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Facts and fiction about chewing gum
Kati Leskinen takes a critical look at how the consumption of chewing gum may - or may not - benefit oral health.
Chewing gum consumption in Asia is at its highest and is expected to rise further in the coming years. A strong focus on oral health has also contributed to gum's appeal, and consumers are increasingly turning to sugar-free chewing gum. In China, for example, the sugar-free chewing gum market experienced a phenomenal growth of 146% in 2005 over the previous year. However, with an average 20 servings of chewing gum annually, the Chinese are still far behind their Taiwanese, Korean or Japanese neighbours who consume approximately 100 chewing gums a year.
While sugar-free chewing gum is generally recognized as beneficial for oral health, some gum manufacturers have recently begun to make distinct health claims suggesting that certain gum brands would have remineralising or whitening effects. Consequently, consumers erroneously believe that sugar-free chewing gum can - at least partly - replace the daily tooth brushing practice.
The aim of this article is to take a critical look on what chewing gum can - and cannot - do in terms of oral health.
"We will Remain Relevant!"
Dr Lewis Lee is the newly-elected President of the Singapore Dental Association Council (2008-2010). Dental Asia has the opportunity to catch up with him on his plans and goals during his tenure. Excerpts.
Outpatient treatment of salivary gland surgical pathologies - Part I
Patients with salivary gland disorders often consult the dentists first. These include xerostomia, mucocoele, salivary stone and ranula. The clinical manifestations of salivary gland disorders fall into two main groups - dry mouth and swelling or both with their attendant features. This paper will discuss the surgical pathologies that can be managed on outpatient basis.
Orthodontic Movement of a Maxillary Incisor Across the Midpalatal Suture Area
This case report shows the orthodontic movement of a maxillary incisor across the midpalatal suture area, followed by restorative treatment and frenectomy to increase esthetic and retention. A 13-year-old boy presented a traumatic of the maxillary left central incisor. Radiographic examination showed ankylosed and resorption of the tooth. The extraction of traumatic tooth and orthodontic movement of maxillary right incisor across the midline was achieved. The soft tissue, periodontal attachment, gingival contour and probing depths were normal. Follow-up radiographs confirmed a normal appearance of the periodontal space and lamina dura. As a result, no prosthetic treatment was required.
Orthodontic tooth movement of a central incisor across the midline has been reported in a few cases. 1-8 The reason for moving an incisor across the midline might either to be avoided or eliminated the need for prosthetic rehabilitation.
The suture seems to complicate the tooth movement when moving a maxillary central incisor across the midline in a young individual. The experience is that such a tooth will relapse a lot more than teeth moved in other areas of the jaw. And the suture seems to be dislocated in front of the tooth moved. 1-6, 9
In this article, a case is presented to demonstrate movement of the maxillary right central incisor across the midline.
Is formocresol still safe to use in paediatric dentistry? (Part II)
Some alternative medicaments
The pulpotomy is a well-established treatment option in paediatric dentistry for a deep carious lesion that affects the pulp of a primary teeth. The procedure is based on the rationale that all, or part of the radicular pulp tissue is healthy, or at least capable of healing after surgical amputation of the infected and irreversibley inflamed portion.1 The purpose is to preserve the radicular pulp, to avoid pain and swelling, and ultimately, to retain the tooth until it exfoliates naturally.
Formocresol, when used for pulpotomies, has a high level of success partly because it is a fixative that is capable of controlling an inflamed pulp; thus, not requiring an accurate diagnosis of the physiological, histological or pathological status of the pulp. Due to its longstanding acceptance as a clinically effective pulpotomy medicament in primary teeth, formocresol is currently the standard by which other medicaments are compared.
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