Those who suffer from all sorts of spinal chord injury now have got a hope for recovery and gaining more freedom of movement as a new treatment based on the findings of recent studies of dental care specialists is about to emerge. In particular, during a research conducted by a group of experts by Nagoya University in Japan, it was found out that by using certain compounds extracted from dental pulp it can be quite possible to fix injured and broken backs, helping to improve the condition and regain some movements in the legs. The findings were recently reported in the Mirror and other popular mass media.

The experiments with lab rats have shown that certain compounds of dental pulp can not only stop the nerve cells from damage, but even stimulate their regeneration. Moreover, this sort of compounds can stimulate the development of other cells and tissues that play a role in supporting the back and its proper function. It is an absolutely new and revolutionary approach which can open new horizons in modern stem cell medicine, and the scientists have really great hopes about it.

In particular, the authors of the study report underlined the following: ‘We propose that tooth-derived stem cells may be an excellent and practical cellular resource for the treatment of spinal cord injuries.’ According to the Dr Mark Bacon, research director at the charity Spinal Research, possible clinical uses of the findings and the opportunities to develop an effective technology based on the findings will be analyzed very shortly. However, he also talked about possible difficulties and drawbacks of creating an effective treatment using this approach.

In particular, he said that the necessity to transplant the dental pulp compounds into the injured area immediately can cause certain difficulties. ‘This is not possible in patients, particularly if the cells are to be taken post-injury from the patient and purified,’ he said. It will certainly take some time before the technology is created, tested and approved, however, numerous people who suffer from various types of spinal chord injury are looking forward to this innovation and have great hopes for it. It is estimated that every year, about 12 hundred people in the United Kingdom receive serious spinal chord injury, and about 40 thousand Brits are already trying to cope with this serious health condition.

Tags: dental pulp, spinal chord injury

Posted: December 15th, 2011 under Miscellaneous.
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Our habits and our lifestyle have an incredible power to change everything, in a great deal of aspects of our health and even physical shape. It is true: according to the findings of British anthropologists, our habits and even the foods we consume can have direct effects on such factor as our jaw shape. For example, consuming potato and other natural foods rich in starch can lead to shortening of our jawbones, report the scientists of the University of Kent.

In the framework of this interesting study, a group of anthropologists led by Dr Noreen von Cramon-Taubadel, analyzed the specifics of jaw-bones and skull shape of about 300 individuals, who represented 11 totally different cultural lifestyles and traditions developing within the last two thousand years. In particular, some participants were coming from traditionally hunter-gatherer societies, and some were the representatives of natural lifestyles dominated with agriculture and gardening, as well as consuming mainly soft natural foods like fruits and vegetables rather than meat and other hard foods. The main approach used for estimations and analysis was making usual physical measurements.

After analyzing the data, the scientists came to the conclusions that the people who lived in hunter-gather societies had considerably larger and narrower jaw-bones compared to the people who used to consume more fruit and veggies. The analysis was followed by the attempts to correlate the jaw shape differences with other important factors like climate, genetics, geography and others, but no clear connections were established. That is why the experts are sure that it’s our shewing behavior which has the greatest effects on our jaw shape.

Dr Cramon-Taubadel said the following about the work of her study group: “The pattern was consistent, regardless of which part of the world the people came from.” “The results indicate that there is something biomechanical, rather than something genetic, that is altering the way the mandible grows,” she added. It is interesting that the scientists from the study group are sure that the changes and adjustments in our jaw shape are happening not only on an evolutionary level, but also on our individual levels, as we grow up and develop during our life. Everyone who is interested in the issue can read more about the findings of this interesting study in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Tags: jaw shape, lifestyle

Posted: December 7th, 2011 under Miscellaneous.
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It is a known fact that those who like drinking sugary beverages like carbonated sweet drinks, coffee and so on, have higher risks of developing such dental problems like tooth decay, cavities and others. In particular, popular coffee drinks like latte, mocha and others are believed to be quite harmful to our dental health. We spend hours working at our computers and drink pretty many cups of sweetened tea or various types of coffee, exposing our both dental and overall health to great risks and dangers.

Heidi Hackett, a Canadian dental specialist, says that from her conversation with her patients she understood that drinking coffee on an every day basis can seriously elevate the risks of having dental problems in adults. “The constant exposure to the lactose or milk sugar is giving the bacteria in the mouth a flood of raw fuel or ‘food’ to metabolize,” she says. The specialist says that Streptococcus mutans known as the most common type of bacteria causing tooth decay and cavities, works on metabolizing sugars and carbohydrates, turns them into acid that in turn lead to tooth enamel damage, cavities and possibly even tooth loss. Sweetened drink consumption creates the most favorable environment for the bacteria growing and having their harmful effects.

Dental specialists tend to connect increasing popularity of various types of coffee which has been taking place for the last 6-7 years, with current increase of the number of tooth decay occurrences. Drinking hot sweetened drinks like various types of coffee for less than 15 minutes a day is fine. However, drinking 4-5 sweetened drinks a day or using it a a snack for several hours a day can get you into a trouble and make you a regular visitor of dental clinics. This sad tendency takes place in most countries and nations of the world putting to danger global dental health, the experts are convinced.

For everyone of us it is necessary to pay close attention to this problem. Is you drink several cups of sweetened tea or coffee a day, there’s quite an easy solution for your suggested by world’s leading dental care specialists. Try to rinse your mouth with a fluoride rinse or at least with some mineral water after finishing your cup of drink. This is a great technique to neutralize the activities of acids in your mouth this way preventing their harmful effects and lower the risks of tooth decay and cavities. The same rule can actually be applied to those who like drinking carbonated drinks or commercially produced sweetened juices.

Tags: dental problems, latte, sweetened drinks

Posted: November 17th, 2011 under Miscellaneous.
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