NEW WEBSITE HIGHLIGHTS DENTAL AND ANTIOXIDANT RESEARCH
dentalANTIOXIDANTS.com links to studies on oral and systemic health

DALLAS, Texas, January 03, 2011 - Can good oral hygiene help prevent heart attack? Why do smokers run more risk of gingivitis? Does gum disease exacerbate the effects of Alzheimer�s disease? A new website, dentalANTIOXIDANTS.com, provides a link to answers and research on these and other questions.

Both the field of dentistry and the field of medicine are homing in on the connection between oral health and systemic health. The purpose of dentalANTIOXIDANTS.com is to offer background information and current research that substantiate this connection. In addition, the site has links to important scientific studies regarding oral and systemic health, the effects of inflammation, and the role of antioxidants in combating inflammation.

The website features four major sections. Oral Systemic Link delves into the link between disease in the oral cavity and other systemic conditions, including cardiovascular disease such as heart attack and stroke. Oxidative Stress & Oral Health discusses the effects of free radicals, inflammation and infection. Free Radicals explains the sources of free radicals and how they interact with other molecules. And Antioxidants zeroes in on antioxidant compounds that are applied to skin cells and oral tissues.

The principal supervisor for the dentalANTIOXIDANTS.com website is Kathy Svoboda, Ph.D., Regents Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M Health Science Center, Baylor College of Dentistry. "Our ongoing objective at this point," says Dr. Svoboda, "is to ensure that we identify and evaluate as much of the emerging research as possible and make it available on this site." She notes that other scientists and scholars at Baylor College of Dentistry are involved in the massive project of reviewing all the possibly-relevant research.

In addition, other eminent subject matter experts have agreed to contribute to the site, including:

• Edward P. Allen, D.D. S., Ph.D., adjunct professor, Department of Periodontics, Texas A&M Health Science Center Baylor College of Dentistry, and director of the Center for Advanced Dental Education, Dallas, Texas.
• Dr. Bruce Bowers, M.D., F.A.C.C., is co-director of the Vascular Medicine Institute and director of the Carotid Intimal Media Thickness Program at The Heart Hospital Baylor Medical Center in Dallas.

These thought leaders will act as advisors and be involved in writing and in article review.

Dr. Svoboda adds, "As the evidence accumulates relating oral inflammation, systemic health and the effect of antioxidants, dentalANTIOXIDANTS.com is in a unique position to be a clearing house and central repository of information. We certainly hope to become the go-to resource for the most up-to-date and respected information available."

"Although a great number of dental and medical professionals are well aware of the links among inflammation and infection in the oral tissues with inflammatory and other chronic diseases, there are still many practitioners who have not examined the growing body of research evidence," says Dr. Svoboda. "The dentalANTIOXIDANTS.com website pulls together in one location basic information along with links to peer-reviewed scientific papers as well as other credible articles in the popular press."