Joe Theismann, a Super Bowl champion quarterback with the Washington Redskins, has teamed up with SaniBrands to introduce a new mouth rinse designed for athletes who wear mouthguards. Defense Sport mouthguard rinse is scientifically created to clean and remove dirt and bacteria from the mouthguards, according to the company. This rinse was designed to help keep a mouthguard clean without exposing the athlete to alcohol and sugar. The patent-pending formula

Dental hygienist Molly Whalen, 20, of Middleboro, MA, was selected Miss Massachusetts 2011 at the Miss Massachusetts Scholarship Pageant in Worcester, according to a story on SouthCoasttoday.com. Whalen was chosen from among 15 contestants and will receive more than $8,500 in scholarships. She will also compete at the Miss America Pageant next January in Las Vegas. Whalen is a 2011 graduate of Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Science, where

A University of Georgia researcher has invented a new technology that can inexpensively render dental instruments, medical linens and clothing, face masks, even paper towels permanently germ-free (ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, June 21, 2011). The simple and inexpensive antimicrobial technology works on natural and synthetic materials. The technology can be applied during the manufacturing process or later, and it doesn’t deteriorate after washing. Unlike other antimicrobial technologies, repeated applications

Patients with elastomeric (traditional “rubber band” style) orthodontic brackets have similar levels of bacteria as patients wearing self-ligating (gated) orthodontic brackets when examined after one year, researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) School of Dentistry have found (Orthodontics: The Art and Practice of Dentofacial Enhancement, Summer 2011, Vol. 12:2). This is in contrast to an OHSU pilot study one year ago that determined elastomeric orthodontic bracket patients

A U.K. company has designed a periodontal tool that it claims can alleviate the difficulty of achieving consistent measurements during periodontal tissue probing. Implantium has partnered with Iain Chapple, BDS, head of periodontology at the University of Birmingham, to design and develop this double-ended, force-measuring probe. .pullQuoteCredit { align:right; text-align:right; font-family:arial, sans-serif; font-size:11px; line-height: 16px; font-style: normal; padding-top:2px; } “We believe the final product will be of genuine interest to

For the second year in a row, New York legislators have voted to require dental warnings on sippy cups for children. The state Senate and Assembly have both approved the bill, and it has now gone to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s desk for review, according to news reports. If he signs it, every manufacturer or importer of baby bottles and sippy cups that are sold or distributed in New York will

The American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) has issued an updated position statement about the scope and objective of periodontal therapy and the procedures that are used in it (Journal of Periodontology, July 2011, Vol. 82:7, pp. 943-949). Most patients can now retain their dentition over their lifetime with proper treatment, reasonable plaque/biofilm control, and continuing care, according to the AAP. This means the goals of periodontal therapy are to preserve,