Tag: 1/9/22

Categories : Dentistry Environmental EffectsTags :

Study Gives Water Fluoridation a Green Thumbs Up

On By ModernMedia
Teeth and toothbrush
Photo by Diana Polekhina on Unsplash

For the first time, researchers have demonstrated the low environmental footprint of water fluoridation compared to other preventive measures for tooth decay while still retaining effectiveness. The study is published in the British Dental Journal.

Water fluoridation is regarded as one of the most significant public health interventions of the twentieth century. But as the climate crisis worsens, the contribution of healthcare and the prevention of disease to the crisis must be considered.

Influenced by this urgency, Trinity College Dublin researchers collaborating with University College London quantified the environmental impact of water fluoridation for an individual five year-old child over a one-year period and compared this to the traditional use of fluoride varnish and toothbrushing programmes, which take place in selected schools across the UK, and internationally.

Over 35% of the world’s population has access to water fluoridation, with studies showing significant reductions in dental caries. Whilst data on the clinical effectiveness and cost analysis of water fluoridation are available, there has been no data regarding its environmental impact up to now.

To quantify this impact, the research team performed a Life Cycle Assessment by carefully measuring the combined travel, the weight and amounts of all products and the processes involved in all three preventive programmes (toothbrushing, fluoride varnish programmes and water fluoridation). Data was inputted into specialised environmental software and the team used the Ecoinvent database, enabling them to calculate environmental outputs, including the carbon footprint, the amount of water used for each product and the amount of land use.

The results of the study, led by Brett Duane, Associate Professor in Dental Public Health at Trinity College, concluded that water fluoridation had the lowest environmental impact in all categories studied, and had the lowest disability-adjusted life years impact when compared to all other community-level caries prevention programmes. The study also found that water fluoridation gives the greatest return on investment.

Considering the balance between clinical effectiveness, cost effectiveness and environmental sustainability, researchers believe that water fluoridation should be the preventive intervention of choice.

This research strengthens the case internationally for water fluoridation programmes to reduce dental decay, especially in the most vulnerable populations.

Assoc Prof Duane said: “As the climate crisis starts to worsen, we need to find ways of preventing disease to reduce the environmental impact of our health systems. This research clearly demonstrates the low carbon impact of water fluoridation as an effective prevention tool.”

Source: Trinity College Dublin

Categories : COVID ExerciseTags :

Returning to Sport after COVID Infection

On By ModernMedia
Rugby players
Photo by Olga Guryanova

A first-of-its-kind study published in Scientific Reports has investigated how the immune system of elite student-athletes responded to the COVID virus. Unlike older adults with comorbidities, American Football players who were diagnosed with COVID were able to have their immune system back to its baseline after their CDC-recommended isolation period.

“When COVID really started moving out of control, we met with Neil Johannsen, an exercise physiologist at LSU, and the athletic trainers Derek Calvert and Jack Marucci, and we discussed what we could do to make sure our athletes remained healthy. We especially wanted to make sure that athletes were not at risk for secondary infections when they came back from isolation,” said Guillaume Spielmann, associate professor in LSU’s School of Kinesiology.

Isolation effective after COVID infection

“When the idea started for the research, we discussed why not turn something negative into a positive, and assist with the research to find some answers. If we can do things to understand the virus better, let’s do it,” said Jack Marucci, LSU’s Director of Athletic Training. “The student-athletes were willing to be a part of it.”

During that time at the start of the COVID pandemic, the CDC had recommended 14 days of isolation.

“There was a lot unknown during this time. We are looking at a population that are extremely close to each other during plays and during games. We wanted to make sure that since they are literally face-to-face with other players, that their salivary defences, their oral defences were pretty much intact and that that part of their immune system was not affected by the disease; that there were no long-lasting effects of the disease,” Assoc Proff Spielmann said.

Saliva samples were collected from 29 student-athletes in 2020, before a COVID vaccine. Fourteen were COVID positive and 15 had no history of infection. Of the 14, only six reported mild symptoms from the virus, the other eight were asymptomatic throughout the isolation period.

“Salivary immunity is extremely important to ensure that people don’t contract secondary infections, so when athletes are coming back we need to make sure they are as healthy as can be. We found that the isolation period was sufficient to restore the athletes’ salivary immunity to the level seen in non-infected players,” Assoc Prof Spielmann said.

Safely return to play after COVID

These findings suggested the student-athletes could safely return to practice and play football without a risk of secondary infection; that their immune system wasn’t at risk when playing the close contact sport.

“I was worried a bit about long-haulers and other more significant outcomes like the concerns for the development of myocarditis. Engaging in athletic activities at an elite level can be stressful on the body and you would want to arm yourselves with the best scientific information to help understand potential outcomes. This data helped to validate some of these decisions that were made. Providing a safe environment for your student-athletes is paramount and this helped that process along,” said Shelly Mullenix, LSU’s Senior Associate Athletics Director for Health & Wellness.

For this study, three graduate students also participated in the research.

“This kind of access is unique in Division I sports. You typically don’t have access to football players, so the fact that we have access is hugely instrumental as well,” Assoc Prof Spielmann said. “LSU is a great place for this field.”

“I think this COVID research is something that we are really proud to be a part of and contribute to finding answers to such a devastating virus,” Marucci said.

Assoc Prof Spielmann, an immunologist, researches the impact of stress on the immune system of elite and tactical athletes, including astronauts and fire fighters. But this study isn’t the first for Spielmann and LSU Athletics. They have worked together to study psychological and physiological health, along with performance measures in other student-athletes and sports teams. A new study will take a closer look at female athletes’ mental, physiological and immune resilience to stress.

Source: Louisiana State University