Students at a California elementary school are doing their part to aid the research of a Loma Linda University student who is studying whether licorice root can reduce the risk of cavities in children, according to a news story in the Sun. Laurita Siu is pursuing her master’s degree in public health at Loma Linda. As part of her study, 50 first- through fifth-graders have been sucking on a lollipop
In honor of National Children’s Dental Health Month, the Maternal and Child Health Library at Georgetown University, in collaboration with the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center, has released a new edition of its knowledge path electronic guide on oral health for infants, children, adolescents, and pregnant women. This guide points to resources that analyze data, describe effective programs, and report on policy and research aimed at improving
Henry Schein joined with the ADA on February 5 to open the Nasdaq stock exchange in celebration of the ADA’s eighth annual Give Kids A Smile (GKAS) day. Representatives from all segments of the dental community and co-sponsors Dexus and Colgate-Palmolive were also present to help kick off this year’s GKAS event. The GKAS day annually provides free dental services and educational programs for more than 320,000 underserved children at
Komet USA has introduced a new bur block for laboratory technicians that enables them to more easily organize and arrange their rotary instruments, according to the company. The block comes with a nonslip base and can hold up to 50 rotary instruments with handpiece shank. The bur block (150.529), developed in conjunction with Ilja-Roman Niemczyk, is made of transparent acrylic, so items placed behind it are still within view. Its
NovaBone Products has relocated its operations division to expanded and upgraded facilities to meet increasing demands for its bioengineered bone graft substitutes, the company announced. Located in Alachua, FL, the new facility is more than twice the size of the former operations location and is designed to increase productivity for both manufacturing and management, according to the company. “The manufacturing area is double that of our previous facility,” said David
Q: I am thinking of switching from an air-driven to an electric handpiece. What are your thoughts? A: I am an electric handpiece user and would never consider going back to an air-driven handpiece. In fact, the only time I use an air-driven handpiece is when I adjust the occlusion on a crown. I currently use Bien-Air handpieces in my office and have used the Dentsply NuTorque. The Optima MX
A $500,000 federal grant combined with a $150,000 donation from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana’s Caring Foundation will expand dental care to low-income Montana children, according to a report by the Independent Record. The money will go to the Healthy Montana Kids Program, a combination of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program that currently covers up to $350 worth of dental work per year for each child,
Cleft palate has been linked to dozens of genes. While studying one of these genes, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine were surprised to find that cleft palate occurs both when the gene is more active and when it is less active than normal. The finding suggests this gene, and processes closely associated with it, are central to palate development and could become important targets for investigators seeking nonsurgical
BOSTON – A dizzying array of home teeth-whitening products are on the market, but they differ only slightly. Be it white strips, whitening trays, or paint-on whiteners, whether applied for one hour, two hours, or overnight, they all use the same active ingredients and can achieve the same goal: transforming dingy, discolored teeth into pearly whites. But there can be pitfalls on the path to aesthetic nirvana, and dental professionals
With the Super Bowl only days away, there is speculation that the New Orleans Saints football team’s successful run this season may be partly attributable to new custom-fitted mouthguards that employ the science of neuromuscular dentistry, according to the Las Vegas Institute (LVI) for Advanced Dental Studies. Many neuromuscular dentists are trained at LVI after graduating from dental school, the institute stated in a press release. Neuromuscular dentistry involves placing
Astra Tech is now making Atlantis abutments for the NobelActive NP 3.5 and RP 4.3, 5.0 implants for North American customers. Astra Tech provides patient-specific abutments in a choice of four material options: titanium, gold-shaded titanium, white zirconia, and shaded zirconia. This introduction is the latest in a series of Atlantis abutments being developed for new implant interfaces such as the Straumann Bone Level implants. Astra Tech plans to introduce
The National Museum of Dentistry has partnered with United Concordia Dental to produce a CD-ROM version of the museum’s MouthPower oral health education program. Modeled on the MouthPower Online program, the CD-ROM is designed to assist dentists and hygienists in educating their patients about the benefits of good oral health. The program features the character Mouthie in an interactive laboratory where children can learn how to brush and floss, make
