Orthodontists, general practitioners use Invisalign differently

Significant differences exist in the use of Invisalign (Align Technology) between orthodontists and general practitioners, according to a new study (Angle Orthodontist, May 2010, Vol. 80:3, pp. 425-434). A professor from the State University of New York at the Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine and his colleague mailed a 25-question survey to all Invisalign providers within a 35-mile radius of the university. They sent out a total of 406

Researchers try ethanol for bond strength

If you can preserve fruit in alcohol, why not your patients’ teeth? For the past five years, researchers have been exploring the benefits of alcohol — specifically ethanol — when added to tooth preparations before the adhesive and found the technique improves bond strength. Now they wonder if it will work in your office as well. In one new study, an international group found that composite resin crowns placed after

Ivoclar Vivadent sales declined in 2009

Ivoclar Vivadent sales declined 1.6% in constant currency (4.6% unadjusted) in 2009 compared to 2008, the company reported. Ivoclar Vivadent, which took in 601 million Swiss francs ($506 million U.S.), blamed the dip on the worldwide recession. In a press release, the company said its bright spots included a 25% increase in sales of all-ceramic products, led by IPS e.max and digital-based technologies. It claimed to have increased its share

Study reveals misperceptions about smokeless tobacco

Faculty at the University of Louisville overestimate the health risks of smokeless tobacco, with most placing it at the same risk level as cigarettes, according to a study in Drug and Alcohol Review (March 2010, Vol. 29:2, pp. 121-130). Survey results from nearly 600 faculty members at the university’s Belknap and the Health Sciences Center campuses showed that 97% of respondents considered cigarettes as high risk for several health domains:

Free online resource aids implant identification

Have you ever looked at a patient’s radiographs and asked: What implant is that? A free online resource, whatimplantisthat.com, has been launched to address this growing problem. “There are hundreds of implant companies with thousands of implants,” said Kent Howell, D.M.D., who cocreated the site with fellow Ohio dentist Nate Farley, D.D.S. “Patients are more mobile than ever before, so we are often restoring implants we did not treatment plan.”

Twain tale sheds light on 19th century dentistry

A short story penned more than a century ago by Mark Twain but never published until last year offers such a vivid description of his experiences with early periodontal therapy that it could almost serve as a case report on periodontics, according to an article in the Journal of Dental Research (JDR, April 16, 2010). “Happy Memories of the Dental Chair” can be seen as “a portal into 19th century

Ultradent signs exclusive distributor deal with Shofu

Ultradent Products has chosen Shofu as its exclusive distributor of Opal Orthodontics products in Japan, the company announced. Ultradent Japan will continue with distribution for its other dental products through a network of distributors in Japan. Shofu was founded in 1922 by Kajo Shofu III, a Japanese entrepreneur and researcher, and is now a publicly traded company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Copyright © 2010 HuangshanDental.com

Clinical impressions of oral lesions not always reliable

Dental practitioners should not rely solely on clinical impressions when looking at potentially cancerous oral lesions, according to a new study presented at the recent American Association for Dental Research (AADR) meeting in Washington, DC. In fact, all biopsied tissue should be submitted to a pathologist for microscopic examination, according to researchers from the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Dentistry and the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do

Zimmer implant sales up in Q1

Zimmer Holdings reported $52 million in net sales of dental reconstructive products for the first quarter of 2010, a 6% increase in constant currency compared to the same quarter in the previous year. For the quarter (end-March 31), overall Zimmer had net sales of $1.06 billion, an increase of 3.4% in constant currency. Its earnings rose to $205.4 million, a 1.6% increase. Copyright © 2010 HuangshanDental.com

Align drops annual case requirement for Invisalign providers

Reversing a controversial policy put into effect last year, Align Technology announced April 22 that, effective immediately, it will no longer require all dentists who want to be active Invisalign providers to start at least 10 Invisalign cases annually. The concurrent policy of completing at least 10 Invisalign continuing education (CE) hours annually is still in place, however. According to Align, the intent behind the 10-case policy was to help

Study: Osteopathy manual therapy effective for TMDs

Osteopathic manual therapy worked as well as conventional therapy for temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) in a randomized controlled clinical trial reported in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies (April 2010, Vol. 14:2, pp. 179-184). Researchers from the University of Palermo divided 50 patients suffering from TMDs randomly into two groups of 25 each. Osteopaths manually manipulated the jaws of 25 of the patients. In manual manipulation, osteopaths move muscles and

Calcium, phosphate added to dry-mouth lozenge

Nuvora has added calcium and phosphate to Salese, its soft lozenge for dry-mouth sufferers that delivers moisture-retaining, bacteria-fighting, and enamel luster-restoring ingredients for hours, according to the company. The key to Salese’s long-lasting properties is Nuvora’s patented SuRe (sustained release) technology, a polymer combined with essential oils, enamel’s basic chemical building blocks, Xylitol, and a moisture-retaining ingredient. Patients simply place Salese in their mouth, without biting or chewing, and let