Cosmetic Dentistry Insider: Aging reduces translucency of zirconia composites

Dear Cosmetic Dentistry Insider, Teeth become more translucent as we age, but is the same true for uncolored zirconia ceramic restorations? Researchers put four of these restorative materials through an aging process to find out if their translucency changed over time and if these changes were noticeable to the human eye. Read our Insider Exclusive. In other Cosmetics Community news, for patients with a severe malocclusion, orthodontic surgery can be

Legal Cases: Implant placement into the maxillary sinus

HuangshanDental.com is pleased to present the next column from two lawyers who spend every day defending dentists in litigation and before the licensing board. The purpose of this column is to offer our readers a fresh perspective on common practice and risk management issues from attorneys who litigate these issues in the real world. A 60-year-old man presented to a large group practice with many missing teeth. He had been

Should you recommend flossing to your patients? It depends

How does flossing compare with other interdental oral hygiene aids for maintaining periodontal health? Could the longstanding dominance of floss be heading for a further tumble? Researchers analyzed the existing evidence in a new study and reached some interesting conclusions. U.S. researchers conducted a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials on the effects of various interdental oral hygiene aids on gingival inflammation and bleeding on probing, as well as plaque and

UNLV dental school warns of possible implant failure

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) School of Dental Medicine is informing more than 180 patients that the implant they received at the school’s Faculty Dental Practice may fail. A review of the implant process at the practice found that sterilized healing abutments were reused in 184 patients seen between 2014 and 2017, according to the dental school. The manufacturer of the abutments recommends they be discarded after one

Infographic: 12M U.S. kids live with untreated decay

More than 12 million children experienced untreated coronal caries between 2011 and 2014, even in the era of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The statistic comes from a new study that looked at demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with untreated decay. Financial and nonfinancial barriers both influenced the likelihood that a child would experience untreated caries, according to the authors. The researchers published their findings in BMC Oral

CDC investigates cluster of dentists with lung disease

A March 9 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) detailed a cluster of nine cases of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) among dental personnel treated at one care center in Virginia from 2000 to 2015. This is the first known described cluster of this condition occurring among dental personnel. No clear cause was identified, but occupational exposure may be the culprit, according to the authors. “This cluster

Pharmacy, not dentist, is 1st stop when kids have oral pain

Less than a third of children with oral pain saw a dentist before their parents went to a pharmacy for pain medication in a recent U.K. survey. In addition, about the same percentage of children saw a physician or other healthcare practitioner rather than a dentist for a diagnosis of their oral pain, researchers found. The results highlight the underutilization of dental services for children and the additional costs incurred

10 Reasons to Get Dental Work in Los Algodones

Getting dental work outside of your country of residence can be a little overwhelming sometimes, especially if you don’t know where to go. We’re sure you’ve heard of Los Algodones, Mexico also known as Molar City, the capital of dental tourism. But you might not know why it is the best place to get dental work done, right? We invite you to keep reading, we’ll give you some reasons to

Week in Review: Latino oral health challenges | Heartland acquisition | Preventing flu spread

Dear DrBicuspid Member, Too often, studies treat groups of participants as a single bloc rather than distinct individuals. A recent study tried to upend this trend by taking an in-depth look at how cultural background and ethnic identity affect the oral health of U.S. Hispanics and Latinos. More than half of U.S. Latinos have experienced poor oral health-related quality of life, the study found. Learn more here. Also on HuangshanDental.com,

Study: Half of Latinos experience poor oral health

A recent study took an in-depth look at how cultural background and ethnic identity affect the oral health of U.S. Hispanics and Latinos. More than half of U.S. Latinos have experienced poor oral health-related quality of life, the study found. The researchers hope their findings might help dental professionals better address issues concerning this diverse population. Marushka Silveira, BDS, MPH, PhD, from the National Institute on Drug Abuse led the

Do patients with head and neck cancer get more opioids?

Patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer were significantly more likely to be prescribed opioid medications than patients diagnosed with lung or colon cancer in a new study, published in a research letter on March 8 in JAMA Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery. Researchers from Harvard University and Duke University compared prescriptions for opioid pain medications given to patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer with those given to

Could nanotechnology ease orthodontic surgery?

What if the invasiveness of orthodontic surgery could be supplanted by something kinder and gentler for patients with a severe malocclusion? Enter a novel developing technology that uses nanoparticles containing a deactivated form of collagenase to remodel oral tissue. Periodontists, orthodontists, and chemical engineering researchers teamed up to develop a technique to implant nanoparticles in the gingival sulcus that were loaded with an enzyme that degrades connective tissue. This allowed