https://medicalxpress.com/dentistry-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Dentistry Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that has been shown to strengthen teeth and reduce cavities. Many municipalities add fluoride to their drinking water—a process called community water fluoridation—as a public health measure to support dental health. In recent years, however, some have claimed that ingesting fluoride can harm children's IQ. Now researchers at the University of Minnesota have led a team that investigated the connection between fluoride in drinking water and children's IQ to see if these claims had merit. The work is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-fluoride-kids-iq-decades-analysis.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 17:20:06 EDT news695316481 Children who don't go to the dentist are less likely to participate in school-based cavity prevention programs, according to research published in JAMA Network Open. The paper is titled "School-Based Caries Prevention Programs and Recruitment of High-Risk Pediatric Medicaid Populations." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-kids-dental-benefit-school.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 11:00:02 EDT news694880221 Periodontitis is a serious chronic inflammatory form of gum disease that affects millions worldwide. It can lead to tooth loss and the destruction of supporting bone. This disease has also been linked to other health problems, including diabetes, respiratory infections, and heart disease, impacting quality of life and increasing health care costs. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-stiff-defense-physical-rigidity-healthy.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 18:40:01 EDT news694258168 Recently analyzed evidence points to a connection between oral health and kidney health, according to work led by University of Cincinnati College of Medicine researchers. Their article, published in BMC Nephrology, combined evidence from more than 150 previously published papers, including observational studies, meta-analyses and interventional trials, and identified growing evidence of oral-renal interactions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-link-chronic-kidney-disease-periodontal.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:40:06 EDT news694175297 Researchers at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) have identified a bacterium strongly associated with noma disease, marking a major step toward earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment. In a new study published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, a research team from LSTM, working with partners at the University of Liverpool, Médecins Sans Frontières and the Noma Children's Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria, used metagenomic sequencing and machine learning algorithms to analyze saliva samples from children with acute noma. They uncovered a previously undescribed species of Treponema bacteria, which may be responsible for the disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-discovery-noma-linked-bacteria-path.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 13:20:05 EDT news694093922 Teeth are composites of mineral and protein, with a bulk of bony dentin that is highly porous. This structure allows teeth to be both strong and sensitive. Besides calcium and phosphate, teeth contain trace elements such as zinc. Using complementary microscopy imaging techniques, a team from Charité Berlin, TU Berlin and HZB has quantified the distribution of natural zinc along and across teeth in 3 dimensions. The team found that, as porosity in dentin increases towards the pulp, zinc concentration increases 5~10 fold. These results help to understand the influence of widely-used zinc-containing biomaterials (e.g. filling) and could inspire improvements in dental medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-zinc-gradient-dentin-tooth-health.html Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:20:28 EST news690733201 Detecting gum disease currently requires a dentist chair and a visual exam, often catching problems only after tissue damage has started. To shift care from reactive to proactive, researchers at Texas A&M University have engineered a wearable, tissue-adhesive biosensor that detects inflammation biomarkers in the mouth with molecular precision. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-patch-mouth-inflammation-early.html Sat, 14 Feb 2026 16:30:02 EST news690032034 An association between oral microbiota and cognitive performance in schizophrenia has been reported by researchers at Science Tokyo. By analyzing saliva samples and cognitive test scores from patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls, the study shows that lower oral microbial diversity is associated with poorer cognitive function, with specific predicted microbial metabolic pathways potentially linked to this relationship. These association patterns offer testable hypotheses for future longitudinal and experimental studies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-schizophrenia-oral-microbiome-cognitive-impairment.html Thu, 29 Jan 2026 12:50:06 EST news688912689 No matter how much they brush their teeth, some people still get more cavities than others, in part because of differences in genetics and the make-up of the microbes in their mouths. A new study has found human genetic factors that influence the oral microbiome and may increase risk of cavities and tooth loss in some people. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-genes-microbes-mouths-dental-health.html Wed, 28 Jan 2026 15:12:31 EST news688835521