ClearCorrect raises money for Congo drinking water

ClearCorrect has raised more than $60,000 for its Phase Out charitable project to help approximately 3,000 people gain access to clean and safe drinking water in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The funding will create spring protections, rainwater catchments, and large-scale gravity-fed water systems, according to the company. These projects are planned for villages, schools, and clinics with a strong focus on hygiene, sanitation training, and community buy-in to

New CE venture encourages dentist, physician collaboration

A physician, a nurse, and a dentist have joined forces to create a series of seminars aimed at getting dentists and physicians to better understand the need for a collaborative approach to screening patients at risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. When Brad Bale, MD; Amy Doneen, MSN, ARNP; and Tom Nabors, DDS, read the American Heart Association’s (AHA) April article on periodontal disease and heart disease, they were

ADHA supports MLPs in ‘Frontline’ response

The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) has issued a response to the PBS “Frontline” program’s “Dollars and Dentists” documentary, praising the program for addressing the “broken nature” of the U.S. dental care system. Issues highlighted in the documentary, including access to care, the high cost of treatment, and the shortage of dentists in many parts of the country, are complex and require a myriad of solution strategies, the ADHA noted.

MLP funding left out of appropriations measure

Funding for the “alternative dental healthcare provider demonstration projects” that was created as part of the U.S. healthcare reform law has again been left out of an appropriations measure following opposition lobbying by the ADA. More than 2,100 messages were sent to Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), who chairs the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies in response to an ADA action alert

Case against ClearCorrect stayed indefinitely

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas has granted ClearCorrect’s request to stay a federal patent infringement case filed by competitor Align Technology. The federal case, filed in February 2011, alleges that ClearCorrect infringes several of Align’s patents. ClearCorrect maintains that it does not infringe any of Align’s valid intellectual property and countersued in response, asking the court to declare the claims in Align’s patents invalid. In

Crest Oral-B honors Ind. hygienist

Hayley Wood-Klauer, RDH, of South Bend, IN, has been selected as the latest Crest Oral-B Pros in the Profession winner. The program honors registered dental hygienists who go above and beyond the call of duty every day. Wood-Klauer has a Bachelor of Science degree in dental hygiene from Ohio State University. She has worked as a hygienist for three years in private practice and has also been a full-time clinical

Fluoride delivery gets due attention at IADR

The effective delivery of fluoride to combat demineralization and caries was a common theme of several poster sessions at the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) meeting last week in Iguaçu Falls, Brazil. In one study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen in Demark and the Karolinska Institutet and Public Dental Service in Sweden investigated how fluoridated milk affected enamel demineralization on teenagers wearing fixed orthodontic brackets. The results were

MuGard fares well in head/neck cancer study

Head and neck cancer patients using MuGard experience a statistically significant reduction in mouth and throat soreness and a delay in onset of oral mucositis, according to findings of an ongoing clinical trial. Access Pharmaceuticals, makers of MuGard, presented results from its phase IV clinical trial at the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer Conference in New York City. MuGard is a ready-to-use mucoadhesive oral wound rinse and coating

Aussie researcher to expand salivary diagnostics work

A researcher at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology has received a $20,000 fellowship to travel overseas to develop strategic alliances with leaders in the field of salivary diagnostics. Chamindie Punyadeera, PhD, who teaches undergraduate courses in diagnostics and biologics at the University of Queensland School of Chemical Engineering, is working to replace blood tests with quicker and easier saliva tests for early disease diagnosis. She said the fellowship

Oral Health America on pace to seal 2M teeth by 2012

After meeting its goal to seal 1 million teeth by 2010, Oral Health America (OHA) recommitted to America’s Promise Alliance to seal 2 million teeth for more than 500,000 at-risk children by 2020. OHA is now on pace to not only meet that goal but beat it, the organization announced. During the first full year of the Seal Two Million campaign, OHA and its partners sealed 428,000 teeth. At this

Scientists identify new cancer stem cell mechanism

Scientists at Queen Mary, University of London have uncovered a link between two genes that shows how stem cells could develop into cancer. The study found a novel mechanism that could be the catalyst for stem cells changing into a tumor (PLOS One, June 27, 2012). “It was quite an unexpected discovery,” said lead researcher Ahmad Waseem, PhD, a reader in oral dentistry at Queen Mary, University of London. “We

AAPD responds to ‘Dollars and Dentists’

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) commends PBS’ “Frontline” program and the Center for Public Integrity for shining a light on the importance of dental care by airing its joint investigation of the nation’s ruptured dental care system and bringing appropriate attention to America’s dental care crisis. While the program showcased the extreme difficulties millions of Americans seeking dental care, it’s important to note that pediatric dentists have been