Plackers, a maker of dental flossers and other oral hygiene products, has launched a new website that features a special section for dental professionals. The section allows professionals to see product specials “and other programs to help improve their patients’ oral hygiene routines,” Plackers stated in a press release. The site also features more information for consumers, including product promotions and oral health news. Key product features are highlighted with
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) plans to settle “the vast majority” of several hundred lawsuits that allege consumers suffered zinc poisoning and neurological disabilities after using GSK Super Poligrip denture adhesives. “With respect to the Poligrip product liability litigation, the Group has reached agreement in principle to settle the vast majority of cases,” the company stated on page 26 of a 36-page summary of its second-quarter financial results, released July 21. When contacted
Henry Schein will begin distributing ReDent Nova’s self-adjusting file (SAF) for root canal therapy August 3 worldwide, the company announced. The file, designed to adapt to the shapes of root canals, is “twice as effective as any rotary instrument,” according to Steven Cohen, D.D.S., M.A., Schein’s senior advisor for endodontics, a University of the Pacific adjunct professor, and author of the endodontic textbook Pathways of the Pulp. Copyright © 2010
Women who have four or more children have more than three times as many untreated dental caries as women with fewer children, further evidence that childbearing is related to oral disease, according to a study in the Journal of Dental Research (July 14, 2010). The study involved data on 2,635 U.S. women who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1988 and 1994. Untreated caries was
Hu-Friedy has expanded its line of orthodontic instruments with the new Slim Flush Cut & Hold distal end cutter. The Slim Flush Cut & Hold distal end cutter. Image courtesy of Hu-Friedy. The Slim Flush Cut & Hold distal end cutter. Image courtesy of Hu-Friedy. With a 50% thinner working end, the Slim Flush gives orthodontists greater intraoral access and visibility, the company said. Although the overall design is similar
A U.S. Senate committee on July 29 approved a provision meant to inhibit branded drug companies from delaying the introduction of generic versions of their drugs. The bill would require patent settlements between branded and generic drug companies to pass muster before a judge who would determine whether they are anticompetitive. By a 15-15 vote, the Senate Committee on Appropriations failed to strip the measure from a larger appropriations bill,
Four of the more than 1,800 U.S. veterans who were potentially exposed to infectious diseases at a St. Louis Veterans Affairs (VA) dental clinic have now tested positive for hepatitis, and lawmakers are questioning the agency’s handling of the matter. In June the VA sent letters to 1,812 patients who underwent dental procedures at the John Cochran St. Louis VA Medical Center between February 2009 and March 2010, advising them
Colgate-Palmolive has filed a lawsuit in federal court defending its right to use a “nurdle” image and the phrase “Triple Action” on its toothpaste packaging, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal. “Nurdle” refers to the ubiquitous image used on most toothpaste packaging: “a small amount of toothpaste akin to what consumers would use brushing their teeth,” according to the complaint, filed July 29 in the U.S. District
Shareholders of National Dentex, one of the largest operators of dental laboratories in North America, have approved a merger with GeoDigm. Under the terms of the agreement, National Dentex’s shareholders will receive $17 in cash for each share of National Dentex common stock they hold, representing a premium of about 70% over National Dentex’s closing share price of $10.02 on April 1, 2010, the last trading day before the merger
Hu-Friedy recently donated dental products valued at $11,400 to the National Children’s Oral Health Foundation (NCOHF) to enhance vital oral health services for children from vulnerable populations. Howard University, a member of the NCOHF affiliate network, will use the dental supplies to help expand university pediatric oral health outreach programs in the Washington, DC, area, Hu-Friedy said. As an NCOHF Affiliate, Howard University is part of a national network of
Dentsply International reported net sales of $565.1 million in the second quarter of 2010 (end-June 30), a 2.2% increase over net sales of $552.8 million reported for the second quarter of 2009. Sales were negatively impacted by the strengthening of the U.S. dollar, the company said. Net income for the quarter was $72.4 million, up from $70.2 million for the same quarter a year ago. “The dental markets have shown
Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s partial set of dentures — described as “the teeth that saved the world” — were purchased for more than $23,000 at a London auction July 29. The upper dentures, one of several sets specially made for the wartime prime minister, were used to maintain his distinctively slurred speaking style, according to an Associated Press (AP) story. They were purchased by a U.K. collector of
