A federal judge has ruled that Merck must now pay only $1.5 million in compensatory damages to Shirley Boles, a 72-year-old woman who claimed the company’s bisphosphonate drug Fosamax caused her to develop osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) and related dental problems. Boles’ original lawsuit ended in a mistrial in September 2009, but in a retrial in June of this year, a New York jury found in favor of Boles,
Faculty at the University of Florida received five grants totaling nearly $7 million to improve access to dental care for underserved children and adults from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HSRA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The funds are part of $130.8 million in grants announced September 17 by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to strengthen and expand the health professions workforce across the U.S.
Pulpdent has introduced Tuff-Temp provisional glaze, which is designed to glaze and protect provisional crowns and bridges. The glaze improves aesthetics and increases resistance to surface wear and staining and can be cured with all lights, the company said. It is part of the new Tuff-Temp provisional veneer crown and bridge resin system. Tuff-Temp’s rubberized-urethane chemistry provides greater strength and dimensional stability, and a tighter-fitting provisional restoration than bisacrylics and
3M ESPE is helping children with dental disease live healthier by donating dental products to National Children’s Oral Health Foundation: America’s Toothfairy (NCOHF) as part of its launch of RelyX Unicem 2 automix self-adhesive resin cement. During the 2010 ADA Annual Session and Greater New York Dental Meeting, street teams from 3M ESPE will hand out complimentary beverages to trade show attendees while encouraging them to recycle their cups at
Komet is offering special tungsten carbide cutters designed to trim and shape titanium and nonprecious metals used in crowns, bridge or implant carried restorations, and model casts. The GTi cutters feature fewer blades than conventional cutters, and special staggered toothing provides users with aggressive cutting, resulting in rapid material reduction. GTi cutters also allow for maximum service life, the company said. Because of titanium and other nonprecious metal hardness, using
Dear DrBicuspid Member, Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has long been lauded for its unique and powerful imaging abilities. Beyond numerous research studies, however, OCT has made little headway in dentistry. Now, a new study in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine showcases the more practical side of OCT, prompting one dental public health advocate to foresee a bright future for OCT among general dentists. Read more. In other Imaging & CAD/CAM
Orthovita has received 510(k) clearance from the FDA to market Vitomatrix Bone Graft Substitute as a bone grafting material in certain dental procedures. Vitomatrix is a resorbable, highly porous synthetic scaffold that utilizes the core proprietary technology from the company’s Vitoss Bone Graft Substitute product line. Vitomatrix is indicated for use in procedures to fill, augment, or reconstruct periodontal or bony defects of the oral and maxillofacial region, according to
In response to an application by Wrigley, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has approved a health claim that xylitol-, sorbitol-, and mannitol-based sugar-free chewing gum reduces the risk of caries. In a scientific opinion issued October 1, EFSA’s Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition, and Allergies said it found that causality has been established between the chewing gum and a reduction in the occurrence of tooth demineralization and caries. The
Dental laboratories with 3Shape and Dental Wings scanners now have access to authorized Lava Milling Centers as part of the 3M ESPE Lava Network. Labs can now connect to the Lava Network with no additional capital investment, expanding their material options and workflows. “With this change, 3Shape and Dental Wings design centers are now able to offer Lava restorations,” said Mark Farmer, general manager of the 3M Digital Oral Care
Children with cleft palates may no longer need invasive jaw-widening surgery as an adult. Tarek El-Bialy, B.D.S., Ph.D., an associate professor of dentistry in the University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, has spent eight years updating materials and making precise adjustments to a dental device that will help stretch the constricted upper arch in the mouth of a child who has a cleft palate, according to the university.
Orthodontic radiographs appear to promote cell toxicity in the oral mucosa, according to a new study in Dentomaxillofacial Radiology (October 2010, Vol. 39:7, pp. 437-440) — calling into question once again whether multiple cephalograms are warranted in every orthodontic case. To better understand the effects of radiographic radiation on the cellular system, researchers from the Methodist University of São Paulo and the Federal University of São Paolo investigated the frequency
Having declared a pertussis epidemic in July, the California Department of Public Health is recommending that all healthcare personnel, particularly those who have direct contact with infants and pregnant women, be immunized with Tdap to protect their patients and themselves. Effective September 1, 2010, all employers covered by the Cal/OSHA Aerosol Transmissible Disease (ATD) standard are required to offer the Tdap vaccinations to employees who could be occupationally exposed to