WSDA supports advanced function dental auxiliary model

Acknowledging that “increasing momentum” could make it difficult to defeat legislation supporting unsupervised midlevel providers, the Washington State Dental Association (WSDA) is throwing its weight behind an alternative proposal: the advanced function dental auxiliary (AFDA). Last month, on a 58-20-1 vote, the WSDA House of Delegates passed HD-13-2012, the “Alternative to dental midlevel providers” resolution. Among other things, the resolution allows the association to introduce legislation to create a new

NCOHF awards SurgiTel grant to Ind. dental school

The National Children’s Oral Health Foundation (NCOHF) has awarded a $10,000 grant to the Indiana University School of Dentistry (IUSD) Pediatric Dentistry Department. SurgiTel contributed funding to the grant, which will support the efforts of IUSD to provide comprehensive oral health services and education to children in need. The IUSD, the 2012 NCOHF Affiliate of the Year, participates in NCOHF programs such as Tomorrow’s Smiles, Students United for America’s ToothFairy,

New Cosmedent website offers tips on composites

Cosmedent has launched dentalcomposites.com, a new website dedicated to composite dentistry. This free resource has been developed by Cosmedent to help dentists improve their skills with composites, according to the company. Visitors to dentalcomposites.com can learn new composite techniques, troubleshoot composite problems, and share their work with the dental community in the Smile Gallery. In addition, technique videos guide viewers through restorative techniques and show how to achieve better results

Portable XRF analyzer IDs value of dental scrap

Olympus has introduced a portable device that uses x-ray fluorescence (XRF) for chemical analysis and determining the purity of precious metals, including those used in dentistry. Analysis of dental gold using traditional gold purchase acids may not work for dental alloys because they contain nonconventional alloying elements, according to Olympus. XRF offers a quick, accurate, and nondestructive alternative. The Olympus GoldXpert is a crossover XRF analyzer, offering benchtop analyzer performance

Modified dental drill uses music to soothe fears

An Indonesian dentist has developed a dental handpiece that uses music to drown out the instrument’s traditional high-pitch whine. Dr. Dhanni Gustiana from Purworejo, Central Java, decided to create the new appliance after concluding that the drill was what children feared most, according to a Daily Mail story. He modified a conventional dental drill by replacing the buzzing sound with music from an MP3 player, and he allows patients to

DentalEZ to debut new compressors at ADA 2012

DentalEZ Group will unveil its new RAMVAC Osprey line of dental air compressors during the 2012 ADA Annual Session, October 18-20, in San Francisco. With maximum air pressure of 115 psi, the Osprey compressor operates at 100% cycle during peak operation, according to the company. The rocking piston design technology provides quiet operation while still producing more peak airflow than other compressors. This is especially important with more dental equipment

Greeting card firm promotes Orthodontic Health Month

Throughout October, Greeting Card Universe will donate 100% of profits from the sales of some paper greeting cards to Smile Train, the world’s largest cleft charity, to help promote Orthodontic Health Month. The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that children should receive their first screening no later than 7 years old, according to a press release. Many orthodontists offer free screenings during October.

Some U.K. dentists not cleaning instruments properly

Dozens of British dentists inspected by health officials were not following infection control guidelines designed to prevent the spread of diseases such as HIV and hepatitis. An analysis of 1,667 dental practices inspected by health officials last year found that 189 were not following health department instructions on cleaning instruments and equipment, according to a story in the Daily Telegraph. To prevent the spread of blood-borne disease, experts recommend that

Danish firm takes dental care into the workplace

For companies of all sizes, when an employee takes time off to go to the dentist, productivity is lost. In Denmark, an innovative firm with roots in Silicon Valley is maximizing efficiency while ensuring that workers get the dental care they need — care they may not have received at all if it weren’t for Onsite Dental’s services. “This is new and innovative,” Joshua Perry, founder of Onsite Dental, explained

Study: Orthodontists lack experience with cleft lip/palate

A new study has found that while orthodontists have the motivation to treat patients with cleft lip and palate, training and experience may be lacking (Cleft Palate — Craniofacial Journal, September 2012, Vol. 49:5, pp. 596-600). In a survey of orthodontic residents in the U.S. and Canada, respondents were asked if they planned to treat patients with cleft lip and palate, craniofacial anomalies, and special needs such as Down syndrome,

PET imaging aids in follow-up of HNSCC patients

Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with F-18 fluorothymidine (FLT) during treatment and early follow-up could predict therapeutic response and identify patients who need close follow-up to detect persistent or recurring head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs), according to a study published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine (October 2012, Vol. 53:10, pp. 1521-1527). In the study from Kagawa University in Japan, 28 patients with HNSCCs underwent FLT-PET and FDG-PET

BPA metabolites to blame for endocrine disruption?

A new study from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine has piled on more concerns about the effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on the human body after it has been ingested (PLOS One, October 4, 2012). Of particular concern is the connection between BPA exposure and the disruption of estrogen signaling. Because BPA’s molecular structure is similar to estradiol, it may bind to estrogen receptors. These