Dental Heroes: Senior Mobile Dental

In this latest installment of HuangshanDental.com‘s Dental Heroes series, we talked with Michelle Noblet-Vacha, RDH, the executive director of Senior Mobile Dental, a nonprofit organization that delivers dental services to underserved elderly patients. Vacha founded Senior Mobile Dental in 2007 after she experienced firsthand the challenges many senior citizens must overcome when trying to access oral healthcare services. Equipped with more than 20 years of dental hygiene experience, a Bachelor

Toronto Implant Institute opens teaching center

The Toronto Implant Institute has opened its new teaching center, which will offer practitioners further education on dental implants and improve their surgical techniques. The facility also doubles as an imaging center, using Carestream Dental’s cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) systems and digital intraoral sensors. The center is led by Ontario-based prosthodontist Natalie Wong, DDS. The center is offering hands-on surgery classes led by Dr. Wong, with cases provided by the doctors

NCI renews support for thyroid-cancer research

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has awarded a five-year, $11.3 million grant to a team of researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) to further their studies on thyroid cancer. The new grant is a continuation of a study that ran from 2008 through 2013, “Genetic and Signaling Pathways in Epithelial Thyroid Cancer.”

Milestone Scientific, Henry Schein ink distribution deal

Milestone Scientific and Henry Schein have signed a distribution agreement whereby Henry Schein will become the exclusive U.S. and Canadian distributor of Milestone’s Wand handpiece associated with its CompuDent instrument. The agreement does not apply to Milestone’s existing distribution agreements relating to its STA Single Tooth Anesthesia System, the company noted in a press release.

NIH invests in next-generation dental composites

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is awarding $2.8 million this year for six research projects to pursue a longer-lasting dental composite. The six projects, each funded for five years, will allow a select group of scientists in the U.S. to work independently toward the common goal of doubling the service life of dental composites. Dentists currently place more than 122 million dental composites per year in the U.S., according

Survey: Tooth fairy leaving 23% more in 2013

Tooth fairy spending in the U.S. is skyrocketing and shows no signs of slowing down, according to a new survey released by Visa. The survey found that children in the U.S. are receiving an average of $3.70 per lost tooth this year, an increase of 23% more than the $3.00 per tooth left in 2012 and up 42% from the $2.60 left in 2011. Based on this rate of return,

Fosamax ONJ trials may get costly for Merck

Ongoing litigation involving allegations that Merck’s osteoporosis bisphosphonate drug Foxamax caused thousands of individuals to develop osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) got more complicated this week. On September 5, U.S. District Judge John Keenan, who is overseeing consolidated litigation against Merck in this case, ordered hundreds of cases to be dispersed back for trial to the courts in which they were originally filed, according to a report from Reuters. The

QLF assesses cariogenic levels of dental plaque

A quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF) imaging tool was able to detect cariogenic levels of dental biofilm based on the intensity of red fluorescence, according to a new study in the Journal of Dentistry (September 3, 2013). Researchers at Yonsei University College of Dentistry initiated dental microcosm biofilms from human saliva on bovine enamel disks. Biofilms with various levels of cariogenicity were then grown in artificial saliva supplemented with sucrose at

U.S. sees alarming rise in dental infection hospitalizations

Many Americans delay treatment for oral health issues due to financial concerns or a lack of access to care. Consequently, preventable issues often become complicated ones before treatment takes place, and periapical abscesses are among them. A retrospective analysis published in the Journal of Endodontics examined the trends of hospitalizations caused by periapical abscesses from 2000 through 2008 and found more than 61,000 cases and a growing problem (September 2013,

New diode laser first to offer iPod touch controller

CAO Group has gained U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for its newest laser device, the Precise SHP, a diode laser with a unique twist the company believes will customers will find attractive: an Apple iPod Touch controller. The Precise SHP is the first diode laser with an iPod Touch mobile touchscreen interface to receive FDA clearance for various procedures, according to CAO. The Precise SHP diode laser with

AAE revamps website

The American Association of Endodontists (AAE) has updated its website to make it easier for dental professionals and patients to access the association’s online resources. The new site features a simplified, topic-based menu, with content reorganized for quick, intuitive searching. Visitors to the site can access clinical information about treatment planning, regenerative endodontics, patient education on dental symptoms, and a step-by-step explanation of a root canal procedure. The site also

Trident donation supports Smiles Across America

Trident has donated $325,000 to the Smiles Across America program. Since 2004, Trident has donated more than $2 million to Oral Health America, helping Smiles Across America support organizations that provide preventive oral health services and education, according to a press release. In New York, Smiles Across America helps support the New York University College of Dentistry provide dental care to children in need in New York public schools. The