/oss/taxonomy/term/232/all en /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/defence-maligned-root-canal <p>Over the course of my thirty-five-plus years of practicing dentistry, I have been asked many questions concerning the safety of various dental agents and materials, most notably silver fillings and fluoride. Undoubtedly, the internet has provided the masses with a plethora of sound information at their fingertips. Conversely, accompanied by its social media counterpart, it has become the primary gateway to the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories.</p> Fri, 04 Feb 2022 20:48:44 +0000 Mark Grossman BSc, DDS, Contributor 9016 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-history/sweet-and-sticky-science-sugar <p>Sugar is sweet and sticky.  That’s a fact.  In fact, during the reign of Edward the Confessor in the early eleventh century, "ale tasters" were employed to check on the work of brewers.  They would test the ale by spilling some on a wooden seat and sitting on the spill in their leather breeches.  If they had difficulty getting up after a short time because their breeches stuck to the seat, they knew that the ale had been sugared.  Today we don't have to worry about such adulteration of our ale, and I think in any case we would have a hard time finding leather breeches.  But the stickiness o</p> Fri, 03 Dec 2021 23:31:20 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8944 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-history/happy-ether-day <p>This past week on October 16 we celebrated National Ether Day. If you missed it, here is why you should not have. Rarely does a single event alter the course of medicine, but that is exactly what happened 175 years ago at Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital on October 16, 1846, in the surgical theatre that would eventually be christened “The Ether Dome.” Dr.</p> Fri, 22 Oct 2021 19:36:01 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8906 at /oss /oss/article/history/hal-healer-and-others-his-ilk <p>A large crowd surrounded Hal the Healer's platform in the middle 1800s. Before beginning, Hal signaled his band to strike up a lively tune. Why? Because Hal was preparing to pull a tooth and the music was needed to drown out the screams of the unfortunate patient!</p> Sat, 31 Jul 2021 01:32:02 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8795 at /oss /oss/article/health/halitosis-how-it-happens-and-how-help <p>Halitosis or chronic bad breath is very common, affecting <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3633265/">up to 50% of the general population.</a> Unlike onion or morning breath, halitosis is a condition that persists and is not remedied by breath mints or mouthwash. Though the occasional bout is common, those with chronic halitosis may endure embarrassment, lack self-confidence and see social relationships suffer. Often, people are unaware of the problem with others reluctant to tell them lest causing discomfort.</p> Fri, 30 Apr 2021 21:10:05 +0000 Mark Grossman BSc, DDS, Contributor 8717 at /oss /oss/article/pseudoscience-history-general-science/tooth-fairy-science-bite-mark-comparisons <p>The idea of using teeth to identify someone has a long history. One of the earliest recorded cases (and perhaps the very first one) dates back to the first century. The wife of Roman Emperor Claudius, Julia Agrippina, commanded a colonel of the Roman guard to<a href="https://strangeremains.com/2016/12/28/the-roman-empress-who-used-forensic-science-to-identify-her-rivals-head/"> order the suicide of her rival</a>, a former empress and consort of Caligula. As proof of the deed, Agrippina wanted her head brought back for examination.</p> Fri, 05 Mar 2021 17:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8639 at /oss /oss/article/history-you-asked/what-smell-when-i-get-root-canal-done <p>Undergoing a root canal procedure is not one of the great pleasures of life, but it is a highly effective technique for saving teeth. The idea is to remove the diseased pulp of a tooth and then fill the root canals with gutta-percha, a rubber-like material from the sap of sapodilla trees that grow in East Asia. The gutta-percha has to be heated to reduce its viscosity so that it can easily flow into the vacated canals. The heat causes some degradation of the gutta-percha with the release of isoprene, a compound that has a characteristic fragrance.</p> Fri, 08 Jan 2021 16:12:02 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8549 at /oss /oss/article/environment-did-you-know-general-science/crustaceans-have-teeth-their-stomach <p>Believe it or not, lobsters, as well as other crustaceans such as crabs and crayfish, have teeth in their stomach! The teeth are part of a system called the “gastric mill.” Through rhythmic movements of these large teeth, of which there are three, their stomachs can actually crush food as a prelude to further digestion.</p> Wed, 12 Aug 2020 16:23:03 +0000 Caitlin Bard, OSS Intern 8360 at /oss /oss/article/antibiotic-prophylaxis-and-dentistry <p>As most dentists can attest, the mouth can be a scary place. Despite impassioned assurances from patients, we know that not all flossers are created equal. Lurking in this often-hostile environment are all kinds of nasties including bacteria, fungi and viruses. While some microorganisms in the mouth are described as “good,'' others…. “not so much.” Among these pathogenic villains are certain bacteria that when allowed to thrive wreak all kinds of havoc like bad breath, cavities and bleeding gums.</p> <p><b>History</b></p> Wed, 08 Jan 2020 18:20:51 +0000 Mark Grossman BSc, DDS, Contributor 8073 at /oss /oss/article/videos/right-chemistry-fluoridation-and-childrens-iq <p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-4trjqm9hmw0" width="640" height="390" title="Dr. Joe Schwarcz on fluoridation and children’s IQ" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/4tRjQm9hmw0?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-4trjqm9hmw0&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Dr. Joe Schwarcz on fluoridation and children’s IQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>Video of Dr. Joe Schwarcz on fluoridation and children’s IQ</iframe> </div> </p> Thu, 05 Sep 2019 15:25:21 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7900 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-health/did-you-know-dentists-can-treat-cavities-without-using-drill <p>What if your dentist could apply a gel to your cavities (or dental caries) that would soften necrotic tissue but leave your healthy dentin alone, allowing the affected tooth tissue to simply be scooped out?</p> <p>So-called chemomechanical methods of removing cavities are not new. They were initially marketed in the 1970s, but their original designs had some serious problems. Caridex was one of the first, but it required heat, specialized equipment, large volumes of product (200-500 mL) and tasted bad.</p> Wed, 10 Apr 2019 20:12:49 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7715 at /oss /oss/article/health/dental-floss-toxic <p>A recently published paper in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology managed to create a great deal of public angst about using some types of dental floss. “This is the first study to show that using dental floss containing PFAS is associated with a higher body burden of these toxic chemicals,” opined lead author Katie Boronow of the non-profit Silent Spring Institute in Massachusetts.</p> Fri, 18 Jan 2019 17:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7542 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/beavers-have-metal-teeth <p><span>I once broke my tooth on some toffee my mom made. Every time I see a beaver, I think of that day and wonder how they can gnaw on trees all day without chipping an incisor when I couldn’t even conquer candy. </span></p> <p><span>Since beavers are </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodent">rodents</a> it’s not too surprising that their teeth constantly grow. This allows them to chew away on their sticks while keeping their teeth, but my guinea pigs are also rodents and I wouldn’t put them up against a log.</p> Tue, 12 Jun 2018 15:49:39 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7130 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-general-science/pangolins-use-rocks-lieu-teeth <p><span>Pangolins, or scaly anteaters, are amazing little mammals. There are eight species of them, and they are the only living creatures in their order of Pholidota. Spread throughout Asia and Africa, they can be as small as 2 kg or as large at 35 kg. But if you meet one, you will probably be struck by their scales. </span></p> Thu, 31 May 2018 18:20:00 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7120 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/alcohol-mouthwashes-doesnt-actually-kill-bacteria <p><span>It’s common knowledge that alcohol can kill bacteria (it’s commonly used as a disinfectant), so it makes sense that the alcohol in mouthwashes is added specifically to kill the bacteria that give you bad breath.</span></p> Thu, 03 May 2018 14:59:18 +0000 Jonathan Jarry, MSc 7051 at /oss