Despite a slight uptick in sales, Nobel Biocare saw a 30.5% drop in net profit for the second quarter of 2010 (end-June 30). The Swiss dental-implant company reported net profit of 19.6 million euros ($25.2 million) for the quarter, down from 28.2 million euros ($36.3 million) for the same quarter in 2009. “After a slow first quarter, sales momentum has improved gradually in the second quarter,” said Domenico Scala, CEO,
July 16 marked the opening of the 2010 season for TeamSmile, a nonprofit organization that teams up with major sports organizations throughout the U.S. to provide dental care to children in underserved communities. This year’s opener was hosted by the Kansas City Royals baseball team, the club’s third TeamSmile event, which was held at Kauffman Stadium for the children of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City, according
Water Pik has launched a new online community on WaterPik.com in an effort to educate and inform consumers. The online community, found on the newly revamped Waterpik brand website, features new tools and content and offers a place where consumers can engage in conversations with dental and medical professionals and other community members. Users have an opportunity to interact with peers, ask questions, post comments, and read industry blog postings.
Milestone Scientific has developed a new corporate website designed to clarify and better convey Milestone’s key messaging and current business information. The site will also provide more detailed perspective on the company’s drug delivery injection products, future product innovations, strategic partnering opportunities, and investor relations, the company said. In addition, patients can use the site to locate dentists that use Milestone’s STA Single Tooth Anesthesia System unit by geographic area.
After almost 25 years in the profession, Michael Zuk, D.D.S., has become an outspoken critic of the cosmetic dental industry, especially those dentists he says take advantage of the public’s desire for perfect teeth. Now he’s published a book, Confessions of a Former Cosmetic Dentist, detailing what he believes makes extreme smile makeovers risky. “I think there are a lot of dentists who wouldn’t trust someone who considers him/herself a
People who maintain a healthy weight and good physical fitness have less periodontitis, according to a new study in the Journal of Periodontology (August 2010, Vol. 81:8, pp. 1124-1131). Using body mass index (BMI) and percent body fat as a measure of weight control and maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) as a measure of physical fitness, researchers from Kyushu University compared subjects’ weight and fitness variables with the results of a
As part of their ongoing technology development relationship, Objet Geometries provided Glidewell Laboratories with the ability to manufacturer custom-printed models and other precision dental parts using its Eden 3D printing systems. Objet and Glidewell have long held a collaborative relationship for implementing Objet’s ultrathin layer, high-resolution 3D printing systems on the laboratory production floor, the companies explained in a press release. Objet’s printed parts were extensively tested and evaluated by
The role of the dental hygienist has changed dramatically over the last 40 years, a trend that is likely to continue — if not accelerate — given many of the issues facing the U.S. healthcare system these days. Caryn Loftis-Solie, R.D.H., the newest president of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA), welcomes the challenge. “I’d like to see us really become more of the recognized voice of dental hygiene, and
More than 500 dentists from around the U.S. have joined forces in a new initiative aimed at promoting early detection of breast cancer. Dubbed Smile Pink, the campaign encourages women and men to show their support of early breast cancer testing by adding a pink Swarovski crystal to their smile. The crystal is applied to the tooth with a temporary dental adhesive and takes less than a minute for a
Komet USA has introduced a new laboratory bur kit designed especially for creating shapes and textures in ceramic restorations that mimic the design of natural teeth. Developed in conjunction with Olivier Tric of Elmhurst, IL, the Olivier Tric Diamond Ceramic Series Kit contains 11 high-end rotary instruments and was designed to create ceramic restorations, according to the company. The primary reason for the inclusion of diamonds and Komet’s specialty carbide
An elephant at a Canadian zoo recently had dental surgery to repair the tusk it broke while playing with a tire last year. Spike the Asian elephant underwent extensive dental surgery recently at the Calgary Zoo, according to a story in the Gazette. “These are analogous to a dental crown in people,” Doug Whiteside, a senior veterinarian at the zoo, told the Gazette. It took two hours to install the
Babies who breast-feed exclusively are less likely to engage in thumb sucking and other “non-nutritive sucking habits,” with benefits for their teeth, researchers at the University of Naples have concluded. For a study published online July 23, 2010, in the International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry, the researchers surveyed parents of 1,451 children ages 7-11 about their infant’s feeding and sucking habits. A clinical examination of the kids’ dental arches included
