Dental News Articles

Vitamin D Crucial for Dental Implant  Success By Lucy Wyndham If you have just lost one or more teeth, you may be considering dental implants as a solution. Gaps in teeth can affect your bite, lead to the movement of adjoining teeth, and even cause pain and discomfort so many patients opt for implant surgery for a lasting solution to their problem.  Because dental implants are considered ‘aesthetic surgery’, they are generally not covered by average health insurance plans in Lebanon, and they can be costly. Sometimes, insufficient bone may be present, occasionally leading to a need for bone implantation or even  a sinus floor elevation , which also increases the cost. When you opt for dental implants, it is vital to do all you can to increase your chances of success. One way to do so, research indicates, is by ensuring you have sufficient Vitamin D levels. How Can Vitamin D Help? If you are above the age of 65, then you are probably well aware of the i...

Gillian M. McCarthy , BDS, M.Sc. Professor, School of Dentistry and the department of epidemiology and biostatistics, faculty of medicine and dentistry, The University of Western Ontario. Correspondence to: Dr. Gillian McCarthy, School of Dentistry, Dental Sciences Building, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C1. E-mail: gmccarth@julian.uwo.ca In addition to the bloodborne pathogens (BBPs) — human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV and HCV) — other viruses of concern in the dental office include rubella, mumps and measles viruses; the herpes viruses (herpes simplex virus [HSV] types 1 and 2, varicella-zoster, Epstein-Barr virus [EBV], cytomega lovirus and human herpes virus 6); human papilloma viruses; adenovirus; coxsackie viruses; and the upper respiratory tract pathogens (influenza A and B viruses, human parvovirus B19 and respiratory syncytial virus). Most of these are far more prevalent than the BBPs and many are of particular ...