BOSTON (April 3, 2013) — Researchers from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine have discovered a statistical association between the injection of local dental anesthesia given to children ages two to six and evidence of missing lower wisdom teeth. The results of this epidemiological study, published in the April issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association, suggest that injecting anesthesia into the gums of young children may interrupt the development of the lower wisdom tooth.

“It is intriguing to think that something as routine as local anesthesia could stop wisdom teeth from developing. This is the first study in humans showing an association between a routinely- administered, minimally-invasive clinical procedure and arrested third molar growth,” said corresponding author, Anthony R. Silvestri, D.M.D., clinical professor in the department of prosthodontics and operative dentistry at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine.

Wisdom teeth are potentially vulnerable to injury because their development – unlike all other teeth – does not begin until well after birth. Between two and six years of age, wisdom tooth (third molar) buds begin to develop in the back four corners of the mouth, and typically emerge in the late teens or early adulthood. Not everyone develops wisdom teeth, but for those who do, the teeth often become impacted or problematic.

The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons reports that nine out of 10 people will have at least one impacted wisdom tooth, which can cause bad breath, pain, and/or infection. For this reason, many dentists recommend surgery to remove wisdom teeth to prevent disease or infection.

A developing wisdom tooth, called a bud, is vulnerable to injury for a relatively long time because it is tiny, not covered by bone, and only covered by a thin layer of soft tissue. When a tooth bud first forms, it is no bigger than the diameter of the dental needle itself. The soft tissue surrounding the budding tooth is close to where a needle penetrates when routine dental anesthesia is injected in the lower jaw, for example when treating cavities.

Using the Tufts digital dental record system, the researchers identified records of patients who had received treatment in the Tufts pediatric dental clinic between the ages of two and six and who also had a dental x-ray taken three or more years after initial treatment in the clinic. They eliminated records with confounding factors, such as delayed dental development, and analyzed a total of 439 sites where wisdom teeth could develop in the lower jaw, from 220 patient records.

Group one, the control group (376 sites), contained x-rays of patients who had not received anesthesia on the lower jaw where wisdom teeth could develop. Group two, the comparison group (63 sites), contained x-rays from patients who had received anesthesia.

In the control group, 1.9% of the sites did not have x-ray evidence of wisdom tooth buds. In contrast, 7.9% of the sites in the comparison group – those who had received anesthesia – did not have tooth buds. The comparison group was 4.35 times more likely to have missing wisdom tooth buds than the control group.

“The incidence of missing wisdom teeth was significantly higher in the group that had received dental anesthesia; statistical evidence suggests that this did not happen by chance alone. We hope our findings stimulate research using larger sample sizes and longer periods of observation to confirm our findings and help better understand how wisdom teeth can be stopped from developing,” Silvestri continued. “Dentists have been giving local anesthesia to children for nearly 100 years and may have been preventing wisdom teeth from forming without even knowing it. Our findings give hope that a procedure preventing third molar growth can be developed.”

Silvestri has previously published preliminary research on third molar tooth development, showing that third molars can be stopped from developing when non- or minimally-invasive techniques are applied to tooth buds.

Poor oral health, dental disease, and tooth pain can put kids at a serious disadvantage in school, according to a new Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC study.

“The Impact of Oral Health on the Academic Performance of Disadvantaged Children,” appearing in the September 2012 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, examined nearly 1500 socioeconomically disadvantaged elementary and high school children in the Los Angeles Unified School District, matching their oral health status to their academic achievement and attendance records.

Ostrow researchers had previously documented that 73 percent of disadvantaged kids in Los Angeles have dental caries, the disease responsible for cavities in teeth. The new study shines light on the specific connection between oral health and performance in school for this population, said Roseann Mulligan, chair of the school’s Division of Dental Public Health and Pediatric Dentistry and corresponding author of the study.

Children who reported having recent tooth pain were four times more likely to have a low grade point average—below the median GPA of 2.8—when compared to children without oral pain, according to study results.

Poor oral health doesn’t just appear to be connected to lower grades, Mulligan said, adding that dental problems also seem to cause more absences from school for kids and more missed work for parents.

“On average, elementary children missed a total of 6 days per year, and high school children missed 2.6 days. For elementary students, 2.1 days of missed school were due to dental problems, and high school students missed 2.3 days due to dental issues,” she said. “That shows oral health problems are a very significant factor in school absences. Also, parents missed an average of 2.5 days of work per year to care for children with dental problems.”

A factor in whether children miss school due to dental health issues was the accessibility of dental care. Eleven percent of children who had limited access to dental care—whether due to lack of insurance, lack of transportation, or other barriers—missed school due to their poor oral health, as opposed to only four percent of children who had easier access to dental care.

“Our data indicates that for disadvantaged children there is an impact on students’ academic performance due to dental problems. We recommend that oral health programs must be more integrated into other health, educational and social programs, especially those that are school-based,” Mulligan said. “Furthermore, widespread population studies are needed to demonstrate the enormous personal, societal and financial burdens that this epidemic of oral disease is causing on a national level. “

Starting in January, Kool Smiles will provide children and parents selected PBS KIDS content. These will include links to PBS KIDS’ educational videos, online games, and PBS Parents articles, tips and blogs, on Kool Smiles’ website and social media presences. Additionally, printed activities will be available in Kool Smiles offices for kids and parents to take home. Kool Smiles will also feature PBS KIDS video content for families to view while they are at Kool Smiles offices.  These educational materials will be available at over 125 Kool Smiles locations, serving over 100 low-income communities across the United States.

“Kool Smiles is dedicated to creating a world full of happy, healthy smiles,” stated Dr. Polly Buckey, DDS, MS, a board certified Pediatric Dentist who serves as a spokesperson for Kool Smiles. “This new initiative is exciting because we recognize that education is a vital component to community development and we know that fun is a key component to making kids smile. And at Kool Smiles, that’s what we’re all about.”

Lesli Rotenberg, Senior Vice President, Children’s Media, PBS, added, “There are so many simple activities that parents can do with their children to help build key skills while they are out doing day-to-day errands. Waiting in the dentist’s office, for example, can be the perfect time to play a rhyming game or practice counting.  Through this project with Kool Smiles, we are putting our curriculum-based materials into the hands of even more families while they are on the go, to help make anytime a learning time.  From building literacy skills to encouraging exploration of science, the environment, and math, this initiative will further the mission of PBS KIDS, to support the wellbeing and learning of children across the United States through content that both entertains and educates.”

AnniesBid.com is a new charity auction website dedicated to raising money for causes selected by its bidder community. In 2011, it surpassed its goal of raising $10,000 for Operation Smile, an international children’s medical charity committed to providing free surgery and medical treatment for children around the world who suffer from clefts, which can be repaired in as little as 45 minutes, giving these children new smiles and hope for the future. AnniesBid’s fundraising will alleviate the suffering of 47 children without other access to such care.

AnniesBid.com has boldly committed in its mission statement to donating a majority of its profits to charity by contributing a portion of the final, gross purchase price of each item on the site to the featured charity, even where such a commitment has led to a loss on its auctions. The site did so by committing $1 per sign-up to its innovative Facebook fundraising app (http://www.facebook.com/Anniesbid) attracting over 3,000 users within a month. It parlayed this momentum into a successful launch that attracted hundreds of bidders, allowing it to meet its $10,000 goal ahead of schedule.

“Without the generosity of our supporters like AnniesBid.com, it would be impossible for us to provide free surgery – and smiles – for children worldwide,” said Dr. Bill Magee, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Operation Smile. “When you see a child look in the mirror for the first time after surgery, and then their parents’ tears of joy, you truly understand what a difference has been made in that child’s life, their family and the entire community.”

Those interested can still contribute to Operation Smile at AnniesBid through 2012 since select auctions will continue to raise funds for Operation Smile ensuring that the number of smiles in the world continue to grow through this charity and the contributions generated by AnniesBid.com bidders.

“We are so pleased to continue our support of Smiles Change Lives and see the organization grow and thrive. It’s heartwarming to see how many new orthodontists are taking part in helping less fortunate children with the help of SCL,” shares Mike Lane, Vice President, US Sales & Marketing, 3M Unitek.

3M’ s past support was key in expanding SCL’s network of orthodontic providers, which now totals close to 600 orthodontists nationwide. The company is a proponent of a number of SCL program initiatives and provides product support to SCL’s partner orthodontists.

“In order to serve several hundred more children in 2012 and address our backlog of applicants on our waiting list, Smiles Change Lives will need several hundred additional orthodontic providers,” shares Andrea Umbreit, Director of Marketing and Communications for Smiles Change Lives.

“Working with 3M for the past three years has been a tremendous asset in reaching caring doctors nationwide. Their support in 2012 is not only a sign of their dedication to our mission, but also their desire to help SCL achieve another record-breaking year of service to families in need,” adds Ms. Umbreit.

Lexicomp is the industry leader in delivering dental-specific drug information, drug interaction and clinical content for use at the point-of-care. With the recent growth in pediatric dentistry, Lexicomp’s Manual of Pediatric Dentistry is the first of its kind reference that general dentists have been searching for to competently and conscientiously treat children. Designed for both reference and immediate feedback of clinical information, diagnosis, and treatment protocols, the reference includes 14 chapters, 6 additional sub topics, and 180 photographs and images, making it the ideal chair-side photographic reference for the most common pediatric dental issues.

In addition to the new 157-page printed manual, this highly anticipated pediatric content is accessible in Lexicomp’s Web-based product, Lexicomp Online for Dentistry, as well as on mobile devices. Topic areas include: sample prescriptions for antibiotics, fluoride and pain control including dosing and instructions for each age group; traumatic injuries to the teeth and jaws; preoperative sedation routines and administration; most likely emergencies in a pediatric setting; eruption charts; and developmental tables.

“Our market research has shown that over 70% of dentists treat pediatric patients either daily or weekly, and they often have questions about treatment protocols,” said Steven Kerscher, Vice President and General Manager, Lexicomp. “We worked with industry experts to compile this valuable content, written by dentists for dentists, to serve the sensitive treatment needs of the pediatric population. We are excited to offer this unique title to the dental community,” added Kerscher.

Wolters Kluwer Health’s Clinical Solutions business unit provides evidence-based medical content, workflow-based applications software and services that allow clinicians to efficiently and effectively diagnose and document patient care. Key brands ProVation Medical, UpToDate®, Medi-Span®, Facts & Comparisons®, Lexicomp, Pharmacy OneSource® and Medicom (China) lead in market segments that include drug information, disease information, clinical patient order sets, clinical documentation and hospital pharmacy productivity applications.

Established in February 2011, the goal of the Center is to inform and advance research and policy analysis that will promote optimal oral health care for children.  Through the AAPD, the Center will conduct research studies and policy analysis to further the understanding of practices which will improve oral health for all children.

According to AAPD President Dr. Rhea M. Haugseth, “With the development of the POHRPC, the AAPD has demonstrated the importance of directing research and policies that will impact the oral health of our nation’s children. By selecting Dr. Paul Casamassimo as Director, we have clearly set the stage for unprecedented insight, thoroughly investigated research and clear, concise outcomes. Our Center will undoubtedly become the model for any that will follow under his thoughtful guidance.”

Dr. Casamassimo will continue his teaching, clinical, and scholarly duties at The Ohio State University and Nationwide Children’s Hospital while directing the Center.  A distinguished academian for more than 20 years, he received his dental degree from Georgetown University in 1974 and a Master of Science and Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry from the University of Iowa in 1976. He has taught at the University Of Iowa College Of Dentistry (1976-78) and the University Of Colorado School Of Dentistry (1978-88). Casamassimo is past president of the AAPD and past president of the Academy of Dentistry for the Handicapped, as well as past editor of the Journal of Dentistry for the Handicapped and Journal of Dentistry for Children.  He currently is a delegate to the Ohio Dental Association from the Columbus Dental Society, where he served as president in 2008 and vice president of the Ohio Dental Association.

Casamassimo has received numerous professional, humanitarian and teaching awards in his career. He is board-certified in pediatric dentistry and practices at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, where he is a past-president of the medical staff.  Casamassimo has authored over 300 publications, including three books, 31 text chapters and seven monographs in the areas of pediatric dentistry, care of children with special health care needs and dental education.

In response to his appointment, Dr. Casamassimo stated, “We have many challenges facing us as a nation, including eliminating oral health disparities in our children. The Policy Center’s purpose is to push the agenda of pediatric oral health with sound policy, watchful opinions, and meaningful and compassionate participation at the table of change. This is a position everyone passionate about children would love to have, and I feel fortunate to have this opportunity.”

With the help of a $1.5 million, three-year commitment by Trident to the SAA program, Oral Health America currently supports dental services to more than 350,000 children annually in underserved communities nationwide. Together with a network of community partners, SAA and Trident are working to address the need for school-based and school-linked oral disease prevention services.

Tooth decay in children is one of the most prevalent healthcare issues (1), yet more than eight in 10 (84%) American parents don’t realize this (2). In addition, 17% of parents that were recently surveyed reported that they had a child that missed at least one day of school due to dental related pain or illness (3).

Today, with the help of Trident, SAA expanded its reach to Apache Junction, AZ. Community leaders joined Trident and SAA to bring attention to the importance of oral health for children living in Apache Junction and nationwide.

With the new partnership, Smiles Across Pinal County will provide school-based preventive oral health services to children at four Pinal County schools.  The financial commitment of Trident is critical to Oral Health America’s expansion of services to school-based or school-linked dental programs in need of funding.

“We are very excited to welcome the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health’s program, Smiles Across Pinal County, into the SAA family of care providers,” said Beth Truett, President and CEO of Oral Health America. “By working in collaboration with Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health we can raise public awareness about the importance of oral care for good overall health, and proactively provide education and services in schools to prevent tooth decay for underserved children.”

Each year, more than 51 million schools hours are lost as a result of problems related to tooth decay (4). Trident contributions help SAA link local government, businesses and supporters with care providers and schools to help fight untreated oral disease in children and prevent the loss of pivotal hours in the classroom.

“Trident is extremely supportive of this program and excited that the SAA funding ultimately sheds light on the importance of oral health care in underserved communities, ” said Maurice Herrera, Sr. Director, Trident. “It is great to know the SAA funding will help the children of Pinal County receive access to oral healthcare.”

Thanks to contributions from supporters like Trident, SAA provides its network with funding and technical assistance in the areas of communications and coalition building, enabling them to reach more underserved and uninsured children and address barriers to care—lack of resources and transportation, low literacy and language diversity. To learn more about the Trident and SAA partnership visit www.oralhealthamerica.org

Through the program, children who bring unopened candy to local dental offices the day after Halloween will receive prizes like the popular FireFly® toothbrush, featuring a light-up timer that promotes thorough brushing and good oral care habits for life.  The candy is then sent through Operation Gratitude as part of holiday care packages to troops serving overseas.

Its a win-win situation that rewards kids with healthier smiles and lets them show appreciation to Americas service men and women.”Kids can still enjoy the fun of trick-or-treating, without overconsumption of sweet treats,” says Dr. Chris Kammer, the Wisconsin dentist who founded the Halloween Candy Buy Back Program.

“They love the colorful, glowing FireFly toothbrushes they get in return for the candy they donate, and they are thrilled to help send a little piece of home to our soldiers far away. “To find participating dentists in your area, please visit www.halloweencandybuyback.com.

As Halloween approaches, the AAPD is offering key recommendations and tips to parents and caregivers on maintaining healthy teeth for this holiday and throughout the year, to ensure that jack-o-lanterns are the only ones with decaying teeth after October 31^st:

• Establish Health Habits:  First and foremost, parents and caregivers need to be aware of and take care of their own oral health.  Good eating habits and oral health routines, as well as seeing the dentist on a regular basis, will go a long ways towards ensuring that children maintain solid oral health practices.
• Brush Before (and After):  Tooth decay and cavities occur when sugar reacts to bacteria and dental plaque.  Brushing before candy consumption reduces the amount of bacteria and plaque on the teeth.  Most importantly, parents and caregivers should help young children with the process.

“Children really can’t brush by themselves unless they can do one of three things: they can write cursive, they can tie their shoe or they can cut up a steak on a plate,” stated Dr. Rhea M. Haugseth, President of the AAPD.  “Children younger than eight or nine-years-old usually don’t have the manual dexterity to brush or floss properly, so plan to keep a hand in the process for at least that long.”

• Hard Candy, Hard Time:  Parents and caregivers should not only monitor the amount of sugar a child consumes, but also how long they keep sweet treats in their mouths. Kids should eat the candy right away, limit chewy candies that stick to teeth, as well as hard candies, which will be slowly eaten.
• Fight with Fluoride and Flossing:  Fluoride has been shown to reduce tooth decay by as much as 50 percent, and flossing may help prevent gum disease and tooth decay in between teeth.  Teach children to brush twice daily with a fluoridated toothpaste and floss once a day as soon as the first two teeth come into contact.
• Monitor Candy Consumption:  There are two recommended options.  Keep candy consumption limited to a few pieces a day given with a meal or a snack.  Alternatively, have the child eat whatever the amount the adult decides at one setting, and then have the child brush their teeth afterwards and give or donate the remaining candy.  Remember, a balanced diet is one that includes cheese, fruits, vegetables, grains, lean meat, milk and yogurt.  Dr. Haugseth recommends three meals and three snacks a day.
• Don’t be afraid of the dentist:  With all of the sweet treats consumed around Halloween, now is a great time for parents and caregivers to schedule a pediatric dental appointment for their children.  Children should visit the dentist every six months for a check-up to avoid dental problems and keep smiles healthy.