immune System So They Can Thrive In Your Gums

A new research report published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology shows how the bacteria known for causing gum disease–Porphyromonas gingivalis–manipulates the body’s immune system to disable normal processes that would otherwise destroy it. Specifically, the report shows that this pathogen prompts the production of the anti-inflammatory molecule Interleukin-10 (IL-10). This, in turn, inhibits the function of T-cells, which would otherwise help to protect the host from this particular microbial infection. 

 

 

“Since greater than 50 percent of the U.S. population over 50 years-of-age develop adult periodontal disease, we hope that the results of our study will ultimately help in the development of novel treatments that could prevent or ameliorate the chronic infection caused by the pathogen P. gingivalis,'” said Jannet Katz, D.D.S., Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.

To make this discovery, scientists used cells from mice that were exposed to P. gingivalis. One portion of the cells was treated with an inhibiting antibody against IL-10 and the other portion of cells was not treated. All of the cells were then tested for interferon gamma production. An increase of interferon gamma production was seen in the treated cells, but no increase was found in the untreated cells. These findings suggest that the damage done by P. gingivalis happens when the immune cells of the host are first exposed to this pathogen, and further implies that for treatment to be successful, it must be started as early as possible. This study highlights the mechanism by which P. gingivalis can establish a chronic infection in the form of periodontal disease and provides insight into how the disease develops. Results also demonstrate the importance of very early intervention either by eradication of the bacterium with specifically designed therapeutics or by prevention via the development of an effective vaccine. 

“Gum diseases and the infections that cause them can be incredibly stubborn and difficult to treat,” said John Wherry, Ph.D., Deputy Editor of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology. “What isn’t as well known is why these infections are so difficult to eradicate. These new studies now demonstrate that these bacteria go beyond merely evading our body’s defenses and actually manipulate our immune systems for their own survival.”

 

Resources:  Medical News Today

                    http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/254592.php