In 2009, some 3 million adults in California lost their Medicaid dental benefits as the state struggled to close a severe budget gap. Now many of the state’s poorest children are facing potential cutbacks in Medicaid dental services as well. On October 27, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved a state proposal to reduce Medi-Cal provider reimbursements by 10% in the 2012 fiscal year, retroactive to
Judith Runser, RDH, of Annapolis, MD, has won the Organization for Safety, Asepsis, and Prevention (OSAP) dental “Contagion” Contest. The contest encouraged dental professionals to use the movie “Contagion” as a “teachable moment” to discuss these issues with staff, students, and peers. Contestants were asked to submit the three actions they would immediately take if they learned that a pandemic was imminent. The OSAP global office drew one entry to
When given alongside radiation therapy for head and neck cancer, acupuncture can reduce the side effect of xerostomia, according to findings from the first randomized controlled trial of acupuncture for the prevention of xerostomia (Cancer, November 9, 2011). Researchers from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center examined 86 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma who had been treated at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center. The study included 40 patients who
Xlear has introduced an all-natural, cinnamon-flavored toothpaste that contains xylitol. Spry cinnamon toothpaste is fluoride-free and has a natural tartar control formula with aloe that helps to clean and moisturize the mouth while freshening the breath, according to the company. Xylitol makes up 25% of the toothpaste. The toothpaste can be purchased online at Xlear.com for $4.95 per tube or at natural product and health food retailers.
It took him 10 years, but Howard Wright, DMD, an inventor and retired dentist, has finally achieved his goal of creating a toothpaste that changes color as you brush. Wright Toothpaste’s Vortex toothpaste is designed to encourage kids to brush their teeth longer and more vigorously, according to the company. The toothpaste is dispensed as twin streams of red and blue toothpaste; as the child brushes, the colors mix to
William Magee, DDS, MD, had no intention of starting a charitable organization. In truth, charity wasn’t even his primary objective when he asked his wife Kathleen and their 13-year-old daughter to join him on a trip to the Philippines in 1982 to offer pro bono treatment of children with cleft lip and cleft palate. After that inaugural journey, he and Kathleen founded Operation Smile, a humanitarian organization providing free reconstructive
The human body is better at fighting periodontal disease when fat cells — which trigger inflammation — disappear, according to a study in the Journal of Periodontology (October 20, 2011). Researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine conducted a pilot study involving 31 obese people with periodontal disease. Half of the group with an average body mass index (BMI) of 39 underwent gastric bypass surgery and had
AMD Lasers has published a set of surgical manuals for dentists, titled Diode Laser Soft Tissue Surgery for Laser Dentist: Volumes 1-3. Written by dental laser educator Philip Hudson, DDS, the set includes specific settings, insurance narratives, and step-by-step instructions for 161 clinical procedures based on 53 U.S. Food and Drug Administration-cleared indications for use. The three-volume set totals more than 700 pages and is organized by each procedure’s ADA
Dental implant maker Nobel Biocare’s third-quarter revenues for 2011 were down year over year, but losses narrowed significantly. For the quarter (end-September 30), the company reported revenues of 128.2 million euros ($177 million U.S.), down from 131.7 million euros ($182 million). Net loss for the quarter was 2.2 million euros ($3 million), compared with a loss of 17.8 million euros ($24.5 million) for the same quarter a year ago. “Our implant
Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine have developed a new genetic approach to specifically block the damaged copy of the gene for a rare bone disease, while leaving the normal copy untouched (Gene Therapy, October 20, 2011). Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressive (FOP) is a rare genetic disorder of progressive extra bone formation for which there is presently no cure. It is caused by a mutation in the
Biolase Technology has received approval from the Korean Food and Drug Administration to sell its Waterlase iPlus all-tissue dental laser systems throughout South Korea. South Korea has an estimated 25,000 dentists and 16,000 dental clinics, and their progressive dental practitioners have been particularly prone to adopting high-tech dental equipment, including more than 1,000 practices that currently use one or more Biolase dental lasers. Biolase already has a distributor in South
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Erbitux (cetuximab) for use with chemotherapy to aid in the treatment of patients with late-stage head and neck cancer. The safety and effectiveness of Erbitux for this indication was based on results of a multicenter clinical study conducted outside the U.S. involving 442 patients with metastatic or recurrent head and neck cancer, according to the agency. The study used a non-U.S.