Better Business Bureau challenges ACT ad claims

The National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus has recommended that Chattem discontinue or modify advertising claims for ACT Total Care. Prompted by complaints by rival Procter & Gamble, NAD investigated Chattem’s claims for the fluoride mouth rinse, including: “[ACT Total Care] Fights Unsightly Plaque*” (*as part of a dentist advised oral health program) “[ACT Total Care is] the mouthwash that does it all” and provides

Align Technology to promote teen product at awards show

Align Technology will further its support of the National Children’s Oral Health Foundation (NCOHF) during the upcoming Teen Choice Awards, airing August 9 in the U.S. on Fox TV. Invisalign Teen is a sponsor of Teen Choice 2010 and the Choice Smile award category, and teen celebrity Booboo Stewart of the Twilight saga fame and his sister, singer and actress Fivel Stewart, are donating their time to help Invisalign Teen

Dentium expands impression material line

Dentium USA is now offering rainbow Gum impression material, the latest addition to its rainbow brand product line. It was specially designed and formulated to reproduce a natural tissue model with lifelike gingival color, according to the company. Composed of polyvinylsiloxanes, rainbow Gum is scannable by CAD/CAM laser scanners and is ideal for producing flexible gingival masks for master models used in the dental laboratory because it eliminates the need

Pink bur blocks support breast cancer research

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the U.S., and Komet USA is doing its part to support breast cancer research. Pink aluminum bur block from Komet USA. Image courtesty of Komet USA. Pink aluminum bur block from Komet USA. Image courtesty of Komet USA. For each pink bur block (LD0330) sold, Komet will donate 10% of the retail price to fund breast cancer research. All proceeds will be

Dentists move to the front lines on sleep disorders: Part 1

Not only can it run you off the road, it can kill you in your sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) — a potentially dangerous sleep-related breathing disorder — affects more than 18 million Americans per year, kills 38,000, and is undiagnosed in 80% to 90% of people who suffer from it, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Now dentists are being urged to play a more central role

Denture chain to pay $150K in harassment suit

Affordable Care, a national denture provider, will pay $150,000 and furnish other relief to settle a sex and race discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced August 2. The lawsuit, filed in March 2009 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in Springfield, charged that Affordable Care violated federal law when its affiliated dentist, Nelson Wood, D.M.D., sexually and racially

Israeli firms collaborate with Henry Schein

Two Israeli firms — Sialo Technology and Itamar Medical — are working with Henry Schein to bring their products to the U.S. dental market. Sialo Technology signed a nonexclusive distribution agreement with Henry Schein whereby Schein will distribute Sialo’s root canal and dental implant direct vision endoscope, Sialo said. The mobile device includes an endoscope, LCD screen, and light source. The companies signed a five-year contract with an option to

Spanish patient fights for amalgam treatment

A Spanish hospital patient has become a cause célèbre for antimercury activists worldwide by refusing to leave a hospital until treated for illnesses he attributes to his amalgam dental fillings, according to ABC Spain. The activists claimed victory July 29 when Santiago University Hospital agreed to refer Servando Pérez to the University of Valencia General Hospital for a consultation. Pérez originally arrived at Santiago University Hospital in June; the hospital

3M ESPE releases calcium phosphate varnish

3M ESPE has released a new formulation of its Vanish varnish. Vanish 5% sodium fluoride white varnish contains tricalcium phosphate (TCP), which “delivers more protection to the teeth, and helps relieve sensitivity,” according to the company. The new product can “flow more than competing varnishes, meaning that it can reach more places and deliver more fluoride to the teeth,” 3M stated in a press release. Vanish includes a protective barrier

Solidscape expands into China dental lab market

Solidscape is furthering its expansion into the dental market through a new distribution agreement with Hainan Giking Technology. Hainan will distribute Solidscape’s 3D model-making systems in China. Solidscape’s 3D systems for lost wax casting applications are designed around the needs of small and medium-sized dental labs. With its open architecture design, Solidscape’s printers can be integrated into a rapid manufacturing lab system to produce wax-ups for casting crowns, bridges, copings

NY governor vetoes sippy cup warning

New York Gov. David Paterson has vetoed a bill that would have required caries warnings on sippy cups and baby bottles, according to a story on msnbc.com. The bill would have required the following label: “Warning: Allowing your child to spend prolonged periods of time drinking liquids, other than water, from this baby bottle or sippy cup [whichever is applicable] may cause early childhood tooth decay.” Manufacturers would have to

Study finds new link between perio disease and Alzheimer’s

Researchers from New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry have found the first long-term evidence that periodontal disease may increase the risk of cognitive dysfunction associated with Alzheimer’s disease in healthy individuals and those who already are cognitively impaired. The NYU study offers fresh evidence that inflammation of periodontal tissue may contribute to brain inflammation, neurodegeneration, and Alzheimer’s disease, according to the university. The findings were presented last month at