Category
Articles
Brushing, fluoride, checkups: what you look after outside the clinic
Salivary Stones: Sialendoscopy Breaks Them Up Without Removing the Gland
Salivary stones were long treated by surgically removing the entire gland. More recently, treatment has shifted toward threading a thin endoscope through a natural opening in the mouth to view the stone and break it apart with a laser or air pressure before removing it. This piece reviews the differences in removal rates and side effects between two lithotripsy methods confirmed in a 2025 comparative trial, along with the cases where this treatment does not work.
3 min read
Untreated Toothache Led to Death at a U.S. Immigration Detention Facility
An autopsy has confirmed that a Haitian man detained at an immigration facility in Arizona died from complications of a tooth infection. This piece looks at how an untreated toothache led to his death, the gaps in medical care at detention facilities, and the state of dental support for migrant workers in Korea.
3 min read
TMJ MRI Uses Marrow Fat Fraction to Distinguish Osteoarthritis Stages
A Chinese research team used an MRI technique that quantifies fat fraction inside temporomandibular joint bone to distinguish osteoarthritis from healthy joints, and even its subtypes. This article explains how it differs from conventional visual reading and how the Dixon technique separates fat from water.
3 min read
Noma, the Disease That Destroys Children's Faces, Is Rising Again in Nigeria
In Nigeria, more children are contracting noma, an infection that starts with gum inflammation and destroys the face within weeks. This article looks at Doctors Without Borders' free reconstructive surgeries, why the WHO designated noma a neglected tropical disease, and why the disease has all but disappeared in Korea.
3 min read
High-Flow Nasal Oxygen Kept Oxygen Saturation From Dropping During Deep Pediatric Sedation
When 20 preschool-aged children underwent complex cavity treatment lasting one to two hours under deep sedation, high-flow nasal oxygen therapy kept their oxygen saturation from ever dropping to a dangerous level throughout the procedure. It is the first evidence that a method previously confirmed only in short procedures also works for longer, more complex pediatric dental treatment.
4 min read
Laughing Gas Is a Greenhouse Gas Too: Hospitals Start by Cutting Anesthesia Gases
Hospitals in the US and Europe are cutting back on the anesthetic desflurane and on nitrous oxide, the laughing gas also used in dentistry, citing their greenhouse gas emissions. With nitrous oxide use surging at South Korean pediatric dental clinics, we look at what this shift means.
3 min read
Orthodontic Acceleration Devices Compared: Micro-Osteoperforation Beats Vibration on Evidence
A recent umbrella analysis pooled and recalculated the evidence on vibration devices, micro-osteoperforation, and electrical stimulation, all marketed to shorten orthodontic treatment time. The heavily advertised vibration devices had the weakest evidence for effectiveness, while micro-osteoperforation showed a comparatively clearer difference.
3 min read
Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan to Buy Spanish Dental Chain for 1.75 Trillion Won
Canada's Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan is acquiring Spanish dental chain Donte Group for about 1.75 trillion won, raising roughly 875 billion won in debt financing. The pension fund previously bought U.S. chain Heartland Dental in 2012. We look at how this deal contrasts with debt-laden Aspen Dental Group, and how Korea's dental market differs.
3 min read
Titanium Implant Allergy: When Confirmed, Most Cases Ended in Removal
When an implant fails for no clear reason, titanium allergy is one possible suspect. This article reviews how the reaction develops, why diagnostic tests remain unreliable, and how confirmed cases have been managed.
4 min read
UK Government Investigates Dental Prices, But the Real Crisis Is the NHS
The UK government has launched an investigation into rising private dental fees. But critics say the real crisis lies in the collapse of NHS dental care. This piece examines the price data, the flaws in the current system, and how far South Korea's health insurance covers dental care by comparison.
3 min read
India Turns to Detection Dogs and AI for Early Cancer Screening
Indian startup Dognosis is testing a cancer screening method across India that combines dogs' sense of smell with artificial intelligence to catch cancer early. We also look at India's low oral cancer screening rate and the state of Korea's national cancer screening program.
3 min read
Breath-VOC Nanosensor Screens Oral Disease, Catches Periodontitis but Misses Cavities
A new study tested a nanosensor that reads chemicals in exhaled breath to screen for oral diseases ranging from periodontitis to cavities. It accurately distinguished periodontitis and healthy implants, but still struggled to catch early-stage changes like cavities or gingivitis. Here is what sets this approach apart from existing diagnostic methods and how far the evidence goes.
3 min read
Laser Root Canal Irrigation (PIPS) Caused Less Early Pain Than Ultrasonic Irrigation
PIPS, a laser-based approach to the irrigation step that flushes bacteria from the root canal, has been put through clinical trials. Recent systematic reviews report that it causes less pain than ultrasonic irrigation during the first two days after treatment, while also finding it pushes more debris past the root tip.
3 min read
Periodontitis: Gum Bacteria That Invaded the Heart Worsened Heart Attacks
In a mouse model combining periodontitis and myocardial infarction, five species of gum bacteria were found to travel through gaps in damaged blood vessels to reach the heart, where they recruited inflammatory cells. A comparison of 72 heart attack patients also showed lower heart function and higher levels of related blood markers in those with periodontitis.
3 min read
New Review Finds E-Cigarettes May Also Cause Oral and Lung Cancer
A research team at the University of New South Wales in Australia pooled clinical observations, animal studies and cell-level research into a review concluding that e-cigarettes are likely to cause lung cancer and oral cancer. Epidemiological data also show that people who use both cigarettes and e-cigarettes face four times the risk of lung cancer. Since April this year, South Korea has begun regulating synthetic-nicotine liquid e-cigarettes the same way as ordinary cigarettes.
3 min read
Tooth Whitening: A Wireless Magnetic-Field Catalyst Cuts the Time
Catalyst technology that triggers tooth-whitening reactions has moved from light and vibration to temperature, and now to magnetic fields. This article covers a 2026 study that added a material converting magnetic fields into electricity to a whitening gel to trigger the catalytic reaction wirelessly, alongside earlier piezocatalysis and pyrocatalysis research.
3 min read
US Tap Water Fluoride Levels Shaken for Half a Year by Middle East War
The Middle East war has reduced U.S. imports of fluorosilicic acid, the raw material used to fluoridate tap water, lowering fluoride levels in some areas. As the shortage that began in April continues past September, more than half a year later, this article looks at both America's already-shaky fluoride policy and South Korea's situation, where few regions fluoridate their water to begin with.
3 min read
KKR Buys a Stake in Henry Schein, the World's Top Dental Supply Distributor
Private equity firm KKR has acquired a 12% stake in Henry Schein, the world's largest dental and medical supply distributor. The investment came amid pressure from an activist fund to replace management, and brought three new members onto the board. We look at why private equity is moving into the distribution network that carries dental materials to clinics, and how it connects to Korea's dental industry.
2 min read
Activating Implant Surfaces With Plasma Prevented the 4-Week Stability Dip After Placement
Titanium implant surfaces age over time as hydrocarbons build up, making it harder for cells to attach. When cold plasma revived the surface right before placement, a human clinical trial of 40 implants showed none of the stability dip typically seen four weeks after surgery.
4 min read
Exosomes Regenerate Alveolar Bone: First Human Study Results Reported
A therapy that uses exosomes, the signaling sacs cells release rather than the cells themselves, to regenerate alveolar bone and periodontal tissue has been tried in humans for the first time. In a case of bone grafting for an implant and a preliminary study treating 13 periodontitis patients, bone grew and pocket depth decreased without adverse events, but whether exosomes alone caused this effect has not yet been confirmed.
3 min read