The combination of a carbohydrate-heavy diet and poor oral hygiene can leave children with early childhood caries (ECC), a severe form of dental decay that can have a lasting impact on their oral and overall health.

Maintenance of good oral health is more important than use of antibiotics in dental procedures for some heart patients to prevent a heart infection caused by bacteria around the teeth, according to a new American Heart Association (AHA) scientific statement published today in the Association’s flagship journal, Circulation.

Older adults with more harmful than healthy bacteria in their gums are more likely to have evidence for amyloid beta – a key biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease – in their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), according to new research from the New York University College of Dentistry and Weill Cornell Medicine. However, this imbalance in oral bacteria was not associated with another Alzheimer’s biomarker called tau.

A new study by scientists at Kyoto University and the University of Fukui reports that an antibody for one gene – USAG-1 – can stimulate tooth growth in mice suffering from tooth agenesis, a congenital condition. The paper was published in Science Advances.