Rite Aid and the ADA are jointly promoting oral health in a two-month public health campaign supported by free educational guides and gift card rewards for purchasing many common oral health products, according to the company. Rewards programs during the campaign, which ends September 25, include Single Check Rebate programs good for a $5 Rite Aid gift card with the purchase of $15 of select oral health products, or a
CariFree has launched a system to test a patient’s risk of caries. The CariScreen Caries Susceptibility Test uses adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence to identify bacteria implicated in caries. “One of the most common misconceptions among dental patients is that drilling and filling cavities stop the problem,” said Carri Cady, R.D.H., vice president of sales and marketing for CariFree, in a press release. “The reality is that it only restores the
Diode laser treatment significantly decreases the painful symptoms experienced by patients suffering from temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD) due to its analgesic and/or a placebo effect, according to a study in the Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology (May/June 2010, Vol. 76:3, pp. 294-299). To evaluate the effectiveness of laser therapy in treating temporomandibular disorders and determine its analgesic effect, researchers from the University of Pernambuco divided 50 volunteers with temporomandibular disorders into two
The dental assisting program at Western Kentucky University (WKU) has been approved by the Tennessee Board of Dentistry, expanding employment opportunities for those interested in the dental field, according to the university. Dental Assisting for Today is an 18-week, noncredit certificate course offered through a partnership between the WKU departments of continuing education and allied health. Individuals completing the course will now be prepared to work as chairside dental assistants
Children are more likely to see a dentist if referred by a pediatrician, but many children are not getting such a referral, researchers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill report in the journal Pediatrics (July 26, 2010). The researchers studied 5,268 children ages 2 to 11 years in the 2004 Medical Expenditures Panel Survey. They found that 47% of 2- to 5-year-olds and 37% of 6- to 11-year-olds
Hu-Friedy is now offering the Total Sharpening Solution, a line of dental instrument sharpening options that includes an in-house professional sharpening service, a portable sharpening device, more than 20 types of natural quarried or hard synthetic stones, and support and educational sharpening resources. Because clinicians have unique sharpening needs and preferences, Hu-Friedy has a solution for each of their sharpening styles, the company said in a press release. For the
The U.S. market for dental implants will regain double-digit growth by 2013 and will help drive the dental prosthetic market to reach more than 82 million prosthetic placements by 2016, according to a new report from iData Research. The dental bone-graft-substitute (BGS) market is also expected to double in value, according to the company. Adoption of new technologies such as computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) will boost growth in these
Contamination of enamel by blood during bonding lowers the shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets, according to an animal study in the British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (July 22, 2010). Researchers from the University of Pavia divided 160 bovine permanent mandibular incisors into 8 groups of 20 specimens each. Both orthodontic brackets (Step brackets, Leone) and bondable buttons (Flat orthodontic buttons, Leone) were tested on four different enamel
Although nearly 15 million root canals are performed each year (according to the American Association of Endodontists) and the success rate is excellent, the procedure is still so negatively regarded by patients and clinicians alike that hardly a days goes by you don’t hear of some painful event being described as “as bad as getting a root canal.” While we can’t completely change the public’s perception of the procedure, new
A U.S. District Court judge has dismissed a proposed class-action lawsuit filed against Procter and Gamble charging that the company’s Crest Pro-Health mouthwash causes staining and browning of teeth, according to a story in Crain’s Detroit Business. The lawsuit, originally filed in Michigan in August 2009 by Mark Rossman, an attorney who practices in Troy, MI, and his partners Gerard Mantese and David Hansma, claimed that Procter and Gamble marketed
A New York man is suing Cadbury Adams, saying the company’s claims that Trident Xtra Care sugar-free gum can help repair damaged teeth are misleading to consumers. In a lawsuit filed in Queens Supreme Court, Joshua Hirsch accuses Cadbury of falsely claiming that its gum can restore rotting or chipped teeth, according to a story in the New York Daily News. In promotional materials, the company notes that the gum
A Princeton, WV, couple is enhancing research in the West Virginia University (WVU) School of Dentistry’s Department of Orthodontics. Orthodontist Cyndy Branson, D.D.S., and her husband, Phil Branson, M.D., an orthopaedic surgeon, are establishing the Branson-Maddrell Endowed Professorship in Orthodontics in WVU’s School of Dentistry. Their gift will qualify for matching funds from the West Virginia Research Trust Fund, the university said. The professorship will support both salary and research
