Whitest smiles not always the best

Cosmetic dentists can attest to the popularity of dazzling white smiles. But a new study questions whether the whitest smiles are always the best way to go. Dental practitioners and patients alike do not always favor the whitest smile, nor do they perceive all skin colors to be equally attractive with bright white teeth, according to a study by U.K. researchers. .pullQuoteCredit { align:right; text-align:right; font-family:arial, sans-serif; font-size:11px; line-height: 16px;

Geomagic offers free preview of 3D bridge design software

A new add-on for designing dental copings and bridge frameworks in conjunction with Geomagic Studio is now available as a free technology preview, the company announced. The new Copings and Frameworks Add-On enables copings and bridge frameworks to be designed directly from intraoral scans, 3D scans of dental impressions, and cone-beam CT scans. It extends the functionality of Geomagic Studio 3D modeling software, which transforms scan data and polygon meshes

Case Western dental school wins $9.5 million grant

The Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine has received a five-year, $9.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research to study oral health as one of the human body’s frontline defenses against infections. It is the largest grant ever in the dental school’s 117-year history, according to the school. Under the direction of lead investigator Aaron Weinberg, D.M.D., Ph.D.,

Dental education needs more focus on pain, experts say

The complexities of orofacial pain, combined with a lack of adequate pain education in most dental schools, makes diagnosing and treating conditions such as temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and burning mouth a challenge, according to some pain experts. And the situation isn’t likely to change any time soon unless dental schools begin putting more emphasis on understanding the mechanisms of, and treatment options for, chronic pain conditions, according to Barry Sessle,

Study links rheumatoid arthritis and perio disease

A new study presented Friday at the 2009 European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark, found that more than half the subjects with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) also had periodontitis. The prospective observational study compared 25 RA patients receiving drugs that blocked the production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) with 25 systemically healthy individuals. Subjects with both conditions had fewer teeth than healthy matched controls, a high prevalence of

HPV patients at risk for head and neck cancer

A new meta-analysis presented at the recent American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Orlando, FL, confirmed the link between human papillomavirus (HPV) and head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC). Led by Farshid Dayyani, M.D., Ph.D., at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, researchers identified 40 clinical and translational studies between 1980 and 2008 that reported the prevalence of HPV in head and neck squamous cell

Ga. dental student wins research competition

A senior at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) School of Dentistry, who has found that blue curing light used to harden dental fillings can stunt tumor growth, recently won top honors for his work. Alpesh Patel, an MCG dental student placed first in the American Association for Dental Research/ National Student Research Group’s Dentsply/Caulk Basic Science Research Competition. Seven students nationwide are selected to participate annually in the competition.

Periodontal therapy can relieve arthritis pain

A Case Western Reserve University study may have found a new treatment option for people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis: periodontal therapy. People who suffer from both gum disease and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) reduced their arthritic pain, number of swollen joints, and the degree of morning stiffness with nonsurgical periodontal therapy, according to the study findings (Journal of Periodontology, April 2009, Vol. 80:4, pp. 535-540). .pullQuoteCredit { align:right; text-align:right; font-family:arial, sans-serif;

Sirona donates dental handpieces to kids’ foundation

Sirona Dental Systems has donated 340 dental handpieces to the National Children’s Oral Health Foundation (NCOHF): America’s Toothfairy for distribution to its nonprofit dental facilities, the company announced. Twenty of NCOHF’s affiliates received handpieces to use in the care of economically challenged children in their communities. The affiliates are part of a growing national network of nonprofit dental facilities that receive product donations, funding, and sharing of best practices through

Listerine mouthwash focus of class-action lawsuit

A class-action lawsuit is seeking damages in excess of $5 million from McNeil, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson and manufacturer of Listerine, according to a news story in the Palm Beach Post. The lawsuit claims that the plaintiffs suffered various health issues after using Listerine Agent Cool Blue, a mouthwash that was recalled by McNeil in April 2007, the paper reported. The mouthwash contained four kinds of bacteria, Brian

Obituary: Dental pioneer Nathan Friedman, 97

Nathan Friedman, D.D.S., a pioneering periodontist and professor of dentistry at the University of Southern California (USC), has died at the age of 97, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times. Dr. Friedman is credited with developing a groundbreaking program in the 1960s to help apprehensive patients overcome their fear of dental work. He also founded the school’s department of behavioral dentistry and served as its chairman for

Proper oral hygiene may cut risk of pneumonia in critically ill patients

NEW YORK (Reuters Health), Jun 9 – New research shows that oropharyngeal cleansing with chlorhexidine solution is no better than a control solution of potassium permanganate in preventing nosocomial pneumonia in critically ill patients. However, the regular maintenance of “meticulous” oral hygiene does provide a benefit, the findings suggest. There is clear evidence that oral cleansing with chlorhexidine can help stave off nosocomial pneumonia after heart surgery, Dr. Dilip R.