UW School of Dentistry

Fluoride use was consequence of flawed nutritional guidelines, researcher says

Women with mouth open for dental exam

Prominent organizations including the World Health Organization and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have dismissed low-carbohydrate diets that prevent tooth decay in favor of recommending high-carbohydrate diets which rely on fluoride and food fortification to mitigate dental damage and nutritional shortcomings, a University of Washington researcher says.


Oral health summit to focus on behavioral science

Oral health isn’t just about teeth. Thoughts and behaviors also play a big part. Dentists have long known the importance of influencing people’s behaviors and attitudes to promote healthy teeth and gums. That explains a good deal of the impetus for the Behavioral and Social Oral Health Sciences Summit, which will be held this Thursday and Friday in a virtual space.


Ultra-small, parasitic bacteria found in groundwater, moose – and you

Inside your mouth lives a group of bacteria whose closest relatives can also be found in the belly of a moose, in dogs, cats, and dolphins, and in groundwater deep under the Earth’s surface. In a noteworthy discovery, scientists led by a UW School of Dentistry researcher have found that these organisms have adapted to these incredibly diverse environments without radically changing their genetic makeup, or genomes.