The toothbrush plant.

The toothbrush plant is a low-growing shrub that is found throughout Africa and the Middle East. It is used by the native peoples as a chew stick for cleaning their teeth. When the end of the wood is chewed, it becomes frayed and can be used as a natural brush that delivers therapeutic minerals and chemicals, present in the wood fiber to the teeth and gingiva. The use of this wood for oral care could be a great benefit to people in industrialized nations.

Detecting computer-enhanced dentistry.

Recent developments in digital imaging in dentistry and easy-to-use editing software present many occasions for altering or fraudulently changing digital images of products, patients, their dental conditions, treatments, and radiographs. Though seemingly impossible to detect when carefully done, there are numerous clues of digital editing that can be detected by the alert practitioner.

Endoscopic holography: a minimally invasive oral biopsy technique.

It is important to see the nature of the cells when diagnosing oral lesions. This is often done microscopically by removing lesions, either scraping individual cells (cytology) or cutting out blocks of tissue (biopsy). The problems encountered with these techniques involve the patient's discomfort, possibility of spreading a tumor (e.g., an incisional biopsy of malignant melanoma), delayed healing, and time required for the lab work (shipping of specimen, sectioning, staining, path review, etc.). Many dentists are hesitant to suggest biopsies of minor lesions because of the trauma, pain, and cost incurred by the patient. The use of direct tissue examination using light endoscopes, intraoral video, or macrophotography is of limited value because the poor resolution of the images will not identify pathology on a cellular level.

Similar mandibular osseous lesions in Tyrannosaurus rex and man.

This report identifies several cases of similar-appearing multiple lesions in the mandibles of both humans and the dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex (T. rex). A diagnosis and potential etiologies are discussed. The appearance of these lesions in prehistoric fossils suggests that this pathology is an ancient affliction which predates humans and our mammalian ancestors. Lytic lesions of the oral structures have occurred in man and higher animals throughout time. The causes range from congenital anomalies, trauma, and infections to benign and metastatic neoplasms. Not only mammals suffer from these conditions; reptiles and birds experience similar diseases.

High-voltage dentistry: modern clinical applications for an ancient dental device.

In the early 1900s, a new high-energy device was introduced as a cure-all for a multitude of diseases and conditions that afflicted the population. Dental pain and disease were among those treatable ailments. Treatment consisted of applying direct contact to the body with a handheld, high-voltage Tesla Coil and Geissler tube, which created heat, ozone, and ultraviolet light (UV), termed the "Violet Ray" This treatment was considered mostly a fraud and banned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1950.

A forensic dental determination of serial killings by three African lions.

Forensic dentistry's role in solving homicide cases is not limited to victim and other human identifications. This science also can apply to perpetrators, human as well as animal, and can clarify historical incidents that occurred many years ago. In two cases more than 90 years apart, three African lions were jointly responsible for the killing of 141 humans for food, replacing their normal animal prey. A thorough dental analysis identified pathologies that may have forced the cats to select slower and less troublesome prey (humans) over their traditional food sources. The uncanny ability of these lions to avoid traps, ambushes, and gunfire while they continued to prey on so many well-armed and forewarned men remains unexplained.

The evolution of human occlusion--ancient clinical tips for modern dentists.

Man evolved in an environment in which the occlusion was worn down quickly, resulting in flattened occlusal and interproximal surfaces. This rapid wear reduced occlusal decay, traumatic occlusion, malaligned teeth, impactions, and temporomandibular disease (TMD). In the last 250 years, however, new food production techniques created an environment that was less dentally abrasive than earlier diets. Teeth were not worn down as programmed in our "evolutionary blue-print." This lack of wear resulted in increased caries, cusp fractures, bruxing, malocclusion, periodontal disease, and TMD. A practical re-creation of ancient dental wear patterns can help to reduce these modern dental diseases.

The man-eaters with bad teeth.

Two cases of man-eating lions feeding on large numbers of humans (1898, 1991) are discussed. The forensic dental evidence from the lions' remains and eyewitness reports indicate all three lions had serious dental/oral pathology, which may have contributed to their selection of human food over more challenging natural animal prey.