The Transformative Power of Salivary Diagnostics in Dentistry for Personalized Care in the Mouth-Body Connection Era

Posted on September 15, 2023September 13, 2023 by Robert Benavides DDS

There's an age-old saying, "Change is the only constant." In the field of dentistry, we've seen many evolutions, from the tools we use to the methods we apply. One such evolution that had a deep impact on our practice is the introduction of salivary diagnostics. At first glance, like many others, we considered this technology to be disruptive. Yet, upon deeper reflection and application, it has woven seamlessly into our clinical culture, enhancing patient care and experience. Periodontal dise...

The Oral Mycobiome: How Fungi in Our Mouths Help or Hurt Us (Condensed Version)

Posted on July 28, 2023July 31, 2023 by Cass Nelson-Dooley MS

Fungus is a normal, natural inhabitant of the oral microbiome. Candida is the most well-known oral fungus. Sometimes called “yeasts,” Candida lives in people’s mouths, intestines, and on their skin. One in two adults has Candida species living in their mouth.4 In small to moderate amounts, it is normal and does not cause a problem as long as the immune system is in good working order. However, Candida can get out of balance for people at risk. Certain factors make a person more likely to have Ca...

RDH Hero LLC: Ozonated Water

Posted on June 23, 2023June 22, 2023 by Miranda Adams RDH

Ozonated water contains three oxygen molecules, making it a highly powerful natural disinfectant. There are a few ways Ozonated water can be made, but the safest and easiest method is with an electrolytic generator which runs electricity through regular tap water. Ozonated water kills 99.9% of bacteria and viruses in seconds, and is highly oxidated, which makes it great for healing. It works about 3,000 times faster than other disinfectants. Ozonated water is safe for the environment because it ...

Pure Perio Summit

Posted on June 2, 2023June 1, 2023 by Thomas Nabors DDS - Andrea Owens RDH

Learn how to cure gum disease! Pure Perio Summit is an oral health course that focuses on total body health by treating periodontal disease. Pure Perio’s core concept involves understanding the microbiological causes of periodontal disease utilizing the salivary diagnostic tests of OralDNA® Labs. By attending the course, you will learn the science behind periodontal disease and total body health from research-based sources. After understanding the science, you will be taught an oral health p...

Life and Death of a Saliva Test

Posted on July 2, 2021July 2, 2021 by Chris S Kammer DDS

Sometimes I get so frustrated with the profession of dentistry. Here is my case in point: Five oral originating pathogens have been identified as causative in the development of atherosclerosis by the BaleDoneen™ peer reviewed study published in the British Medical Journal. Wait a minute, so they concluded that these oral bacteria are causative of atherosclerosis? Seriously? Yes!! And in the last one hundred years, atherosclerosis has killed more Americans than any other disease. A...

Interview with Michael Carter MD

Posted on June 25, 2021June 29, 2021 by Michael Carter MD

Dr. McGlennen: Who/what introduced you to OralDNA® Labs’ services? Michael Carter MD: I was introduced to OralDNA® Labs testing during an oral health summit about 3-4 years ago. As I listened to Dr. Bale and Dr. Doneen express how important testing for periodontal pathogens is, I became inspired to learn more about the oral microbiome and the oral connection with systemic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, arthritic conditions, and neurodegenerative processes. Many people think b...

American Academy of Oral Systemic Health: Collaboration Cures

Posted on June 18, 2021June 9, 2021 by Tom Levine DDS

As a young dentist, you are faced with career decisions. Joining the American Academy for Oral Systemic Health (AAOSH) has been one of the best decisions I have made in my career. This organization and its mission, connecting medicine and dentistry to save lives, has encouraged me to look beyond the teeth by making me more aware of the importance of cardiovascular, metabolic, gut, and airway health. Connecting the dots between a patient’s oral and systemic health is where the next frontier i...

Why Join the American Academy for Oral Systemic Health (AAOSH)?

Posted on May 21, 2021May 19, 2021 by Susan Maples DDS

The length of my dental career has been shadowed by the declining health of our population. With great sadness, I have witnessed my patients arriving with new lists of lifestyle-related diagnoses and an assortment of medications, prescribed as “band-aids” for those ailments. In congruence, the ever-increasing prevalence of oral disease (caries, periodontitis, oropharyngeal cancer, and occlusal disease) has not surprised me. As a dedicated friend to my declining patients, I started looking fo...

Gum Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease

Posted on November 24, 2017May 19, 2021 by Richard H. Nagelberg, DDS

In honor of National Alzheimer’s Month, enjoy this repost from 3/3/2017. A 2016 study published in PloS One1 examined the impact of periodontitis on the rate of cognitive decline in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Sixty community dwelling patients with mild to moderate AD were cognitively assessed and blood samples were taken for detection and quantification of systemic inflammatory markers. Initial clinical assessments of periodontal health were conducted and the same assessme...

Missing the Boat When it Comes to Perio Therapy

Posted on April 7, 2017May 19, 2021 by Kim Miller, RDH, BSDH

During a recent national speaking engagement, a hygienist told me that they used to do clinical laboratory testing. “We stopped doing it because when we tested months later, the bacteria had come back and the patient had an active infection again. We decided ‘it’ wasn’t working so we stopped,” she explained. I thought to myself, wow, this is very interesting and a perfect example of ‘throwing the baby out with the bath water’! It wasn’t the clinical laboratory testing that wasn’t working, it ...