Noting that dental health is of “great importance,” an appellate court in Michigan has ruled that a former inmate who was denied toothpaste for nearly a year can sue prison officials for violating his constitutional rights. Jerry Flanory, 58, of Flint, MI, said he developed periodontal disease and had a tooth extracted in 2005 because he had no access to toothpaste at the Newberry Correctional Facility for a year, according
A new restorative material being launched May 11 at a conference in Iran can “produce” hydroxyapatite, according to a report on Press TV, an English-language Iranian news service. Developed by Sa’id Asgari at Shahid Beheshti University, calcium-enriched cement (CEM) will soon be available on the global market and can be used for “several types of dental procedures,” the news service said. A scanning electron microscopy study published in the Iranian
A powerful carcinogen found in tobacco smoke — dibenzo[a,l]pyrene — can be used for oral cancer research in experimental animals, providing a new model for studying the tobacco-oral cancer link, according to researchers from New York University (NYU) and Penn State University. The findings could ultimately facilitate research aimed at identifying new approaches to oral cancer prevention, according to Joseph Guttenplan, Ph.D., M.P.H., a professor of basic science and craniofacial
Prosecutors on May 7 arraigned an Illinois dental assistant accused of doing procedures for which she was not licensed, along with the former director of the public health clinic where she worked, according to the Herald & Review. The Macon County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Tamara Younker, 48, with extracting teeth from nine people, filling teeth in three people, administering local anesthetics to eight people, taking impressions for a denture,
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has recommended a 1% cut in reimbursement for providers under the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), according to the Dallas Morning News. The cut would save the state $2 million and diminish federal matching funds by $3.7 million, the newspaper reported. Groups of health professionals have objected, warning that fewer will participate if reimbursement declines, according to the story. The state eliminated dental
The U.S. healthcare reform bill is being credited with Arizona’s decision last week to restore funding for the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) — known as KidsCare — and Medicaid benefits for 310,000 adults. Facing a $2.6 billion shortfall, in March state lawmakers opted to shut down the KidsCare program and eliminate Medicaid adult services as part of the 2010 budget. The KidsCare program, which provides medical and dental
PolyBiotics, which is developing a device for more efficient administration of antibiotics for periodontal disease, has pulled in $175,000 in a seed funding round. The company will use the financing to develop marketing material, including a website, which it currently does not have, and to create a prototype device for clinical testing, according to a story in Mass High Tech. The PolyBiotics device deposits antibiotics into a periodontal pocket using
When children and adults with acute and chronic pain become immersed in video game action, they receive some analgesic benefit, according to research presented May 7 at the American Pain Society’s annual meeting in Baltimore, MD. Researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) and the University of Maryland reported that virtual reality (VR) is proving to be effective in reducing anxiety and acute pain caused by medical procedures and
Triodent has expanded its product line with the Griptab veneer and crown delivery system, a restoration handling system for dentists doing multiple restorations, including crowns, veneers, inlays, and onlays. The system includes the Griptab — a tiny “handle” the user attaches to the restoration with a moisture-resistant adhesive — plus Pin-Tweezers and a numbered tray that streamlines the process and prevents confusion, Triodent noted. Using the system is a straightforward
Good shade matching is tricky enough with porcelain. But a good shade match with composite materials can be an even bigger challenge. A new study has found that composite shades do not match well to the Vita shade guide tabs (Vident), even when the layering technique is used (Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry, April 2010, Vol. 22:2, pp. 114-124). Resin composite shade matching is very challenging for several reasons,
A Canadian man who says he needs $14,000 worth of reconstructive dental surgery but can’t get the Canadian Health Ministry to pay for it is pleading his case to the legislature, according to a CBC News story. Dale Regel, of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, had a tumor removed from his jaw last year and needs dental implants as a result. The tumor had pushed five of his teeth out of his
Minnesota lawmakers are moving forward with a bill that encourages primary care doctors to provide dental preventive services to children and teens as part of checkup or episodic care visits, according to a story by MedCity News. S.F. No. 633 lists those services as a visual examination of a child’s mouth without using dental probes, a risk assessment based on standards set by the American Academies of Pediatrics and Pediatric
