Oral Bacteria

Herbal mouthwash may outshine every other rinse

Natural herbal-based rinses, unlike traditional mouthwashes, may kill harmful bacteria while leaving beneficial bacteria intact, report researchers from Rutgers.

July 14, 2025

Mouthwash Mint Incy

Study reveals oral health risks of e-cigarette use in universities

University students commonly use alternative forms of tobacco, particularly e-cigarettes. This habit can cause caries and gingivitis.

June 27, 2024

Dental hygienists and the truth about biofilm

By Melissa K. Turner

Melissa K. Turner believes that biofilm may not only be a villain when it comes to the oral cavity but a hero as well. Here's why dental hygienists need to embrace its dual role.

May 14, 2024

Melissa K. Turner.

Hip replacement patients may need to delay invasive dental care

By Melissa Busch

It may be advisable to delay invasive dental procedures in total hip arthroplasty patients, according to a new study.

April 29, 2024

Hip Joint Female

Evolution of oral germs revealed in 4K-year-old teeth

Genetic analysis of microbiomes from two 4,000-year-old teeth shows notable changes in the oral microenvironment since the Bronze Age, especially following the widespread consumption of sugar, according to an article in Molecular Biology and Evolution.

April 3, 2024

An EXAMPLE of a tooth prior to ancient DNA sampling. Note this was not the tooth sampled in the study.

Toke on? Smoking marijuana may not raise caries risk

By Melissa Busch

Smoking marijuana may not increase a person’s risk of developing caries, according to a large U.S. study.

February 19, 2024

Marijuana Joint Smoking

Woman develops endocarditis, stroke following tooth extraction

By Melissa Busch

A 54-year-old healthy woman was diagnosed with a rare case of infective endocarditis following an acute ischemic stroke five weeks after having a tooth extracted.

January 29, 2024

Stroke Head Xray

What your patients should add to their drinks while taking CHX

By Melissa Busch

Dental patients may not have to give up coffee or tea during chlorhexidine (CHX) treatment to avoid tooth discoloration if they drink the beverages with some milk, according to new research.

January 22, 2024

After drinking pure black tea (a) during CHX treatment, significantly stronger staining can be seen under the scanning electron microscope in comparison to drinking the beverage diluted with milk (b). Images and caption courtesy of Fraunhofer IMWS/Haleon.

Microrobots may be key to halting dental infections

Small-scale robotics, known as microrobots, may treat and diagnose persistent infections, including those in between the teeth, according to a story recently published in the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Today.

January 17, 2024

This oral care habit may brush off hospital-acquired pneumonia

Daily toothbrushing may be an inexpensive, effective way to decrease the rates of hospital-acquired pneumonia among patients, according to a study recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

January 8, 2024

Toothbrushing Older Man

Researchers to tackle buprenorphine-related tooth problems

By Melissa Busch

Researchers were awarded $1.4 million to eliminate dental problems that have been linked with the opioid use disorder medication buprenorphine.

December 19, 2023

How the Black Death affected today’s oral microbiome

The second plague pandemic of the mid-14th century, the Black Death, led to dietary changes that potentially caused changes in oral bacteria that contributed to systemic disease in modern humans, according to research published in Nature Microbiology.

December 12, 2023

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