U.S. orders stronger overdose warning on painkillers

WASHINGTON (Reuters), Jul 7 – U.S. regulators on Tuesday ordered stronger warnings about overdoses with the painkilling drugs Darvon and Darvocet and rejected a call by consumer group Public Citizen for a ban of the medicines. The action applies to drugs made with propoxyphene, the pain-killing ingredient in privately held Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s Darvon and Darvocet and generic medicines. Propoxyphene has been on the market since 1957. The Food and

Consumer Reports rates teeth-whitening products

Crest Whitestrips Supreme reigns supreme among home-based teeth-whitening products, according to a new survey in Consumer Reports. The product-testing publication had 82 of its employees compare eight home-based teeth-whitening products over several weeks. They used a digital color-measuring device to assess staffers’ tooth color before and after the course of whitening. The testers also described their experiences with the product. In addition to determining that Crest Whitestrips was tops in

Tissue regeneration offers less painful gum surgery option

Researchers from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine have developed a new application for guided tissue regeneration that they say reduces the pain and recovery time of gum grafting surgery when compared to traditional methods. Terrence Griffin, D.M.D., an associate professor and chair of the department of periodontology at Tufts, and colleagues conducted a three-year follow-up study that examined the stability of guided tissue regeneration as a treatment option for

Recession forces low-income families to sacrifice kids’ dental care

A recent U.S. survey of low-income parents has found that financial stress caused by the economic recession is forcing many families to choose between basic necessities, such as food, transportation, and housing, and routine dental care for their children. The national online poll, sponsored by the practice management firm Forba, was conducted May 29-30, 2009, and surveyed 210 parents of young children in U.S. households with annual incomes of $35,000

Tooth implant restores blind man’s sight

A 42-year-old U.K. man is able to see again for the first time in 12 years, thanks to one of his teeth. Martin Jones underwent a procedure that uses a segment of tooth as a holder for a new lens grafted from his skin, according to a story in the Daily Mail. During the procedure, a minute section of the tooth is removed, reshaped, and chiseled through to grip the

Study: Stone Age lifestyle helps periodontal health

Long ago, when mastodons marched and saber-tooth tigers prowled, human beings rarely got cavities. Evidence from prehistoric human teeth suggests that a low-sugar diet deprived Streptococcus mutans and other acid-producing bacteria of the raw material they needed to wreak havoc. But what about periodontitis? Scholars are still debating the relationship of food to this common and perplexing problem. So when Swiss National Television proposed a reality show in which 10

Study: Xylitol syrup may prevent caries in toddlers

Children given an oral syrup containing xylitol may be less likely to develop decay in their baby teeth, according to a study in the July issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine (Vol. 163:7, pp. 601-607). Xylitol, approved in the U.S. for use in food since 1963, has been shown to effectively prevent tooth decay by acting as an antibacterial agent against organisms that cause cavities. These previous investigations

GlaxoSmithKline research finds sustained demand for dentures

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare has released new data on the future of edentulism, highlighting the key roles dental professionals must play in providing quality oral healthcare and emotional support to denture patients. The research, performed by doctors from the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry, the Mayo Clinic, Glasgow Dental Hospital and School, and the University of California, Los Angeles School of Dentistry, cites data showing that increasing life expectancies

Nanotechnology could improve composite restorations

A Medical College of Georgia (MCG) researcher is developing a new nanotechnology technique he hopes will extend the longevity of composite restorations. With a two-year, $252,497 grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, Franklin Tay, B.D.Sc., Ph.D., an associate professor of endodontics in the MCG School of Dentistry, is trying to prevent the aging and degradation of resin-dentin bonding by feeding minerals back into the collagen network,

Heraeus pulls IQ:NECT implants from market

The dental implant market continues to be a challenge for many manufacturers, despite market researchers’ continued predictions of healthy growth. The latest company to be affected by the economic downturn is Heraeus Kulzer, which this week pulled its IQ:NECT screwless titanium implant system from the market, just months after introducing an enhanced version of the product at the 2009 International Dental Show (IDS) in Cologne, Germany. “Given the current economic

U.S. grapples with mobile dentistry pros and cons

The last batter still isn’t out. Foes in a Louisiana battle over school-based dentistry are dusting themselves off after tussling their way to compromise legislation last week. But even if Gov. Bobby Jindal signs the bill into law as expected, the question of what kind of mobile dentistry should be allowed is likely to flare up again — if not in Louisiana, then elsewhere in the U.S. Already dental boards

Astra Tech adds Atlantis abutment options

Astra Tech, a provider of dental implant therapy products, has announced the availability of expanded Atlantis abutment options for Straumann implants. Following the recent launch of Atlantis abutments in titanium and gold-shaded titanium for Straumann Bone Level 4.1 and 4.8 implants, Atlantis abutments in zirconia are now also available for these bone level implants, the company said. Astra Tech is also introducing Atlantis abutments for the Straumann Standard Plus NN