Your Smoking Rots Your Kids’ Teeth

We all know smoking is bad for us, upping our risk of so many diseases, from periodontitis (gum disease) to heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and emphysema. It also increases the disease risk of those around us, courtesy of the effects of secondhand smoke. And recent research indicates one rather surprising disease in children that [...]

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Green Tea May Prevent Oral Cancer & Other News of Note

Green Tea May Help Prevent Oral Cancer (US News & World Report)

A new study appears to add to growing evidence that green tea might help protect against cancer.
U.S. researchers gave 41 volunteers with pre-malignant mouth lesions green tea extract for three months at doses of 500 milligrams per meter squared (mg/m2), 750 mg/m2 or 1,000 [...]

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Stat!: Parents & the H1N1 Vaccine

Percent of American parents concerned about side effects of the H1N1 vaccine: 72
 

izahorsky/Flickr
 
Percent who say they would let their kids get H1N1 vaccinations at school: 59
Percent who wouldn’t allow it: 38
 
Source: SF Chronicle/AP

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H1N1 Vaccine Risks and Tamiflu Risks for Kids

As the new school year gets underway, we’re hearing a lot more about H1N1 “prevention,” including, of course, the “importance” of vaccinations. We’ve already written quite a bit about problems with vaccinations and the need for people to be completely informed before opting for or against jabs for themselves or their children. Now, reports the [...]

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Stopping Gum Disease and Other News of Note

Study: Malnutrition Can Prompt Gum Disease (DrBicuspid.com)

Haitian children who were exposed to protein-energy malnutrition during the first five years of their lives had a higher occurrence of periodontal disease by adolescence than children who had sufficient nutrition during those years, according to a study presented at the recent International Association for Dental Research (IADR) meeting [...]

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First Year CA Schoolkids Need to Get Their Teeth Checked

A reminder to our California readers:
All California public school students must get “an oral health assessment performed by a licensed dentist or other licensed or registered dental health professional” before the end of their first school year (kindergarten or first grade). The deadline for submitting proof of exam is fast approaching: May 31.
These [...]

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Soda vs. Water

This merited a study?
 

 
Replacing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) with water could eliminate an average of 235 excess calories per day among children and adolescents, according to a study published in the April 2009 Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. The study’s authors conclude that such a replacement would be a simple and effective way [...]

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Good Eats, Workplace Exercise & Other Health Tips from Around the Web

Trying to eat safely and healthfully? Check out these tips – from the Institute for Responsible Technology – for avoiding foods made from genetically modifed organisms (GMOs).

Need something healthy to eat on the run? Why not make some grab-and-go “Primal Energy Bars” with this recipe from Mark’s Daily Apple?

No time for a workout? From [...]

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Oral Health & Pregnancy, Questioning ADHD Drugs and Other News of Note

Better Oral Hygiene Could Reduce Complications in Pregnancy & Help Newborn Babies (Medical News Today)

Bacteria from a mother’s mouth can be transmitted through the blood and amniotic fluid in the womb to her unborn child. This could contribute to the risk of a premature delivery, a low birth-weight baby, premature onset of contractions, or infection [...]

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A Few Tips for Helping Your Kids Have Good Dental Health

The state of children’s teeth is, to put it mildly, not so good. According to data recently distributed by the American Dental Hygientists’ Association (ADHA), 41% of children under 11 years old have primary tooth decay, and from there, the rate of caries (cavities) only increases. Amongst older teens, 68% have at least one decayed [...]

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