Using an off-the-shelf digital camera, Rice University biomedical engineers and researchers from the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have created an inexpensive device that is powerful enough to distinguish oral cancer cells from healthy cells simply by viewing the LCD monitor on the back of the camera. The results of the first tests of the camera were published online June 23 in the open-access journal PLoS ONE.
The Wisconsin Dental Association (WDA) and WDA Foundation’s second Mission of Mercy exceeded its patient goal with 2,038 children and adults receiving more than $900,000 in free dental care June 25 and 26 in Sheboygan, according to the WDA. Patients ranged in age from a 1-year-old boy to a 91-year-old woman. The first four patients waited in line for almost 20 hours after setting up a tent at 10:30 a.m.
A West Virginia woman is suing Simpson Dental Associates of Charleston and a dentist for dental malpractice following an unsuccessful implant surgery, according to a news story in the West Virginia Record. According to court documents, Bonnie Ford underwent bone replacement graft surgery by Mark W. Simpson, D.D.S., on November 6, 2007, in preparation for the placement of permanent dental implants, the Record reported. Now Ford is accusing Dr. Simpson
A new peptide embedded in a soft gel or a thin, flexible film and placed next to dental decay encourages cells inside the teeth to regenerate in about a month, according to a story on Discovery News about a new animal study (ACS Nano, June 2010, Vol. 4:6, pp. 3277-3287). The gel or thin film contains a peptide known as melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH). Previous experiments have shown that MSH encourages
Merck has been ordered to pay $8 million in compensatory damages to a 72-year-old woman who claimed the company’s bisphosphonate drug Fosamax caused her to develop osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) and related dental problems. Shirley Boles’ original lawsuit ended in a mistrial last September. But on June 25, a jury in New York found in favor of Boles, calling Fosamax — routinely used to treat osteoporosis — “defectively designed”
A 6-year-old Virginia boy who died after undergoing anesthesia for a dental procedure died of an irregular heartbeat caused by removal of the breathing tube, according to the state medical examiner’s office. Jacobi Hill underwent sedation May 11 at the Virginia Commonwealth University Dental Faculty Practice in Richmond prior to having crowns put on several of his teeth. The child went into cardiac arrest shortly after the procedure was complete
IFGL Bio Ceramics has launched BioGraft HABG Active, a synthetic bone graft material based on hydroxyapatite and calcium phosphosilicate glass. The material is ideal for dental applications, especially periodontal osseous defect reconstruction, the company said. Made using a patented SolGel synthesis method, BioGraft HABG Active regenerates bones faster than hydroxyapatite ceramic and resorbs slower than pure bioactive glass products, IFGL said. Copyright © 2010 HuangshanDental.com
Combining antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (PDT) with conventional scaling and root planing (SRP) can improve clinical attachment level and probing depth in patients with chronic periodontitis, according to a study in Lasers in Medical Science (July 2010, Vol. 25:4, pp. 605-613). M.A. Atieh of the University of Otago in New Zealand systematically investigated the effectiveness of PDT as an adjuvant treatment for chronic periodontitis. He performed an electronic search for randomized
Evident Dental Labs is now offering Web-based management software that is the first true cloud computing software for dental labs, according to the company. The package features integrated e-mail, fax, and text messaging, making customer communications simple and flexible and saving the lab time and money, Evident said. Yield management features help ensure the right technician works on the right case, the company noted. The software can be configured to
High-frequency, high-resolution ultrasound shows “great potential” as a noninvasive, nonionizing imaging technique for the early diagnosis of severe periodontal disease, according to researchers from West Virginia University (Annals of Biomedical Engineering, June 8, 2010). “Although medical specialties have recognized the importance of using ultrasonic imaging, dentistry is only beginning to discover its benefit,” they wrote. “This has particularly been important in the field of periodontics, which studies infections in the
A bill signed into law by Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell allows eligible Medicaid recipients to access two years’ worth of adult dental Medicaid benefits when they need an upper and lower denture at the same time, according to a story on sitnews.us. The annual limit for adult dental services in Alaska is $1,150. Two years’ worth of benefits are typically needed to get a full set of dentures. The new
The perfect Hollywood smile is in high demand these days. But is this trend prompting dentists to overprescribe cosmetic procedures? Recent news reports have raised concerns that patients feel pushed into cosmetic procedures during routine visits. “Cosmetic dentistry has been very popular for the past few years, and some bad apples may be overprescribing,” said Hugh Flax, DDS, the president of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) and a
