Week in Review: Smartphone app aids compliance | Dental fluorosis | Review supports flossing

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

We start this week with two studies that examined the building blocks of oral health.

What if there were a way you could help your patients remember to follow your recommendations about brushing their teeth? Now a new smartphone application could be the perfect tool to help your patients brush better. A study found that patients who used an application with brushing feedback experienced a 70% reduction in plaque within just four weeks.

Another important aspect of the daily oral care regimen is the use of dental floss or an interdental cleaner. However, how much evidence is there that these devices, plus toothbrushing, do their jobs well? Researchers updated a comprehensive review of these devices' effectiveness to find out.

In other news, many questions were raised when data were released that showed dental fluorosis was on the rise among U.S. children. An important new publication from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention casts doubt on the reliability of this previously reported data.

In a time when the need for data about oral healthcare treatments are in short supply, it is incumbent on researchers to ensure the data we have are not only accurate but also reliable.

Finally this week on DrBicuspid.com, experiencing dental disease as a child may be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease later in life, according to the findings of a new, long-term study published on April 26. The study findings cast doubt on the arbitrary divide between oral health and overall health, experts noted.