Hawaii passes stricter dental sedation law

A new law requires the Hawaii State Board of Dental Examiners to perform onsite inspections prior to permitting dentists to perform general anesthesia, deep sedation, or moderate sedation. The law was signed by Gov. David Ige on July 10. It intends to make anesthesia and sedation in the state safer with three new requirements: ol.editorialList li {margin-bottom:6px;} Dental offices that administer general anesthesia, deep sedation, or moderate sedation must display

NY county bill would require prosthetic origin disclosure

A new bill in New York would require dentists and dental manufacturers in Erie County to disclose the country of origin for all dental prosthetics placed in a patient’s mouth. Majority Leader Joseph Lorigo (R-District 10) introduced the bill on July 11. If passed, dental manufacturers or dentists must disclose the country of origin for implants, dentures, veneers, and other prosthetics to patients before placement. The bill was designed to

Laser fluorescence effective for detecting initial carious lesions

Laser fluorescence may effectively detect initial caries progression, but the technology struggles at monitoring later, more minute changes, according to a new study that looked at enamel demineralization with three different tools. Although laser fluorescence has been readily studied, the results have been mixed. Therefore, a team of international researchers decided to use a new method to test the technology’s effectiveness. They published their findings in Lasers in Medical Science

Can symptoms help identify certain oral mucosal lesions?

What’s the best way to determine the type of oral mucosal lesion a patient may have? Can symptoms such as xerostomia and differences in saliva help distinguish oral lichen planus, oral lichenoid lesions, and stomatitis in patients with or without contact allergies? Researchers sought to find out. They examined whether individuals with oral lichen planus, oral lichenoid lesions, and generalized stomatitis and concomitant contact allergies had differences in certain symptoms,

Do antibiotics improve periodontitis treatment?

What is the best treatment for your patients with severe chronic periodontitis: subgingival debridement alone or debridement with one or two short courses (three or seven days) of antibiotics? European researchers tested these three courses of treatment and reported that all reduced the number of sites in study participants’ mouths with a pocket depth of 6 mm or larger, but the patients who took antibiotics had a lower risk of disease

New store lets dentists sell skincare products through website

A company has created a portal for dentists, oral surgeons, and physicians to encourage their patients to purchase skincare products through the practitioner’s own website. Exponential Faces has created a virtual store for practitioners to sell dozens of these products, known as cosmeceuticals. Founded by plastic surgeon Barry Cohen, MD, the company offers an opportunity for practitioners to offer these products without having to create a full-service online store or

New product: Kulzer launches 3D printer

Kulzer has launched a 3D printer for dental laboratories. The cara Print 4.0. Image courtesy of Kulzer. The cara Print 4.0 3D printer can print a wide range of polymer dental appliances, according to the company. The printer was designed exclusively for the dental market and works with stereolithography (STL) files. The 3D printer features Digital Light Projection (DLP) technology for quick, accurate, and economical production of dental appliances, Kulzer

Week in Review: Implant fractures; virtual reality patient distraction; and is toothpaste necessary?

Dear DrBicuspid Member, Although implant fracture is rare, it can have serious consequences for both clinicians and patients. A new study looked at the associations among failed implants to identify potential trends and warning signs of failure. Researchers found that screw-retained implants fracture sooner than cement-retained ones, and fractures are more likely to occur in the premolars and molars. Read more here. Also this week on HuangshanDental.com, periodontist Dr. Alvin Danenberg

New study breaks down implant fracture trends

Screw-retained implants fracture sooner than cement-retained ones, and fractures are more likely to occur in the premolars and molars, according to a new study on implant fractures. Although implant fracture is rare, it can have serious consequences for both clinicians and patients. Therefore, the study authors wanted to find associations between failed implants to identify potential trends and warning signs of failure. They reported their findings in the Journal of

Virtual nature scenes best at distracting dental patients

Looking for a way to distract your patients? Have them take a walk on the wild side. Researchers found that immersing dental patients in a virtual reality (VR) environment with nature scenes was most effective at distracting them during their procedures, compared with virtual urban scenes or no distraction at all. Dental patients who were allowed to navigate a virtual coastal environment during their procedures reported lower levels of pain,

Opioid analgesic Opana ER pulled from U.S. market

Endo Pharmaceuticals has announced it will voluntarily remove its opioid analgesic Opana ER from the U.S. market because of a risk for abuse. The announcement comes about a month after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested that the company stop selling the reformulated version of the analgesic. Opana ER was first approved in 2006, and Endo Pharmaceuticals changed the original formula in 2012 to make the drug harder

Young Innovations buys product lines from Medical Products

Dental supply manufacturer Young Innovations has acquired a number of dental product lines from Medical Products Laboratories. The acquired product lines include the VarnishAmerica fluoride varnish, the SealAmerica pit-and-fissure dental sealant kits, and FluoriShield dental gel. This isn’t the first time these companies have done business: In August 2015, Young Innovations acquired the professional dental contract manufacturing division of Medical Products Laboratories. Customers who use the acquired products will receive