Nobel Biocare Holding AG, the world’s second-biggest maker of dental implants, is in discussions about a possible sale of the company as interest in medical-device companies increases.

Read full story here. 

SOURCES: Tom Hartley, Ph.D. lecturer, department of psychology, University of York, Heslington, England; Nicholas Rule, Ph.D., assistant professor, psychology, Canada Research Chair in social perception and cognition, University of Toronto, Canada; July 28, 2014, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

VIa ADA News - Washington – The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Oct. 8 in North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners v. Federal Trade Commission, a case in which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld an FTC ruling that the board violated federal antitrust law in attempting to preclude non-dentist providers from engaging in the sale of teeth whitening services.

Read full story here. 

WASHINGTON, July 21, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- According to a new report published in Medical Care, some young adults are enjoying extended dental coverage under the health care policies of their parents, whose employers are voluntarily expanding dental coverage in conjunction with expanded medical coverage. Although the Affordable Care Act (ACA) allows parents to keep their children on their medical plans up to age 26, there is no similar requirement for dental coverage.

Analyzing two years of post-reform data, the report's authors found that the ACA's expanded dependent coverage provision increased access to dental care for young adults ages 19-25 by 6.9 percentage points. Given that the pre-reform coverage rate for this group was 38 percent, this is a significant increase. Utilization of dental services had also increased by 3.3 percentage points. Finally, the study showed that the ACA policy led to a 2.0 percentage point decrease in the likelihood of this age group experiencing financial barriers to dental care.

Authors Marko Vujicic, PhD, Cassandra Yarbrough, MPP, and Kamyar Nasseh, PhD, examined the impact of the ACA policy on three outcomes: dental benefits coverage, dental care utilization, and financial barriers to dental care. All three authors are researchers with the American Dental Association Health Policy Institute. Dr. Vujicic heads the institute.

The ACA medical coverage expansion's effect on dental coverage could slow a trend in recent years that has seen fewer young adults seeking and receiving routine dental care.

ADA President Charles Norman, D.D.S. praised the report.

"Given that the ACA fell far short of what it should have done for adult dental coverage, this at least is encouraging news," he said.

"The fact remains that this segment of the population is just that—only a segment," Dr. Norman said. "Millions of Americans continue to face barriers to dental care, which is why the ADA created Action for Dental Health, a nationwide, community-based movement designed to ensure that everyone, including the most vulnerable among us, have access to the best quality of dental care America's dentists can provide."

New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) is pleased to announce that, effective January 2015, it will offer an accelerated, continuous, 17-month, Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree in dental hygiene. 

The Fast-Track AAS degree program, the first of its kind in New York State, is designed specifically to enable highly-motivated students to gain access to the same innovative, high quality education as that offered by the traditional two-to-three year course of study, but in a more concentrated period. 

US News and World Report ranks dental hygiene in the top 10 on their list of Best Jobs of 2014. Dental hygienists make yearly starting salaries of more than $70,000, and the prediction is for 33.3 percent employment growth in this field within the next decade. 

“The new Fast-Track program addresses the readiness of high school graduates -- and those who already hold college degrees but desire to change careers -- to enter one of the most personally fulfilling and professionally rewarding health professions within the shortest possible time,” said Dr. Cheryl Westphal Theile, assistant dean for allied health programs at NYUCD. “As key members of the healthcare team, dental hygienists work together with dentists to meet the oral health needs of patients and thereby improve patients’ quality of life.” 

NYU offers the only dental hygiene programs housed within a dental college in New York State. This gives Fast-Track students the opportunity to learn in integrated clinical settings alongside NYU dental students, as well as with NYU faculty members from dental hygiene, dentistry, and dental specialty areas (orthodontics, periodontics, prosthodontics, implant dentistry, pediatric dentistry, and oral surgery) in state-of-the-art facilities that attract the largest, most diverse patient population in the nation. Community-based rotations further enable students to gain valuable clinical experience while helping to educate patients about the importance of oral health and promoting a lifetime of good health habits.

Graduates of the program are qualified to take the clinical board examinations and the dental hygiene national boards, which are requirements for state licensure. The NYU Fast-Track dental hygiene program is fully accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation for Dental Hygiene Education Programs. 

Professional opportunities following graduation include clinical practice, public health careers, research, and health-care management. Financial aid is available. 

The Fast-Track AAS Program is currently accepting applications for January 2015. The deadline for submission of applications is November 1, 2014. For more information and to apply, please go to https://dental.nyu.edu/academicprograms/dental-hygiene-programs.html and click on “Application Process.”

Tulsa, Okla. (July 23, 2014) – DENTSPLY Tulsa Dental Specialtiesannounced today a partnership with The American Association of Endodontists Foundation to establish the AAE Foundation/DENTSPLY Excellence in Research Award.

The award seeks to recognize two North American dental school endodontic departments for their outstanding achievements in research, to encourage the level of research being conducted and to advance future goals for start-up research efforts. The award will be given annually through 2017.

“We’re proud to be able to provide research funding for such a critical piece of advancing the specialty of endodontics,” said John Voskuil, vice president and general manager of DENTSPLY Tulsa Dental Specialties. “Recipient endodontic programs can use the funds as they see fit to enhance the strength of the program and further their research development efforts.”

The 2014 recipients, The University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry and The University of Maryland School of Dentistry, each received $25,000 and were announced at the AAE 2014 Annual Session in Washington D.C.

“The AAE Foundation is thrilled at the opportunity to partner with DENTSPLY Tulsa Dental Specialties and encourage endodontic institutions to bolster their research initiative,” said AAE Foundation President Louis E. Rossman, D.M.D. “Support for our organization from a strong corporate community is greatly appreciated by all endodontic practitioners. The Foundation is thoroughly delighted to enter this five-year, joint venture to enhance endodontic research with long-time supporter and enthusiastic partner, DENTSPLY Tulsa Dental Specialties.”

DENTSPLY Tulsa Dental Specialties is widely-recognized as the leading marketer, developer and manufacturer of endodontic products in North America. The company’s world-class live and online Continuing Education courses bring enhanced clinical success and confidence to tens of thousands of clinicians annually. DENTSPLY Tulsa Dental Specialties is a division of York, Pennsylvania-based DENTSPLY International, Inc., a global dental and consumable medical device company with operations and sales in more than 120 countries. For more information, please visit www.TulsaDentalSpecialties.comor call 1-800-662-1202.

The American Association of Endodontists Foundation, headquartered in Chicago and incorporated in 1966, is the philanthropic arm of the AAE. As a 501(c)(3) charity organization, its mission is to improve the oral health by securing contributions, shepherding resources and sharing grant funds that support research, generate new knowledge and enhance endodontic education. The Foundation provides the specialty with resources to address needs, meet challenges and realize dreams for the future. 

Chicago, July 22, 2014 – Clinicians from Japan and the United Kingdom shared the stage at the Royal Society of Medicine on July 4, 2014 for the Academy of Osseointegration (AO) UK Charter Chapter’s third annual meeting. The one-day scientific program facilitated the exchange of education and information on the latest evidence-based advances in implant dentistry and tissue engineering and exemplified the successful network AO is creating internationally through its Charter Chapter initiative. For more information about AO’s Global Outreach and Chapter Charters, visit https://www.osseo.org/charterChapters.html.

“What a delight it was to take part in this meeting with a combination of six speakers, three from the United Kingdom and three from Japan, with a quality of material that would grace the finest of scientific meetings,” said Dr. Michael Norton (London), AO Board Member and Global Program Development (GPD) committee chair. “There was an emphasis on core-based evidence backed up by strong clinical examples.”

Dr. Norton moderated the program, which was organized by the GPD committee Vice-Chair and AO UK Ambassador Dr. Stephen Jacobs (Glasgow, Scotland). The program offered six hours of verifiable continuing professional development to the approximately 50 attendees. Dr. Takashi Sumi (Ichinomiya-City, Aichi, Japan) was responsible for encouraging and organizing the Japanese group to travel to London for this unique event.

Ashok Sethi (London) opened the meeting with a lecture on predictable esthetic implant restoration and rehabilitation of the jaws using digital technology. The importance of CAD-CAM and guided surgery, coupled with clinical and diagnostic tools together with good communication with the dentaltechnicianwas stressed. This way margins for error can be minimized and the deliveryof predictable full-arch fixed cementable restorations can be ensured. The use of lab-made transfer restorations in the development of soft tissue was a key message.

Dr. Yoshiro Lida (Nagoya, Aichi, Japan) was next; he demonstrated excellent evidenced-based principles,guidelinesand diagnostic keys set out by Dr J Kois in 2001 and addressed soft tissue principles. He showed a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach, some of which utilized orthodontic techniques, a novel tooth autotransplantation technique and the root preservation technique, and backed it all up with outstanding clinical images.

Dr. Jacobs, the program’s organizer, concluded the morning session with a lecture on immediate implant placement and provisionalization, demonstrating a re-emergence of this treatment modality with the paradigm-shift in favor of immediate placement that are being seen both in the scientific literature and in clinical practices. He spoke about how clinicians can achieve predictable outcomes and identify suitable parameters in clinical situations for immediate placement. Looking for best evidence, Dr. Jacobs explored the literature, presenting the arguments both for and against this protocol, addressing some of the controversies that are being argued out in the literature at the moment. He concluded that in the challenging esthetic arena, experienced clinicians should carry out immediate placement and restoration.

After lunch, Professor Yasuhiro Nosaka (Ashiya, Hyogo, Japan) delivered a comprehensive and exceptional surgical revue, and masterful appreciation of the sinus bone graft. He gave a clear demonstration on the diagnosis and treatment of the sinus floor with relevant maxillary sinus pathology, using superb sequential CBCT images, with the immediate changes that occur in the sinus space in the days and weeks following the surgical procedures.

Dr. Stephen Barter (Eastbourne, East Sussex, England) was the next speaker and gave a succinct lecture on current trends in the rehabilitation of maxillary arches, and from his comprehensive literature review stressed what would be the most relevant treatment in individual cases. Quite soberingly, Dr. Barter revealed some clear points: there is not enough 'good' evidence available, from the sparing amounts that currently exist, and clinicians must all be very aware that ‘evidence' may not necessarily be ‘good evidence’.

To conclude the meeting, Dr. Kunihiko Teranishi (Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan) opened eyes to the application of photofunctionalization. The use of video projections and a skilled compilation of anecdotal clinical evidence made for an interesting presentation using this little known and understood concept.

The next UK Charter Chapter will be held in Spring/Summer 2015.

The Japanese group will host their inaugural Charter Chapter in Tokyo in 2015. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently launched a new campaign focused on educating the public on the oral health dangers associated with smoking. ADHA supports this initiative, and is working to help spread the word about how smoking relates to periodontal disease and other oral health issues.

As dental hygienists are well aware, periodontal (or gum) disease is an infection of the tissue and bones that support teeth. In severe cases, the bone and tissue that hold the teeth in place can break down, leading people to lose many or all of their teeth. The CDC has produced new TV ads and videos that use personal stories to demonstrate the link between smoking and gum disease. The ADHA is helping share that message through social media and other communication tools.

The National Institutes of Health calls smoking “one of the most significant risk factors” for gum disease in the United States. Tobacco use in any form — cigarettes, pipes and smokeless (chewing) tobacco — raises your risk for gum disease.

Smoking weakens a person’s immune system, which makes it harder to fight off a gum infection. Smokers are twice as likely as a nonsmoker to have gum disease. The longer someone smokes, the greater his or her risk for gum disease. And treatments for gum disease may not work as well for people who smoke.

When talking to patients, colleagues, family and friends who smoke, let them know it’s never too late to quit. In fact, nearly 70 percent of smokers say they’d like to quit. The CDC has a toll-free number, 800/QUIT-NOW, that can connect smokers with free help to improve their odds of quitting smoking.

For more resources that you can use to help start this conversation with patients about how to quit smoking, visithttps://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/partners/health/dental/.

 Alexandria, Va., USA – Today, the American Association for Dental Research (AADR), as part of the Coalition for Health Funding (CHF), which represents more than 90 public health advocacy organizations, released a new report documenting the dire consequences of Congress’s deep cuts to public health programs in recent years. “Faces of Austerity: How Budget Cuts Hurt America’s Health” illustrates how recent outbreaks of measles, the steady drumbeat of school shootings at the hands of mentally ill gunmen, and an epidemic of heroin abuse have all been exacerbated by cuts to programs designed to address such issues of public concern. AADR’s contribution to the publication highlighting the recent austerity measures significant impact on dental, oral and craniofacial research may be found on pages 36-37 of the report. 

The National Institutes of Health – National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research lost $23 million in funding in fiscal year 2013 and only $10 million of that was restored in fiscal year 2014. However, when adjusted for inflation, the NIDCR budget is 22 percent, or $75 million, less than it was in 2002, resulting in the lowest number of research grants awarded in 13 years. Additionally, these cuts translated into fewer training slots at some universities for young and promising researchers; increased competition for grants; and layoffs of laboratory support staff, thus slowing the progress of promising oral health research. 

Nationally, budget cuts have forced the layoffs of more than 50,000 public health professionals who monitor and respond to virus outbreaks, immunize children and the elderly, inspect restaurants, and care for the indigent. Public health departments in 33 states and the District of Columbia have reduced their budgets. Funds for public health overall, let alone the workforce, have been eroding for nearly a decade and the sequester cuts have led to a situation that makes us all less secure and puts our health at risk. It only gets worse from here: while we have some limited sequester relief in 2015, we face the full impact of sequestration again in 2016 and for years to come. 

Treating oral health conditions is costly, with $110.9 billion in expenditures on dental services in 2012. Oral health disparities exist for many racial and ethnic groups. Future advances in health care depend on a sustained investment in basic research to identify the fundamental causes and mechanisms of disease, accelerate technological development and discovery, and ensure a robust pipeline of creative and skillful biomedical researchers. 

“Continuation of budget cuts dictated by the Budget Control Act of 2011 would significantly impact our members, universities and research supported by the National Institutes of Health, and ultimately deny Americans a healthier future. This is particularly alarming because NIDCR-supported scientists are on the verge of improving detection for diseases through the use of salivary diagnostics, said AADR President Timothy DeRouen. “We call on Congress to stop further cuts to biomedical research and public health programs.” 

To read “Faces of Austerity: How Budget Cuts Hurt America’s Health,” please visit www.iadr.org/files/public/14JulyFacesAusterityReport.pdf. 

Tallahassee, Fla. – In a 2009 American Dental Association member survey, nearly 65 percent of dentists responded that they believe dental technicians and laboratories are regulated in their state. This is not the case. In fact, only four states in the U.S. require either certification or continuing education for creating devices that are in some cases permanently placed in patents’ mouths. In addition, dental laboratories in more than 40 states in the U.S. remain unregulated, and foreign imports may not be held to the same level of scrutiny.

Poorly-made dental restorations – whether made in America or abroad – can lead to a range of health consequences for patients and, in turn, legal consequences for dentists. Growing demand for dental work in America has created a market that features both high-end and economy-priced work. This has inspired some unqualified producers to set up shop almost anywhere, with a strong disregard for hygiene and sanitation standards, like the Ohio basement laboratory exposed in a news story in November 2013.

The National Association of Dental Laboratories (NADL) is hoping to create patient and dentist awareness through its “What’s in Your Mouth?” campaign, designed to give patients, dentists and the dental laboratory community the information necessary to make informed decisions about their dental needs.

Here are five ways dentists can ensure their patients are getting the quality restorations they deserve.

1. Find out if your state requires minimum dental laboratory standards here.

Most state dental practice acts do not regulate or set standards for operation for dental laboratories or dental technicians. It is important that dentists seek to work with individuals and companies that have voluntarily achieved “third party verification” of their skills, knowledge and operating standards.

2. Find a Certified Dental Technician to work with here. (Click on the CDT logo under “Show”)

The ability of dentists to deliver a high standard of care in restorative and cosmetic dentistry is enhanced by working with a formally educated, trained and/or Certified Dental Technician. Dental technicians bring considerable experience and subject matter expertise in the areas of dental materials, technology utilization, shade verification and implant dentistry. Dental technicians are true partners in helping dentists grow their practice. Dental technicians, although generally operating behind the scenes in the oral health team, are a crucial part of ensuring the delivery of quality dental care.

3. Find a Certified Dental Laboratory to work with here.  Find a Dental Appliance Manufacturers Audit System (DAMAS) accredited laboratory here.

Dental restorations increasingly are being imported from countries like China, India and Vietnam. Depending on the country, those dental laboratories may not be subject to the same scrutiny that domestic laboratories receive from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It is crucial for dentists to be informed of where exactly they are getting their restorations from.

The DAMAS specifications provide a clear-cut process for improving documentation in every facet of laboratory operations including: dental prescriptions/work authorizations; patient contact materials; subcontractor/supplier agreements; material and equipment purchases; employee training; maintenance and calibration of equipment; labeling; customer complaints; and material traceability. To ensure product quality and foster a professional industry relative to quality assurance, NADL offers this system as a resource to dental laboratories.

4. Stay up-to-date on legislative updates here.

Staying informed will help dentists and their staff become a go-to source for patients’ restoration questions.

5. If you are working with a CDT and CDL, inform your patients that they are receiving quality dental restorations. 

Patients have a right to know. Patients should have access to their personal dental records that outline the patient contact materials that are used in their restorations and also in what country such finished restorations are manufactured. Patients should be aware that approximately 25 percent of domestic dental laboratory sales and 38 percent of actual restorations are manufactured overseas. There are 42 countries that currently have foreign dental laboratories registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

For more information, please visit the NADL website Public Awareness link at www.nadl.org.