ECU dental school receives $3.1M grant to improve special needs care

The East Carolina University (ECU) School of Dental Medicine has received a $3.1 million grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration to enhance and expand care for patients with special needs. The five-year grant is one of the largest in the school’s history. It will enable the school to offer a second year of training for Advanced Education in General Dentistry students on oral healthcare delivery for vulnerable

$2M HRSA grant awarded to improve special needs care

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) awarded an approximately $2 million grant to New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry’s pediatric dentistry department to train dentists to provide oral healthcare to those with special needs. The funds will be used to integrate new training programs and curricula into NYU’s existing advanced education program in pediatric dentistry. The training will aim to educate general

New dental implant company launched

Oral surgeon Ole Jensen, DDS, has launched Ditron Dental, a new dental implant company. The firm said it will offer a portfolio of implants and prosthetic components dedicated to implant dentistry, as well as its Molecular Precision Implant System. In other news, Dr. Jensen has also established the Ole and Marty Jensen Endowed Chair at the University of Utah School of Dentistry. The endowed chair is being established in tissue engineering,

Dr. David Rice previews a series on the 7 deadly sins of smile design

As we enter the second half of the year, your dental practice (as well as my upstate New York dental practice) is probably trying to figure out how to make up for lost time with patients and their oral healthcare needs. We’re all also trying to figure out how to generate revenue to make up for the time lost during the COVID-19 disruption. With that in mind, over the next

Imaging reveals baby girl in SC born with 2nd mouth

Imaging, specifically magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT), helped clinicians determine that a mass located on the chin of a newborn girl was a second oral cavity, according to a recent case report. The cavity contained unerupted teeth and an accessory tongue that moved in sync with her oral tongue. The case of diprosopus, an extremely rare congenital disorder in which all or parts of the face are

Pokémon Smile mixes oral health and gaming

The Pokémon Co. has released an oral health and gaming app called Pokémon Smile that encourages children to develop good brushing habits. Pokémon Smile uses the camera on a mobile device to observe a player’s toothbrushing activity; if the player’s brushing is skillful, he or she can defeat cavity-causing bacteria and catch Pokémon. The app pushes notifications to parents three times a day to remind them to help their children

Sonendo makes board of directors appointment

Endodontic technology developer Sonendo has appointed Anthony Bihl III to its board of directors. Until his retirement in April 2020, Bihl served as CEO of Bioventus, and he is currently chairman of the board of directors at Spectral Medical, as well as on the board of directors of the Arthritis Foundation. Prior to heading Bioventus, Bihl was president and CEO of American Medical Systems, CEO of Siemens Medical Solutions Diagnostics,

Align partners with MedTech Innovator Asia Pacific

Align Technology has announced a partnership with healthcare startup accelerator MedTech Innovator Asia Pacific that will support 20 up-and-coming companies. Align will work with MedTech Innovator Asia Pacific to mentor the growth of startups selected for MedTech’s 2020 Showcase program and will provide financial support; MedTech will award more than $300,000 in cash prizes, scholarships, and in-kind services to the program participants. The program is held in partnership with the

TSU debuts 1st dental implant facility in Russia

Tomsk State University (TSU) has developed technology to produce dental posts from nanostructured ceramics, paving the way for Russia’s first dental implant facility. Nanostructured ceramics are based on zirconium dioxide, which is strong, hard, biocompatible, and aesthetically appealing for prosthetics. This material also doesn’t cause allergic reactions. TSU’s Research and Education Center Additive Technologies achieved controlled shrinkage during sintering up to hundredths of a millimeter, capping five years of work,

Want to reduce dental caries? Maybe tell patients to eat pickles

A strain of lactobacilli bacteria that is found in Sichuan pickles may prevent microbes that cause tooth decay and caries, according to a recently published animal study in Frontiers in Microbiology. Lactobacillus plantarum K41 showed the highest inhibitory effect on the growth of tooth-decay causing microbes Streptococcus mutans and on the formation of biofilm in the teeth of rats, the authors wrote. “L. plantarum K41 isolated from traditional Sichuan pickles

Medit celebrates 20th anniversary, names new CEO

3D dental scanning provider Medit has appointed a new chief executive officer (CEO) amidst its 20th anniversary celebration. GB (Gyu Bum) Ko named the new CEO of Medit. Image courtesy of Medit. GB (Gyu Bum) Ko was named the new CEO and he will be responsible for accelerating the company’s growth strategy in the dental clinics and labs market. His position is effective June 2020. Following this appointment, founder Minho

Apteryx Imaging to be acquired by Planet DDS

Dental imaging technology developer Apteryx Imaging has agreed to be acquired by partner PDDS Buyer (Planet DDS) in an all-cash deal valued at $39 million Canadian (roughly $28.7 million U.S.). A portfolio company of Level Equity Management, Planet DDS has been a distribution partner for Apteryx’s XVWeb software platform for several years, according to Apteryx. Apteryx Executive Chairman Avi Naider said in a statement that the deal will provide the capital, management,