Sugar pops
Who would have thought that sugars, like football teams, politicians and pop songs would have a good and bad chart of their own? In times past it was sucrose that was the villain of the piece being labelled as responsible for caries while the rather more humble fructose (fruit sugar to you and me) was a mild-mannered relative in comparison.
Well, no longer. Researchers in California (of course) have discovered that feeding rats on high-fructose corn syrup affects their brain function. The animals became slower and their ability to recall a route out of a maze declined. A similar batch of rats fed the same diet but with the addition of omega-3 fatty acids had no such problems.
I suppose the lesson to be learned is that if you find yourself in a maze (dentistry perhaps?) don't overdose on fructose corn syrup but if you do, try and find some omega-3 to compensate. Or just stick to sucrose!
Off and on again
The paradox of the British weather really should not surprise us anymore after all these years, but it does just the same as it flip flops from too hot to too wet. So the announcement of the drought, effectively acting as a modern day prompt for Noah's second flood meant that the hosepipe ban and requests for water restraint were subsequently reversed.
Part of the plea to save water involved making sure the tap wasn't left running while tooth brushing was in action, which itself set off a plethora of media speculation. A survey found that 64 per cent of seven to 10 year olds let the water run into the basin, calculated to be wasting over 12ls per person.
It was reminiscent of the politician who advised brushing teeth in the dark in order to save electricity during the three-day weeks back in the 1970s and who was roundly turned upon by oral health experts explaining how it was essential to clearly see what you were doing. Who would have thought that removing plaque was so reseource-intensive?
Plaque kills you
Whilst on the subject of plaque, recent research at the very well respected Karolinska Institute in Sweden has revealed that high levels of the ever-forming bacterial stickiness may now be linked to early death from cancer.
With studies being published on a very regular basis indicating that there may be connections between periodontal disease and a wide variety of ills from heart disease to rheumatism and diabetes to pregnancy disorders, plaque is heading for contender of the title as public enemy number one.
In terms of public awareness however, it is difficult to believe that patients see the connection as being real. How many people do they know who have these various conditions but who apparently don't clean their teeth properly? Perhaps we need a new generation of periodontists who are also trained in medicine, epidemiology and excellent communication skills in order to save the world. Or maybe we just all have to brush better to stay alive.
May Winner
The winner of the May prize of Beverly Hills Formula products is Satinder Singh Dharr of London for the caption: ‘With recent austerity measures some dentists have opted for a 'one size fits all' approach to treatment!’