The response to this week’s Beauty Science poll was great. Unfortunately, the majority of you were fooled. Apparently you found it too difficult to believe that Chocolate might be more effective for fighting cavities than fluoride. Read on to learn the science.
Women require higher doses of Botox than men – FAKE
Men actually need more than women. There is a steadily growing trend of men getting more cosmetic procedures. Interestingly, doctors are finding that men usually require more units of Botox than women. The reason is that men generally have greater muscle mass than women and Botox works by inhibiting muscle. Only 24% of you were able to figure out this was the fake. See this article on MedicineNet.com for more information about Botox.
Some Neanderthals had red hair and pale skin – TRUE
A recent report in Science magazine demonstrated that some of these ancient human cousins had 
pale skin and red hair. DNA analysis of two Neanderthal bone samples revealed a gene for skin and hair pigmentation similar to the one that gives humans red hair. Only 11% of you mistakenly thought this was the beauty fraud. It’s understandable however. How could they possibly have DNA from Neanderthals?
Chocolate is more effective than fluoride for fighting cavities – TRUE
This one fooled over 50% of the Beauty Brains community because strangely enough, it’s true. Scientists did isolate a compound from chocolate (cocoa powder) that was shown to be more effective for preventing cavities than fluoride. They believe it works by hardening teeth enamel which makes inhibits tooth decay. Now, this doesn’t mean you can go out and start eating candy bars every day, but in a couple of years no doubt toothpaste formulators will be incorporating this technology and making everyone’s teeth last longer.
Tooth infection can be related to hair loss – TRUE
Believe it or not there is a correlation between a tooth infection and hair loss. People who suffer from alopecia areata, a condition where patches of baldness occur, often have a tooth infection. The scientists who discovered the connection suggest that if you experience random bald patches you go to a dentist and have your teeth checked. Only 15% of you weren’t able to get to the root of this story.
So, how did you do? Did you get it right or were you fooled? Leave a comment and let everyone know why you picked the one you picked!
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So I should forward this page on to my student dentist at PENN. That is bizarre I was totally fooled. Good one Brains!
That is one creepy looking Neanderthal!
Cruddy teeth can also be responsible for intracranial abscesses (ie, big pockets of gak in your brain). I’ve seen at least two people in the last several years who had a rotten upper tooth and ended up having to have a brain abscess drained as a result.
So keep your teeth clean, people. But not too, too much–there was one patient I saw with a brain abscess caused by overenthusiastic flossing!
yes thats true, we had a patient not long ago with an abcess which was in the upper jaw, it was infact a wisdom teeth which had never broken through the gum but had still become infected and caused a lot of damage.