APRIL 2025
Politics Threaten Scientific Success
1 National Institutes of Health. Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, 2000.
2 Koulourides T. Summary of session II: fluoride and the caries process. J Dent Res. 1990;69(Spec Iss):558.
3Truman BI, Gooch BF, Sulemana I, et al. Reviews of evidence on interventions to prevent dental caries, oral and pharyngeal cancers, and sports-related craniofacial injuries. Am J Prev Med. 2002(1S):21–54.
4 Iheozor-Ejiofor Z, Worthington HV, Walsh T, et al. Water fluoridation for the prevention of dental caries. Cochrane Database of Syst Rev. 2015;(6). Art. No.: CD010856. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD010856.pub2
5 Community Preventive Services Task Force. Dental caries (cavities): community water fluoridation. The Community Guide. Accessed January 30, 2024. https://thecommunityguide.org/findings/dental-caries-cavities-community-water-fluoridation.html
6 Kohn WG, Maas WR, Malvitz DM, Presson SM, Shaddix KK; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.); National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (U.S.). Division of Oral Health. Recommendations for using fluoride to prevent and control dental caries in the United States. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2001;50(RR-14):1–30.
7 DenBesten P, Li W. Chronic fluoride toxicity: dental fluorosis. Monogr Oral Sci. 2011;22:81-96. doi: 10.1159/000327028. Epub 2011 Jun 23. PMID: 21701193; PMCID: PMC3433161.
8 https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/veterinary-science-and-veterinary-medicine/skeletal-fluorosis#:~:text=Skeletal%20fluorosis%20is%20a%20serious,science/article/pii/B9780128021682000440
9 Gopu BP, Azevedo LB, Duckworth RM, Subramanian MKP, John S, Zohoori FV. The Relationship between Fluoride Exposure and Cognitive Outcomes from Gestation to Adulthood-A Systematic Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Dec 20;20(1):22. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20010022. PMID: 36612346; PMCID: PMC9819484.
10 McDonagh MS, Whiting PF, Bradley M, et al. A Systematic Review of Public Water Fluoridation. BMJ; 2000. 321(7265):855–9.
11 https://www.nature.com/articles/6400578
12 https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Fluoride-HealthProfessional/
13 https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/whatwestudy/assessments/noncancer/completed/fluoride
14 https://www.beckersdental.com/dentists/44942-the-trends-making-dentists-worry.html?origin=DentalE&utm_source=DentalE&utm_medium=email&utm_content=newsletter&oly_enc_id=9017J1410378F6D
15https://adanews.ada.org/ada-news/2024/august/national-toxicology-program-releases-fluoride-exposure-monograph/
FEBRUARY 2025
GLP-1 Agonists and Weight Loss
1 Rohani B. Oral manifestations in patients with diabetes mellitus. World J Diabetes. 2019 Sep 15;10(9):485-489
2 https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/overweight-obesity
3 Sauer N, Reining F, Schulze Zur Wiesch C, Burkhardt T, Aberle J. Off-label antiobesity treatment in patients without diabetes with GLP-1 agonists in clinical practice. Horm Metab Res. 2015;47(8):560-564.
4 Drug Approval Package: Ozempic (semaglutide) Injection". U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 16 January 2018. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021.
5 https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/medications-containing-semaglutide-marketed-type-2-diabetes-or-weight-loss
6 O’Connor EA, Evans CV, Henninger M, Redmond N, Senger CA. Interventions for Weight Management in Children and Adolescents: Updated Evidence Report and Systematic Review for the US Preventive Services Task Force. JAMA. Published online June 18, 2024.
7 Müller TD, Finan B, Bloom SR, D'Alessio D, Drucker DJ, Flatt PR, Fritsche A, Gribble F, Grill HJ, Habener JF, Holst JJ, Langhans W, Meier JJ, Nauck MA, Perez-Tilve D, Pocai A, Reimann F, Sandoval DA, Schwartz TW, Seeley RJ, Stemmer K, Tang-Christensen M, Woods SC, DiMarchi RD, Tschöp MH. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). Mol Metab. 2019 Dec;30:72-130.
8 https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/medications-containing-semaglutide-marketed-type-2-diabetes-or-weight-loss
9 Mosenzon O, Garvey WT, Hesse D, Koroleva A, Kushner RF, Lim S, Lingvay I, Wallenstein SOR, Wadden TA, Le Roux CW. Clinically-Relevant Weight Loss is Achieved Independently of Early Weight Loss Response to Once-Weekly Subcutaneous Semaglutide 2.4 MG (STEP 4). J Endocr Soc. 2021 May 3;5(Suppl 1)
10 Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Davies M, Van Gaal LF, Kandler K, Konakli K, Lingvay I, McGowan BM, Oral TK, Rosenstock J, Wadden TA, Wharton S, Yokote K, Kushner RF; STEP 1 Study Group. Weight regain and cardiometabolic effects after withdrawal of semaglutide: The STEP 1 trial extension. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2022 Aug;24(8):1553-1564.
11 A. Michael Lincoff, M.D. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8175-2121, Kirstine Brown-Frandsen, M.D., Helen M. Colhoun, M.D., John Deanfield, M.D., Scott S. Emerson, M.D., Ph.D., Sille Esbjerg, M.Sc., Søren Hardt-Lindberg, M.D., Ph.D., +9, for the SELECT Trial Investigators Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes N Engl J Med 2023;389:2221-2232
12 https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/glp-1-diabetes-and-weight-loss-drug-side-effects-ozempic-face-and-more
13 Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists for Weight Loss. JAMA. 2023;330(18):1795–1797.
14 Billings SA, Felix HM, Prier CC, Hedges MS. Rhabdomyolysis Associated With Semaglutide Therapy: A Case Report. Cureus. 2023 Dec 9;15(12):e50227.
15 Hathaway JT, Shah MP, Hathaway DB, et al. Risk of Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy in Patients Prescribed Semaglutide. JAMA Ophthalmol. Published online July 03, 2024
16 https://lawsuitlegalnews.com/news/study-link-between-ozempic-gastroparesis/
17 https://www.webmd.com/obesity/news/20230803/lawsuit-alleges-untold-stomach-risks-from-ozempic-mounjaro
18 Nauck MA, D'Alessio DA. Tirzepatide, a dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor co-agonist for the treatment of type 2 diabetes with unmatched effectiveness regrading glycaemic control and body weight reduction. Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2022 Sep 1;21(1):169.
19 Alexis V. Fanshier; Brianne K. Crews; Madison C. Garrett; Jeremy L. Johnson
ORCID logo Tirzepatide: A Novel Glucose-Dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide/Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonist for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Twincretin Clin Diabetes 2023;41(3):367–377
20 Müller TD, Blüher M, Tschöp MH, DiMarchi RD (March 2022). "Anti-obesity drug discovery: advances and challenges". Nature Reviews. Drug Discovery. 21 (3): 201–223.
21https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mounjaro-and-ozempic-arent-the-same-heres-how-weight-loss-drugs-compare/#:~:text=The%20drug's%20interaction%20with%20GIP,studies%20on%20this%20are%20underway.
22 Kuate Defo A, Bakula V, Pisaturo A, Labos C, Wing SS, Daskalopoulou SS. Diabetes, antidiabetic medications and risk of dementia: a systematic umbrella review and meta-analysis.Diabetes Obes Metab. Published online October 23, 2023. doi:10.1111/dom.15331
23 Nørgaard CH, Friedrich S, Hansen CT, Gerds T, Ballard C, Møller DV, Knudsen LB, Kvist K, Zinman B, Holm E, Torp-Pedersen C, Mørch LS. Treatment with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and incidence of dementia: Data from pooled double-blind randomized controlled trials and nationwide disease and prescription registers. Alzheimers Dement (N Y). 2022 Feb 23;8(1):e12268. doi: 10.1002/trc2.12268. PMID: 35229024; PMCID: PMC8864443.
24 https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/zepbound-sleep-apnea-obesity-eli-lilly-study-results/713432/#:~:text=Scott%20Olson%20via%20Getty%20Images,as%20those%20who%20didn't.
25 Wang L, Xu R, Kaelber DC, Berger NA. Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonists and 13 Obesity-Associated Cancers in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(7):e2421305. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.21305
26 Wang L, Wang W, Kaelber DC, Xu R, Berger NA. GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Colorectal Cancer Risk in Drug-Naive Patients With Type 2 Diabetes, With and Without Overweight/Obesity. JAMA Oncol. 2024;10(2):256–258. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2023.5573
27 https://wwd.com/pop-culture/culture-news/ozempic-media-oprah-weight-loss-special-awards-shows-celebrities-1236271333/
28 OZEMPIC Drug Patent Profile. Drug Patent Watch
29 FDA warns consumers not to use counterfeit Ozempic (semaglutide) found in U.S. drug supply chain". U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 21 December 2023
30Medications Containing Semaglutide Marketed for Type 2 Diabetes or Weight Loss". U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 21 December 2023.
31 https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight#:~:text=Overweight%20is%20a%20condition%20of,the%20risk%20of%20certain%20cancers.
32 Dombrowski SU, Knittle K, Avenell A, Araújo‐Soares V, Sniehotta FF. Long term maintenance of weight loss with non‐surgical interventions in obese adults: systematic review and meta‐analyses of randomised controlled trials. The BMJ 2014; 348: g2646.
33 Varkevisser RDM, van Stralen MM, Kroeze W, Ket JCF, Steenhuis IHM. Determinants of weight loss maintenance: a systematic review. Obes Rev. 2019 Feb;20(2):171-211.
34 Söderlund A, Fischer A, Johansson T. Physical activity, diet and behaviour modification in the treatment of overweight and obese adults: a systematic review. Perspectives in Public Health. 2009;129(3):132-142.
35 C C Curioni & P M Lourenço Long-term weight loss after diet and exercise: a systematic review Int J Obes 29, 1168–1174 (2005)
APRIL 2024
The staffing shortage
1 https://www.ada.org/-/media/project/ada-organization/ada/ada-org/files/resources/research/hpi/dental_workforce_shortages_labor_market.pdf
2 https://www.ada.org/-/media/project/ada-organization/ada/ada-org/files/resources/research/hpi/oct2023_hpi_economic_outlook_dentistry_report_main.pdf?rev=29dc10340557404b9259b5e43852553a&hash=50D9A6A288F2CC9CDCC6B96F00C077E1
3 https://www.theadso.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/20240115_RTI_Report_Executive_Summary_v0222.pdf
Arginine and dental caries
1 Marcenes W, Kassebaum NJ, Bernabe E, et al. Global burden of oral conditions in 1990-2010: a systematic analysis. J Dent Res. 2013;92(7):592-597.
2 The Lancet. Oral health at a tipping point. Lancet. 2019:394(10194):188.
3 Kleinberg I. A mixed-bacteria ecological approach to understanding the role of the oral bacteria in dental caries causation: an alternative to Streptococcus mutans and the specific-plaque hypothesis. Crit Rev Oral Biol Med. 2002;13(2):108-125
4 Englander HR, Shklair IL, Fosdick LS. The effects of saliva on the pH and lactate concentration in dental plaques: I. Caries-rampant individuals. J Dent Res. 1959;38(5):848-853.
5 Marsh PD, Bradshaw DJ. Dental plaque as a biofilm. J Ind Microbiol. 1995;15(3):169-175
6 Fejerskov O, Nyvad B, Kidd EA: Pathology of dental caries; in Fejerskov O, Kidd EAM (eds): Dental caries: The disease and its clinical management. Oxford, Blackwell Munksgaard, 2008, vol 2, pp 20-48.
7 Zhu, M; Li, J; Chen, B; Mei, L; Yao, L; Tian, J; Li, H (2015). "The Effect of Calcium Sodium Phosphosilicate on Dentin Hypersensitivity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis". PLOS ONE. 10 (11): e0140176.
8 Brunton, P.A.; Davies, R.P.W. (2 July 2013). "Treatment of early caries lesions using biomimetic self-assembling-peptides – a clinical safety trial". Br Dent J. 215
9 JADA Monograph ADA.org/arginine
10 https://bioetymology.blogspot.com/2012/03/arginin-arg-r.html
11 Nascimento MM, Browngardt C, Xiaohui X, Klepac-Ceraj V, Paster BJ, Burne RA. The effect of arginine on oral biofilm communities. Mol Oral Microbiol. 2014;29(1):45-54
12 Souza ML, Cury JA, Tenuta LM, et al. Comparing the efficacy of a dentifrice
containing 1.5% arginine and 1450 ppm fluoride to a dentifrice containing 1450 ppm fluoride alone in the management of primary root caries. J Dent. 2013;41 (suppl 2):S35-S41
13 Acevedo AM, Machado C, Rivera LE, Wolff M, Kleinberg I. The inhibitory effect of an arginine bicarbonate/calcium carbonate CaviStat-containing dentifrice on the development of dental caries in Venezuelan school children. J Clin Dent. 2005;16(3):63-70
14 Kleinberg I. A new saliva-based anticaries composition. Dent Today. 1999;18(2):98-103.
15 Zheng X, He J, Wang L, et al. Ecological effect of arginine on oral microbiota.
Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):7206
16 Kraivaphan P, Amornchat C, Triratana T, et al. Two-year caries clinical study of the efficacy of novel dentifrices containing 1.5% arginine, an insoluble calcium compound and 1,450 ppm fluoride. Caries Res. 2013;47(6):582-590
The anesthesia void
1 https://www.michigandental.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Hospital-Fact-Sheet_4-23.pdf
2 https://www.michigandental.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Hospital-Fact-Sheet_4-23.pdf
3 https://www.house.mi.gov/hfa/PDF/Summaries/23h4437h1cr1_general_omnibus_conference_report_summary.pdf
4 https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/11/22/2023-24293/medicare-program-hospital-outpatient-prospective-payment-and-ambulatory-surgical-center-payment
DECEMBER 2023
A dream takes root
1 American Dental Education Association. "ADEA Trends in Dental Education, 2022-2023." (Washington, DC, 2023).
2 Kamyar Nasseh, Chelsea Fosse and Marko Vujicic, “Dentists Who Participate in Medicaid: Who They Are, Where They Locate, How They Practice,” Medical Care Research and Review 80, no. 2 (2022): 245-252.
3 Eleanor Fleming and Dennis A. Mitchell, “’We have come,’” Journal of the American Dental Association 154, no. 2 (2023): 99-100.
4 Eleanor Fleming et al., “American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, and Hispanic dentists’ experiences of discrimination,” Journal of Public Health Dentistry 82, suppl. 1 (2022): 46-52.
A dream takes root
1 American Dental Education Association. "ADEA Trends in Dental Education, 2022-2023." (Washington, DC, 2023).
2 Kamyar Nasseh, Chelsea Fosse and Marko Vujicic, “Dentists Who Participate in Medicaid: Who They Are, Where They Locate, How They Practice,” Medical Care Research and Review 80, no. 2 (2022): 245-252.
3 Eleanor Fleming and Dennis A. Mitchell, “’We have come,’” Journal of the American Dental Association 154, no. 2 (2023): 99-100.
4 Eleanor Fleming et al., “American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, and Hispanic dentists’ experiences of discrimination,” Journal of Public Health Dentistry 82, suppl. 1 (2022): 46-52.
Advocating for screenings
1 Source: Gracy, D., Fabian, A., Basch, C. H., Scigliano, M., MacLean, S. A., MacKenzie, R. K., & Redlener, I. E. (2018). Missed opportunities: Do states require screening of children for health conditions that interfere with learning?. PloS one, 13(1), e0190254.