A small cluster of protesters, carrying tooth-shaped signs with slogans such as “Ban Mercury,” heralded the opening of a two-day meeting today in Washington, DC, called by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to revisit the safety of dental amalgam. The restorative material, a mixture of metals including powdered alloy and liquid mercury, has been valued for years for its workability, low cost, and strength. But is it really
Zoledronic acid, a drug currently approved for osteoporosis treatment, has been shown to reduce bone loss in a study of mice with oral cancer, suggesting it could serve as a supplemental therapy in patients with head and neck cancers that erode bone (Cancer Research, November 1, 2010, Vol. 70:21, pp. 8607-8616). The drug, known by the brand name Zometa, is designed to inhibit bone resorption. Oral squamous cell carcinoma accounts
Dr. Fresh has relaunched its professional website with a new look and special offers for National Children’s Dental Health Month in February. The site currently features a range of dental kits including FireFly, Spiderman, and Hello Kitty pediatric kits; Dr. Fresh ortho travel bottle and pencil box; and original FireFly toothbrushes — all sold by the case at a special discount, the company noted. In addition to this and other
A patient’s age and gender can play a key role in how comfortably and quickly they recover from third-molar surgery, according to a new study in the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics (December 2010, Vol. 138:6, pp. 700.e1-8). Healthy subjects scheduled for removal of third molars were recruited at multiple sites for this study, which was conducted by researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The Daughters of Charity Foundation of St. Louis has approved an $80,000 grant to Give Kids A Smile to provide preventive and restorative services to babies, toddlers, and preschool-aged children. At each of the two annual free Give Kids A Smile dental clinics, held in February and October at the Center for Advanced Dental Education on the Saint Louis University campus, babies and very young children receive dental screenings and
More than a year after hosting a two-day meeting in Geneva to examine the potential risks of amalgam restorations and discuss alternative solutions, the World Health Organization (WHO) is set to issue a report that confirms the ongoing need for the material’s use and outlines the risks of an outright ban, but also sets the stage for phasing down its use worldwide, according to a draft of the report obtained
The Durable Medical Equipment Medicare Administrative Contractors has released a new local coverage determination for oral appliances used in the treatment of sleep apnea, according to a story in Sleep Review. The policy, effective for claims with dates of service on or after January 3, 2011, states that a custom-fabricated mandibular advancement oral appliance used to treat obstructive sleep apnea is covered if certain criteria are met. Given the growing
Acrylic dentures can make patients more susceptible to Candida albicans infections and stomatitis, according to a new study in Molecular Oral Microbiology (December 2010, Vol. 25:6, pp. 384-390). Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles dental school grew C. albicans, Streptococcus mutans, saliva-derived, and C. albicans/saliva-derived mixed biofilms on different dental materials, including acrylic denture, porcelain, hydroxyapatite (HA), and polystyrene. The resulting biomass was analyzed using 3D image quantification
The first metagenomic analysis of a bacterial immune system in humans over time has found that the defenses of the oral microbiome are unique and traceable, information that could help personalize oral healthcare in the future, according to a study in Genome Research (December 13, 2010). With recent advances in sequencing technologies, researchers are now sampling the genetic diversity of entire microbial and viral communities at once, including those residing
The Mayo Clinic advises that first aid kits should have the Save-A-Tooth emergency tooth-preserving system that can save knocked out teeth, according to Phoenix-Lazerus, the manufacturer of the tooth storage device. “The cells on the root of a knocked out tooth are very delicate,” said Henry Rankow, DDS, diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics, in a press release. “They must be protected and nourished during the first hour while
Another lawsuit against Merck alleging that its Fosamax bisphosphonate drug causes osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) will go to court beginning May 9, 2011, according to a story on aboutlawsuits.com. The plaintiff, Carolyn Hester, 75, of Florida claims she was prescribed Fosamax in 1999 and subsequently developed ONJ, leading to “severe and permanent injury” and “life-long complications.” U.S. District Judge John Keenan is presiding over pretrial litigation for the federal
The bleak picture of oral health in West Virginia painted by the 2000 U.S. surgeon general’s report on oral health hit state lawmakers and health providers hard. At 47.9%, West Virginia had the worst rate of endentulousness of adults older than age 65 of any state, while 33% of 15-year-olds had untreated caries, compared with the national average of 20%. In recent years, the state has seen improvements. Using data
