Pharmaceutical manufacturer Hospira has announced that it will not reinstate production of its drug Pentothal (sodium thiopental). The anesthetic agent’s use as part of a lethal cocktail administered by prisons in several U.S. states for the death penalty has put it at the center of an international controversy. “Italy’s intent is that we control the product all the way to the ultimate end user to prevent use in capital punishment,”
An Illinois man has invented a unique tool to help denture wearers remove and clean their dentures, according to a story in the Herald-Review. Brian Williams, 34, of Decatur, IL, wears dentures himself, and when he first got them, he tried following the instructions for removing them and found it almost impossible, he told the Herald-Review. So he came up with the 3-in-1 Dental Tool, a blue plastic device about
Researchers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have developed a metallic glass alloy that has demonstrated strength and toughness at a level not previously seen in any other material (Nature Materials, January 9, 2011). The new damage-tolerant metallic glass — a combination of the noble metal palladium, a small fraction of silver, and a mixture of other metalloids — could soon find use in biomedical implants, according to Marios
Nevin Laboratories, a member of DentalEZ Group, will unveil its new ErgoEZ lab bench at this year’s Lab Day Chicago, February 25-26, 2011. The ErgoEZ bench is available in various configurations that enable dental lab owners to create the bench best suited to their specific requirements, the company said. The new bench includes many ergonomic features that enable a personalized working environment, including a 4-inch adjustable bench height range and
Odontoblast cells, part of the human body’s natural immune system, also fight to protect teeth from decay, according to new research published in BMC Immunology (in press). Odontoblast cells sit between the enamel and pulp and produce a layer of dentin to protect the pulp from wear and infection, according to researchers from the University of California, San Francisco and the University of Washington. They found that, when under attack
Milestone Scientific will provide Towncare Dental Partnership with its Single Tooth Anesthesia (STA) system through a new distributor agreement that covers all of Towncare’s dental offices in Florida. The instruments will be rolled out to Towncare’s offices over the next four months, and Milestone will provide training and support to each office, according to the company. Towncare Dental is a growing dental practice management company with locations throughout Florida. Towncare
Young adults with long-term, controlled asthma have more caries and gingival inflammation than those without asthma, according to a study in Acta Odontologica Scandinavica (January 13, 2011). A group of Swedish researchers studied 20 18- to 24-year-olds with a mean duration of asthma of 13.5 years and 20 matched healthy controls. The researchers clinically examined each patient and registered the prevalence of caries, erosions, gingival inflammation, cervicular fluid, periodontal pockets,
Vatech America, a provider of dental cone-beam CT and digital radiography equipment, is partnering with EdgeDent, a provider of dental equipment, office design, and client support services to enhance its customer service and support. “EdgeDent brings an exceptional track record of high-technology equipment sales and support that positions both companies for success by placing focus on total client satisfaction,” said Travis Harrison, director of business development at Vatech America, in
Acting Pennsylvania Attorney General Bill Ryan has reached an agreement with Allcare Dental & Dentures to transfer its medical records to another dental office in the state. Allcare Dental & Dentures in Erie, PA, agreed to send the dental and laboratory records for all patients to Esser Family Dental, also in Erie, by January 29. “The Health Care Section continues working to assist Allcare patients across Pennsylvania and throughout the
Biotechnology giant Amgen has agreed to acquire BioVex Group, a privately held biotechnology company that is developing OncoVex, a novel oncolytic vaccine to treat head and neck cancer and melanoma. Under terms of the agreement, Amgen will pay up to $1 billion for BioVex: $425 million in cash at closing and up to $575 million in additional payments upon the achievement of certain regulatory and sales milestones. The transaction has
A study conducted in four American Indian communities in the Pacific Northwest shows that eliminating sugary drinks from the diets of the youngest members of the tribe significantly decreased tooth decay. The results of the dental portion of the Toddler Overweight and Tooth Decay Prevention Study (TOTS) targeted American Indians from birth to 30 months of age (Ethnicity & Disease, Autumn 2010, Vol. 20:4, p. 444). The arrival of Europeans
SAN FRANCISCO – While commercially available optical tools can help clinicians identify premalignant lesions in the oral cavity, the prevalence of confounding lesions increases the rate of false positives, according to researchers at this week’s SPIE BiOS meeting. “Compared to any other body site, the oral cavity has the highest number of confounding lesions,” said Nadarajah Vigneswaran, BDS, DMD, a professor of diagnostic sciences at the University of Texas Dental