Aussie experts warn of conscious sedation risks

Conscious sedation is growing in popularity in Australia, but dental experts warn some dentists may be putting patients at risk by using the technique without proper training. Dentist Harry Marget, who operates a Melbourne practice specializing in sedation dentistry, said unless such procedures are done with an anesthesiologist, it is unsafe and potentially fatal, according to a story in the Age. Dentists should be banned from administering sedatives while simultaneously

Audit finds NY dentists overcharged for SRP

New York dentists overcharged the state’s dental plan $1.6 million for scaling and root planing (SRP), according to an audit by New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. New York State Department of Health guidelines limit SRP to two quadrants per visit and once every three years on the same quadrant. Charges for SRP in excess of these limits accounted for nearly one-third of the amount that Group Health, the state’s

Can treating periodontitis improve type 2 diabetes?

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Dentistry is one of three sites recruiting patients for a clinical trial to test whether the treatment of chronic periodontitis improves control of type 2 diabetes. “Research clearly shows an association between chronic periodontitis and type 2 diabetes, and there is early evidence that treating periodontal infection and inflammation can improve glycemic control,” said co-principal investigator Michael Reddy, D.M.D., in a

Kettenbach partners with Las Vegas Institute

Kettenbach has become a corporate partner with the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies (LVI). The partnership will grant LVI students access to several of Kettenbach bite registration and impression materials during its seven core courses. As part of the partnership, LVI students will be using Kettenbach’s Futar and Futar Scan bite registration materials, Silginat alginate alternative impression material, and Panasil tray soft heavy, Panasil initial contact x-light, and

Agencies plan painkiller restrictions

Washington state is preparing regulations intended to curb the overuse of prescription painkillers, according to an article in the New York Times. The regulations, being drafted under the direction of the state Legislature, have not been finalized. But they are expected to include a provision that doctors refer patients to a pain specialist if the patient’s dosage exceeds a set amount per day without improvement, the newspaper reported. The U.S.

FTC campaigns against ‘pay-for-delay’

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is trying to stop drug companies from paying each other not to introduce competing products, according to commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz. In July 27 testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Courts and Competition Policy, Leibowitz said “pay-for-delay” is a top priority for the commission. In these sweetheart deals, makers of branded drugs pay competitors to delay introducing

Trident, OHA promote oral health for Denver kids

Trident has pledged $1.5 million to connect Kids in Need of Dentistry to the Smiles Across America (SAA) program. SAA, an Oral Health America (OHA) program, has added Denver-based Kids in Need of Dentistry to the SAA network. With the help of Trident’s three-year commitment to the SAA program, the company currently supports dental services to more than 250,000 children annually in underserved communities nationwide, according to the OHA. “We

Severe sleep apnea may contribute to AAA rupture

NEW YORK (Reuters Health), Jul 29 – Disturbed sleep and hypertension aren’t the only consequences of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Severe OSA may also be a risk factor for abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture, a new study suggests. The data come from 127 patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) who agreed to at-home sleep studies. The researchers had already been following these patients (ages 43 to 75, mean 68) for a

Is dentistry ready for diagnostic ultrasound? And, new irrigants improve root canals

Dear DrBicuspid Member, Ultrasound has been used in dentistry for years in clinical applications ranging from power scaling to root canal preparation. But while this imaging modality has long been a standard diagnostic tool in other medical disciplines, it has yet to play the same role in dentistry. This could all be about to change, however, if two commercial start-ups can successfully navigate the product development and regulatory processes. Building

Spectrometer enhances curing light effectiveness

A spectroradiometrically calibrated spectrometer is helping dentists use curing lights more effectively when hardening resin composites. The spectrometer, developed by Ocean Optics, is a key component of the Managing Accurate Resin Curing (MARC) system developed by Richard Price, B.D.S., D.D.S., M.S., and colleagues at Dalhousie University and commercialized through BlueLight Analytics. Slightly larger than a mobile phone, Ocean Optics’ fiber-optic USB4000 spectrometer uses a 3648-element Toshiba linear CCD array detector

Komet offers provisional kit for dental assistants

Komet USA has introduced the fourth kit in its line of kits designed specifically for dental assistants to work on provisional restorations. The Shannon L. Pace Provisional Chairside Kit (SD 2307) was developed in conjunction with Shannon Pace Brinker, C.D.A., of Virginia Beach, VA. With the kit, assistants can make adjustments to provisional restorations chairside while the patient looks on, the company said. The H135 carbide has eight blades and

CT better for sinus diagnostics before implants

Panoramic radiography is limited in its ability to diagnosis sinus disorders prior to implant surgery, and CT remains the most effective diagnostic tool in these cases, according to a study in Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Oral Surgery (July 2010, Vol. 15:4, pp. e611-615). Researchers from Madrid Hospital and Montepríncipe University Hospital conducted a retrospective study of 152 patients who were seeking dental implants and subsequently evaluated 42 patients (average