A new report released today by the Pew Center on the States found that 40% of all U.S. states earned either a D or F grade when it comes to providing children with dental sealants, missing a key opportunity to help prevent caries and reduce Medicaid and other health-related costs. The Pew Children’s Dental Campaign released reports in both 2010 and 2011 grading all 50 states and the District of
ClearCorrect has received notice that the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has terminated an investigation brought by Invisalign maker Align Technology. On January 4, 2013, the ITC issued notice that it had terminated the March 2012 enforcement complaint filed by Align against ClearCorrect Operating and ClearCorrect Pakistan, ClearCorrect noted in a press release. Align’s enforcement complaint sought to bind ClearCorrect USA and ClearCorrect Pakistan to the terms of a 2006
The American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists (ASDA) has been assigned provider codes by the National Uniform Claim Committee (NUCC). Provider taxonomy code 1223D0004X defines dentist anesthesiologists as “a dentist who has successfully completed an accredited postdoctoral anesthesiology residency training program for dentists of two or more years duration, in accord with Commission on Dental Accreditation’s Standards for Dental Anesthesiology Residency Programs, and/or meets the eligibility requirements for examination by the
A new study at McGill University will test the ability of a personal lubricant with a special form of carrageenan gel to prevent the transmission of human papillomavirus (HPV). The large-scale, double-blind human trial is called CATCH, an acronym for Carrageenan-gel Against Transmission of Cervical HPV, and will involve tracking HPV infections in more than 400 female volunteers for a one-year period. Divine 9, a carrageenan-based personal lubricant from the
3Shape has released its next-generation Dental System. The new system includes the following: New user interface and simplified design workflows Advanced implant bridges with gingiva design advanced bridges that can be milled directly in zirconia, titanium, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), or other materials New post and core design software with scanning and design workflows New abutment Designer workflow for screw-retained crowns and anatomical abutments New denture design software Trios Inbox that
A new study highlights the mechanism by which Porphyromonas gingivalis establishes a chronic infection in the form of periodontal disease and provides insight into how the disease develops (Journal of Leukocyte Biology, January 2013, Vol. 93:1, pp. 21-31). The research suggests that P. gingivalis manipulates the body’s immune system to disable normal processes that would otherwise destroy it. Specifically, the report shows that this pathogen prompts the production of the
The parents of a 13-year-old Ohio girl who died in January of 2011 after receiving intravenous sedation for oral surgery have filed a lawsuit against other parties related to the practitioner who performed the procedure, according to an article in the Chronicle-Telegram. The suit, filed in Lorain County Common Pleas Court, alleges that Cigna, Cigna Dental Health of Ohio, Mercy Regional Medical Center, NES Healthcare Group, and Gilbert Palmer, MD,
Are redheaded women really more likely to have an inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) block fail than others? Or is this a modern medical myth regarding the most frequently administered local anesthesia technique in restorative dentistry? Researchers from Ohio State University set out to settle the matter in a study that yielded unanticipated results (Journal of Endodontics, December 2012, Vol. 38:12, pp. 1564-1569). Their study involved 124 adult women who were
A passenger’s electric toothbrush is being blamed for a security alert that wreaked havoc at Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta — considered the busiest airport in the world — for nearly an hour today. A terminal at the airport and the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) rail service were shut down for more than half an hour when something began vibrating in a passenger’s suitcase, according to a story in
A review of the research on irreversible procedures performed by midlevel providers (MLPs) concludes the evidence is too poor to compare the effectiveness of their treatment with that of dentists, according to a yearlong systematic review conducted by the ADA (Journal of the American Dental Association, January 2013, Vol. 144:1, pp. 75-91). Some groups treated by MLPs had fewer caries over time, but other groups showed no difference in the
The Pew Charitable Trust and the Kansas Taxpayers Network were the biggest financial backers in a November vote on whether the city of Wichita, KS, would adopt water fluoridation, according to a story in the Wichita Eagle. Wichitans For Healthy Teeth, which raised nearly $170,000 to promote the fluoridation of Wichita drinking water, was the largest contributor to the campaign. Pew Charitable Trusts contributed $68,000 in cash to the campaign
The results of the ADA study published in the January 2013 Journal of the American Dental Association do nothing to discredit the utilization of dental therapists in the workforce in their traditional role of providing care for children in school-based programs. Nothing in the study refutes the conclusions reached last year in a comprehensive review of the global literature by 16 international colleagues and myself. Those conclusions were that dental