Will plasma jets ‘replace’ the handpiece?

Plasma jets can disinfect dentin and might serve as a good alternative to chemicals or ozone on tooth preparations, researchers reported last week in the Journal of Medical Microbiology (February 2010, Vol. 59: 2, pp. 206-212). A press release from the journal’s publisher, the Society for General Microbiology, immediately stimulated hyperbole, such as a headline on Softpedia that proclaimed “Good News: Dentist’s Drill Will Be Replaced by Plasma Jets: Innovations

Oragenics offers probiotic chew for kids

Oragenics has launched EvoraKids, the first probiotic-based, all-natural oral care chewable created to promote oral health for children 3-10 years old. Featuring a Wild Very Cherry Berry chew, EvoraKids includes Oragenics’ patent-pending ProBiora3 technology, specifically formulated for children to help maintain healthy teeth, the company stated. “Kids have very special oral care needs, and are much more likely than adults to form cavities. The probiotics in EvoraKids effectively compete with

Maine bill requires dental insurance at birth

Dental insurance policies would have to start at birth under a bill being considered in Maine, according to the Maine Public Broadcasting Network. Currently, most policies don’t cover children until they are a few years old, even though the ADA and American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommend that children be seen before their first birthday, the network reported. “There are many Mainers that, if they do not insure their child

Mount Sinai to offer teen dental services

Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center will offer dental and optical suites starting in May, the hospital announced. The suites will offer 4,000 free dental and optical visits for New York City adolescents who otherwise would not receive treatment. The city’s elimination of its free dental clinics has increased the need for services for teens, Sinai said. Already the center provides medical and mental health services to more than 10,000 vulnerable

Align adds new international distributor

Align Technology is adding an international distributor for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). As part of the distribution agreement for EMEA, Gil Laks, Align Technology vice president – international, will transition from his current position and assume ownership of the distributor, which will have sole distribution rights for the Invisalign system in over 85 countries, the company announced in a press release. “In the two years since Align

Self-adjusting root canal file gains FDA clearance

ReDent Nova has obtained FDA clearance for its self-adjusting file (SAF) for root canal treatments, according to a story on Globes[online]. ReDent claims that the file presents a new concept of root canal treatment, and that using SAF will save up to 50% of the dentists’ treatment time and reduce recurring treatments and tooth extractions. The SAF is able to adjust itself to the formation of the root canal and

Dentists eye noninvasive diagnostic tools for Sjögren’s

Studies have shown that Sjögren’s syndrome can be one of the trickier oral diseases for dental professionals to diagnose (Journal of the American Dental Association (December 2008, Vol. 139:12, pp. 1592-1601). Experts have debated whether the problem stems more from a lack of knowledge about Sjögren’s or from uncertainty about who is ultimately responsible for making the diagnosis. Perhaps the diagnostic process itself is the issue. While it is possible

Patterson named sole U.S. distributor for ProDrive

Effective January 20, Patterson Dental became the sole national distributor of the ProDrive System, a handpiece upgrade, ProDrive Systems announced. Patterson already has an exclusive agreement to distribute ProDrive products in Canada. The ProDrive System is designed as a performance upgrade to current handpieces in the dental office. Unlike traditional friction grip burs with a round shank, ProDrive features a triangular shank designed to lock the bur and turbine together

Oral health lacking in patients with severe mental illness

A new meta-analysis has revealed a 61% lifetime prevalence of suboptimal oral health among people with serious mental illness in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world (Community Mental Health Journal, December 29, 2009). The findings lend further weight to the need for dental and mental healthcare providers to coordinate efforts to improve the quality of patient care and overall health. Naira Roland Matevosyan, M.D., Ph.D., Sc.D., a postdoctoral fellow

New dental gel cleans pet’s teeth

A Nebraska dentist has helped create a dental gel that can be used to clean pet’s teeth, according to a news story by KETV. The product, part of the Petrodex dental line, kills bacteria instantly, the inventors claim. Frank Driscoll, D.D.S., a pediatric dentist in Omaha, said the gel was originally created for human patients who needed an option when they couldn’t brush their teeth with fresh water, such as

Dentist to donate whitening-kit proceeds to Haiti

A North Carolina dentist is taking a unique approach to helping the victims of the Haiti earthquake. Through the end of February, Angie Rhodes, D.D.S., of Chocowinity will donate 100% of the proceeds from sales of tooth-whitening kits to the American Red Cross for Haiti relief efforts, according to a story in the Washington Daily News. She is selling the kits, which include custom-molded bleaching trays, for $99, using the

Oxidized implants found better for immediate load

Immediate loading of implant-supported mandibular overdentures was more successful when the implants had oxidized surfaces than when they had machined surfaces in a study reported in the International Journal of Prosthodontics (February 2010, Vol. 23:1, pp. 13-21). Researchers at the Brånemark Centre of Australia treated 35 patients with problematic mandibular overdentures. They randomized the patients into two groups, placing machined-surface MK III Brånemark implants in one group and MK III