By Andrew Winner 

There are those who say there’s a use for every little thing in this world, no matter how vile or off-putting. An enterprising dentist is doing his part to prove that's true. Japanese dental researchers have found that halitosis -- that is, bad breath -- is an ideal incubator for cultivating hepatic (liver) cells.

In a finding that could have far-reaching impacts on diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, stem cells harvested from human dental pulp became liver cells at an astonishing rate when incubated with hydrogen sulphide, the chemical compound responsible for bad breath.

Talk about the ultimate silver lining. The study was published Monday in IOP Publishing's Journal of Breath Research.

Stem cell therapy treats damaged tissue by introducing new cells, but it can sometimes be difficult to safely and effectively produce these new cells. Study author Dr. Ken Yagaeki and his team at Nippon Dental University believe the use of stem cells from dental pulp could eventually replace existing methods of stem cell production, two of which use human bone marrow and fetal bovine serum as source material. In fact, Yagaeki went out on a limb to show that dental pulp is a viable source of stem cells.

For Yagaeki, observing the resilience of teeth plagued by cavities made him wonder if there weren’t more stem cells in dental pulp than previously thought. Despite some skepticism from colleagues, he reports that 60-80 percent of human dental pulp cells are stem cells, up markedly from the previous estimate of 1 percent.

“Although nobody reported regeneration of those tissues from dental pulp, I had a hypothesis that dental pulp would be a good source of somatic stem cells,” Dr. Yagaeki wrote in an e-mail. “Of course all people denied my hypothesis. In the meeting of International Association for Dental Research, a chairman of my session called us as stupid.”

After this vindicating discovery, Yagaeki looked to test the impact of halitosis on the development of stem cells into hepatic cells.

After stem cells were harvested from the center of human teeth (don’t worry – the teeth extractions were part of normal dental treatments), the samples were then split into test and control groups. Using a battery of tests, researchers were able to show that a very high percentage of the stem cells incubated in an environment with hydrogen sulphide successfully became hepatic cells.

It was a lucky discovery. Initially, Yagaeki had attempted to learn about negative effects of hydrogen sulphide on the samples before noticing that in small concentrations, the compound had the opposite effect.

Finally, the testing showed high purity in the end result -- fewer cells differentiated into different kinds of cells or remained as stem cells. Pure stem cells greatly reduce the chance of teratomas or cancers in the patient as compared to stem cells originating from bone marrow, making this a promising area for further research.  

“After transplantation into animals or human, those contaminated stem cells or cells differentiating to other tissues may produce teratoma or cancer,” Yagaeki said. “Bone marrow stem cell transplantation is frequently carried out, but the incidence of cancer increases dramatically.”

As it happens, even bad breath might have a therapeutic use. Easy on the Listerine next time. 

More from The Body Odd: 

• Why do we drool in our sleep? 
• Now that really stinks! Scientists blame bug for bad breath
• When your foul smell is all in your head

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By Emily Main
Prevention

Redheads may be stereotyped as having fiery tempers, but those tempers may turn to fear and loathing when they walk through the door of a dentist’s office, according to research published in the Journal of the American Dental Association. The study shows that people with a specific gene that often occurs in redheads tend to experience heightened anxiety when they pop in for a regular teeth cleaning.

The details: The study’s authors recruited 144 people for the study, 67 of whom were natural redheads, and 77 who were dark-haired. The participants answered survey questions about any fears or anxieties related to dental visits, and the researchers took blood samples that they later tested for specific gene variants common in people with red hair. People with one specific gene, MC1R, were more than twice as likely to report that they avoided dental appointments because of fear and anxiety than people without that gene. Of the 85 people in the study with MC1R, 65 were redheads.

5 Major Health Threats That Your Dentist Can Predict

What it means: It’s possible, say the researchers, that redheads with the gene in question tend to be resistant to certain pain medications. This could mean redheads are more prone than most to experience a difficult dental visit, affecting their expectations about future appointments. Redheaded or not, most of us have probably had reservations about going to the dentist at some point in our lives. But don’t let fear prevent you from getting your twice-yearly checkups. Recent studies have linked periodontal disease to a wide variety of chronic diseases, including heart disease, strokes, and type 2 diabetes. If it’s been a while since you’ve visited the dentist, you might be pleasantly surprised at the experience. “Things don’t hurt anymore,” says Kimberly A. Harms, DDS, consumer advisor for the American Dental Association. Anesthesia has become much more effective, she says, and patients don’t have to experience the pain that used to be common in dental procedures.

Study: Sour-flavored candies do more damage to tooth enamel than sweet varieties

Here are some ways to ease angst about the dentist’s office:

• Know if you’re an early bird or a late riser. Schedule your appointments during the time of day that’s best for you, recommends Dr. Harms. “Come in the morning if you’re a morning person, or late in the afternoon if you’re an evening person,” she says. You’ll be in a better mood and better frame of mind.

• Prepare the night before. “Get a good night’s sleep,” Dr. Harms adds. If you have trouble sleeping the night before a visit, she suggests calling your dentist’s office and asking if they can provide you with a sleep aid.

• Talk, lots. Make a list of what it is that bothers you about going to the dentist, whether it’s fear of painful procedures or lack of control over what’s going on, and talk about it with your dentist. “The most important thing you can do is communicate with everyone, right from the beginning,” says Dr. Harms. “A lot of people come in with anxiety and fears, and they’re embarrassed,” she says, “but we do this all the time and we understand.” Dr. Harms also suggests developing signals, such as raising your hand, between you and your dentist, in the event that you do start to feel pain or discomfort.

DIY dentistry: How to fix six common dental problems yourself...

• Distract yourself. Dentists offices are getting decidedly high-tech these days, providing patients with headphones, MP3 players, and even virtual-reality goggles that distract patients while they’re in a chair. Dr. Harms says her office provides goggles that play movies for patients, which are especially helpful for lengthy procedures like root canals. If your dentist prefers a low-tech atmosphere, bring your own headphones and music. It will help drown out unpleasant sounds like drills, suction tubes, and anything else that can raise your blood pressure.

More from Prevention:

• 5 Excuses That Kill Your Heart
• The Ten Commandments of Cholesterol Control
• Redheads Feel More Pain
• Enter to win one of Prevention's great online sweepstakes

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• Sperm bank: Redheads not wanted
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When Baby Nesa Lopez was just three days old, her mom noticed something peculiar about her newborn: She had two lower front teeth.

"One of my friends told me that she thought I had glued teeth in her mouth at first," mom Sandra Vosburg, 20, told Tampa Bay Online. Vosburg and her baby daughter, who was born Oct. 4, live in Plant City, Fla. "Nobody believed me until I showed it to them, and I'm like, 'Wow, that is weird.'"

Actually, experts say, it isn't that unusual.

"Every pediatric dentist sees it," McTigue told the Tampa news site. He says it happens in one in 4,500 newborns. When it happens, it's normally the two lower front baby teeth, just like Nesa's two chompers, which are called neonatal teeth. Teeth can even be present at birth -- that's called natal teeth.

If you've ever known a newborn with teeth, we'd love to hear your story. Do tell. 

Related: 

• Her baby teeth are finally gone -- at age 28
• Top models need some space (between their teeth)
• The boy with the extra set of teeth

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