PAOH launches new program for disabled children

Project Accessible Oral Health (PAOH) has launched a new program called All Smiles Shine on behalf of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families and caregivers. The All Smiles Shine program is a comprehensive outreach effort sponsored by Delta Dental, Colgate, and Henry Schein and will include the following: ul.editorialList li {margin-bottom:6px;} Educational materials for people with disabilities and their families Training for oral care professionals An

Geistlich launches new regenerative materials product

Geistlich Biomaterials has launched a validated xenogeneic/allogeneic bone substitute for restoring bone with long-term stability. The product, Geistlich vallomix, is copackaged with vallos, a demineralized cortical allograft, and Geistlich Bio-Oss, a xenogeneic bone substitute supported by more than 35 years of scientific research, the company said. The new launch complements Geistlich’s other hard- and soft-tissue regenerative materials products, including Geistlich Bio-Gide and Geistlich Fibro-Gide.

It may be time to urge patients to use powered toothbrushes

Do you want patients to clean their teeth better? Then it may be time to recommend switching from a manual toothbrush to a powered toothbrush, according to a review article published on December 7 in the International Journal of Dental Hygiene. Powered toothbrushes remove more dental plaque than manual toothbrushes. Furthermore, an oscillating-rotating powered toothbrush (PTB) appears to be more effective than a high-frequency sonic-powered brush, the authors wrote. “When

Aspen Dental, MyLabConnect team up

Dental service organization Aspen Dental Management has partnered with MyLabConnect. The partnership allows Aspen’s approximately 1,000 practices across the U.S. to communicate and collaborate through MyLabConnect’s software platform effective December 6. MyLabConnect allows clinicians to communicate with their preferred dental labs through a front-end interface, cloud-based platform in real time.

Anesthesia & Pain Management Insider: Computerized anesthesia devices cause less pain, anxiety

Dear Anesthesia & Pain Management Insider, Are computerized anesthesia devices the future of dentistry? These smart systems can provide dentists with crucial feedback during anesthesia delivery and result in less pain and anxiety for adult dental patients, according to a new paper in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Learn more in our Insider Exclusive. Also new in the Anesthesia & Pain Management Community, Henry Schein has agreed to

USPSTF updates recommendations for children under 5

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has released updated recommendations on screening and interventions to prevent dental caries in children younger than 5 years. The recommendations were accompanied by a JAMA Health Forum editorial on December 7 that called for reducing inequities in early childhood dental caries in primary healthcare settings. The updated USPSTF recommendations, which are similar to the task force’s 2014 recommendations, are as follows: ul.editorialList li

Ky. football player scores big with dental hygiene ad

College football standout Josh Paschal, a defensive end for the Kentucky Wildcats, has been dubbed a “game wrecker” for blowing out opposing teams’ plays before they barely begin. Now, he’s using those skills to defend children against tooth decay. In the opening of the hilarious commercial for Steckler Pediatric Dentistry in Lexington, KY, Paschal is the “Defender of Decay.” As part of his role, Paschal smacks sugary drinks out of

Man’s pulled wisdom tooth leads to dangerous lung abscess

A healthy 45-year-old man experienced respiratory failure due to a giant life-threatening lung abscess caused by oral bacteria stemming from a wisdom tooth extraction. The case report was published in the December issue of Chest. The man recovered after two months, and he had good oral hygiene, no history of lung disease, and was treated with antibiotics after the dental operation. The case highlights the importance of monitoring immunocompetent patients

U.S. kids’ preventive dental care slipped during pandemic

Fewer children had dental exams or cleanings in 2020 than in the prior year, according to results released on December 3 from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2019-2020 National Health Interview Survey. From 2019 to 2020, the percentage of children ages 17 and younger who had a dental examination or cleaning in the past 12 months decreased from 83.8% to 80.9%. Though some of the falloff

U.S. Oral Surgery Management partners with Tenn. practice

U.S. Oral Surgery Management (USOSM) has signed East Tennessee Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery as a new partner practice. With the addition, USOSM now has a total of three partner practices in Tennessee.

Woman’s rare inflammatory disease mimics peri-implantitis

After years of treatment, lab results revealed that a 57-year-old woman did not have peri-implantitis but the rare inflammatory disease intraosseous sarcoidosis, according to a case report published on November 29 in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. This is believed to be the first case reported in an English publication. Clinicians should consider sarcoidosis as a possible diagnosis for patients with lasting, nonhealing bony lesions in the maxillofacial

Henry Schein agrees to pay $500K to settle opioid case

Henry Schein has agreed to pay $500,000 to settle a case in which the wholesale distributor allegedly improperly distributed hundreds of thousands of painkillers to dentists and other doctors despite red flags of drug abuse, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice. Schein entered into the settlement agreement to resolve violations of the U.S. Controlled Substance Act (CSA) for purportedly distributing prescription drugs to two dentists