Crest and Oral-B have launched a line of oral care products for tweens (8- to 12-year-olds) to help encourage healthy oral care habits. “As tweens age and become more independent, they develop their own unique oral care needs,” said Kelly Heaps, brand manager for Procter & Gamble, in a press release. “We found that adult toothbrushes were not always the best size for older children’s mouths and adult rinse and
Louisiana appears to be nearing the finish line in its efforts to establish regulations governing mobile dental clinics providing care in schools across the state. On August 19, the House Health and Welfare Committee voted 6-5 in favor of the new rules, which have been a bone of contention between the Louisiana State Dental Board and the Louisiana Dental Association (LDA) for more than a year. The LDA originally sponsored
The Center for Pediatric Dentistry will open September 1 in Seattle and provide pediatric dental care, education for dentists and medical professionals, research, and policy under one roof. Outfitted with the latest in dental equipment and practices, the institute will provide dental care and educate parents, dentists, physicians, and policymakers on infant and childhood oral health. The new facility will have the ability to handle 40,000 patient visits annually, serving
New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry researchers are part of an international team that has identified a new approach for treating tooth hypersensitivity that they say can also prevent bacteria from causing further harm. In their study, a coating made from fluoride and zinc ions in a calcium-phosphate matrix proved effective in reversing damage to the tubules caused by Streptococcus mutans. The coating caused the exposed tubules to close
A recent free dental clinic hosted by the North Carolina Dental Society provided about $400,000 worth of care to nearly 900 people during a two-day event. Forty dental chairs were filled by patients in need of fillings, extractions, and other services during the August 13-14 Missions of Mercy free clinic in Asheville, according to the organization. “This was the second-largest clinic ever held in North Carolina and would have been
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed an improved coating technique that could strengthen the connection between titanium joint-replacement implants and a patients’ own bone (Science Translational Medicine, August 18, 2010). The stronger connection — created by manipulating signals the body’s own cells use to encourage growth — may allow the implants to last longer, according to the university. For the study, Georgia Tech’s School of Chemistry and
A biopsy-based approach can improve the diagnosis of burning mouth syndrome (BMS), according to a study in the Clinical Journal of Pain (July/August 2010, Vol. 26:6, pp. 528-532). Researchers from the National Neurological Institute Carlo Besta in Milan screened 98 patients who had complained of oral burning pain for at least six months. Forty-two patients were excluded after screening for contact sensitivity to dental materials, food allergies, tongue injuries, malignancies,
Snacking on potato chips is often associated with eating other junk food, contributing to a higher incidence of caries in young children, according to a team of international researchers (Caries Research, August 18, 2010). To investigate the association between snacking and caries in a population at high risk of dental caries, the researchers recruited 1,206 U.S. preschool children in the offices of pediatricians. A questionnaire was used to collect data
The first Fixodent lawsuit involving a claim that zinc in the denture adhesive caused the plaintiff to suffer debilitating neuological injuries will go to trial in June 2011, according to a story on aboutlawsuits.com. The Fixodent suit was brought by Marianne and Daniel Chapman of Florida, who claim that Procter and Gamble failed to warn consumers that their denture adhesive contained zinc, which can cause permanent injuries from zinc poisoning.
Can using a sophisticated plastic model of the teeth, gums, and oral cavity help dental students learn to give local anesthesia injections? A study by Dutch dentistry professors suggests it can (Journal of Dental Education, August 2010, Vol. 74:8, pp. 876-879). Researchers from VU University Medical Centre and Academic Centre for Dentistry in Amsterdam randomly selected second-year dental students to practice on a training model they’d constructed. It is largely
Trident has pledged $1.5 million to expand the Smiles Across America (SAA) program to improve the oral health of Milwaukee children. The Oral Health America program, led in conjunction with Trident gum, recently welcomed Milwaukee-based Smart Smiles into the SAA network, according to the company. The effort will address the need for school-based and school-linked oral disease prevention services in the Milwaukee area. With the new partnership, Columbia St. Mary’s
Kerr Dental is now offering the Volume Machine by Renfert delivery system, an automix device that the company says simplifies impression-taking procedures with fast, easy extrusion and tray filling. The Volume Machine, an option available for use with Kerr’s impression material product lines, offers rapid and homogenous mixing of 5:1 impression materials in a device with easy, intuitive controls, according to the company. It also features multiple mixing speeds, a
