Komet USA this week announced a new bur kit for dentists and laboratory technicians who work with zirconium, the Zirconium Abutment Preparation Diamond Kit LD 0118. Because margins in some selected zirconium-custom abutments do not have enough incisal or occlusal clearance, a technician or dentist can now easily modify the abutments themselves with the burs provided in this easy-to-use kit, according to the company. The kit contains a series of
From antidepressants such as Paxil and Zoloft to anticonvulsants such as lithium, the number of psychotropic drugs being prescribed in the U.S. is growing at an alarming rate. Keeping track of them and their potential side-effects and interactions can be a challenge for any dental practice. But a recent article in Anesthesia Progress outlines some of the most common psychotropic drug interactions a dental practice is likely to encounter (Fall
Dentsply has introduced a new line of access refinement tips, ProUltra SINE tips, which offer clinicians twice the concentration of diamonds than competing brands, according to the company. The tips, marketed by Dentsply’s Tulsa Dental Specialties division, are designed to handle multiple applications using six contra-angled tip configurations, and they feature built-in water ports allowing clinicians to use them wet or dry, according to Dentsply. The SINE tips are designed
ABUJA (Reuters), Dec 3 – Nigeria is flying in doses of antidote for hospitals after the number of infants killed by teething syrup tainted with a poisonous chemical rose to 34, health officials said on Wednesday. Five more children have died on top of 28 reported to have lost their lives last month in three locations after being given “My Pikin” teething syrup contaminated with diethylene glycol, blamed for causing
Open a consumer magazine or turn on the TV and you’re likely to be bombarded with advertisements for Lexapro, Cymbalta, Zoloft, Paxil, Prozac, Wellbutrin … the list seems almost endless. In fact, the use of psychotropic drugs — antidepressants, antipsychotics, and anticonvulsants — has been growing at an alarming rate for the past decade. A 2004 study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that antidepressants
The Oregon Institute of Technology and the Chemeketa Community College have agreed to offer a joint dental hygiene program at Chemeketa’s Salem campus, according to a news story in the Portland Business Journal. Students will be enrolled in both schools and have access to both schools’ services and support. The new program will start in 2011.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health), Dec 2 – In middle-aged adults, gum disease goes hand in hand with the metabolic syndrome, U.K. researchers report. “Further studies are required to test whether improvements in oral health could affect the onset/progression of the metabolic syndrome or vice versa,” Dr. Francesco D’Aiuto of the UCL Eastman Dental Institute in London, one of the researchers on the study, told Reuters Health. Metabolic syndrome is a
NEW YORK (Reuters Health), Dec 1 – People with gingivitis (gum disease) have worse mental function than their peers whose gums are in better shape, a new analysis of U.S. data shows. The findings raise the possibility that system-wide inflammation due to gum disease could have harmful effects on brain function. However, because the study only looked at a single time point it could not gauge whether or not there
Dental implant supplier Straumann is cutting back on production of its implant products in an effort to align manufacturing with slower market growth, the company announced. Throughout the past decade, Straumann has ramped up its global production capabilities to meet the strongly growing demand for dental implants worldwide, according to a press release. The company further expanded production capacity in the first half of this year to cater to what
Violins, cathedrals, waffle irons: they don’t make ’em like they used to. To that list, Jeff Brucia, D.D.S., co-director of the Foundation for Advanced Continuing Education (FACE), would add dental adhesives. “Apply the technique of the 1970s,” Dr. Brucia told an audience of 400 at the recent ADA annual meeting. “It’s not the coolest. It just works.” One goal of the seminar, titled “Restorative Materials Update 2008,” was to review
Individuals reporting a history of periodontal disease were more likely to have increased levels of inflammation, a risk factor for heart disease, compared to those who reported no history of periodontal disease, according to a study in the American Journal of Cardiology (December 1, 2008, Vol. 102:11, pp. 1509-1513). The findings of the study, led by investigators from Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, suggest persons with increased levels
Herpesviruses have long been considered the culprits behind many oral diseases. Now a new study has found a link between endodontic disease and the Epstein-Barr virus. The discovery could lead to the development of new preventive and therapeutic treatments for some endodontic diseases. Epstein-Barr is a form of herpesvirus and a pathogen found in more than 90% of the world’s population. It is associated with many diseases, including infectious mononucleosis,