subject: Preventing Tooth Decay The Moment It Happens [print this page] Most of the time when a patient goes to the dentist, there are x-rays taken and the doctor pokes around in the mouth to determine the extent of tooth decay. X-rays are great at showing where tooth decay lies, but there are some problems with that.
As will be explained further in the article, tooth decay is well past beginning by the time an x-ray can pick up on it. It would be such a great thing to have tooth decay identified by the first tiny little speck.
Read on to hear the current research and discussions that are going on to initiate the technology to propel dental decay prevention into the stratosphere.
There are new diagnostic techniques that can detect the early stage of tooth decay. This gives dentists more options in your dental care than every before, to stop decay and even reverse it.
There have been dental conferences across the country that have examined the current state of tooth decay and research to help dental care providers, and the general populations, make informed decisions about this health issue.
An extensive collection of literature related to dental decay was reviewed. This also included a systematic review of the dental research literature provided by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
There were other experts in the dental field that have helped this research, and even public comment was allowed to thoroughly examine all of this from every angle.
While water fluoridation, the use of fluoride products, dietary modification including sugar restriction, improved oral hygiene, and regular professional care have led to dramatic reductions in dental decay over the past 30 years, the disease remains a major public health problem.
Nearly 20 percent of children between the ages of 2 and 4 have experienced dental caries, and by the age of 17 almost 80 percent of young people have had at least one cavity -- a late manifestation of dental caries infection.
More than two-thirds of adults between the ages of 35 to 44 have lost at least one permanent tooth due to dental caries, and one fourth of those aged 65 to 74 have lost all of their natural teeth.
When tooth decay begins, it can be hard to detect. X-rays mainly show cavities that are already established and can see best those that are occurring in between the teeth.
But X-rays do not detect the earliest decay in the roots of the teeth. It was found that the ongoing development of more sensitive diagnostic techniques to detect dental decay in its earliest phases will pave the way for the use of noninvasive treatment options to stop or reverse the decay process.
There has been optimism about the future of dental practice, but experts are disappointed in the quality of clinical data that has thus been provided on this topic. The studies are too small, and the effects are not adequately described and perhaps even methodologically flawed.
This is not saying that the current techniques do not work, but that early studies do not meet current scientific methods. Given the dramatic improvements in reducing dental decay prevalence in the past 30 years, both consumers and health professionals should not depart from the practices which are likely to have contributed to this oral health improvement.
The current recommendation for the research of this topic includes:
- studies of dental decay in the population that collect information on natural history, treatment, and outcomes in all age groups.
- studies of diagnostic methods, including established and new devices and techniques.
- clinical trials of established and new treatment methods that conform to contemporary standards of design, implementation, and analysis.
- systematic research on caries risk assessment.
- studies of clinical practice including effectiveness, quality of care, outcomes, health-related quality of life, and appropriateness of care.
- genetic studies to identify genes and genetic markers of diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic value.
While the going it quite slow at this point, the ball is now rolling to discover better, safer technology to detect when decay begins. Once this is developed, our dental care will be much more comfortable and easier to treat; not to mention less costly.
Well, that is the hope.
by: Jack Landry
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