OSAP posts infection prevention, control guide for school sealant programs

The Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP) has published a new infection prevention and control guide for school sealant programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Designed as a supplement to recent guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Oral Health (DOH), OSAP’s new guide offers additional considerations for practical implementation, according to the organization. The DOH published its guidance for school sealant programs on

14% of parents don’t think it’s safe to go to the dentist

A total of 14% of parents don’t think it’s safe for their child to go to the dentist during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new survey of 1,882 parents. In addition, 40% haven’t tried to get preventive dental care for their children since the start of the pandemic. The survey was conducted by C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital at Michigan Medicine in January to get a better sense of how

Crest, Oral-B seek nominations for pediatric oral health champions

Crest and Oral-B are seeking nominations from the public for a sweepstakes to benefit pediatric and family dental professionals and offices who demonstrate commitment to promoting oral health in underserved children. The winners will receive Crest + Oral-B Kids electric rechargeable toothbrush systems to support their outreach efforts, according to the firms. A total of 1,200 brush systems will be donated. Nominations will be accepted through February 26 at the

Envista extends contract with Heartland Dental

Envista Holdings has inked a four-year contract extension with dental service organization Heartland Dental. As a result, Envista will continue to supply its dental implants, consumables, infection prevention products, handpieces, and imaging technology to Heartland Dental’s supported doctors, according to the company.

Week in Review: Vaccine reactions | Bad blood and periodontitis | States ranked by dental health

Dear DrBicuspid Member, Our top story of the week names orofacial reactions observed in patients given the two COVID-19 vaccines. Acute peripheral facial paralysis and facial swelling were among the adverse drug reactions mentioned in a February 1 report. Anaphylaxis-related swelling of the lips, face, and tongue was also reported in people who had received the vaccines. Fortunately, these and other side effects were rare, occurring in up to 1

Dominion donates dental care kits for kids

Dental and vision insurer Dominion National is donating thousands of dental care kits to local clinics and health departments throughout the Mid-Atlantic region to promote kids’ oral health for the ninth year in a row. The kits include toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, and oral health facts. They will be distributed to organizations in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, DC.

Researchers use CAD to test novel implant design

Researchers from India ran simulations using CAD software to test implant stress distribution in a study published on February 10 in Materials Today: Proceedings. They found that an ideal implant abutment design would likely be shorter and more angled than conventional designs. The authors tested three different implant abutment designs to simulate maximum stress load in reaction to different forces. To run their tests, they leveraged CAD software, allowing them

Infographic: Best states for dental health in 2021

Wisconsin has once again topped the list of best U.S. states for dental health in the annual analysis conducted by personal finance website WalletHub. The Badger State also claimed the top spot in WalletHub’s 2020 and 2019 rankings. The list of best states for dental health in 2021 remained largely unchanged from prior years. In addition to Wisconsin, Illinois, the District of Columbia, Minnesota, and Connecticut rounded out the top

Biolase closes $14M stock offering

Biolase has closed its previously announced stock offering, generating proceeds of about $14.4 million. The company offered 14 million shares of its common stock at a public price of $1.03 per share. The roughly $14 million in proceeds is before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions, according to the company. It is also before estimated offering expenses. Biolase President and CEO Todd Norbe called the offering a success. The offering grew the company’s

National Academies critiques NTP fluoride toxicity report

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) on February 9 published a critique of the National Toxicology Program’s (NTP) second draft of a monograph on fluoride and neurotoxicity. The NTP monograph, titled “Systematic Review of Fluoride Exposure and Neurodevelopmental and Cognitive Health Effects,” concluded that fluoride negatively affects people’s cognitive abilities. But NASEM stated in a press release that the document “still falls short of providing clear and

Blue or white? Study finds scan color makes a difference

A number of factors can influence the accuracy of an intraoral scan, including the color of a scanner’s light. The use of a blue-light scanning mode resulted in significantly more accurate scans in a study published on February 2 in the Journal of Prosthodontics. The team of Turkish researchers compared the accuracy of intraoral scans under a variety of conditions, including with an overhead light on and off as well

Pop Sonic donates 50K toothbrushes to America’s ToothFairy

Pop Sonic said it has donated 50,000 bamboo toothbrushes to nonprofit organization America’s ToothFairy. The donated toothbrushes were then distributed by America’s ToothFairy to 49 nonprofit partners that provide dental services to children in need, according to Pop Sonic. Valued by Pop Sonic at $137,500, the donation resulted from the firm’s GetGive campaign, which donated one toothbrush for each item sold on its website.