>The American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons (ASMS) has named Steven Buchman, M.D., a professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery and neurosurgery at the University of Michigan Medical School, as its new president. The announcement was made last week in Toronto at Plastic Surgery 2010, the joint annual scientific meeting of ASMS and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. In addition to his academic appointments as professor, Dr. Buchman is director
Young Dental has teamed up with the Oral Health America (OHA) Fall for Smiles campaign to help Americans of all ages understand the importance of regular dental checkups and to emphasize that preventative care during a child’s back-to-school visit is essential to overall health and well-being. By teaming up with Fall for Smiles, Young Dental hopes to communicate to parents that preventive dentistry, such as sealants, during back-to-school visits is
A newly launched iPhone application provides guidance and motivation to children for brushing their teeth. Developed by German psychiatrist Einhardt Illing, the new toothbrushing motivator Motivetrix guides the user through brushing using color sequences and motivates them with imaginary painting. The iPhone screen shows a diagram of the human set of teeth and displays the individual tooth areas in different colors at intervals. The user follows the color sequence with
The weather was pleasant and so was the mood around the exhibit hall during the 51st ADA Annual Session and World Marketplace Exhibition, held October 9-12 in Orlando, FL. The 23,000 dental professionals attending this year’s meeting were treated to a plethora of new products, and booth traffic was steady throughout the show, especially on Saturday. In case you didn’t attend or were just too busy to get to every
Occupational exposure to dental amalgam poses a potential risk of increasing systemic mercury levels, according to a new study in Photomedicine and Laser Surgery (October 7, 2010). Researchers from the University of Southern Santa Catarina in Brazil wanted to evaluate the systemic mercury levels in the urine of patients and dental school students caused by exposure to silver amalgam. “It is currently believed that occupational exposure shows the highest rate
Patients with tongue and lip piercings should be encouraged to visit the dentist regularly to protect against the risk of infections and other issues related to the piercings, according to a study in Quintessence International (October 2010, Vol. 41:9, pp. 731-737). “Owing to the overwhelming popularity of oral piercing, general practitioners should be prepared to address complications arising as a result of oral piercing and to provide patients with accurate
Vive Vita has introduced Toothbands, toothbrush-identifying labels to help avoid the spread of germs by clearly displaying which toothbrush belongs to which child, according to the company. The labels are reusable, writable, rewritable, and dishwasher- and microwave-safe. Food-grade silicone is used to create the bands, which have different colors and characters and will stretch to fit most toothbrush styles and shapes. They are free of BPA, lead, and phthalates, and
Online education is effective in encouraging people with dental pain to visit the dentist, according to a study conducted by Aetna Dental in partnership with the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine. To recruit participants for the study, Columbia University researchers invited subscribers of the Aetna Member Essentials online newsletter to its secure dental pain and sensitivity website. More than 450 people who were experiencing tooth pain or sensitivity took
Birner Dental Management has opened a new Vantage Dental Implant Center in Denver, the company announced. The center will provide custom-designed dental implants with a team of oral surgeons, prosthodontists, and specialists. Additionally, the center has an onsite, full-scope laboratory that allows Vantage to provide customized care to each patient. To replace teeth, Birner employs the Nobel Biocare Immediate Function system with its patients, often completing the procedure in a
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $727 million to 143 community health centers across the country to address construction and renovation needs and expand access to quality healthcare. Among the recipients was the Northeast Missouri Health Council, which received $3.8 million to increase dental and primary services. The council is exploring the option of partnering with A.T. Still University, which last month announced it is
Substantial evidence strengthens the link between third-molar removal and overall patient health, according to a consortium of international experts who will present their findings at the Third Molar Multidisciplinary Conference, held October 19 in Washington, DC. A meta-analysis of recent research compares the long-term health of patients who have asymptomatic wisdom teeth removed with those who retain the teeth, according to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS).
Scientists seeking to predict a person’s risk for developing dental caries by identifying the presence of harmful oral bacteria have to date identified only about 800 of the thousands of microbes residing in the human oral cavity. But now a multimillion grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to the J. Craig Venter Institute, in collaboration with the New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry, is underwriting a four-year