Study: Should young males receive HPV vaccine?

Vaccines for human papillomavirus (HPV) have shown they can prevent the disease, but many countries do not have the resources for national vaccination programs, according to a literature review of HPV treatments (Viral Immunology, June 12, 2012, Vol. 25:3, pp. 174-186). Researchers from the University of Southern California and the Georgetown University School of Medicine reviewed the recent medical literature to evaluate the potential for reducing illness caused by HPV

Brazil’s new middle class invests in orthodontics

Brazil’s burgeoning middle class is using its new-found disposable income to invest in the latest status symbols — including straight, white teeth. The country has seen a decade of mostly solid economic growth and an array of cash-transfer social programs that pay Brazilians a stipend for meeting social goals, such as keeping their kids in school, according to an Associated Press news report. In 1993, just over 45 million people

Milestone Scientific sales, profits down again for Q2

Milestone Scientific saw an 8% decrease in sales for the second quarter of 2012 (end-June 30, 2012) to $2.3 million from $2.5 million for the same quarter in 2011. Revenue for the first six months of 2012 was down 14% to $4.2 million from $4.9 million for the same period in 2011. The decrease in sales was primarily due to a marketing shift in the U.S. toward large dental groups

Articaine better than lidocaine? Not always

In the latest edition of its Critical Summaries series, the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) spotlights a study touting superiority of articaine over lidocaine for pulpal anesthesia (August 2012, Vol. 143:8, pp. 897-898). The author, Virginia Powell, DMD, a private practitioner and evidence reviewer for the ADA, largely supports the findings of the meta-analysis of the performance of the two drugs (JADA, May 2011, Vol. 142:5, pp. 493-504),

Laser marking improves dental carpule labeling

Schreiner MediPharm, a provider of specialty pharmaceutical labeling solutions for more than 60 years, has developed a special label solution for effectively marking dental carpules. The label is designed for use with dental carpules’ extremely narrow diameters — usually about 5 mm — and can be marked with variable data such as batch numbers or expiration dates. Schreiner MediPharm’s new label is based on color laser film, which features a

Xylitol/sorbitol gum + toothbrushing can reduce plaque

While the benefits of sugar-free gum for caries prevention have been well documented in the literature, a new study has found that sugar-free chewing gum used as an adjunct to tooth brushing may provide a small but significant reduction in plaque (International Journal of Dental Hygiene, June 30, 2012). The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry has endorsed the use of xylitol-containing products for caries prevention, the study authors noted. In

Which common meds put pregnant women, infants at risk?

Knowing which medications are safe to prescribe for patients who are pregnant or breast-feeding can present a challenge for dental professionals. But an article in the latest Journal of the American Dental Association can serve as a useful reference when prescribing medication for these dental patients (August 2012, Vol. 143:8, pp. 858-871). “Healthcare professionals who are prepared with evidence-based information about the safety of medication use during pregnancy and breast-feeding

ADA responds to Pew report on dental therapists

The ADA reaffirmed its position that the midlevel dental provider (MLP) model is not economically viable despite a new report by the Pew Center on the States which found that dental therapists (DTs) could greatly improve access to care via school-based programs run by federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). The ADA recently released a series of reports that found that the MLP model is not economically realistic or sustainable. “The

Perio disease more common in rheumatoid arthritis patients

Periodontal disease is four times more common among patients with rheumatoid arthritis than it is among their healthy peers, according to a small study published online in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (August 8, 2012). Periodontal disease also tends to be more severe in these patients, according to the study authors, from Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences and Government Dental College in Hyderabad, India. The researchers based their findings

Leaders in Dentistry: Dr. Mine Tezal

HuangshanDental.com is pleased to present the next installment of Leaders in Dentistry, a series of interviews with researchers, practitioners, and opinion leaders who are influencing the practice of dentistry. We spoke with Mine Tezal, DDS, PhD, a research professor in social and preventive medicine at the University at Buffalo (UB) School of Public Health and Health Professions, who received her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Istanbul

U.K. health groups urge color-coded nutrition labels

The British Dental Health Foundation is supporting an initiative to color-code the front labeling of food products to help consumers make healthier food choices. The proposal was put forward by the British Heart Foundation and the Children’s Food Campaign. Both organizations want the government to recommend a single front of pack nutrition labeling incorporating traffic light colors (green, yellow, red), which are easier for people, especially children, to understand and

Minimally invasive root caries treatment passes test

A minimally invasive approach to restoring interproximal root caries using a glass ionomer yielded positive results in a longitudinal study, regardless of the patients’ age, gender, or periodontal status — if the restoration placed was of high quality (General Dentistry, July/August 2012, e224-e230). The study was conducted by a team of Israeli prosthodontists led by Ilan Gilboa, DMD, an instructor at the Tel Aviv University School of Dental Medicine who