A legal dispute is heating up between 3M and Ivoclar Vivadent over a U.S. patent issued to Ivoclar in 1999 covering polymer-based restoratives materials. On November 30, 3M filed a lawsuit against Ivoclar Vivadent in U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota stating Ivoclar has engaged in a series of acts that “create a real, concrete dispute between the parties and constitute a clear threat that Ivoclar AG and
A federal judge has appointed a law professor to oversee settlement talks in hundreds of lawsuits filed against Merck in the U.S. alleging that its bisphosphonate drug Fosamax caused osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). On November 22, John Feerick, a law professor at Fordham University, was appointed special settlement master for all federal lawsuits involving Fosamax and ONJ, according to a story on injuryboards.com. Feerick will attempt to facilitate a
Sheila Tan, vice president of marketing and chief marketing officer of Align Technology, has left the company. On an interim basis, President and CEO Thomas Prescott will oversee consumer marketing, and Tim Mack, senior vice president of business development and former CEO of Cadent, will oversee new product development and professional marketing, the company announced. Tan joined Align in September 2008 as vice president of strategic marketing and became vice
Vident has signed onto the IdentAlloy/IdentCeram Council’s program to certify the material content of its products. Laboratories will now get certificates attesting to the content of restorative materials so that dentists can verify compositions, explain material choices to patients, document insurance claims, and file with permanent records, according to the company. Vident sells a range of Vita shade determination and restorative products, and provides technical support and professional education resources.
Washington State University (WSU) researchers have used a 3D inkjet printer to create a bone-like material and structure that can be used in orthopedic procedures and dental work, and to deliver medicine for treating osteoporosis, according to an article in Dental Materials (November 1, 2011). Paired with actual bone, it acts as a scaffold for new bone to grow on and ultimately dissolves with no apparent ill effects, according to
The British Association of Clinical Dental Technology (BACDT) has launched an online directory and information resource to help denture patients. The website, DentureProfessionals.org, includes a directory of BACDT-accredited denture clinics and information about caring for dentures and the benefits of various types of dentures, according to the organization.
Sigma Labs has filed a patent for a new manufacturing technology that appears to significantly improve integration between dental implants and bone. The technique could reduce the healing time for the procedure without the need for coatings or additives, according to the company. A spokesman for OmegaTi Bio, a participating member of the Sigma Labs research team, said dental implants made using the technology integrated well within four weeks during
One out of 20 dental offices in Los Angeles County have a blanket policy of refusing dental services to people living with HIV/AIDS, according to a study released today by the Williams Institute, a national think tank affiliated with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law. In addition, another 5% of dental providers would treat patients living with HIV/AIDS differently than other patients in ways that could
NephRx has gained rights to a U.S. patent related to the company’s novel peptide NX002, which is being developed for the treatment of oral mucositis and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Rights to U.S. patent No. 8,017,576, “Methods and compositions to treat mucositis” — which protects NX002 and related compounds — have been exclusively licensed to NephRx by the University of Chicago, where the drug was discovered in the laboratory
Australian dentists are reporting a boom in cosmetic dentistry, with some practices experiencing a 60% increase in demand, according to a story in the Age newspaper. Middle-aged women are partly driving the trend, using their “later in life” disposable income to correct stained and crooked teeth, the paper reported. And while older patients may have previously shied away from traditional metal orthodontic appliances, the advent of Invisalign has sparked significant
Hydrogen peroxide bleaching strips are effective in reducing the staining effects from tetracycline, according to a study in the Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry (October 2011, Vol. 32:8, pp. 50-56). Researchers from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine evaluated the clinical response following extended daily use of a trayless 6.5% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) tooth bleaching gel in patients with tetracycline stains. For this clinical trial, they assigned a bleaching
Dental Services Group, a network of 25 North American laboratories, is now providing Cerec and Cerec AC Connect users with a rebate and placement program. Both new and existing Cerec AC Connect users who choose to use DSG for any laboratory needs will earn a rebate to help cover the cost of their Cerec AC Connect digital impression system, according an announcement from Sirona Dental Systems, makers of the Cerec