Can licorice root prevent oral disease? And, the value of really listening

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Can an ancient medicinal root that tastes like candy aid in the prevention of caries and the treatment of alveolar bone loss? Hundreds of studies have produced evidence that licorice root and purified molecules from licorice may have beneficial effects for human health, according to researchers from Laval University in Canada.

But in a new literature review in Oral Diseases, the researchers caution that more clinical studies need to be conducted to determine licorice root's true effectiveness in treating diseases of the oral cavity. Click here to read more in this latest Hygiene Community feature.

Meanwhile, in the latest installment of our Beyond Practice Management series, Dr. Don Deems offers his insights on the impact really listening to your patients can have on a dental practice -- and the stumbling blocks he encountered before realizing this himself. Read more.

Finally, Dr. Sheri Doniger shares her thoughts on dental tourism and how in some cases there is little the dental practitioner can do to stop even the most loyal patients from seeking lower-cost treatments outside the U.S. Read more in Dr. Doniger's most recent Dental Diaries entry.