Genesis implant system set for U.S. market

The Genesis biomimetic implant system from Keystone Dental has received U.S. regulatory clearance, the company announced. The benefits of the Genesis system include the potential to achieve immediate function with a natural-looking smile, allowing the patient to leave the dentist’s office with a replacement tooth on the day of surgery, according to the company. Through its patented BioSpark surface, a nanosurface that mimics the structure of bone, the Genesis system

Lares introduces low-priced dental lasers

Lares Research has introduced the LightWalker line of lasers, the first hard- and soft-tissue laser series for dentistry priced less than $30,000, the company announced. Available in both single Er:YAG and dual Er:YAG/Nd:YAG wavelength models, LightWalker lasers are designed to perform fast cavity preps (usually without anesthetic), virtually all soft-tissue surgical procedures, and minimally invasive laser endo and perio treatments, Lares noted. The lasers are made by Fotona, a European

Can gingival color influence tooth shade perceptions?

A single set of color difference standards is unlikely to work in dental prosthesis fabrication, so practitioners may need to take factors such as skin and gingival color into account, the authors of a new study in the Journal of Dental Research contend (November 2010, Vol. 89:11, pp.1254-1258). Delwin Lindsey, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Ohio State University, and his colleague decided to conduct the study when they noticed

Crosstex offers adjustable medical face masks

Medical face mask maker Crosstex has launched a new generation of ear-loop medical face masks. With a patent-pending design, SecureFit ear-loop medical face masks enable wearers to quickly and easily adjust the mask for a more secure and customized fit, according to the company. A recent study (American Journal of Infection Control, September 2010, Vol. 38:7, pp. 501-508) found that a tighter-fitting mask may offer more than 100-fold greater infection

Women’s alcohol, folate intake affect oral cancer risk

Women who consume large amounts of alcoholic beverages and have low consumption of folates have a three times greater risk of developing oral cancers than women who also drink a lot but have high folate intake, according to researchers from Columbia University Medical Center and Harvard School of Public Health (Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, October 2010, Vol. 19:10, pp. 2516-2524). While the number of women diagnosed with oral and

Retinal, gingival bleeding linked by abnormal glucose metabolism

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Gingival and retinal hemorrhaging are predictive of each other and most often reflect an underlying disorder in glucose metabolism, researchers report in an October 11 online paper in Diabetes Care. “When we looked at individuals over 40 years old who bled in both the gums and the inner lining of the eye, it was most commonly associated with chronically elevated blood sugar levels,” lead author

Church donates over $900K to Operation Smile

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is donating $927,400 to Operation Smile to support upcoming medical missions in Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Jordan. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been a long-time supporter of the medical charity, but this donation is the largest gift it has ever given to Operation Smile. With this donation, more than 3,800 children will receive new smiles and hope for

12-year study compares composite, amalgam survival

Large composite restorations have a higher survival rate than amalgam restorations in some patient groups, although amalgam has better survival for three-surface restorations in high-risk patients, according to a 12-year study published in the Journal of Dental Research (October 2010, Vol. 89:10, pp. 1063-1067). Using patient files from a Dutch practice, researchers from Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre examined the risk for caries relative to the lifespan of 1,949 large

Jacksonville University seeks new orthodontics chief

After three years of full-time teaching at the Jacksonville University School of Orthodontics and taking over as the chair of the program earlier this year, Marc Bernard Ackerman, D.M.D., will depart at the end of the current semester to assume the role of director of orthodontics at Children’s Hospital Boston, with a teaching appointment at Harvard School of Dental Medicine. A national search for his replacement will begin in the

Oral care products drive Colgate Q3 income

Colgate-Palmolive announced that its worldwide sales for the third quarter of 2010 (end-September 30) were $3.9 billion, down 1.5% from $4 billion in the third quarter of 2009. Net income, however, was up 4.9%. The company reported net income of $619 million for the most recent third quarter, compared to $590 million for the same quarter a year ago. Much of this growth was driven by sales of the company’s oral care

Patients can’t hide eating disorders from dentists

Dentists may be the first healthcare providers to notice evidence of an eating disorder, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and pica, according to an article in AGD Impact (October 2010, Vol. 38:10). Dentists are in this position because the first signs of an eating disorder can manifest in the mouth. Sensitivity, tooth erosion, dry mouth, a high number of cavities, and enlarged salivary glands that cause

How to avoid nerve injuries during implant surgery

Although implant dentistry has become widely accepted to restore aesthetics and function of teeth, it is not without risks. One serious complication that can occur is alteration of sensation due to nerve injury. Some reports place this occurrence as high as 13%. For dental practitioners, thorough understanding of anatomy, surgical procedures, and implant systems, along with proper treatment planning, are essential to reduce the occurrence of inferior alveolar nerve (IAN)