New oral drug shows promise for Behçet’s ulcers

A new oral drug is showing promise for treating oral and genital ulcers in people with Behçet’s syndrome, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) meeting in San Diego. The drug apremilast, developed by the biopharmaceutical company Celgene, contains small molecules that modulate several inflammatory pathways and is pending approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to an ACR press release. Behçet’s

W.Va. gets grant for dental sealant program

West Virginia has received a grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for its dental sealant program. The money is part of a $1.5 million CDC grant, which will provide the state’s oral health program with $310,600 annually for five years, according to a story by the Charleston Daily Mail. A report released earlier this year from the Pew Center on the States gave a C

Minn. Vikings pitch in on kids’ dental care

3M ESPE recently joined TeamSmile and the Minnesota Vikings to give underserved Minneapolis-area children a fun day of complimentary dental care and education. Kids also got the chance to meet Vikings players at the event, held on October 15 at the Vikings practice field in Eden Prairie, MN. The event served 300 children from area schools, providing each of them with hundreds of dollars worth of free dental care, and

Genetic markers may predict head/neck cancer risk

European researchers have identified unique DNA markings that may predict the risk of developing head and neck cancer, according to a study in the journal Cancer. The discovery may lead to the development of noninvasive tests for early precancer screening, allowing at-risk patients to get earlier treatment and improve their survival. Nearly 42,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral or pharyngeal cancer this year, resulting in more than 8,000 deaths,

Patient reports can help predict periodontitis

Patients who respond to questionnaires on their oral health can help predict the development of periodontitis, according to a new study. The study was published in the Journal of Dental Research, and used eight questions developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) that address gum health and treatment history, loose teeth, bone loss around teeth, teeth not “looking right,” and

KDA warns of home-drilling offer

This is definitely something you should not try at home. The Kentucky Dental Association (KDA) is alerting its members and the public that it did not authorize a company promoting an at-home dental drilling kit to use its mailing address on its Internet site. The Louisville Dental Society contacted the KDA after receiving an email from a member who saw a Facebook page for DentiDrill, described as a dental drill

Report: ECC cause of most Canadian preschoolers’ surgeries

A report issued by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) has revealed an alarming statistic regarding early childhood caries (ECC): Each year in Canada, more than 19,000 day (or outpatient) surgeries are performed on children younger than age 6 to treat them. “Day surgery for ECC occurred about once for every 100 children age 1 to younger than 5 during the two-year period 2010-2011 to 2011-2012,” the report noted.

ADA endorses amalgam recovery program

ADA Business Resources has selected HealthFirst and Rebec Environmental as the endorsed amalgam recovery service provider for ADA members. Effective immediately, ADA members will be offered savings, a lifetime warranty on Rebec Environmental amalgam separators, and an indemnification for wastewater pollution fines. The amalgam recovery solution meets the ADA’s recommended best practices for the responsible handling of amalgam waste and preventing dental mercury from entering the water supply. HealthFirst provides

Henry Schein launches dental hygiene education software

Henry Schein has released the axiUm Dental Hygiene Edition, a software application designed for dental hygiene schools. Developed by the Exan Group, the dental hygiene edition is one of three editions in the axiUm suite of products, according to Henry Schein. Other editions include the axiUm Dental Education Edition, which is used at more than 80% of dental schools in North America, and the axiUm Enterprise Edition. The software provides

Oral bacteria create ethnic ‘fingerprint’

The bacteria in the human mouth — especially those under the gums — are as powerful as a fingerprint at identifying a person’s ethnicity, according to a new study in PLOS One (October 23, 2013). Researchers at Ohio State University (OSU) identified almost 400 different species of microbes in the mouths of 100 study participants belonging to four ethnic groups: non-Hispanic blacks, Caucasians, Chinese, and Latinos. Only 2% of bacterial

Delta Dental of Kansas awards $25K for prison program

The Delta Dental of Kansas Foundation has awarded a $25,000 grant to the Topeka Correctional Facility to buy equipment for a dental lab program that trains inmates to make dentures. The dental lab’s technician training program provides students with both education and hands-on experience in the science of denture making, according to a press release from the Kansas Department of Corrections. The dentures they create are provided to medically underserved

Dr. Esther Wilkins: The rock star of dental hygiene

Last year Esther Wilkins, RDH, DMD, told Tufts Now interviewer Julie Flaherty, “They used to say I could find calculus that wasn’t there.” She is to dental hygiene what Julia Child is to French cooking. Both wrote defining books — but Dr. Wilkins has a dental instrument named after her, the Wilkins/Tufts Explorer. Dr. Wilkins, clinical professor emerita at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, recently helped celebrate the 100th anniversary