Confounding lesions make oral cancer harder to detect

SAN FRANCISCO – While commercially available optical tools can help clinicians identify premalignant lesions in the oral cavity, the prevalence of confounding lesions increases the rate of false positives, according to researchers at this week’s SPIE BiOS meeting. “Compared to any other body site, the oral cavity has the highest number of confounding lesions,” said Nadarajah Vigneswaran, BDS, DMD, a professor of diagnostic sciences at the University of Texas Dental

Cancer patients suffer unique oral complications

With more than 1.4 million new cases of cancer diagnosed each year in the U.S. and more of these patients undergoing outpatient treatment, dental practitioners are increasingly likely to deal with the side effects of these treatments. A new literature review in Oral Diseases (January 7, 2011) provides a comprehensive overview of oral complications that can result from chemotherapy and radiation therapy, along with tips on how to manage them.

UN meeting in Japan will focus on mercury

Mercury, the main ingredient in amalgam dental material, will be the subject of a United Nations conference to be held in Chiba, Japan, January 24-28, 2011. Members of various nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), as well as dentists and scientists from groups such as the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT), will be attending and urging a ban on products containing mercury, including dental amalgam, according to the IAOMT. The

Hygienist ranks among top 10 U.S. jobs

Career website Careercast has ranked “dental hygienist” as the 10th best job in the U.S. in its annual list of 200 best jobs — the second year in a row dental hygienist has landed in the No. 10 spot in the Careercast list. The website sought to consider the experience of the entire workforce in those positions, not just that of the few who excelled or became exceptional. Five core

Biolase launches new all-tissue laser

Biolase has launched the Waterlase iPlus System dual-wavelength all-tissue laser. The iPlus can cut all tissue types twice as fast as current laser systems with no pain or discomfort and no risk of cross-contamination associated with conventional drills, according to the company. Using a patent-pending technology, the laser has the highest pulse energy at short pulses among all erbium-based, 3-micron lasers in dentistry and the highest pulse repetition rates, Biolase

Corrective surgery allows boy with fused jaw to speak

A 6-year old Cambodian boy born with his jaw fused shut uttered his first word after a medical team assembled in Singapore by the Vancouver-based charity Rose performed five hours of corrective surgery on him, according to a news story in the Vancouver Sun. “At first we didn’t think we were going to be able to get the jaw open because it seemed that the mandible was rubbing against the

Former patients sue Allcare for breach of contract

Two former patients of Allcare Dental & Dentures filed a class-action lawsuit against the company January 18, claiming Allcare knowingly took money from them and potentially thousands of other patients for services it never intended to deliver. On December 31, Allcare — the subject of numerous lawsuits and complaints in recent years — shut down all of its U.S. offices without warning, citing “financial difficulties.” Hundreds of patients have since

Do oxalates ease dentin hypersensitivity?

While the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity (DH) with oxalates is a common practice in dentistry, clinical studies have not established the efficacy of the compound, a conjugate base of oxalic acid. Researchers at the University of Washington School of Dentistry sought to clear up the matter with a systematic review of clinical trials that compared oxalate treatment to no treatment at all and those that used a placebo (Journal of

Hoarseness rare in kids with cleft palate: study

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Kids born with cleft palate were no more likely than kids in the general population to suffer from hoarseness in a new study of almost 500 children who had undergone palate-repair surgery. Just 5.5% of kids with cleft palate in the study group complained of hoarseness — compared with estimates of between 6% and 34% of kids without the condition who experience hoarseness, often as

FDA warns Dentsply about advertising violations

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter January 4 to Dentsply Pharmaceutical about the content of advertising material for its periodontal anesthetic product. After reviewing two professional direct mailers and a professional journal advertisement for the drug Oraqix (a lidocaine and prilocaine 2.5%/2.5% periodontal gel), a needle-free anesthetic for adults used in scaling and root planing (SRP), the FDA said the marketing materials misbrand the drug in

Radiation therapy helps HIV-positive head/neck cancer patients

HIV-positive head and neck cancer patients respond well to radiation therapy treatments and experience toxicity rates similar to HIV-negative patients, according to a study in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics (January 2011, Vol. 79:1, pp. 60-64). Patients with HIV have a significantly higher risk of developing some types of cancers; however, since the use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) began in the mid-1990s, the instances of

Biolux files for new patents for orthodontic phototherapy

Biolux Research has filed two new U.S. patent applications for the use of phototherapy in orthodontics. The applications relate to innovative methods and apparatuses for the use of light treatment technology in combination with advanced and alternative methods of orthodontic treatment, resulting in improved quality, speed, and control of tooth movement, according to the company. The proprietary Biolux light treatment technology can be combined with other methods for oral and