Calif. drops kids from CHIP

California last week announced it would begin dropping children from its Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). In February, when the U.S. Congress expanded the program (previously known as the State Children’s Health Insurance Program [SCHIP]), advocates estimated it might bring oral healthcare to an additional 4 million children who currently lacked coverage. But others noted that the program would depend on full support from state governments, which might not be

Align to pay Ormco $13 million in settlement

Align Technology will pay Ormco, a subsidiary of Danaher, $13 million in cash and 7.6 million shares as part of a settlement agreement related to ongoing patent litigation between the two companies. The deal gives Danaher a 10% ownership stake in Align. In addition, the companies have agreed to collaborate over the next seven years to develop and market an orthodontic product that combines Align Technology’s Invisalign system and Ormco’s

Komet launches new disk/handpiece system

Komet has introduced a new disk/handpiece system designed for cosmetic dentistry and orthodontic procedures for proper interproximal enamel reducing and finishing. Developed in conjunction with Dr. Paul-Georg Jost-Brinkmann of the Berlin Charité Dental Hospital in Germany, the OS (oscillating segment) disk is the first of its kind in the dental industry, according to the company. OS disks are safe and efficient for interproximal enamel reduction and are more effective than

Remedent debuts GlamStrip for GlamSmile veneers

Remedent has introduced GlamStrip, a proprietary, patent-pending device for the placement of its GlamSmile dental veneers. GlamStrip is an evolutionary alternative to the company’s original tray technology by allowing for easier and more accurate placement of less than a full set of dental veneers, according to Remedent. The original tray is marketed worldwide by Remedent and its major distributors and marketing partners, including GlamSmile Australia and GlamSmile China. In the

Remedent Q1 sales drop 41%

Delays in the construction of a new production facility in China are being blamed for a 41% drop in Remedent’s net sales for the first fiscal quarter of 2009. For the period (end-June 30), the company reported net sales of $2.2 million, compared to $3.6 million in the same quarter a year ago. Net loss for the quarter was $549,000, compared to income of $331,000 in the same quarter of

OraPharma offers dental students Arestin training

OraPharma recently expanded its commitment to providing educational support and training to dental and dental hygiene schools by renewing the Arestin Student Access Program and creating a new Professional Affairs Team to provide field support and instructor training for the program, the company announced. The Arestin Student Access Program was implemented a few years ago as the result of discussion and collaboration between OraPharma and the directors of leading dental

New osteoporosis drug may avoid osteonecrosis

Denosumab, an investigational new drug for osteoporosis, increased patients’ bone density without causing osteonecrosis of the jaw in a study published online August 11 in the New England Journal of Medicine. Some research has associated the use of bisphosphonate drugs (such as alendronate sodium, or Fosamax) for osteoporosis with osteonecrosis of the jaw, raising concerns about whether dentists should treat such patients differently. In this study, funded by the drug’s

New compound shows promise for perio disease

A proprietary compound called 1-tetradecanol complex (1-TDC) has been shown to be effective in arresting the progression of periodontal disease, according to a study published in the July issue of the Journal of Periodontology (Vol. 80:7, pp. 1103-1113), according to Imagenetix, the company that developed 1-TDC. In the study, the compound was applied to the gum line using a rabbit periodontitis model developed by Boston University investigators. The study results

Milestone Scientific Q2 revenues up 52%

Milestone Scientific, makers of computerized injection instruments, reported an increase of 52% in net revenues for the second quarter of this year. For the period (end-June 30), the company reported net revenues of $2.03 million, compared to $1.54 million in the same period last year. The company also reported increased gross profits of $1.2 million, compared to $955,000 in the second quarter of 2008, but increased expenses led to a

Nobel Biocare Q2 profits up 16%

Nobel Biocare reported a 16% increase in net profits for the second quarter of 2009, despite ongoing economic challenges worldwide. For the period (end-June 30), the dental implant maker reported net profits of 28.2 million euros ($40 million), up from 24.3 million euros ($34.5 million) for the same quarter a year ago. The figure includes restructuring costs of 5.8 million euros ($8.2 million). Sales for the period fell 8.7% to

Straumann upbeat despite midyear results

Straumann remains optimistic about its potential for continued growth in the dental implant market, despite a slowdown in patient volumes and a resulting 16% drop in profits for the first half of 2009. For the period (end-June 30), the company reported net profit of 84.6 million Swiss francs ($78.3 million), down from 100.5 million francs ($93 million) a year ago. Sales fell 6.9% to 384 million francs ($355 million). “Despite

Study: iRoot SP equal to AH Plus in apical sealing

A new root canal sealer, the iRoot SP Root Canal Sealer from Veriodent, prevented apical leakage as well as AH Plus from Dentsply International in a study reported in Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, and Endodontology (June 2009, Vol. 107:6, pp. e79-e82). Researchers from Wuhan University in China removed the crowns from 68 extracted anterior single-root human teeth and prepared the root canals with files. They divided