Ormco to host 3rd Smile for a Lifetime fundraiser

Ormco will host its third annual Damon Forum fundraiser, benefitting the Smile for a Lifetime Foundation (S4L), in Orlando, FL, on February 15, 2013. Running in conjunction with the 12th Annual Damon Forum — a practice-building conference for orthodontists — fundraiser attendees will help fund S4L’s core mission to provide free, quality orthodontic care to underserved children with financial challenges. The dinner and dance event will also feature the Ortho’s

Berries offer many oral health benefits

New research has suggested that certain pigments in fruit, especially berries, offer health benefits and may even help prevent cancer. Now scientists have exposed extracts from numerous berries high in those pigments to human saliva to see what kinds of health-promoting substances are likely to survive and be produced in the mouth, according to a study published in Food Chemistry (November 15, 2012, Vol. 135:2, pp. 738-747). The researchers, from

Singer’s smile sparks teen teeth-whitening trend

One Direction singer Harry Styles’ toothsome good looks have sparked a teeth-whitening craze among U.K. teens. Styles’ smile has prompted a teeth-whitening boom, with sales up 500%, mostly among young men ages 18 to 24, according to a story in the Daily Mail. Sales of Pearlys’ tooth-whitening kits were up 18% across the board, which the company attributed to “the Styles effect.” A poll conducted by Pearlys found that the

OrthoAccel names members of leadership group

OrthoAccel Technologies has named the charter members of its Key Opinion Leadership Group. The group will provide feedback from orthodontists interacting with patients using AcceleDent, according to the company. AcceleDent is a removable appliance that a patient with braces wears in the mouth for 20 minutes per day to accelerate orthodontic tooth movement. Charter members of the Key Opinion Leadership Group include the following: Cliff Alexander, DDS, who teaches courses

Calif. to declare BPA a reproductive hazard

California officials are on track to declare bisphenol A (BPA) a reproductive hazard, potentially harmful to fetuses and infants. The state’s Environmental Protection Agency could soon require warning labels on products with hazardous amounts of BPA under the requirements of Proposition 65, according to a story on sfgate.com. Animal studies have associated BPA — which is used in some dental sealants — with breast and prostate cancers, as well as

UNEP, IADR, WHO hash out dental amalgam’s future

The International Association for Dental Research (IADR) has followed up a 2009 World Health Organization (WHO) report on the future of dental materials with two recent meetings designed to hash out an agenda for carrying out the WHO’s recommendations and related efforts to reduce the use of mercury and phase down dental amalgam. The first meeting, hosted at King’s College of London on December 10-11, 2012, brought together representatives of

New implant material targets patients with bone deficits

Spanish researchers have developed implants coated with biodegradable materials for people with bone deficits. The elderly, people with osteoporosis, smokers, diabetics, or people who have had cancer are sometimes not eligible to receive dental implants because their bones are unable to correctly integrate the prostheses. Researchers at the say the new material — titanium radicle — could increase the success rate of implants by enhancing biocompatibility and reduce the time

Pa. dental association sponsors kids’ poster contest

In celebration of National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM) in February, the Pennsylvania Dental Association (PDA) is sponsoring its annual poster contest for third-grade students in Pennsylvania. Students are asked to draw posters that reflect what they learned during NCDHM and submit them for their chance at winning. From the submissions, three winners will be selected. The first-place winner will receive $500, and the winner’s school and teacher will each

Team approach improves oral cancer outcomes

Providence Cancer Center in Portland, OR, is one of a growing number of facilities that is working to improve care for patients with oral cancer and head and neck cancers through a multidisciplinary program that brings together a spectrum of treatment providers. To illustrate the challenges many oral cancer patients face, R. Bryan Bell, MD, DDS, medical director of the Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Program at Providence, described the

Philadelphia groups give Kids Smiles $110K

Kids Smiles, a nonprofit children’s dental care organization, has received more than $110,000 in grants from three major Philadelphia foundations to support its services in 2013. The Independence Blue Cross Foundation, Philadelphia Foundation, and First Hospital Foundation have all committed to supporting Kids Smiles’ mission of providing quality dental healthcare and education to underserved children. Each foundation has maintained a partnership with the organization over several years, through which financial

Listerine, OHA team up for Swish Challenge

Listerine is joining Oral Health America (OHA) to kick off the Listerine 21 Day Swish Challenge, designed to help provide dental care for at-risk children. Beginning February 5, people are invited to sign up for the challenge on Facebook, according to the organizations. For every person who signs up, Listerine will make a contribution to OHA to connect up to 210,000 at-risk children with needed oral health services in 2013.

Beta-catenin molecule essential for tooth root formation

Beta-catenin is required in odontoblasts for tooth root formation, according to a new study in the Journal of Dental Research (January 23, 2012). While the molecular and cellular mechanisms of early tooth development and crown morphogenesis have been extensively studied, little is known about the molecular mechanisms controlling tooth root formation, noted the study authors, from the Chonbuk National University School of Dentistry. Beta-catenin is strongly expressed in odontoblasts, they