Today's Dental News

Your daily caloric intake soon may not be the only thing that soda increases.

Experts from Oxford University are supporting a raise in the cost of soda by possibly imposing a soft drink tax in the United Kingdom. This stems from the desire to lower obesity and diabetes rates, in addition to decreasing tooth decay rates.

The tax could be as much as 20 percent, which could lower the amount of heart disease-related deaths by as many as 3,000 each year, according to experts. If such a tax existed in the United States, it could save many lives as well.

Read more: United Kingdom May Enact Soft Drink Tax

People in Sweden apparently need a lesson on brushing their teeth.

A survey of Swedish people indicated that just 1 out 10 people in the country brush their teeth the correct way. According to the research by the team at the University of Gothenburg, most people are brushing their teeth two times per day, just not the right way.

The problem many people are encountering is that they don’t know the best brushing techniques, according to the researchers. They also don’t know the value of fluoride and the best ways to utilize toothpaste.

Read more: Swedish People Not Brushing Teeth Correctly

The people of Kansas will soon have more access to dental care.

Governor Sam Brownback recently signed a bill into law that will help the state deal with a shortage of dentists. Dental hygienists will soon have an increased role in dealing with tooth decay because there are currently 93 counties that don't have enough dentists. There are 13 counties that don't have any dentists.

This bill could have added more coverage by including people known as registered dental therapists that can perform many duties that dentists normally handle. That part of the bill didn't pass. Alaska and Minnesota are the only states that allow dental therapists to perform such duties.

Read more: Governor Signs Bill to Help Dental Shortage

Freshwater crayfish have an enamel-like layer on their mandibles, according to new research.

A team of Israeli and German researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces made the discovery. The information appears in Nature Communications.

This particular species of crayfish protects its teeth by generating a high-mineral coating based on calcium phosphate, something that vertebrates generally do. This enamel-like substance acts as a protective layer for the softer under layer.

Read more: Some Crayfish Possess Humanlike Enamel