The East Coast’s first-ever dental therapist, Claire Roesler, started her job in Bangor, ME, at Penobscot Community Health Care this month, according to a local news report. As reported in October, Maine is allowing dental therapists to practice, but license and certification processes have slowed the process. The state dental board approved Roesler earlier this month.
Technology funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) could give 19 million people in the U.S. access to optimally fluoridated water for the first time. The system uses a fluoride tablet that dissolves in water, similar to how chlorine tablets work for swimming pools. The tablet system was designed for the nearly 32,000 small public water systems that cannot yet provide residents with fluoridated water, the
In honor of World Oral Health Day on March 20, the Mars Wrigley Foundation said it has donated $1.5 million in grant funding to provide oral care treatment and education for underserved communities around the world. The seven organizations chosen for this year’s grants have significant reach in countries including the U.S., Australia, China, Germany, Ireland, and New Zealand, according to the Mars Wrigley Foundation. The donations include $700,000 for continuing
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is seeking public comment on a draft research plan about oral health screenings, behavioral counseling, and preventive interventions for youth and adults. The draft plan, which is the first of a four-phase process, calls for addressing screening, risk assessment, and preventive interventions with a focus on caries and periodontitis. The task force will then issue recommendations at the end of the process. The
Amyndas Pharmaceuticals has announced positive results from its phase II study evaluating a peptide in 39 patients with periodontal inflammation and gingivitis. The study looked at the effectiveness of AMY-101, a synthetic cyclic peptide designed to inhibit the mechanisms that causes gum inflammation. Local administration of AMY-101 reversed preexisting, naturally occurring periodontal inflammation in monkeys, so the firm decided to test the peptide in humans. In the randomized, placebo-controlled trial,
How do you stop tooth decay in children? As dentists, we get it: You wish your kids came with an owner’s manual. There’s so much you need to know and do to safeguard their health. And it helps to start when they’re young: By encouraging healthy dental care now, you set them up for a lifetime of healthy teeth and beautiful smiles. We applaud you for taking the effort
Robin the robot has big, inquisitive eyes; loves to play games; and if Karén Khachikyan has his way, will one day be the standard of dental care. Khachikyan sat down with HuangshanDental.com to discuss how Robin and similar artificially intelligent (AI) robots can help put children at ease. “We are standing at the beginning of the field of social robotics, and it can have a huge impact on the healthcare
Imaging recently proved helpful in treating a woman with infections and a 15-mm lesion resulting from injection with a facial dermal filler. The case was described in the April-June issue of Advances in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. After being injected with a hyaluronic acid filler, the woman experienced two infections, followed by development of the lesion, the authors wrote. The lesion was detected and treated with the help of ultrasound
Patients experiencing isolated dysphagia may be showing early signs of a rare condition called Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS), according to a letter to the editor published on March 12 in the European Annals of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Diseases. LEMS is an autoimmune disease affecting the nerves and muscles that often progresses slowly and begins with general weakness. Dysphagia, or swallowing difficulties, without other symptoms is a potential early sign
Flaüs, a California oral care company, announced the launch of an electric flosser that operates at 12,000 sonic vibrations per minute and offers replaceable, toxin-free floss. The flosser is equipped with an ergonomic handle to reach the nooks and crannies while keeping fingers and uninvited germs out of your mouth, according to the company. The device has its own built-in LED tracking technology that provides visual cues to help flossers
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an incredible effect on our everyday lives. It introduced phrases such as “social distancing,” “lockdown,” and “essential workers” into the vernacular. More recently, the phrase “mask mouth” has found its way into our common language, which some may misinterpret to mean that wearing a mask hurts our teeth. Those of us in the medical and dental professions who wear masks nearly every day are here
A March 11 graphic published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) visualizes how well dental safety programs meet the needs of children in Georgia. Similar graphics could be made for other states to help decision-makers better identify gaps in resources. The research team published the graphic as part of a report in the March edition of Preventing Chronic Disease: Public Health Research, Practice, and Policy, a