Tobacco firm skewed toxicology findings

An analysis of tobacco industry documents shows that Philip Morris USA manipulated data on the effects of additives in cigarettes, including menthol, obscuring actual toxicity levels and increasing the risk of heart, cancer, and other diseases for smokers (PLoS Medicine, December 21, 2011). In the new independent study, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) reassessed data from Philip Morris’ Project MIX, which detailed chemical analyses of smoke

Align offers Invisalign in Russia, Middle East

Align Technology has received a product registration certificate for the Invisalign system from the Federal Service on Surveillance in Healthcare and Social Development of the Russian Federation. This regulatory approval allows Align to train doctors and sell Invisalign Full, Invisalign Lite, Invisalign Teen, and Vivera Retainers throughout Russia. Align is also launching Invisalign in the Middle East, according to the company. To date, Dental Couture — Align’s distributor in Europe,

Nasal spray anesthesia to begin phase III trials

St. Renatus, the Colorado start-up founded to commercialize a new needle-free dental anesthetic, has secured up to $3.5 million from an angel investment group and will move forward with phase III clinical trials. The anesthetic, in the form of a nasal mist, is designed to anesthetize the maxillary arch. St. Renatus had a favorable end of phase II review with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with agreement that

Dentists miss some details in preimplant x-rays

General dentists can detect changes in radicular features in radiographs prior to root canal treatment when the changes are extensive, but they miss some more-specific feature changes, according to a study in Dentomaxillofacial Radiology (January 2012, Vol. 41:1, pp. 43-54). A team of Indian researchers set out to evaluate which radicular radiographic features general dentists want to interpret, determine which of the radicular radiographic features general dentists interpret and which

DenMat acquires Discus Dental restoratives products

DenMat Holdings has acquired Discus Dental’s restoratives and impressions portfolios from Royal Philips Electronics. These products include Splash and Precision impression materials; Vanilla Bite, Chocolate Bite, MegaBite, and Clear Bite registration materials; Moxie bonding agents; Gripper and Perfectray bite trays; Perfectemp crown and bridge material; and Flashlite (Magna and 1401) curing lights. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. DenMat said the acquisition strengthens its product portfolio — which includes

Nanocrystals make dentures stronger

Researchers from the Otto-Schott-Institute for Glass Chemistry have developed a novel glass ceramic for dentistry that they believe is suitable for dentures and other restorative applications (Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, November 21, 2011). Currently, available ceramic materials are not very suitable for bridges, as their strengths are mostly not high enough, according to the study authors. “What the natural tooth enamel has to endure also goes for dentures, inlays,

April is 13th annual Oral Cancer Awareness Month

The Oral Cancer Foundation (OCF) is encouraging the dental community to get involved in Oral Cancer Awareness Month this April 2012 by offering free oral cancer screenings to the public in an effort to raise awareness of this disease across the U.S. OCF is asking dental and medical professionals nationwide to act as the first line of defense against oral cancer through the process of early discovery, and to raise

Dentists not following antibiotic prescribing guidelines

The antibiotic prescribing practices of dentists for odontogenic infections in children do not appear to be in line with recommended professional guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) and the ADA, according to a survey in the Journal of the American Dental Association (January 2012, Vol. 143:1, pp. 31-38). Many medical and dental practitioners and professional associations have recognized the growing problem of antibiotic resistance and its relevance

Medline VAPrevent oral care system easier to use

Medline has enhanced its VAPrevent oral care program, which was created to help clinicians complete oral care on ventilated patients to reduce the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). A major cause of VAP is oral bacteria that thrive in dental plaque and oropharyngeal secretions, making their way into the lungs by way of a mechanical ventilator. To prevent VAP, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends cleaning the

Probiotic ice cream may help fight caries

Probiotic ice cream statistically reduced the levels of microorganisms associated with caries in saliva, according to a study in Acta Odontologica Scandinavica (November 2011, Vol. 69:6, pp. 389-394). The findings could lead to increased usage of dairy foods, which are ideal vehicles for probiotic bacteria, as a means of preventing caries colonization in children, according to the study authors, from Dr. HS Judge Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital, M.M.

Cancer rates in U.S. keep falling: American Cancer Society

(Reuters) – U.S. cancer death rates are continuing to fall, dropping by 1.8% per year in men and 1.6% per year in women between 2004 and 2008, according to the American Cancer Society’s annual report on cancer statistics released on Wednesday in Cancer. Advances in cancer screening and treatment have prevented more than a million total deaths from cancer since the early 1990s, according to the report. But the influential

New Affordable Dentures practice opens in Calif.

A new Affordable Dentures dental practice has opened in Tracy, CA, which makes this the sixth Affordable Dentures practice in California. Affordable Dentures has 176 affiliated practices in 37 states within the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The new California location provides dentures and related denture and tooth extraction services. It has a dedicated, onsite dental lab to make new dentures and provide repairs and relines, often with same-day service. Marino