Australia to establish ‘first of its kind’ oral health center

Australia’s premier research center for all aspects of oral health will be established at the University of Adelaide thanks to a $2.4 million ($1.9 million U.S.) Australian federal government grant, university officials announced. The new Centre of Clinical Research Excellence (CCRE) for Oral Health, which will be part of the university’s School of Dentistry, is being funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council. The CCRE Oral Health will

Medactive teams with WhiteHill

Medactive Oral Pharmaceuticals has entered into a license and supply agreement with WhiteHill Oral Technologies that gives Medactive exclusive rights to produce and market a new generation of oral care pharmaceuticals. The agreement paves the way for the introduction of patient-friendly oral care products, including Hi-Impact rinses, sprays, lozenges, gels, prophy tape, toothbrushes, and toothpastes, the companies said. Medactive expects to begin commercial introduction of these products in the fourth

OkayToKiss test targets bacterial source of bad breath

Tel Aviv University (TAU) researchers have developed a pocket-sized breath test they say can detect malodorous bacteria in the mouth and alert people that they could have bad breath. The patent-pending OkayToKiss test is the result of ongoing research on the bacteria that cause bad breath. Until now, scientists believed that only one population of bacteria — the Gram-negative ones — break down the proteins in the mouth and produce

Dental implant market still struggling

Swiss dental implant makers are expected to report another round of weak earnings in their upcoming quarterly reports, according to story on cnnmoney.com. Analysts say that Biomet 3i’s fourth-quarter results, announced June 26, indicate that “the dental implant market remains in a depressed mode due to the difficult economic environment and the discretionary nature of dental implant procedures,” cnnmoney.com reported. While Biomet saw its year-over-year revenues grow slightly, to $639.3

Mississippi mandates fluoridation

Mississippi has mandated community water fluoridation, partly as a result of research by dentists pursuing degrees in public health, according to the University of North Carolina. A university newsletter credits Nicholas Mosca, D.D.S.; Kim Hammersmith, D.D.S.; and four other public health graduate students with helping convince the state’s board of health to pass legislation in April requiring all Mississippi communities of more than 2,000 people to fluoridate their public water

Discus Dental sues BSML over BriteSmile trademark

Discus Dental has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles federal court against BSML, charging BSML with breach of contract and violating Discus trademark rights, the company announced. In its lawsuit, Discus seeks to end a license agreement with BSML for use of the Discus-owned BriteSmile trademark, a court order prohibiting BSML from future use of the trademark, and damages to its intellectual property rights associated with the trademarked brand. In

Selenium could help create new antibiotics for gum disease

Scientists at the University of Central Florida (UCF) may have found a new weapon in the fight against periodontal disease. The trace mineral selenium could be the key to developing a new line of antibiotics for bacteria that cause periodontal disease, the researchers have discovered. Selenium is found in a number of proteins in bacterial cells and human cells called selenoproteins. This new research shows that interrupting the way selenoproteins

Jury says Invisalign infringes Ormco patent

A jury has ruled in favor of Ormco, a subsidiary of Danaher, in its patent infringement case against Align Technology, the company announced. The jury unanimously found that Align’s process for creating its Invisalign aligners infringed several claims of a patent (U.S. Patent No. 6,616,444) held by Ormco, the company said. The claims at issue cover a process for creating 3D representations of a patient’s teeth for use in modeling

Tolmar to acquire Zila

Zila has entered into a deal to be acquired by Tolmar Holding, a privately held pharmaceutical research, development, manufacturing, and commercial operations company. Under terms of the agreement, Tolmar will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Zila for a cash purchase price of 38¢ per share (approximately $3.97 million, based upon the number of outstanding shares), representing an approximate premium of 18% over the closing price of Zila’s shares

Milestone targets international markets

Milestone Scientific has announced that it is refining its marketing strategy to gain greater access to the international dental markets for the STA Single Tooth Anesthesia System, CompuDent, and related disposable hand pieces. The new sales strategy will focus on increasing hands-on oversight and support of Milestone’s existing international distribution network, while also attracting new distributors throughout Europe, Asia, and South America, according to the company. Shaul Koren, founder and

School dentistry bill headed for governor’s desk

After a month of intense debate, the Louisiana Legislature has unanimously passed legislation that would regulate school-based dentistry. But the final bill falls far short of the near-total ban originally proposed by the Louisiana Dental Association (LDA). The bill passed unanimously in the House of Representatives and Senate today. The bill now heads to Gov. Bobby Jindal’s desk for consideration. On Wednesday, the House rejected the Senate’s version of H.B.

Coffee can prevent bad breath

Coffee extract can inhibit the bacteria that lead to bad breath, according to new research from Tel Aviv University (TAU). “Everybody thinks that coffee causes bad breath and it’s often true, because coffee, which has a dehydrating effect in the mouth, becomes potent when mixed with milk and can ferment into smelly substances,” said lead researcher Mel Rosenberg of TAU’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine in a press release. “Contrary to