Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
House Call: Sleeping Babies; Electric Toothbrushes
Aired January 14, 2003 - 07:49 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Got some medical news for you now. New findings show that certain electric toothbrushes are the best way to get teeth clean.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta is making a "House Call" to examine the wisdom behind the tooth story.
But first, good morning -- Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning -- Paula.
ZAHN: Want to ask you about this all-in-the-family bed story that broke yesterday.
GUPTA: Yes.
ZAHN: What's that?
GUPTA: Sort of interesting. Well it's a quick story about babies and where they sleep. And there was a new study out that looks at the percentage of babies who are actually sleeping with adults and found that it more than doubled over the last decade from 5.5 percent to 12.8 percent. The populations most likely to bed share with their infants, African-Americans four times as likely, Asians three times as likely and young mothers.
The concern about this, Paula, is that babies can fall out of bed, they may suffocate -- we've talked about that -- or become trapped between the bed frame and the mattress. The recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, continue to have your baby sleep in cribs on their backs, that avoids SIDS.
Another story, Paula, that you mentioned, in the dental community, there's been long standing debate about which is better, electric toothbrushes or the old fashioned manual kind. Well that question has been answered, at least in part, by as study from the Cochrane Collaboration. That's a nonprofit organization. That's important.
After looking at trials involving 2,500 patients, they concluded that electric toothbrushes, for the most part, were no better than manual, except for one, that's the rotational oscillation toothbrush. What that means is that it spins in a circle in one direction and then spins in the other.
This is the -- oh I'm sorry, holding them upside down there -- the Oral-B Braun toothbrush. That's the only one that actually does that now. Eleven percent less plague, gingivitis was reduced by 17 percent. For their part, the dentists accept this data. However, they remind us that when we're brushing our teeth to brush for at least two minutes. That's the important thing. And that's twice as long as I have for this segment -- Paula.
ZAHN: Yes, and who in this room brushes their teeth for two minutes every morning?
GUPTA: I know you've got to literally time yourself. It's important, too.
ZAHN: Well yes, they have those little beeps and then every 30 seconds one of those toothbrush, I have one of those that goes off that tell you to rotate to a different part of your mouth.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, they're also...
GUPTA: Yes, and that's the most important thing. Right.
CAFFERTY: They're also good for cleaning your ears. Put that thing right...
(LAUGHTER)
ZAHN: Maybe in your household, Jack.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Demonstration to follow.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 14, 2003 - 07:49 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Got some medical news for you now. New findings show that certain electric toothbrushes are the best way to get teeth clean.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta is making a "House Call" to examine the wisdom behind the tooth story.
But first, good morning -- Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning -- Paula.
ZAHN: Want to ask you about this all-in-the-family bed story that broke yesterday.
GUPTA: Yes.
ZAHN: What's that?
GUPTA: Sort of interesting. Well it's a quick story about babies and where they sleep. And there was a new study out that looks at the percentage of babies who are actually sleeping with adults and found that it more than doubled over the last decade from 5.5 percent to 12.8 percent. The populations most likely to bed share with their infants, African-Americans four times as likely, Asians three times as likely and young mothers.
The concern about this, Paula, is that babies can fall out of bed, they may suffocate -- we've talked about that -- or become trapped between the bed frame and the mattress. The recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, continue to have your baby sleep in cribs on their backs, that avoids SIDS.
Another story, Paula, that you mentioned, in the dental community, there's been long standing debate about which is better, electric toothbrushes or the old fashioned manual kind. Well that question has been answered, at least in part, by as study from the Cochrane Collaboration. That's a nonprofit organization. That's important.
After looking at trials involving 2,500 patients, they concluded that electric toothbrushes, for the most part, were no better than manual, except for one, that's the rotational oscillation toothbrush. What that means is that it spins in a circle in one direction and then spins in the other.
This is the -- oh I'm sorry, holding them upside down there -- the Oral-B Braun toothbrush. That's the only one that actually does that now. Eleven percent less plague, gingivitis was reduced by 17 percent. For their part, the dentists accept this data. However, they remind us that when we're brushing our teeth to brush for at least two minutes. That's the important thing. And that's twice as long as I have for this segment -- Paula.
ZAHN: Yes, and who in this room brushes their teeth for two minutes every morning?
GUPTA: I know you've got to literally time yourself. It's important, too.
ZAHN: Well yes, they have those little beeps and then every 30 seconds one of those toothbrush, I have one of those that goes off that tell you to rotate to a different part of your mouth.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, they're also...
GUPTA: Yes, and that's the most important thing. Right.
CAFFERTY: They're also good for cleaning your ears. Put that thing right...
(LAUGHTER)
ZAHN: Maybe in your household, Jack.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Demonstration to follow.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
