News: Dentistry @ the URMC

Contrary to conventional wisdom, overweight children have fewer cavities and healthier teeth compared to their normal weight peers, according to a study published in this month’s issue of Community Dentistry & Oral Epidemiology.

Surprised researchers at the Eastman Dental Center, part of the University of Rochester Medical Center, conducted a secondary analysis of nearly 18,000 children who participated in two separate National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES III and NHANES 99-02).

The study found no differences in rates of caries (tooth decay) among children ages 2-5 in all weight ranges, while children ages 6-18 who were considered overweight and at risk for becoming overweight showed a decreased risk of caries compared to their normal weight peers.

“We expected to find more oral disease in overweight children of all ages, given the similar causal factors that are generally associated with obesity and caries, said Eastman Dental Center’s Dorota Kopycka-Kedzierawski, DDS, MPH, the lead author. “Our findings raise more questions than answers. For example, are overweight children eating foods higher in fat rather than cavity-causing sugars? Are their diets similar to normal weight peers but lead more sedentary lifestyles? Research to analyze both diet and lifestyle is needed to better understand the results.”

The study defined overweight children as being at the 95th or higher percentile for their age and sex; children at the 85th or higher percentile and less than 95th percentile for their age and sex were defined as at risk for becoming overweight.

See also:
ScienceDaily April 3, 2008

The Eastman Dental Center was recently featured in  WHAM News 13’s story Dental Care for Kids—Still a Nightmare for Some.

A class of chemicals in red wine grapes may significantly reduce the ability of bacteria to cause cavities.

The recent study examined the make-up of polyphenols in red wine grape varieties and their ability to interfere with Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans), the bacteria that produces the substances most responsible for tooth decay.  The study was conducted by assistant professor of Dentistry, Dr. Hyun Koo, of the Eastman Department of Dentistry and Center for Oral Biology in collaboration with the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station at Cornell University.

Read the full release here.

“Benefits of Red Wine” also featured on News 10 Whec.com .

Eastman Dental Center, at the University of Rochester Medical Center, has landed a five-year, $532,000 grant to explore teledentistry, a novel approach that uses an intraoral camera to image teeth and tooth surfaces. The grant was awarded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, of the National Institutes of Health.

Recent studies by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed that tooth decay in young children’s baby teeth is on the rise. Early Childhood Caries is often an acute and debilitating form of tooth decay that, when caught too late, can only be treated in the operating room

Over the next five years, more than 500 preschool children enrolled in six different inner city day care centers will be examined to determine if teledentistry is useful in identifying at-risk children before extensive treatment is needed. The children will receive an initial baseline exam, and then will be re-examined six and 12 months later.

Oral health problems are one of the leading causes of absenteeism from school – 52 million school hours are missed each year by children nationwide. Rochester has the highest rate of child poverty in New York, representing a significant challenge to improving overall health and well being.

“Intervention at an early age is critical,” said Dorota Kopycka-Kedzierawski, DDS, MPH, who is leading the research effort. “Teledentistry can help more children by preventing and detecting early childhood tooth decay.” This technology allows trained personnel to take and transfer digital pictures of a child’s mouth in day care or preschool so they can be reviewed by pediatric dentists remotely. Providers can then recommend next steps and treatment for the child that may have otherwise not happened for months or years.

This effort follows Eastman Dental Center’s successful pilot teledentistry initiative last year, where more than 40 percent of the 200 children ages 1 to 5 screened at inner-city daycare centers had cavities and 95 percent of whom had never seen a dentist.

“Many parents mistakenly think that because baby teeth will fall out, taking care of them isn’t important,” said Kopycka-Kedzierawski. “Nothing could be further from the truth. Baby teeth play an important role as placeholders for permanent teeth, and if they are removed too early, adult teeth may become overcrowded or misaligned. When there is decay in baby teeth, there is a better chance of decay occurring in adult teeth.”

A world leader in residency training and research initiatives, Eastman Dental Center each year treats thousands of Rochester-area patients by providing a full range of general and specialized dentistry including pediatrics, periodontology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics and prosthodontics. Established in 1915, the Center is the only major post doctoral dental education, research and clinical institution in the U.S. within an academic medical center. The legacy of George Eastman continues to thrive with its extensive community outreach program helping underserved residents.

Also reported by WHEC TV, WXXI News, Rochester Business Journal, Democrat and Chronicle.