The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) isn’t doing enough to stop dental disease in poor children, members of Congress said this week, citing a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that they had commissioned. It was the third hearing the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has held since Deamonte Driver, a 12-year-old from Maryland, died from complications of a dental abscess in February 2007,
A lawsuit filed in 2005 against Florida officials accusing them of not providing adequate medical and dental services to more than 1 million Medicaid-eligible children will finally go to trial in December. The suit, filed by the Florida Pediatric Society (FPS) and Florida Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (FAPD) against the secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), the secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families,
The California Dental Hygienists’ Association (CDHA) has issued a list of simple ways patients and oral health professionals and their patients can prevent catching and spreading the disease. “It’s critical that the public sees the link between oral health and flu prevention because the H1N1 virus spreads through the respiratory system and mouth,” said CDHA President Daphne Von Essen. “The primary infection control goal is to prevent transmission of disease
Research Based Preventive Products has introduced a new formulation of 1.1% sodium fluoride toothpaste (5,000 parts per million) called Denticious 5000. According to the company, 1.1% sodium fluoride toothpaste has been shown to remineralize tooth structure and can prevent cavities and white spot lesions. Dentists have been involved in the development of this product since its inception, the company noted in a press release. Their input has helped produce a
SensAble Technologies has announced that Babichenko Dental Laboratory of Meridian, ID, has joined the SensAble Authorized Production Center (SAPC) Program. SAPCs create fixed and removable dental restorations for their own dentists using the SensAble Dental Lab System and are certified to provide design and/or fabrication services to other dental labs, the company explained in a press release. Because not every lab is ready for a full scan/design/fabricate system, SensAble Authorized
A new study has found that chronic periodontitis is an independent risk factor for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Although there is substantial evidence that supports an association between chronic infections/inflammation and cancer, the aim of this study (Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, September 2009, Vol. 18:9, pp: 2406-2412) was to assess the effect of chronic periodontitis on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), noted the study authors.
Brushing removable dentures with a paste product might be the best way to keep them clean, suggests a new review of the limited dental literature that exists on the topic (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2009, Issue 4). The scarcity of studies on real-life patients was surprising, said lead author Raphael Freitas de Souza, D.D.S. Most studies of denture cleaning methods happen in the laboratory. “We need clinical trials,” he
Some surprising results from a study designed to find ways to streamline new product development at Colgate-Palmolive could pave the way for the development of a chairside periodontal health assessment tool (Journal of Dental Research, September 2009, Vol. 88:9, pp. 851-855). Using a molecular analysis technique called metabolomics, researchers from Colgate-Palmolive Technology Center, the Forsyth Institute, and Metabolon set out to test whether the cellular metabolism of diseased periodontal tissue
Q: What do you think of ultraviolet toothbrush sanitizers? A: I think they are good to have, considering they don’t cost much and have been shown to kill more than 99.9% of pathogenic bacteria that proliferate on your toothbrush every day. As we get into flu season, reducing the transmission of the flu virus is essential. The Sonicare toothbrush. Image courtesy of Philips. The kind of light produced by toothbrush
A grant of $493,872 from a cigarette tax fund will allow Chandler Regional and Mercy Gilbert medical centers in Arizona to provide free oral preventive care and hygiene education to more than 3,000 underserved children across the East Valley, according to the East Valley Tribune. Administered by Catholic Healthcare West Foundation-East Valley, the grant will pay for about 6,800 fluoride varnish treatments, dental screenings, and referrals, as well as oral
Philips Sonicare has launched FlexCare+, the latest addition to its line of power toothbrushes, at this week’s ADA annual meeting in Honolulu. The FlexCare+ is “specifically designed to motivate patients to achieve consistent oral homecare for improved gum health,” the company said in a press release. With features including a new Gum Care mode that provides two minutes of overall cleaning followed by one minute of gentle cleaning, FlexCare+ is
A court ruling in Melbourne, Australia, this week is being hailed for setting a precedent regarding who can perform teeth-whitening procedures in the country, according to a story on news.com.au. Suong “Becky” Van Thi was convicted and fined $2,000 Australian ($1,731 U.S.) for whitening teeth in a beauty salon without being a registered dental care provider, according to the story. Magistrate Jill Crowe said teeth-whitening is an “invasive and irreversible
