Patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) receiving radiation treatment at an academic center have a higher survival rate than those receiving treatment at a community center, according to a new study in Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery (December 2012, Vol. 147:6, pp. 1083-1092). The study analyzed 355 patients with mucosal head and neck cancer treated with radiation therapy at the University of Minnesota from 2002 to 2008. The
Men in their 30s who had inflamed gums caused by severe periodontal disease were three times more likely to suffer from erection problems in a new study, published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine (December 4, 2012). Turkish researchers compared 80 men ages 30 to 40 with erectile dysfunction with a control group of 82 men without erection problems. The average age of the men in both groups was just
Imitation tongue piercings affixed to the tongue with powerful magnets can cause life-threatening incidents if they are swallowed, according to an article in the Daily Mail. The metal decorations, usually 3- to 5-mm wide, are worn on either side of the tongue and are meant to look like an oral piercing. But if ingested, they can react with stomach acids and cause lethal internal damage. A 15-year-old U.K. boy was
Align Technology has initiated job cuts and management reorganization to better support business functions in its clear aligner, scanner, and CAD/CAM services product lines. The announcement arrived amid expectations that revenue and earnings per share will be at the low end of its previously reported fourth quarter guidance. Roughly 25 full-time employees will be affected, and the company will incur approximately $2.1 million in costs for severance. Those costs, continued
A new study in the Journal of Periodontal Research (November 30, 2012) has found a significant association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and periodontal disease, although further research is needed to clarify the causal relationship between the two conditions, according to the authors. The cross-sectional study included 687 participants (460 men, 227 women; ages 47-77) who were examined between August 2009 and September 2010 as part of the Korean Genome
Merchant Data Systems (MDS) has teamed up with Karma Snack, an Internet marketing company, and is offering a number of new online services to dental labs. Payment services include mobile or traditional credit card processing and enabling a business to become an online merchant through its website. MDA also offers merchant credit card processing systems, cash advance services, payroll solutions, help with mobile payment, point-of-sale integration, and invoicing solutions. Other
A database review examining nearly 15,000 nerve block procedures performed on children at U.S. hospitals has found virtually no risk of permanent complications or death (Anesthesia & Analgesia, December 2012, Vol. 115:6, pp. 1353-1364). About 11,000 of the procedures involved a single anesthetic injection, and an inability to place the block or a block failure occurred in only 2% of the procedures. For the review, a team of U.S.-based researchers
The Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation has distributed about $100,000 to four agencies in Black Hawk County in Iowa to help improve the oral health of underserved children, according to an article in the WCF Courier. The foundation made the grants as part of its Dentist By 1 campaign, urging parents to take their baby to the dentist before the age of 1. The recipients are listed below: Black Hawk
OrthoAccel Technologies, makers of AcceleDent, has launched the Smile & Share online video contest for users of AcceleDent. The contest invites patients who use AcceleDent to create and submit a video, 20 seconds or less in duration, showing how they might occupy their time while wearing the AcceleDent appliance. The contest runs through February 6, 2013, with the winner to be announced on February 15. Entries will be posted on
The results of a new survey have suggested that Brits are poorly educated when it comes to sexually transmitted diseases such as human papillomavirus (HPV) and its link to oral cancer. The survey, which questioned more than 2,000 adults as part of November being Mouth Cancer Action Month, found that almost two-thirds (63%) did not know HPV was connected to oral sex, while 1 in 10 falsely believed diseases such
A new American Cancer Society study finds a strong inverse association between caffeinated coffee intake and oral/pharyngeal cancer mortality (American Journal of Epidemiology, December 9, 2012). People who drank more than four cups of caffeinated coffee per day were at about half the risk of death of these often fatal cancers compared with those who only occasionally or who never drank coffee, according to the study authors. Previous epidemiologic studies
Resin infiltration of incipient smooth surface lesions is now covered by a 2013 Code on Dental Procedures and Nomenclature (CDT)classification, according to DMG America, makers of the Icon resin infiltration system. The newly defined classification allows practices to accurately code and bill for Icon, a resin infiltration technology that fills, reinforces, and stabilizes demineralized enamel for the purpose of arresting the progression of incipient carious lesions and removing cariogenic white