Dental Dose: TikTok trend with serious side effects

Dental Dose is a twice-monthly video series featuring pharmacologist Tom Viola, RPh. In each episode, Viola shares bite-sized pieces of dental pharmacology news, facts, and myths. It’s another episode of pharmacology after dark, the new Dental Dose segment in which Viola shares tales of legal medications used illicitly. In this episode, he talks about a viral TikTok trend that led teenagers to take high doses of common over-the-counter medications. “Both

Minn. dentists to provide free care to children

Member dentists of the Minnesota Dental Association (MDA) are offering free dental care on February 4 and 5 for children in need. The association has nearly 1,000 dental professionals volunteering at more than 50 clinics across the state for Give Kids A Smile, an event that provides free dental care. People can find clinics by calling United Way 211 or by visiting mndental.org. Appointments can then be scheduled directly with

Jefferson Dental opens new office in Texas

Jefferson Dental & Orthodontics recently opened its latest office in Westworth Village, TX, a Fort Worth suburb. The expansion marks the 36th Jefferson office in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and the 72nd overall, according to the dental service organization. The new office provides general, specialty, and cosmetic dental services, as well as orthodontics starting in spring 2022. Dr. Akoli Foadey, a dentist at the Westworth Village location. Image courtesy of Jefferson

FDA warns that buprenorphine causes dental problems

The use of transmucosal buprenorphine, a drug prescribed to treat opioid use disorder and pain, may cause dental problems, according to a warning issued January 12 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Reports of dental problems include oral infections, as well as tooth decay and loss, even in patients with no history of oral health issues. The reports have triggered the FDA to require that a new warning

DESS launches new website

Terrats Medical’s Dental Smart Solutions (DESS) has launched a new website. The site allows labs, milling centers, and dental clinics in the 40 countries the company serves to find DESS products, CAD/CAM implant libraries, and the latest additions in one place. The website offers information in multiple languages, according to the company.

Blindness case prompts call to delay oral surgery after COVID-19

A recent case report detailed an incident in which a man went blind after a tooth extraction. The experience led the authors to call for delaying minor dental surgeries such as tooth extractions for patients with diabetes who have recently recovered from COVID-19. The man described in the report had diabetes and lost sight in one eye after a tooth extraction led to the development of cavernous sinus thrombosis. Based

What dentistry has learned about TMDs, orthodontics in 30 years

In the past 30 years, dentistry has learned that conventional orthodontic treatments do not cure or cause temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), according to an article published on January 7 in the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics. Time and evidence-based studies also have shown that clinicians must no longer treat these disorders using an overly simplistic occlusal and mechanical-based model of care. Instead, they should follow a medical, biopsychosocial standard

CBCT may alter dental trauma treatment decisions

Reviewing cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans may influence how endodontists approach treatment decisions in dental trauma cases, according to a study published on January 6 in the Journal of Endodontics. Endodontists are more likely to propose starting traditional endodontic treatment for dental trauma patients after reviewing CBCT scans as opposed to periapical radiographs, the authors wrote. “Endodontists tend to be more interventional with CBCT compared to PR [periapical radiography],” wrote

Western Dental opens 2 new Southern Calif. offices

Western Dental & Orthodontics has opened two new offices in Southern California: one in Highland Park and another in Menifee. The Menifee office will also serve nearby communities such as Sun City, Quail Valley, Paloma Valley, and Romoland. The Highland Park office will serve patients in northeast Los Angeles. Both will offer general dentistry, orthodontics, oral surgery, dental implants, and oral hygiene services, Western Dental said.

NYU Pain Research Center names new director

The New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry’s new Pain Research Center has named Rajesh Khanna, PhD, as its director. Before joining NYU, Khanna was the associate director of the University of Arizona Health Sciences Comprehensive Pain and Addiction Center, a professor of pharmacology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, and a member of the BIO5 Institute. The NYU Pain Research Center is a new initiative

Pulpdent secures 2 patents for calcium phosphate molecule

Pulpdent has secured two U.S. patents for a stabilized calcium phosphate molecule called methacrylate-functionalized calcium phosphate. When mixed into dental composite, the molecule supports tooth remineralization and the formation of hydroxyapatite, which could improve dental restoration procedure outcomes, the company said. Pulpdent plans to market the molecule under the name Crysta. It will be available immediately in its Activa Presto and Activa Pronto light-cure esthetic bioactive composites, as well as

Week in Review: Top U.S. state for dental health | Doctor-to-doctor identity theft | New dental sterilization device

Dear DrBicuspid Member, Do you know which state in the U.S. has the best dental health? You may be surprised by the results of a new survey that measured 25 key dental health indicators. Check out our top story of the week to find out where your state landed on the list. In practice management news, Dr. Michael W. Davis, who practices general dentistry in Santa Fe, NM, broke down all