Hu-Friedy gives $25K to orthodontics foundation

Hu-Friedy has donated $25,000 to the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation (AAOF) to support education and research, access to care, and other key concerns of the orthodontic community. “The AAOF is delighted to have Hu-Friedy join our corporate partners and demonstrate its commitment to the orthodontic specialty,” said Steve Hershey, president of the AAOF, in a press release. “This donation is a logical extension of our support of the orthodontic

Plackers partners with Oral Health America

Plackers, a provider of consumer oral care products, has partnered with Oral Health America to donate dental flossers that will reach more than 30,000 children in need through the Smiles Across America program. Smiles Across America is a program created by Oral Health America to improve the oral health of elementary school students who lack access to routine dental care. The program supports oral disease prevention services in school-based or

AAP urges practitioners to save natural dentition

As the field of dental implantology continues to have a significant effect on dental treatment planning, the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) recently reaffirmed its position that, whenever reasonable, efforts should be made to save a patient’s natural dentition. The AAP also stressed that an evidence-based approach must always be taken when considering an individual’s treatment options, especially regarding surgical procedures such as tooth extraction and dental implant placement. “There

Visual shade matching more accurate than colorimeter

Clinicians who determined shade using visual observation performed better than a colorimeter in a recent study, which will be presented at the upcoming International Association for Dental Research conference in Barcelona, Spain. Researchers from Ankara University and Ohio State University sought to compare the accuracy of an intraoral colorimeter and visual shade determination. They prepared metal-ceramic specimens of five different shades (A1, B1, C3, D3, and A3.5) of the Vitapan

Fosamax/ONJ retrial to begin June 2

A new trial is scheduled to begin June 2 for the Fosamax/osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) case that ended in a mistrial last September, according to a story on aboutlawsuits.com. The lawsuit involves a claim by Shirley Boles, 71, who alleges that she developed ONJ in 2003 after using the drug for several years. According to Boles, Merck — manufacturer of Fosamax — failed to adequately warn about the risk

Growth factors used to grow new teeth

Researchers at Columbia University have claimed another advance in the quest to grow biological teeth that could eventually be used instead of implants. Writing in the Journal of Dental Research (May 6, 2010), the researchers said they had used growth factors to stimulate cells to grow along a scaffold in the shape of a human molar and also in the shape of a rat incisor. Researchers in previous experiments have

Study finds dentists sloppy with curing lights

Many dentists may be using their curing lights badly, with some baking their patients’ teeth and others leaving restorations uncured, a study by Dalhousie University researchers suggests. “Most dentists think if you waft the light in the mouth somewhere, it’s going to cure the restoration,” said Richard Price, B.D.S., D.D.S., M.S., a Dalhousie professor of prosthodontics. “We’ve discovered that there is a huge difference among operators. It can be an

3D model may improve implant failure rates

In an effort to find ways to reduce dental implant failure rates, a researcher from Griffith University has used computer modeling software to study the stress created in the mandible during and after the placement of titanium implants. While dental implants are gaining popularity and new materials and production methods are improving the technology, a 5% failure rate is still believed to be associated with incorrect insertion techniques and a

Perio disease bacteria provide clues to Alzheimer’s

A defective, mutant strain of the bacterium that causes periodontal disease could provide a clue to potential treatments for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and a number of other diseases, according to researchers from the University of Florida College of Dentistry who reported their findings May 25 at the American Society for Microbiology meeting in San Diego. Autophagy, or “self-eating,” is an essential component of cellular survival and defense against invading organisms. It

UN mulls global amalgam restrictions

A United Nations (UN) committee meeting in Stockholm June 7-11 will begin drawing up a legally binding international treaty on mercury reduction that could restrict dental amalgam. The proceedings may include clashes between amalgam foes and dentists’ groups. In a preliminary cost-benefit analysis, the staff for the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimated that some strategies for reducing amalgam use — such as installing separators

Calif. kids’ oral health needs not being met

When it comes to kids’ oral healthcare, California is far from being the Golden State. California children’s dental health was ranked third from the bottom in the National Survey of Children’s Health, above only Arizona and Texas. The survey found that in 2007, the last year that data was available, more than 500,000 California children between the ages of 5 and 17 missed at least one day of school a

GSK acquires NovaMin for $135 million

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has acquired NovaMin Technologies, makers of a calcium phosphate oral product ingredient, for 87 million pounds ($135 million as of December 2009), the company announced. The deal suggests that GlaxoSmithKline, one of the word’s largest pharmaceutical companies, sees a bright future in calcium phosphate products, which have been marketed as a way of reducing dentin sensitivity and remineralizing enamel. According to an article in the Gainesville Sun, NovaMin,