Author
Bae Min-gyu
Reporter
Covers the equipment and techniques used in dental clinics. What a new machine is for, and what changes when the treatment is yours. Wants to spell out the things that stay fuzzy even after someone has explained them.
Articles written 33
Periodontitis Bacteria Found to Cross Into the Brain and Raise Alzheimer's Protein Levels
Researchers have confirmed a pathway by which bacteria that cause periodontitis cross the blood-brain barrier in mice and increase amyloid-beta, the protein hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. This article covers the process mediated by the immune protein IFITM3 and the current state of treatment development for humans.
3 min read
vVardis, Which Fixes Cavities Without a Drill, Pursues a US IPO
Swiss dental startup vVardis is preparing for a US stock listing, having retained JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs as advisers. The news comes less than two months after Apollo Global Management's investment valued the company at $1 billion in April. This article looks at the strategy behind the listing and any links to South Korea.
2 min read
How Is It Decided Whether a Child Needs Fluoride Varnish?
Whether a child needs professional fluoride varnish is decided not by whether cavities are visible, but by a caries risk assessment that weighs diet, oral hygiene, and past cavity history together. This explains how the application interval and the way it works change depending on risk level.
5 min read
Bradesco Absorbs Dental Insurer Odontoprev to Build a $10 Billion Health Group
Brazil's largest bank, Bradesco, is using its dental insurance subsidiary Odontoprev as the surviving entity to build a healthcare group with roughly $10 billion in annual revenue, spanning hospitals and primary care clinics. It offers a different picture from Korea's fixed-benefit dental insurance products.
3 min read
Notched Teeth Near the Gumline: When Is Resin Treatment Needed?
Whether a notch near the gumline should be watched or filled with resin depends on its depth, whether it causes sensitivity, the condition of the gum, and the risk of pulp exposure. Here is how that decision is made.
4 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
Abrasion
Abrasion is a non-carious lesion in which repeated friction, such as from improper toothbrushing, wears the neck of the tooth into a U-shaped notch. This article covers common causes, symptoms, and when treatment is needed.
3 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
Laser Exposure Before Anesthesia Injections Reduced Pain
A meta-analysis has found that exposing gum tissue to low-level laser therapy (photobiomodulation) before an anesthetic injection reduces pain. This article examines how the therapy slows electrical nerve signals, along with the limits of irradiation protocols that have yet to be standardized.
3 min read
Missing Permanent Tooth: Why Wait Until Growth Ends Before Getting an Implant?
Explains why implants for a congenitally missing permanent tooth are postponed during adolescence until jaw growth is complete, along with ways to manage the space in the meantime.
4 min read
Severe Early Childhood Caries: Silver Diamine Fluoride Stopped Its Progress in Trial
A US phase 3 clinical trial found that applying silver diamine fluoride (SDF) to children's severe cavities arrested decay progression at a far higher rate than placebo. This drill-free approach to stopping cavities is set to serve as evidence for FDA approval.
3 min read
Brown Spots on Teeth
This article explains why brown spots appear on teeth, distinguishing between surface-level problems and internal tooth discoloration, the conditions each may be related to, and when to see a dentist.
2 min read
Tooth Autotransplantation: Digital Design Narrows the Margin of Error
Tooth autotransplantation, which moves a wisdom tooth into another site, has long relied on the operator's hand feel. This article covers the accuracy shown in 10 patients whose sockets were designed in advance with CBCT and a 3D-printed guide, plus experimental results in which a robot cuts the socket to match the root shape.
4 min read
Xylitol Gum Also Worked for Older Adults and People with Disabilities
A research team at the University of Turku in Finland reviewed clinical trials and found that xylitol gum and candy reduced plaque, gingivitis, and cavities and increased saliva flow even in older adults and people with disabilities who struggle to brush their own teeth. This is the first review to show that effects previously confirmed only in healthy people also appear in these two groups.
4 min read
Should a Notched Tooth Neck Be Filled with Resin or Glass Ionomer?
For a notch at the neck of a tooth, the material used, composite resin or a glass ionomer type, is decided by the defect's location, the condition of the gum, and whether saliva can be blocked. This looks at the criteria for choosing between the two materials.
4 min read
Zirconia Implants Now Come in a Screw-Retained Design
Implants have long been made only from titanium, but a screw-retained zirconia design has now emerged. In a one-year comparative trial by a Swiss-Austrian research team, bone loss and survival rates showed no difference from titanium.
3 min read
When a Tooth Throbs Even at Rest
A guide to the common causes of a tooth that throbs on its own even without a stimulus, how to check for yourself, and the signs that mean you need to see a dentist.
3 min read
UNIST, Pusan National University Team Distinguishes Periodontitis Stages Using Salivary Bacteria
A team from UNIST and Pusan National University Dental Hospital developed a diagnostic model that reads saliva's bacterial composition to determine whether periodontitis is present and its stage (1 to 3). Analyzing saliva from 250 people, the model identified periodontitis with high accuracy, though accuracy for the earliest Stage 1 was lower. It was also validated using data from Spain and Portugal.
4 min read
A New Multifunctional Dental Adhesive That Also Fights Bacteria
Resin fillings often decay again not because the filling itself breaks, but because the adhesive layer weakens over time and lets bacteria in. Researchers recently developed a dental adhesive that combines a component that chemically bonds with dentin collagen and silver nanoparticles, achieving both bonding strength and antibacterial activity, and confirmed its effects in the lab.
3 min read
Sichuan University Team Drives Dental Pulp Regeneration With Oxygen-Glucose Releasing Material
A team at Sichuan University has developed a material that releases oxygen and glucose inside a tooth's root canal over an extended period. Animal experiments using this material showed more growth of pulp-like tissue and blood vessels than in untreated controls. The work aims to solve a long-standing problem in regenerative endodontics: implanted cells dying off inside the canal.
3 min read