Mydent International is holding its first I Love Defend holiday video contest. To enter, contestants must submit a short video explaining why they love the company’s Defend infection control products between December 20 and December 27. Participants are encouraged to create the video in their dental apparel or workplace, but it is not required, the company noted. The videos can be created with a webcam, camera, or phone. Mydent will
Adding mannitol increases the effectiveness of inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) block anesthesia, according to a new study in Anesthesia Progress (Winter 2011, Vol. 58:4, pp. 157-165). The most commonly used local anesthetic injection for lower teeth is IAN block. However, failure rates ranging from 10% to 39% have been reported, noted the study authors, from Ohio State University. They tested the efficacy of adding a solution of mannitol — a
PhotOral has licensed patented technology from the Forsyth Institute to develop a novel intraoral device that uses blue light to target and destroy potentially harmful dental biofilm microorganisms. The start-up company’s goal is to have the first light-based intraoral cleaning device available by late 2012, according to PhotOral Founder and CEO Stamatis Astra. In 2005, Nikos Soukos, DDS, PhD, and Max Goodson, DDS, PhD, of the Forsyth Institute, demonstrated the
Combining Avastin (bevacizumab) with standard chemotherapy and radiation is safe and could extend the lives of people living with advanced nasopharyngeal cancer, according to a new study (Lancet Oncology, December 15, 2011). The drug may be effective in preventing the spread of this disease, the most common cause of oral cancer deaths. Nancy Y. Lee, MD, a radiation oncologist from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and colleagues conducted the phase II
Despite opposition from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the governor of Maine, the Maine Board of Dental Examiners voted today to restrict what x-rays independent practice dental hygienists (IPDHs) can take during an upcoming pilot project. In June 2011, Maine passed LD 230, directing the board to implement a two-year pilot project that expands the scope of practice of IPDHs to allow them to take x-rays in underserved
Cenoire, a manufacturer of stylish portable electronic accessories, has introduced a line of electronic toothbrushes for women. The Eluo electronic toothbrush. Image courtesy of Cenoire. The Eluo electronic toothbrush. Image courtesy of Cenoire. Designed for those “on the go,” the Eluo toothbrush combines fashion with oral hygiene in a compact sonic toothbrush, according to the company. Battery-operated and using the latest electric toothbrush technology, the compact Eluo toothbrush is capable
Many impression materials have antimicrobial properties, but dental practitioners may be relying on them to prevent cross-contamination more than they should, according to a study in Quintessence International (November/December 2011, Vol. 42:10, pp. e124-e130). Researchers from Tel Aviv University compared four different antimicrobial impression materials and found that none offers a complete, long-lasting antibacterial or antifungal property. Dental impression materials may carry various microbial pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and
Julie Wells Kroeker, RDH, of McAllen, TX, is the latest recipient of the Crest Oral-B Pros in the Profession award program. Wells Kroeker has been practicing dental hygiene for more than 28 years and holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center. She works in an area that has a large Hispanic population, bringing a potential language barrier between her and many of her patients.
When Sherry Wittenberg was diagnosed with a rare cancer in the cricoid cartilage of her larynx, doctors told her the only way to treat the condition was to remove her voice box. The operation would leave her unable to speak normally and would require her to breathe through a hole in her neck for the rest of her life. But Wittenberg, who lives in Cement City, MI, sought a second
A Pennsylvania man has established a scholarship fund to help dental hygiene students pay for dental instruments. The scholarship is in memory of his wife Susan Abby Belli, RDH, who was killed in a bicycle accident in July. Carl Belli of Greensburg, PA, set upthe Susan A. “Abby” Belli Endowment Scholarship at Westmoreland County Community College (WCCC), his wife’s alma mater. Susan, a mother of two children, decided to go
Life Enhancement Association for People (LEAP) is celebrating 20 years of enhancing and enriching the lives of people around the world by providing free reconstructive surgery and other medical care. LEAP consists of volunteer plastic surgeons, urologists, eye surgeons, anesthesiologists, orthodontists, nurses, and support staff dedicating time, expertise, and often their own resources to bring free surgical care to children and adults born with deformities. “I wanted to find a
CAO Group has donated teeth-whitening and fluoride products to the National Children’s Oral Health Foundation (NCOHF). The initial donation of CAO’s Sheer White whitening film and Sheer FluorX fluoride treatment film will be shipped to 32 different NCOHF locations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, the NCOHF announced. CAO’s product contribution will help NCOHF University and other community-based affiliate clinical partners deliver fluoride treatments to thousands of underserved children and