Happy New Year

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!

Take care!

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Those Mistletoe Kisses may be Spreading Hundreds of Germs

Hi everyone, hopefully everyone is having a great holiday. I came across this interesting holiday article from the Academy of General Dentistry website. Here's the teaser quote:

Exchanging kisses underneath the mistletoe may leave holiday revelers with more than just friendship and goodwill tidings. Passionate partygoers may swap up to 500 different species of germs, including those that cause gum disease, warns the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), an organization of general dentists dedicated to continuing education.

“With just one kiss, this infection can be passed between couples and even to children,” says Gordon Isbell, III, DMD, MAGD, spokesperson for the AGD.

Gum disease, a chronic inflammation and infection of the gums and surrounding tissues, is the major cause of about 70 percent of adult tooth loss, affects three out of four persons at some point in their life and is easily transmissible though mouth-to-mouth contact.

Read the rest of the article here:

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Merry Christmas to all!

My family and myself would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Peace on earth and goodwill to everyone. Have a great holiday.





Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Cool Site from Crest and Scientific American

Crest has kindly put up online the Scientific American Special Issue on Oral and Whole Body Health. Great series of articles, but you will need a PDF reader (usually from Adobe) to view the stories. Enjoy!

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Dental Did You Know: Beverages and Dental Erosion

Acidic beverages such as fruit juices, soft drinks, sports drinks and alcohol can potentially cause dental erosion. Some findings:

1. Adding fluoride to drinks does not decrease the incidence of dental erosion
2. Dental erosion can be caused by both food and drink
3. Swishing or holding acidic liquids in the mouth promotes erosion
4. Citric acid has the highest erosive potential

Sources: Sevels I, Ontario Dentist, Dec 2006, Vol 83, Number 10, p.14 and American J Dent, 2005; 18:101-104


Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Coming Soon to Stores: Bacteria Reducing Gum

BASF, the German chemical company, is coming out with a gum that contains "good" bacteria to combat the "bad" bacteria that causes tooth decay. Cavities start when certain bacteria adhere to the surfaces of teeth and produce acid to breakdown the hard outer enamel surface. The bacteria in the gum causes the cavity producing bacteria to clump together preventing it from attaching to the tooth surface. Tests indicate that a 50% reduction in bacteria is possible by chewing the gum.

Source: AGD Impact, (Dental News), December 2006, vol 34, no 11, pg 24 and Marina Murphy from Chemistry & Industry

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Dental Did You Know: Essential Oils

Essential oils (such as eucalyptol, menthol, methyl salicylate and thymol to name a few) can be commonly found in mouthrinses (e.g. Listerine) and can help facilitate the control of plaque, periodontal disease and viral contamination of saliva.

Source: Von Fraunhofer et al, The effect of a mouthrinse containing essential oils on dental restorative materials, General Dentistry, Nov-Dec 2006 Vol 54, No 6, pg 403-407.

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100