The city of Santa Fe, NM, will no longer fluoridate its drinking water, ending a practice that has been going on since 1955, according to a news story in the New Mexican. The city council voted to make the change July 11. “It’s time for the city of Santa Fe to recognize that the application of fluoride is outdated,” stated Jimmie McClure, a chiropractic physician, in the story. He noted
Crest and Oral-B (Procter & Gamble) are lending their support to the dental clinic during the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games in London. The clinic will provide dental screenings, routine dental work, emergency care, and oral care products for athletes and coaches for the duration of the 2012 games. In addition, Crest and Oral-B have partnered with Tony Clough, a dental expert who works with the British rowing team, the Alpine
The National Children’s Oral Health Foundation (NCOHF) Oral Health Zone Program Summit, held June 20-22, 2012, in Charlotte, NC, focused on new technologies, educational resources, and strategies for breaking the cycle of pediatric dental disease in communities throughout North America. Clinicians, educators, corporate leaders, and representatives of nonprofit community programs worked together to explore aggressive solutions to the chronic childhood disease. Preventive strategies and methods of engaging community stakeholders in
White-spot lesions (WSL) are a common complication of orthodontic treatment, but their presence can result in a negative perception of the treating orthodontist by the patient’s general dentist, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Dental Association (July 2012, Vol.143:7, pp. 777-783). WSLs remain the most common complication of fixed orthodontic appliance therapy and can form within four weeks — the typical length of time between
Dental hygienists could improve their knowledge of certain aspects of the oral-systemic link, according to a study in the Journal of Dental Education (June 2012, Vol. 76:6, pp. 682-694). Although associations between periodontal and systemic health have been well-established, there is little evidence regarding dental hygienists’ knowledge of the oral-systemic connection, noted the study authors, from the Pacific University School of Dental Health Science. So they developed a survey that
Mydent has introduced new bite trays made of a thin, durable, occlusal mesh material that are individually wrapped and feature a design with a rigid frame and thumb tab. The Defend bite trays are available through dealers in four styles: anterior, posterior, sideless posterior, and quadrant.
Walter Knysz Jr., DDS, the founder of Great Expressions Dental Centers and MIDA Dental Plans, has embarked on a new venture: Unified Smiles, designed to provide independent dentists with a portfolio of services ranging from savings on products and services to seminars and networking opportunities. Through Unified Smiles, dental offices will experience significant savings on products, supplies, and services, including dental and office equipment, lab services and fees, uniforms, insurance,
Researchers working at the University of Chile have discovered a molecule that has demonstrated the ability to kill caries-causing Streptococcus mutans, according to an article in Medical Xpress. The researchers have named the molecule Keep 32, a reference to the number of teeth in the typical human mouth. They are developing a product that, once left in the mouth for 60 seconds, will kill harmful bacteria in the mouth and
A new study in the Journal of Periodontology (June 15, 2012) has added clinical support to recent publications suggesting a need for standardizing the terminology used in diagnosing periodontitis. “An issue in periodontitis diagnosis is the lack of a single consensus document where all the information needed to form a diagnosis is contained,” the study authors wrote. “Hence, a ‘gold standard’ for diagnosis of periodontitis is lacking.” The idea for
ABC will air a segment covering pediatric dental anesthesiology and some of its associated risks July 12 during “World News With Diane Sawyer” and “Nightline,” according to the Raven Maria Blanco Foundation (RMBF). “They haven’t been specific about what it will cover, but they have spoken with several parents who have lost children and gone to facilities where things have happened,” said Nicole Cunha, executive director at RMBF. Cunha’s uncle
Oral Health America (OHA) has received a $50,000 grant from the Annenberg Foundation to expand services in California. These services will be provided through OHA’s Smiles Across America (SAA) program, which provides grant funding and technical assistance to school-based and school-linked oral health organizations nationwide. The grant will allow OHA to increase its outreach in California through the SAA Product Donation Project. OHA will also work with local community stakeholders
Dentists who offer orthodontic services can now take advantage of new turnkey dental marketing plans from the Internet Dental Alliance (IDA). Also known as the New Patient Marketing Machine, IDA’s online system is designed to attract patients looking for braces, according to the company. The system includes one or more dental websites or portals with feature articles that are optimized for keywords that prospective patients use when searching online. The