Conscious sedation group to sponsor CE course

The Dental Board of California has approved a continuing education (CE) course being presented by Conscious Sedation Consulting, a patient safety advocacy firm that provides continuing education, training, and consulting services to hospitals, surgery centers, physicians, and dental offices on the administration of conscious sedation and analgesia. The two-day didactic course is appropriate for dentists and staff who are considering sedation services or are required to have 15 hours of

Model program aims to cut cavities in urban kids

A new study by researchers at the University of Maryland, Baltimore recommends a model program for urban pediatric clinics that can significantly reduce dental cavities in low socioeconomic infants and toddlers. Researchers from the university’s dental school conducted a 26-month study of 219 children, ages 6 to 27 months, at the university’s Pediatric Ambulatory Care Center, a pediatric primary care clinic serving mostly low-income residents. Oral conditions of very young

Teeth defects actually strengthen enamel

Researchers from George Washington University and the National Institute of Standards and Technology have discovered that the major reason why teeth do not break apart is due to the presence of tufts — small, cracklike defects found deep in the enamel. Fracture of teeth indented along a vertical axis. Photo courtesy of National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Tufts arise during tooth development, and all

3Shape opens North American office

3Shape, a provider of 3D scanners and CAD/CAM software for dental restoration and orthodontics, has opened its first U.S. office in New Providence, NJ, and created a U.S. subsidiary. General Manager Henrik Vestermark will oversee the North American operations. He has more than 12 years of experience in building up similar organizations in the U.S., according to the company. The new office is part of an ongoing plan to expand

Cola, rosehip tea weaken bracket bonds

Rosehip tea and Coca-Cola appeared to weaken the bonds that attach orthodontic brackets in a study posted online March 31 in the European Journal of Orthodontics. In the study, the researchers from Gazi and Ankara Universities in Turkey attached brackets to 90 extracted human premolars with Transbond XT (3M Unitek). They divided the teeth equally into six groups and soaked them in different liquids: black tea, mint-mate herbal tea, mint-lemon

Biomet hard-hit by downturn in implant business

Biomet reported a net loss of $478.7 million on sales of $615 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2009 (end-February 28). The loss included a $448.5 million revaluation for its slumping dental implant business. The loss compares to a net loss of $88.5 million on sales of $603 million for the same quarter a year ago. The privately held orthopedic device manufacturer stated that, “as a result of the

Nobel Biocare wins rulings against Materialise

Courts in the U.S. and Germany have ruled in favor of Nobel Biocare, which is defending its NobelGuide software and surgical guide against claims of patent infringement by Materialise Dental, makers of SimPlant and SurgiGuide. On April 15, the German Federal Patent Court invalidated all relevant claims of Materialise’s patent. Materialise said it would appeal the decision. In a related U.S. lawsuit last month, the U.S. District Court for the

Ad campaign targets midlevel provider legislation

The Minnesota midlevel dental practitioner debate heated up again this week as the state’s dental association launched an advertising campaign targeting proposed legislation that is headed for a vote in the state senate. .pullQuoteCredit { align:right; text-align:right; font-family:arial, sans-serif; font-size:11px; line-height: 16px; font-style: normal; padding-top:2px; } “We need reform, and this is reform.” — Sen. Ann Lynch (DFL-Rochester) That legislation would allow for the creation of midlevel dental providers to

Study: Gum disease linked to higher medical costs

Preliminary results from a new Cigna study support the potential association between untreated periodontal disease and increased medical costs for patients being treated for stroke or diabetes, according to the company. The preliminary findings of the ongoing three-year claims study were presented by Dr. Clay Hedlund, a Cigna dental director, and Marjorie Jeffcoat, D.M.D., dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and a Cigna Dental Clinical Advisory

New dental floss trials reported

Johnson & Johnson this month released studies the company says indicate that its new Reach Ultraclean floss removes more plaque than competing Glide and Oral-B products. The new floss, which Johnson & Johnson released in August 2008, is as strong as Glide but more effective, said Sylvia Santos, R.D.H., M.S., associate director of oral healthcare research and development at Johnson & Johnson. William Landrigan, manager of scientific relations for Procter

Two-step zirconia implants debut at IDS 2009

Looking back at the 2009 International Dental Show (IDS) in Germany, there was an abundance of novelties, some of which had already been presented at the Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting and elsewhere. Among all the new products, however, dental implants attracted the most attention. Cone-beam technology, especially in the context of implants, also garnered a fair amount of interest at the show. More than 200 implant systems are now

Evidence lacking for extraction of primary canines

The practice of extracting primary canine teeth to make way for adult canines that are erupting in the wrong place has no evidential basis, according to a study published Wednesday in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (April 15, 2009, Issue 2). In a systematic review, the researchers were unable to identify a single high-quality study to support the practice. “The recommendation of extracting the baby canine is in fact based