Colgate-Palmolive announced this week that it has provided free dental screenings, oral health education, and treatment referrals to 100 million U.S. children in its “Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures”program. The company celebrated the milestone with a “brush-a-thon” in midtown Manhattan that featured over 170 children from Juan Ponce De Leon Public School of the Bronx, NY, and actress and musician Miranda Cosgrove, star of the Emmy-nominated television series “iCarly.” Colgate

Biolase Technology is now promoting deep pocket therapy (DPT) with new attachment using the Waterlase MD and patented radial firing perio tips (RFPT) as a non-surgical alternative treatment for moderate to advanced gum disease. The newly FDA-cleared procedure for the Waterlase MD assists in new attachment, and in most cases provides deep pocket treatments in a single visit without the use of a scalpel, stitches, or the conventional cutting of

Telling patients to take better care of their teeth can seem about as effective as lecturing to an empty chair. But a study published in the October 2009 Journal of Dental Research (Vol. 88:10, pp. 933-937) suggests that behavioral techniques worked out by psychologists can make a difference. When dentists used a “tell, show, do” method of instruction about using a power toothbrush and then asked patients to plan a

It all starts with the hygiene appointment The hygiene appointment is the gateway to additional services. Keeping a full hygiene schedule helps practices to keep growing in any economy. In addition, the hygienist plays a critical role in helping patients make informed decisions about potential treatment. Train your hygienists. Your hygienists spend more time with patients on average than anyone else in the practice. Provide thes valuable team members with

OralDNA Labs recently introduced two tests to the North American market that use saliva to detect periodontal disease. These protocols have been used for a number of years in Europe, but the company claims to be the first to make them commercially available in the U.S. OralDNA is currently marketing the tests — MyPerioPath and MyPerioID — in every U.S. state except New York. “Saliva is becoming a very important

Viruses could contribute to periodontitis according to a study in Oral Microbiology and Immunology (December 2009, Vol. 24: 6, pp: 506-509). Most research and treatment has focused on bacteria, but researchers have long hypothesized that viruses, too, may play a role. Investigators at the University of Laval probed this question by searching for human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), Epstein-Barr (EBV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV) using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in gingival