Moderate periodontitis increased with age among U.S. adults from 2009 to 2010, but the prevalence of mild and severe periodontitis remained relatively steady at less than 15%, according to a new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Approximately 47% of U.S. adults age 30 and older (about 65 million) have periodontitis: 8.7% with mild, 30% with moderate, and 8.5% with severe periodontitis, the study reported.
Great Smiles has released an update for the AlignerMeter app, which provides iPhone and Android smartphone users with a free invisible braces consultation. After downloading the free app, which was released in January 2013, the user takes three pictures of his or her teeth. The app automatically submits the pictures to a board-certified orthodontist, who then evaluates the images and determines whether the user is a good candidate for invisible
Darby Dental Supply has donated a truckload of relief supplies to survivors of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. The supplies include dental and hygiene products and infection-control items such as gloves and respirator masks, according to the company. The disaster claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 people in the Philippines alone, with an estimated 1,200 still missing. Darby Dental has partnered with Physicians for Peace, and recently contributed dental and
Dentistry has been grappling with shortages of the antibiotics doxycycline and tetracycline, but both have become available again. Tetracycline capsules went back on the market in October after generic drugs manufacturer Heritage Pharmaceuticals began production; the firm is also selling two forms of doxycycline: monohydrate and delayed release. “We were the first back after a two-year shortage,” Jeff Glazer, president and CEO of Heritage, said during an interview with HuangshanDental.com.
Journeyworks Publishing, creator of tobacco prevention brochures, has added a new wristband for kids to its smokeless tobacco prevention efforts. The “Spit It Out” wristband and smokeless tobacco prevention pamplets. Image courtesy of Journeyworks Publishing. The “Spit It Out” wristband and smokeless tobacco prevention pamplets. Image courtesy of Journeyworks Publishing. The wristband reads: “Spit It Out: Say No to Smokeless Tobacco,” giving prevention professionals and other educators an additional tool
Agilent Technologies will collaborate with the University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research in Brisbane, Australia, on oral cancer research. Their goal is to increase understanding of the genomic differences between young and older patients with oral cancer, as well as the differences between progressive and nonprogressive oral potentially malignant lesions. Agilent specializes in chemical analysis, life sciences, diagnostics, electronics, and communications. Oral potentially malignant lesions (OPMLs), which are visible,
Massachusetts state Sen. Harriette Chandler (D-Worcester) has filed a midlevel provider (MLP) bill to address the shortage of dentists who provide care to people eligible for MassHealth, the state’s Medicaid program, according to a news story in the Wakefield Observer. The bill (S 998), being considered by the state’s Public Health Committee, would establish an advanced dental hygiene practitioner level of practice and would allow these hygienists to provide limited
Richard A. Miller, DDS, author and director of the National Breath Center, has published a new book on halitosis management. Beating Bad Breath: The Cure! Beating Bad Breath: The Cure! Beating Bad Breath: The Cure! details a halitosis cure, one that Dr. Miller guarantees with treatment at the National Breath Center in Falls Church, VA. The cure is not dependent on mouthwash or toothpaste, and does not need gums or mints
Bitter melon extract may have therapeutic potential to treat head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), according to a new study in PLOS One (October 17, 2013). Saint Louis University pathology professor Ratna Ray, PhD, and colleagues found that bitter melon extract, which is often used in Indian and Chinese cooking and as a folk remedy for treating diabetes, regulated several pathways that helped reduce the HNSCC cell growth in
In the mind of a patient, cost can outweigh all other factors when treatment options are presented. Now, a new study by Swiss researchers can help clinicians better understand the cost-effectiveness of implant-supported single crowns (ISCs) compared to fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) when restoring a single missing tooth (Journal of Dental Research, December 2013, Vol. 92:12, pp. 183S-188S). The information can help clinicians guide patient decision-making. “In general, we observed
Align Technology has hired Zelko Relic as vice president of research and development. Relic will be responsible for Align’s global research and development initiatives, including delivering new products for the company’s Invisalign clear aligner and iTero scanner businesses, according to the company. He will report to CEO Thomas Prescott. Previously, Relic worked for Datalogic Automation and Danaher’s Accu-Sort Systems business. He was also vice president at Siemens Medical Solutions USA,
A New York judge on November 18 ordered a new trial in the Small Smiles case after ruling that a lawyer for the insurance company stalked the jury during the trial. The judge found that the lawyer’s misconduct intimidated the jury and probably influenced the verdict in favor of Small Smiles. In October, the jury found that Small Smiles dentists did not perform unnecessary dental procedures on Jeremy Bohn. Justice