Editor’s note: Helaine Smith’s column, The Mouth Physician, appears regularly on the HuangshanDental.com advice and opinion page, Second Opinion. The debate over amalgam use in our profession continues, as seen by the responses to my last blog posting and recent letters to the ADA News discussing the issue. I clearly stated in my last posting that I do not feel amalgams pose a health threat to us, but I am
A Scottish mom has settled out of court in a malpractice case against the Greater Glasgow Health Board that claimed an anesthetist employed by the board caused her son to have a heart attack and subsequent brain damage during a dental procedure in 2002. Anne Marie Gallacher had been seeking £2.5 million ($4.2 million) in damages over the treatment of her then six-year-old son, Ryan, at Townhead Health Centre in
Salimetrics has developed three new salivary assays for use as markers for peridontal disease: IL-1 beta, MMP-8, and albumin. The assays will initially be offered via the company’s in-house saliva testing service and then sold in Kit form starting early next year, Salimetrics said in a press release. There has been increasing interest in exploring saliva for biomarkers related to periodontal disease to enable earlier and more effective treatment, the
A high-tech analysis of an amalgam filling that is a couple of decades old revealed that up to 95% of its surface mercury content was missing, according to a team of researchers from the University of Saskatchewan (Chemical Research in Toxicology, October 20, 2009, epub ahead of print). But the investigators also found the remainder was sequestered in a stable form that is less toxic. In a first step toward
La Trobe University in Victoria, Australia has launched a free toothbrush and toothpaste campaign directed toward individuals with mental health issues. The campaign, supported by Colgate, will focus initially on northern Victoria and includes a comprehensive education campaign for the medical and dental professions, the university said in a press release. It follows a year-long investigation into the link between oral and mental health among regional Victorians by La Trobe
United Treatment Centers will launch its Aquafree waterless toothbrush Nov. 29 at the Greater New York Dental Meeting, the company announced. In addition, the company has created a Web site from which customers can directly purchase the brush. The company is touting the brush as more hygienic because there is no risk of spreading pathogens through a shared tube of toothpaste. A bladder in the toothbrush handle contains a liquid
As H1N1 flu spreads, the demands on dental offices are increasing, according to Leslie D. Canham, R.D.A., a certified U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration trainer. “It’s going to be hard for dental offices to meet the new standards,” said Canham, citing federal and state regulations that make treating patients suspected of influenza much more complicated. For example, under new California regulations, dental care workers may only treat someone suspected
Star Refining London and the California Dental Association (CDA) Foundation have joined forces to launch a scrap crown recycling program called Crowns for Kids that provides dental services to children in need throughout California. It is estimated that millions of dollars worth of services would be provided to underserved children statewide if the vast majority of dentists in California participated in the Crowns for Kids program, the CDA Foundation noted
One in three dentists surveyed by the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) cite aggressive tooth brushing as the most common cause of sensitive teeth, followed by acidic food and beverage consumption. Other factors that can cause tooth erosion and contribute to the oral condition include certain toothpastes and mouthwashes, tooth whitening products, broken or cracked teeth, bulimia, and acid reflux, according to the nationwide member survey conducted by the AGD.
Think the Diagnodent is only good for helping to confirm the presence of caries or calculus? Think again. A new study in the Journal of Endodontics (October 2009, Vol. 35, pp.1404-1407) has found that laser fluorescence can also enhance the assessment of endodontic infection. Evaluating the microbial status of the root canal system typically involves taking a culture. But the drawback with cultures is that they take time to grow,
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg, Germany, working in collaboration with research partners at Voco, have developed a hybrid material they say can be used for all the components used in root canal treatment. “The basis of this material is provided by ORMOCERs (organically modified ceramics, also developed at Fraunhofer),” said Herbert Wolter, group manager at the ISC, in a press release. “We have combined
Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachan last week signed on as goodwill ambassador for Smile Train, the world’s largest charity for children with cleft lips and palates. As goodwill ambassador, Bachan will help Smile Train provide free cleft surgery to children in 76 developing countries around the world. Smile Train currently has more than 150 partner hospitals in India and has performed more than 200,000 surgeries there. In that country alone,