“Our study shows that by adopting a simple psychological intervention, aided by the use of an online risk assessment tool, we can significantly improve measurable clinical outcomes,” said researcher Koula Asimakopoulou.

By Tauren Dyson

Researchers observed a reduction in dental plaque and bleeding, as well as an increase in dental cleanings among adults with moderate periodontal disease. Photo by Milenafoto/Wikimedia Commons

April 19 (UPI) — Dentists can now use psychological techniques to help patients get cleaner teeth, a new study says.

Researchers observed a reduction in dental plaque and bleeding, as well as an increase in dental cleanings among adults with moderate periodontal disease, according to research published in April in Journal of Periodontology.

“Our study shows that by adopting a simple psychological intervention, aided by the use of an online risk assessment tool, we can significantly improve measurable clinical outcomes and reduce initial signs of gum disease in patient seen routinely general dental practice,” Koula Asimakopoulou, a researcher at King’s College and study lead author, in a news release.

Researchers registered 97 adults with moderate peridontal disease in a program at King’s College London, offering them either usual dental treatment, treatment and a report on their disease risk, or treatment, a report and a program to improve their dental health.

Over the course of 12 weeks, the researchers report they saw significant improvement on dental plaque and gum inflammation among the two groups receiving psychological interventions, but not the usual treatment group.

Periodontal disease, which starts with gingivitis, infect teeth and inflame the gums, alveolar bone and periodontal ligament. More severe forms of periodontitis can completely erode the bone around the teeth.

“At a time when the best way to improve the periodontal health of the majority of people is being considered, this paper demonstrates how interdisciplinary teams of psychologists and dentists working together can deliver improvements in patients’ oral health and periodontal status,” Asimakopoulou said. “Shaping how health information is presented to our patients appears to influence their subsequent behavior.”

The Journal of the American Dental Association reported that about 42 percent of over age 30 has periodontitis.

“Good daily oral care is a core element of achieving and maintaining good oral health, and this may have an impact on other aspects of health as well,” Asimakopoulou said.

The big rally in palladium prices still has room to run.

Double-digit returns are likely in store over the next few months. 

Increased interest in the metal from investors, as well as a relatively tight supply-demand balance, should propel prices even higher over the next half-year. Like gold, palladium is considered a precious metal, but it is overwhelmingly used for industrial purposes. Two-thirds of the production gets used in catalytic converters for automobiles, and another 13% is consumed by the electronics industry.

“We expect palladium prices to rise further over the next quarter or two, possibly reaching $1,800 or so before plateauing,” says Jeff Christian, managing director of New York-based commodities consulting firm CPM Group.

Read more via: https://www.thestreet.com/investing/palladium-prices-still-have-upside-14904136

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A Charlotte couple’s investigation of a possible abandoned gold mine under their home began with a shocking discovery in their basement last year as they prepared to decorate their home for Christmas.

Ashley Weidner remembers it was the week after Thanksgiving when she walked down the muddy hill beside her home and unlocked the back door that leads to their basement. She was hoping to get a jump on seasonal decorations but instead, she found a mysterious hole — almost perfectly round and nearly five feet wide — in the ground, directly under her home.

“I couldn’t figure out what it was at first … I was just kind of speechless,” Weidner said. “I’m looking at this debris inside of this very large, very deep hole in the ground and it dawned on me: That was a structural pier at one point that has now crumbled at the bottom of this hole.”

She spent the next week talking with her home insurance company, various structural engineers, soil experts, land surveyors and local construction companies. The hole had swallowed a cement and brick support pillar holding up the floor of their kitchen, dining room and a hallway leading to their bedroom.

Worried the floor under their feet would at any moment collapse, Weidner, 32, and her fiance Darrius Marable, 37, even contemplated immediately evacuating their home for safety.

Ultimately, they stayed but faced an uncertain future. Their home was built in 1933 and no one seemed to know what caused such a sudden, deep opening in the ground.

“Could be a well? Could be a sink hole from a broken sewer line that wasn’t closed off the right way? . It was all these different things that it ‘could be,'” Weidner remembers.

Read more: https://www.mooresvilletribune.com/news/local/mine-shaft-found-under-house-could-be-old-tunnel-to/article_7eb8da62-3787-11e9-a005-43033b1d0935.html

Palladium prices have seen an 80 percent increase in the last seven months. As a main component in catalytic converters to help decrease the amount of harmful emissions released from gas engines, supply has not kept up with demand.

The quick rise of palladium prices has caught the attention of criminals. Around the UK and in the US gangs have set up sophisticated catalytic converter thefts, hitting multiple cars within minutes to sell on the black market.

Analysts see a bubble forming similar to the one that burst spectacularly in 2000. If their predictions are eminent, now would be the time to sell before prices adjust to a lower level….Just sell it legally.