March 3, 2009

The theme at the 2009 Chicago Midwinter Meeting was The World of Dental Networking, and nowhere did more networking take place than in the event’s massive exhibit hall. “The latest innovations in equipment and materials can be found in one location: The Midwinter Meeting Exhibit Hall,” said David P. Kumamoto, Chicago Dental Society’s 2009 president, in his welcome address.

March 3, 2009

A new study addresses the growing controversy among dental health professionals regarding the best course of treatment when evaluating between a root canal or dental implant procedure. Researchers evaluated the success and failure rates of teeth treated endodontically or extracted and replaced with a dental implant.

March 3, 2009

With its Single Tooth Anesthesia (STA) System, Milestone Scientific is changing the way local anesthesia is being delivered today. Dr Mark Hochman, a periodontist and orthodontist who also teaches at the New York University School of Dental Surgery, shares in the responsibility for inventing much of the technology currently available from Milestone Scientific. As Dr Hochman told Dental Tribune during an interview at the recent Midwinter Meeting in Chicago, the STA System allows a dentist to perform all of the traditional injections that can be performed with a hand-held syringe, but in a superior manner.

March 3, 2009

They are not led by the most well-known speakers on the dental education circuit, but table clinics — those concise, 15- to 20-minute presentations about materials, procedures, and techniques — offer some of the most interesting topics you’ll find anywhere. At the Chicago Dental Society’s 144th Midwinter Meeting, held recently, a number of table clinics were offered. 

March 1, 2009 | Business

LEIPZIG, Germany: The US pharmaceutical company Novalar has launched their latest premier dental product OraVerse at the Chicago Midwinter Meeting held in Chicago in February. The product is the first local anaesthesia reversal agent that accelerates the return to normal sensation and function for patients who wish to avoid the lingering soft tissue anaesthesia following routine dental procedures in which a local anaesthetic containing a vasoconstrictor was used.

February 23, 2009

Dr John S. Findley, president of the American Dental Association (ADA), applauded American legislators for recently introducing a federal bill aimed at understanding and treating ‘meth mouth’—a condition where teeth can become blackened, stained, rotting and crumbling from methamphetamine (meth) use.

February 18, 2009

Uniting on behalf of the endodontic specialty, the Board of Directors of the American Association of Endodontists (AAE) recently joined the American Dental Political Action Committee as members of its Capital Club. The initiative, currently the only one of its kind among dental specialties, demonstrates through monetary contributions the AAE’s conscious commitment to political outreach.

February 9, 2009

The current economic climate has presented challenges for many, yet one company, Milestone Scientific, seems to be bucking the trend. In 2008 most dental equipment manufacturers reported declines in sales ranging from 10 to 30 percent, with some large equipment manufactures reporting even greater losses. It might lead one to wonder why sales of Milestone’s STA System were up over 200 per cent, exceeding all of the company sales forecasts. Dental Tribune recently interviewed Scott Mahnken, Milestone Scientific’s director of marketing, about the company’s success, its innovative product and the various advantages that computer-controlled local anesthesia delivery offer the dentist.

February 6, 2009

The future of implant dentistry is bright. That was the message delivered at the Long Island Dental Implant Symposium, held recently at the Huntington Hilton in Melville, NY, USA. The event featured presentations by three well-known speakers and was sponsored by Astra Tech and Town & Country Dental Studios. More than 50 dentists attended, according to organizers of the event.

February 3, 2009

Dr Assad F. Mora is a native of Syria who came to the United States in the early 1970s to study prosthodontics. Today he maintains a private practice in Santa Barbara, CA, USA, with his wife, Kathy Patmore, an endodontist. As inventor of the MORA Interface and the MoraVision 3D system, Dr Mora pioneered a new era in visualization technology by introducing the use of stereoscopic 3-D video technology for viewing the operating field in real time for performing clinical dental procedure. Dr Mora spent some time with Dental Tribune discussing how he became involved with microscope-enhanced dentistry, the thinking behind MoraVision 3D system, and what he sees for the future of microdentistry.

February 2, 2009

When endodontists go to work, they invariably think about things like access, working length, cyclic fatigue and obturation. But when patients think about a root canal, they are primarily concerned about one thing and one thing alone — pain.

January 10, 2009

LOS ANGELES, CA, USA: The Shapiro Family Charitable Foundation in the US has made a US$1 million pledge to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Dentistry for the establishment of the Dr No-Hee Park Endowed Chair in Dentistry, to honour the School’s dean and foster excellence in research and scholarship in biomedical and dental science. The endowed professorship, which is intended to support the teaching and research activities of a distinguished faculty member at the School of Dentistry, will be held by the chair of the School’s division of Oral Biology and Medicine.

January 1, 2009

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, USA: The University of California’s School of Dentistry in San Francisco has received a multimillion-dollar grant from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), to address disparities in children’s oral health and to launch new programmes in preventing early childhood tooth decay, also called ECC.

December 11, 2008 | Business

REALITY is a US-based consensus report on dental products and techniques that aims to protect patients by informing dentists. In their headquarters in Houston, TX, the company behind it, REALITY Publishing Co., is constantly testing products and techniques using clinically relevant methods under laboratory conditions. An Editorial Team (ET), comprised of leading clinicians from around the world, also uses the products in their clinics and practices. Dental Tribune editor Claudia Salwiczek spoke with Co-Founder Dr Michael Miller about the rating system and what dentists should consider when choosing a product.

December 11, 2008

LEIPZIG, Germany: The US Department of Defense has announced the start of a recruiting campaign aimed at foreigners living in the United States on temporary visas, to fill critical shortages of medical personnel in the military.

November 30, 2008

Tens of thousands of dental professionals gathered in Manhattan the weekend after Thanksgiving for the Greater New York Dental Meeting (GNYDM). It was an opportunity to grow, to explore new products and techniques, and to connect with colleagues. For dentists, practice staff members and exhibitors, the ultimate goal was the same: to improve patient care. There were educational opportunities throughout the meeting — even right on the exhibit hall floor.

November 20, 2008

Pittsburgh, PA, USA: Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have developed a quick and simple method for detecting mercury in fish and dental samples, two substances at the centre of public concern about mercury contamination.

November 16, 2008

LEIPZIG, Germany: Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, USA, have discovered dental pulp stem cells can stimulate growth and generation of several types of neural cells. Findings from this study suggest dental pulp stem cells show promise for use in cell therapy and regenerative medicine, particularly therapies associated with the central nervous system.