U.K. teeth-whitening law takes effect Oct. 31

The British Dental Association (BDA) is urging dentists, Trading Standards officials, and the General Dental Council (GDC) to join forces to put an end to teeth-whitening treatments being supplied illegally by nonqualified individuals. The call coincides with a new directive on teeth-whitening products in the U.K. that takes effect October 31. The new regulations are a result of the European Council’s amendment last September to its Directive on Cosmetics Products

Support grows for OHA’s Fall for Smiles program

Hu-Friedy and OralDNA Labs are just two of the companies who helped sponsor this year’s Oral Health America Fall for Smiles campaign, which began in September and ran through October. Hu-Friedy sponsored the year’s children’s coloring sheet, which was distributed to more than 100,000 dental offices across the U.S., and an internal coloring contest among employees’ families. The winners, who were chosen by the Hu-Friedy graphic design team, received a

Chinese gov’t promotes better way to smile

Government officials in China are promoting a new technique for helping employees improve their smiles: chopsticks. In a course hosted by the Dalian Port Inspection Station in the Liaoning province of northeastern China, customs officers were taught a technique for how to put forth their best smile, according to an article on the “Behind the Wall” blog by NBC News. In the “How to Smile” course, the officers placed a

DANB certification nets dental assistants higher pay

The Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) 2012 Salary Survey reveals that dental assistants who have earned DANB certification receive a higher salary than noncertified dental assistants and demonstrate high employer loyalty. The findings are consistent with DANB’s previous salary surveys, which have been conducted since 2001. DANB, which is recognized by the ADA as the national certification board for dental assistants, offers the Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) national certification exam

Straumann Q3 sales up; workforce cuts loom

Despite a sluggish European market,Straumann saw a year-over-year increase in sales for the third quarter of 2012 (end-September 30). Even so, the company plans to cut some 150 jobs by early next year The company reported net revenues of 157 million Swiss francs ($168 million), a 4% increase over net revenues of 151 million Swiss francs ($162 million) for the same quarter a year ago. North America was the key

ADA launches MouthHealthy.org mobile

The ADA has launched a new version of its MouthHealthy.org website that is optimized for use on mobile devices and smartphones. The new mobile version of MouthHealthy.org is designed to provide oral health information to consumers on the go, according to the ADA. Available in English and Spanish, MouthHealthy.org mobile is organized by life stages and includes information on the top 10 dental symptoms, how to handle dental emergencies, A

Common food preservative impacts HNC tumor growth

Nisin, a common food preservative, may slow or stop squamous cell head and neck cancers (HNC), a University of Michigan (U-M) study has found (Cancer Medicine, October 2, 2012). What makes this particularly good news is that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organization approved nisin as safe for human consumption decades ago, according to Yvonne Kapila, DDS, PhD, the study’s principal investigator and a

3Shape offers pay-per-design service for dental labs

3Shape has introduced CAD Points, a new way for midsized or smaller dental labs to offer a wider range of indications or test potential new business models without committing to a major upfront investment. CAD Points gives labs pay-per-design access to 3Shape’s add-on modules for designing advanced indications such as customized abutments, implant bars and bridges, and removable partial dentures, according to the company. CAD Point functionality is integrated in

Nanoparticles reinforce clear orthodontic brackets

Brackets made from clear plastic polymer used in dental correction orthodontics have produced very good results in recent years, especially in relation to the improved aesthetics when compared with metal brackets, but they do present certain problems of wear and tear within the mouth. Now a collaboration between researchers from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) and the company CEOSA-Euroortodoncia is using nanoparticles to address the problem. “We were estimating

Inhaled anesthesia affects kids’ brains more

Children’s brains are more affected by an inhaled anesthetic than an intravenous anesthetic with increased levels of brain lactate, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Stony Brook University School of Medicine (Anesthesiology, November 2012, Vol. 117:5, pp. 1062-1071). Lactate increases brain activation and may lead to metabolic changes associated with anxiety and delirium. The findings provide new clues to metabolic changes within the brains of children undergoing

Surgical recovery longer for propofol-ketamine

A new study comparing the effectiveness of propofol-remifentanil and propofol-ketamine combinations for the removal of all four third molars found that the latter is a less-than-perfect alternative to the former, primarily due to recovery times (Anesthesia Progress, Fall 2012, Vol. 59:3, pp. 107-117). The prospective, randomized, double-blinded controlled study was performed by researchers from Indiana University (IU); University of California, Los Angeles; and Ohio State University (OSU). “The biggest difference

Dental floss can be used by prisoners to escape

Prison authorities across the U.S. are facing a new challenge: dental floss. In New York, they contend they are not required to supply dental floss to inmates because it poses security concerns. But last month a group of 11 prisoners in the Westchester County jail filed a $500 million lawsuit demanding access to floss. But jail officials noted that floss has been used several times by prisoners to break out