A new global survey highlights how dental care in the school environment is helping to ensure a healthy life and social equality in dental health — even in developing countries. The survey was conducted by the University of Copenhagen and the World Health Organization (WHO). “Children in Scandinavia generally have healthy teeth and gums, largely on account of dental care in schools for all children, the arrival of fluoride toothpaste
The sixth annual Sedation Safety Week, beginning on March 17, will focus on children and teens. This year, five $1,000 educational scholarships will be awarded to dentists who work in the nonprofit sector to facilitate their ability to receive advanced training in pediatric safety. The scholarships come from DOCS Education, the sedation week organizer. During the week, dentists and their team members throughout the U.S. are encouraged to review every
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have helped a large group of patients with diabetes improve their oral health by using health coaching. The research findings were published in the Clinical Oral Investigations (December 2013). People with diabetes are at a higher risk of having oral health problems, such as periodontitis, caries, dry mouth, fungal infections, and poor wound healing. The study, which included 186 patients with type 2 diabetes,
Jensen Dental has released Jensen PMMA millable provisional material, a frame-based product for use with the Preciso Digital Dentistry Solution’s M200 mill and other 3M ESPE Lava materials approved mills, including the Lava Form and Preciso M500. PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) is used to fabricate temporary dental restorations for a wide range of cases, including more complex indications such as implants or large-span bridges. It is available in 20-mm-thick frames and
Ritter Dental USA will introduce an expanded line of handpieces at the Chicago Midwinter Meeting, held February 20-22. The line features air-driven high-speed, low-speed, and fiber-optic-equipped options and includes varous accessories, such as replacement motors, prophy heads, quick-connect couplers, nose cones, and contra angles. Ritter handpieces are covered by a one-year warranty, and attachments such as nose cones and contra angles are covered by a 90-day warranty. Dental clinicians can
S-R Tek, a new dental products distributor based in Delaware, will sell a line of small dental equipment, including high- and low-speed handpieces. The company will launch its first products this year. The company will begin to hire sales representatives in the spring and plans to have a booth at the California Dental Association meeting in May in Anaheim, where its initial product offerings will be displayed. The company’s products
Dentists and oral health advocates in Kansas are pushing back against an effort to require cities that put fluoride in their water supplies to notify residents that fluoride lowers the IQ in children. Kansas Dental Association Director Kevin Richardson pointed out that fluoride reduces tooth decay and has been proved safe, according to an AP story. State Rep. Steve Brunk (R-District 85) has introduced a bill requiring the IQ notification,
Obese patients face significantly higher odds of dying from early-stage squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue, according to a new study in the journal Cancer. Cancer researchers from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College in New York have found the first-ever link between obesity and diminished survival in any head and neck cancer (Cancer, January, 21, 2014). In earlier studies, obesity has been associated with a
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory visited a children’s free dental clinic in Greenville last week. The clinic was participating in the 13th Annual Give Kids A Smile (GKAS) Program, sponsored by the North Carolina Dental Society. Similar clinics are being held in 38 North Carolina counties in February as part of the National Children’s Dental Health Month. Dentists and dental teams will provide free oral health care services to low-income
The type of cancer stem cells, rather than the number, is a better predictor of the survival of patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-related head and neck cancer, according to a new study in Cancer (December 30, 2013). Previously, researchers thought patients with HPV-positive tumors had better outcomes because their tumors had fewer cancer stem cells than HPV-negative tumors. Ohio researchers discovered just the opposite, however. Head and neck squamous cell
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder wants to make 100,000 Medicaid-eligible kids in Macomb and Kalamazoo counties eligible for dental coverage. The proposal would cost $5.4 million to expand the Healthy Kids Dental program to those two counties, according to an Associated Press story. The program is now available to 500,000 enrollees younger than age 21 in 78 of Michigan’s 83 counties. But it would still be unavailable to about 400,000 poor
A study by the University of Southern California Ostrow School of Dentistry has uncovered new details on how bundles of nerves and arteries interact with stem cells and showcases techniques for following the cells as they function in living animals. The study focused on neurovascular bundles — groupings of nerves and blood vessels intertwined throughout the body — and their interactions with mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), according to a press