A mother whose 6-year-old boy died while under sedation at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Dental Faculty Practice in Richmond last year will file a lawsuit against the school this week, according to a story by WTVR CBS 6 News. Crystal Lewis hired an attorney soon after the boy’s death on May 11, 2010, and told news station that the preparation of the lawsuit is now completed. Jacobi Hill was anesthetized
Therapeutic Solutions International (TSI), manufacturer of the chairside NTI (nociceptive trigeminal inhibition) tension suppression system (NTI-tss), has entered into a sales and distribution agreement with Alpha Dental Supplies, a Canadian dental supply company. The NTI-tss helps patients suffering from temporomandibular disorders, bruxism, and migraine pain, TSI said. The new deal will make the device available in Canada.
Contrary to previous research, postmenopausal women are not more vulnerable than men to alcohol-induced carcinogenesis in the oral cavity, according to a new study in Oral Oncology (May 5, 2011). While it has been well documented that alcohol consumption is a strong risk factor for oral cancer, “an ambiguous biphasic impact of moderate and excessive alcohol intake on the risk of upper aerodigestive tract cancers” also has been published, according
For patients suffering from oral and oropharyngeal cancer, a study published March 17 in Head & Neck shows that a treatment called submandibular gland transfer can assist in preventing radiation-induced xerostomia. The authors liken the feeling of xerostomia to the after-effects of having surgery and anesthetic — but the feeling is permanent. While the importance of healthy saliva glands may be an afterthought for some patients when battling cancer, the
Pierrel Research USA, a subsidiary of Pierrel SpA, will officially launch its new Orabloc articaine product in the U.S. at the California Dental Association (CDA) spring meeting in Anaheim this week. Orabloc is a purer formulation of articaine with epinephrine, the company explained in a press release. “Up to this point, all available U.S. brands of articaine are manufactured in Canada using the terminal sterilization method,” said Canio Mazzaro, chairman
Chicago White Sox pitcher John Danks is once again partnering with Oral Health America and Little League baseball to promote the message that “smokeless does not mean harmless.” Oral Health America educates people about the health risks of smokeless tobacco use through its National Spit Tobacco Education Program (NSTEP). The annual NSTEP slogan contest encourages Little League baseball and softball players to talk to their parents and coaches about tobacco
Dental students tend to underreport exposures to bloodborne pathogens because of low-risk perception, lack of time, and excessive paperwork, according to a study conducted at the University of Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry (Journal of Dental Education, April 2011, Vol. 75:4, pp. 544-548). But an educational campaign designed to raise awareness among the students regarding the importance of reporting exposure incidents helped reverse this trend, the researchers found.
Milestone Scientific reported revenues of $2.43 million for the first quarter of 2011 (end-March 31), a 5% decrease from revenues of $2.56 million for the same quarter in 2010. Net loss for the quarter was $141,644, compared with a net profit of $83,922 for the same period in 2010. The decrease in net profit was due primarily to lower international handpiece sales in the first quarter of 2011, resulting from
More than 80% of poor, migrant, and minority children in Los Angeles need dental care, including 73% who have untreated dental caries, according to a new study. Of the 2,313 children examined, some 53% had fillings or crowns, according to a study in the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved (May 2011, Vol. 22:2, pp. 648-662). Asians were more likely to have untreated dental caries, followed by
Stress and depression are associated with tumor growth in head and neck cancer patients, and they can shorten the time that such patients are able to survive disease-free, according to a study presented April 28 at the Society of Behavioral Medicine annual meeting in Washington, DC. Previous research has shown that stress can affect the immune system and weaken the body’s defense against infection and disease. In cancer patients, this
A 16-year-old Pennsylvania teenager died May 5 after suffering cardiac arrest during a third-molar extraction procedure on May 3, according to a story in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Miciah Bonzani of New Kensington, a suburb of Pittsburgh, was anesthesized prior to the surgery, and during the procedure she stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest. Bonzani, who was born with a heart defect and had two heart surgeries as a child,
Henry Schein has released the Acclean rechargeable power toothbrush, featuring a built-in timer that encourages brushing for the recommended two minutes. The rotary brush head oscillates, which helps patients reach plaque between teeth and gums, according to the company. The Acclean toothbrush plugs into any standard electrical outlet and is available in single- or six-unit quantities.
