As long as there are hockey players, there will be niche markets for false teeth. But the real news about the future of dentures is that there isn't much of one.

If a patient thinks he or she has an unnatural fear of dental treatments, the dentist should be given prior notice, the German Green Cross (DGK) recommends.

An anti-betelnut program launched by Taipei City in late May helped 91 out of 153 betel nut addicts kick their habit, marking a 60 percent success rate, a local health official said yesterday.

A Cologne-based dental health initiative recommends brushing the tongue as well as the teeth twice a day because bacteria, which cause bad breath, also collect on the tongue.

Nearly 2,800 physically andmentally disabled children aged under 12 have benefited from free oral health care services provided by the southern county of Kaohsiung from 2002 to 2007, a local official said yesterday.

Some came with cracked teeth. Others described theirs as rotten. One man chipped his while eating ice. Another — improbably — while eating a cheeseburger.

People with severe periodontal disease may be at increased risk for developing diabetes, while those with gum disease who are already diabetic have a harder time controlling blood sugar levels, researchers said.

Body piercings, especially to the lips and tongue, can cause serious dental complications, according to research conducted by the University of Tel Aviv.

Magnolia bark extract — a traditional Chinese medicine — may be the newest weapon in the war on bad breath.

Solobacterium moorei is the organism largely responsible for chronic bad breath, or halitosis, biologists reported Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Association for Dental Research in Dallas.