A Costa Mesa, CA, dentist convicted of killing three patients by giving them fatal doses of anesthesia has been denied parole, according to an article in the Daily Pilot. Tony Protopappas, 65, administered fatal doses of a general anesthetic to three patients, ages 13, 23, and 31, from 1983 through early 1984. He was convicted for three murders and has spent more than 25 years in prison. At the time
Pomegranate mouth rinse should be explored as a long-term antiplaque rinse with prophylactic benefits, according to a new study in Quintessence International (January 2011, Vol. 42:1, pp. 29-36). The study authors divided 30 periodontally healthy volunteers into three groups and randomly assigned three different mouth rinses: pomegranate, chlorhexidine, or distilled water (placebo) twice daily. The subjects’ plaque index (PI) was assessed at days 0 and 5. Pomegranate extract was tested
Inspire Medical Systems, a developer of neurostimulation therapies for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), recently received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin a clinical trial of its STAR (stimulation therapy for apnea reduction) implant system. The STAR II implantable sleep apnea device. Image courtesy of Inspire Medical Systems. The STAR trial is a multicenter study designed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of
The Human Services Campus has received a $50,000 grant from CVS Caremark Charitable Trust to be used for free dental services for children in the Murphy Elementary School District, the first onsite community-based, comprehensive preventative and restorative school-based dental clinic in Arizona. The Central Arizona Services (CASS) Dental Clinic for Children in the Murphy Elementary School District opened on June 1, 2010, to provide full dental care including x-rays, oral
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab are developing a toothpaste dispenser that selects what flavor to dispense based on the weather forecast. The lab’s “Tastes Like Rain” project has yielded a prototype that will dispense one of three flavors that reflects the current conditions outside, according to a story on CNET. Mint means it’s colder than yesterday, cinnamon means it’s hotter, and blue stripes indicate rain. The
Pediatric plastic surgeon Rohit Khosla, MD, had never seen a case like it: The 12-year-old boy’s face ballooned with a rare, aggressive bone tumor. Although it was noncancerous, the tumor was destroying the patient’s mandible. Dr. Khosla knew he would need an innovative approach to save the boy’s ability to chew. “The situation was pretty complicated,” said Dr. Khosla, who practices at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, CA,
Is an anterior middle superior alveolar (AMSA) nerve block more effective than an infraorbital nerve block (IONB) in achieving pulpal anesthesia in the anterior maxilla? Researchers from Newcastle University recently conducted a small clinical trial to investigate (Journal of the American Dental Association, December 2010, Vol. 141:12, pp. 1442-1448). In two separate visits, 28 healthy adult volunteers received 1.0 mL of 2% lidocaine with 1:80,000 epinephrine as an AMSA nerve
A dental hygienist has developed a new product that aims to reduce cross-infection from blood and saliva that is splashed back onto the dental team’s scrubs during dental procedures. Medi-Mates is a paper bib that fastens to the tunic and can be thrown away after each patient has been treated. It was developed by Jenny Dudley-Ford, a dental hygienist in the U.K. “Originally, I was using a tissue tucked into
Biolux Research has begun a long-term clinical trial to evaluate the effects of its phototherapy technology on orthodontic tooth movement and treatment timelines. The goal of the trial is to evaluate the efficacy of phototherapy over the course of a complete, full-mouth orthodontic treatment, the company said. The study will include more than 40 orthodontic patients treated with traditional brackets and wires plus phototherapy, and the patients will be followed
China SheSays Medical Cosmetology, which operates a network of hospitals, clinics, and skin care centers in China’s Sichuan province, has introduced Cerec AC at its flagship hospital in Chengdu, becoming the first medical cosmetology company in China to utilize this instrument for cosmetic dentistry procedures. The Cerec AC was first introduced to the Chinese market by Sirona Dental Systems in November 2010 at the 14th International Dental Instrument Exhibition in
New Mexico lawmakers will consider a bill in the 2011 legislative session that would require all dental offices to install amalgam separators and to remove dental amalgam prior to discharge of their wastewater. SB 12, the Dental Amalgam Waste Reduction Act, was introduced December 15 by Sen. Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe). The proposed bill reads, in part: By December 31, 2012, a dental office shall install an appropriately sized amalgam
In time for the holiday season, Surya is making a donation to Smile Train, which provides corrective surgeries for cleft lips and palates to children in developing countries. Surya’s contribution — which the textiles company made on behalf of its top 300 retail customers in 2010 — will provide for up to 300 corrective surgeries for child victims of this birth defect. Smile Train has challenged other donors to match
