A research team in the department of oral medicine at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC, has been awarded an $8 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to study dental and oral medicine outcomes of patients who have received high-dose radiation to the head and neck region. Each year, 40,000 people in the U.S. develop head and neck cancer, and many have to receive high-dose radiation therapy, often in
Ultradent supports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent ban of products that contain bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical known to cause harmful physical and psychological effects in children. Ultradent has always maintained a BPA-free manufacturing requirement for its dental sealants UltraSeal XT plus and UltraSeal XT hydro, the company said in a press release. “Ultradent does not use, nor do we plan to ever use, bisphenol A dimethacrylate
Consumers say they would pay to fix their teeth before they would pay for weight loss help, according to new research from the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). Of the 80% of U.S. adults who in a recent poll admitted they would spend money to hide or correct aging flaws, 62% said they would pay to fix the quality of their teeth, compared with 48% who said they would
Tooth sensitivity is one of the chief complaints patients have when undergoing tooth whitening. Now a study has found that using a nanohydroxyapatite (n-HAP) paste may significantly reduce the number of days a patient will experience tooth sensitivity during active bleaching (Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry, August 2012, Vol. 24:4, pp. 268-276). None of the study authors disclosed a financial interest in any of the companies or products used
3M and Ivoclar Vivadent have settled a patent lawsuit in Germany involving a processed zirconia coloring technology. As a result of the settlement, Ivoclar Vivadent will license this patented technology from 3M, the companies noted in a press release. The technology enables the coloring of unshaded zirconia by color-matching dental restorations to the natural color of patients’ teeth. Since 3M developed and launched this technology, much of the industry colors
A retrospective study investigating the frequency of postoperative bleeding complications following invasive dental procedures on patients using warfarin has found few episodes (Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, October 2012, Vol. 114:4, pp. 464-468). Researchers at the Department of Oral Medicine at Carolinas Medical Center noted only a 4.8% frequency of bleeding, or five of 122 patients observed. “We found in most cases that if the patient is
OrthoAccel Technologies has received official clearance from the Korean Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) to begin commercial sales of its AcceleDent orthodontic device in South Korea. AcceleDent is a hands-free appliance used at home to speed up the rate of orthodontic treatment. It’s used 20 minutes a day by biting gently on the mouthpiece to hold it in place, according to the company. AcceleDent received U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Sense of coherence (SOC) has been related to oral-health behaviors and oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in observational studies. Now the Journal of Dental Research has published a randomized trial that tested the effect of an intervention to enhance SOC on OHRQoL in children (September 27, 2012). In this study, 12 primary schools in Thailand were randomly allocated to intervention and control groups. The intervention comprised seven sessions over two
DenMat has entered into a long-term exclusive agreement with LED Medical Diagnostics/LED Dental as the exclusive global distributor (except for a handful of group practices for a limited time) for the VELscope Vx, including all responsibility for sales and marketing. Earlier this week, LED Dental announced that it had amended its distribution agreement with Henry Schein and would begin selling its VELscope Vx product directly to customers. VELscope is a
The University of Maryland School of Dentistry has been awarded $16 million by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) to fund the next five years of an ongoing study examining the root causes of chronic head and neck pain conditions. The Orofacial Pain Prospective Evaluation and Risk Assessment (OPPERA) study, now in its fourth year, is deepening scientists’ understanding of risk factors and genetic markers for conditions
The parents of a 2-year-old Texas boy who died after a dental procedure are suing the anesthesiologist and the surgical center where the procedure was performed, claiming the boy received too much morphine in doses administered too close together. In December of 2009, 22-month-old Maddoux Cordova went to the Village Specialty Surgical Center in San Antonio to have several crowns placed on his teeth. The boy lost oxygen to his
A media campaign in Detroit that utilized print, radio, billboards, and mailed surveys was effective in raising public awareness of oral cancer and influencing healthcare providers to screen for the disease, according to a new study (Journal of the American Dental Association, September 2012, Vol. 143:9, pp. e57-366). The Detroit Oral Cancer Prevention Project (DOCPP) was designed in part to pull a high-risk population into requesting oral cancer screening and
