Study links acute myocardial infarction and perio disease

The relationship between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a complicated one. While many studies have suggested that the presence of periodontal disease may be associated with CVD, others have not confirmed this association. Now a new study to be presented next month at the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) conference in San Diego has found that periodontal disease can contribute to occurrences of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Univ. of Barcelona adds Syneron laser to dental program

Syneron Dental Lasers has entered into a long-term clinical research agreement with the University of Barcelona whereby Syneron Dental’s LiteTouch laser system will be incorporated into research and teaching activities within the university’s two-year master program in laser dentistry. Commercially available since 2007, the LiteTouch is the first nonfiber erbium YAG dental laser for hard- and soft-tissue dental treatments, according to the company. Its unique “laser in handpiece” technology integrates

Water Pik launches Facebook campaign to support AAPD program

Water Pik will donate $1 for every new “Like” it receives on the Waterpik Oral Health Facebook page up to $5,000 to benefit the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) Healthy Smiles, Healthy Children campaign. Healthy Smiles, Healthy Children and AAPD are focused on eliminating barriers to obtaining comprehensive quality oral healthcare for all children. The money raised through the Facebook page donation program will help fund research grants to

Tenn. lawmakers: Stop promoting water fluoridation

A group of Tennessee lawmakers worried about fluoride’s possible ill effects is asking health officials to stop promoting water fluoridation, according to a story by WSMV-TV in Nashville. A bipartisan group of legislators sent a letter to the state health commissioner last week calling for the state health officials to take a stand, the story said. Almost 94% of Tennessee residents have fluoridated water. Public health officials and the ADA

Study links perio disease and atherosclerosis

By using fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) to measure metabolic activity, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School have found a link between periodontal disease and atherosclerotic inflammation, according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (February 22, 2011, Vol. 57:8, pp. 971-976). In their 112-patient study, the researchers measured periodontal FDG uptake by obtaining standardized uptake values (SUVs) from the periodontal tissue

Study gives Venus White high marks

The Venus White Pro at-home teeth-whitening system whitens teeth up to 8.4 shades with virtually no sensitivity, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in collaboration with Heraeus Kulzer. The results of the study will be presented next month during the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) meeting in San Diego, the company said. The study was designed to evaluate

Buyer’s Guide Update: Anesthetic products and delivery systems

Dear Buyer’s Guide Update Member, Fear of pain and injections are among the key reasons people avoid going to the dentist. But thanks to many technological advances in recent years, most of today’s dental procedures are considerably less painful than they once were, or even pain-free. This issue of the DrBicuspid Buyer’s Guide Update focuses on anesthetic products and delivery systems. Click on the links below to see the all

DentalEZ adds new features to DEZiree website

DentalEZ has added three new features to its DEZiree the Dental Hygienist website. Visitors to the site can now send free DEZiree online greeting cards to friends, family, and colleagues. The hygienist-themed e-cards are fun, funky, and free. A variety of greeting options are available, including birthday, get well, good luck, and various holidays. In addition, a free Hygiene Strong poster can be downloaded and printed to be displayed in

Orabrush uses social media to make millions

Orabrush, which manufactures a tongue scraper designed to remove bacteria, has closed a new funding round of $2.5 million thanks to a social media blitz, according to a news story in the Wall Street Journal. Spearheaded by the company’s young marketing executives, Orabrush has beat out major players such as Walt Disney and Apple on YouTube’s most-subscribed commercial channels and has 270,000 fans on Facebook, the Journal reported. With more

Crosstex acquires ConFirm

Crosstex has purchased the sterilization monitoring business of ConFirm Monitoring Systems. Crosstex’s Sure-Check sterilization pouches have patent-pending class 4 internal/external multivariable indicators that validate all three criteria for instrument sterilization (time, temperature, and steam), as per International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards and Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, the company said. “Sure-Check pouches provide the most advanced chemical monitoring to confirm each sterilization cycle,” said Andrew Whitehead, Crosstex

Smoking during radiation treatments hurts survival rates

Smokers who continue to smoke while undergoing radiation treatments for head and neck cancer fare significantly worse than those who quit smoking before therapy, according to a new study (International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, February 2011, Vol. 79:2, pp. 414-419). Although the association between tobacco smoking and head and neck cancers has long been established, there had been little data showing whether continued smoking during treatment affects prognosis.

Isolite to launch smaller mouthpiece

Isolite Systems will launch a small, deep vestibule (DV) mouthpiece for its dental isolation technology at the Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting in Chicago next week. The new size was developed for patients that need a small bite block but have a relatively deeper vestibule compared to other small-mouthed people, according to the company. For these patient types, the new shape and design of the Small DV mouthpiece allows for