Mouthcare

The human body's microbe makeup is increasingly linked to the onset of many diseases, with a lot of the focus on the gut. A new study, however, has found that changes in the bug populations in not just the gut but in salivary and urinary microbiomes are linked to kidney stones forming.

A new longitudinal study has investigated the link between a commonly occurring oral bacteria and coronary heart disease, improving our understanding of how infection affects the development of the disease.

​Conditions such as oral lichen planus (OLP) and recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) cause painful lesions inside the mouth, which can be difficult to treat. There could be new hope, however, in the form of what's essentially a drug-delivering bandage that can be adhered directly TO those lesions.

Concussions often go undetected, but Prevent Biometrics is aiming to change that. Its sensor-equipped mouthguard detects potentially dangerous head impacts in real-time and issues an immediate alert when an assessment is required.

While it's important for all of us to stay hydrated, it's particularly important for athletes. That's why a Virginia-based startup has created SMRT Mouth. It's a mouthguard that measures the wearer's hydration levels, and alerts coaches if they're getting too low.