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Endodontists continue debate with implant dentists

“Do patients with a broken arm expect the doctor to give them a prosthetic arm?” — Gerald Glickman, D.D.S., M.S., M.B.A., president, American Association of Endodontists “Arguments that root canal treatment is more costly are fatuous,” American Association of Endodontists (AAE) President Gerald Glickman, D.D.S., M.S., M.B.A., said Monday in an ongoing debate with the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID). “Do patients with a broken arm expect the doctor

Straumann calls for research prize submissions

Straumann has issued a call for submissions for the André Schroeder Research Prize, an annual award worth 20,000 Swiss francs ($20,000 U.S.) in cash. First awarded in 1992, the prize is presented in honor of the late Professor Schroeder, who pioneered dental implantology and whose life’s work contributed greatly to modern dentistry. It serves to promote new scientific findings in dental implantology, oral tissue regeneration, and related fields. Scientists and

More carbamide peroxide doesn’t mean whiter teeth

With the increasing desire for superwhite smiles, at-home dentist-supervised tooth bleaching has become quite common. To increase the longevity and effectiveness of whitening, manufacturers of tray-based systems for home bleaching have increased the carbamide peroxide concentration in their products. Now a new study from Brazil has found that a higher carbamide peroxide (CP) concentration does not increase the longevity of the whitening effect of at-home tooth bleaching agents or the

Johnson & Johnson sells humor book

Johnson & Johnson has announced the sale of a custom-published book, “36½ Reasons to Laugh: A Slice of Life,” to publicize its oral hygiene products Listerine and Reach Total Care, and raise money for the National Children’s Oral Health Foundation: America’s Toothfairy. The illustrated book “is inspired by funny moments in everyday life — including dating mishaps, office gaps, and family antics,” the company said. ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” star Doug

Louisiana rules would limit mobile dentists

Rules published this week by the Louisiana State Board of Dentistry would require mobile dentists to talk to children’s guardians before treating them. The board drafted the rules after a heated debate in the Louisiana Legislature over a bill to ban most dentistry in schools. The bill, written to the specification of the Louisiana Dental Association (LDA), was amended multiple times until it finally morphed into a requirement for the

Northern Arizona University hygiene students learn teledentistry

Advances in digital technologies are giving Northern Arizona University (NAU) dental hygiene students plenty to smile about. “NAU is not on the cutting edge. … We are the cutting edge,” said Fred Summerfelt, R.D.H., M.Ed., an assistant professor of dental hygiene, referring to the NAU dental hygiene program’s new emphasis on teledentistry. Using portable, digital technology to capture patient x-rays, photographs, and other diagnostic data, dental hygienists trained in teledentistry-assisted

Troikaa introduces lidocaine lozenge for endoscopy

Troikaa Pharmaceuticals has introduced Xynova Endo, a lidocaine lozenge for customized endoscopy procedures. The product is useful for anesthetizing a patient’s oral cavity or mouth during endoscopic procedures, according to the company. The lozenge, which is mounted on a unique holder like a lollipop, releases the lidocaine along with a bioadhesive that makes the anesthetic agent stick to the oral mucosa and numbs it within 10 minutes, the company said.

Vibration therapy speeds tooth movement

An orthodontic device that uses vibration therapy to speed tooth movement in conjunction with conventional orthodontic treatment is undergoing clinical testing at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. .pullQuoteCredit { align:right; text-align:right; font-family:arial, sans-serif; font-size:11px; line-height: 16px; font-style: normal; padding-top:2px; } “Tooth movement was twice as fast when vibrational force was used.” — Mike Lowe, president of OrthoAccel The AcceleDent, which is being commercialized by OrthoAccel,

Florida dentist promotes football team with toothpaste

Florida dentist Andrew Martineau, D.M.D., is showing his appreciation for the University of Florida’s football team with a toothpaste he has named Gator Paste in honor of the school’s alligator mascot, according to a WWSB ABC 7 TV story. The toothpaste contains 0.88% sodium monofluorophosphate along with sorbitol, water, dicalcium phosphate dihydrate, hydrated silica, glycerin, kaolin, “flavor,” sodium lauryl sulfate, cellulose gum, sodium saccharin, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, and sodium benzoate. The

North Carolina kids’ museum highlights dental care

A new exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Wilmington in North Carolina focuses on dental hygiene. In the ToothaSaurus Pediatric Dentistry Exhibit, which opened September 10, children can practice brushing oversized teeth, see dental x-rays, and treat stuffed dinosaur patients. The sponsor, Wilmington pediatric dental practice Dimock & Weinberg, provided equipment, including a dental chair. Julie Dimock, D.D.S., said she hoped that playing dentist in a museum would make children

Paste-paste cements weaker than powder-liquid

Powder-liquid crown and bridge cements are stronger than paste-paste cements, University of Washington researchers report in the Journal of the American Dental Association (September 2009, Vol. 140:9, pp. 1125-1136). The researchers tested 12 cements by using them to attach high-noble metal-ceramic copings to extracted human molars, then subjecting the copings to dislodgment forces along the apico-occlusal axis until they failed. The researchers found that paste-paste resin-modified glass ionomer cements broke

Missouri dental hygiene program reaches out to Hispanics

Students in the new Dental Hygiene Education program at Missouri College are learning more than how to clean teeth, take x-rays, and address oral health issues. They will also be taught to speak “Medical Spanish” to prepare them to communicate with the growing Hispanic population locally and across the U.S., according to the college. The Spanish for Healthcare Professionals coursework is a new joint academic program developed by Missouri College