FDA Issues Final Regulation on Dental Amalgam
from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a final regulation classifying dental amalgam and its component parts – elemental mercury and a powder alloy—used in dental fillings. While elemental mercury has been associated with adverse health effects at high exposures, the levels released by dental amalgam fillings are not high enough to cause harm in patients. More

Do You Believe In 'Tooth Worms?' Micro-images of Strange, Worm-like Structures Uncovered Inside Dissected Molar
from Science Daily
New, micro-images of strange, worm-like structures uncovered inside a dissected molar might have been held in ancient times as proof that gnawing tooth worms were the cause of tooth decay, a theory widely believed in many cultures before modern times. The structures are not worms, but what they are is still in question. More

Hygiene and the Implant Patient: A Preventive Perspective
from RDH Magazine
Dental implants are a major investment, and with proper care can last a lifetime. Advantages of implants include comfort, heightened self-esteem, ease of eating, and improved appearance, speech, and oral health. With comprehensive education by the entire dental team, patients can better understand the importance of home care and regular maintenance visits. More

Comparison of Donor-Site Engraftment After Harvesting Vascularized and Nonvascularized Iliac Bone Grafts
from Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
The objective of this study is to characterize the donor-site morbidity after harvesting of nonvascularized and vascularized iliac bone grafts. Clinical data of 353 patients were collected for analysis. In addition, a questionnaire was sent to all patients asking about their perceptions of different parameters. In an individual age-matched layout, we compared 34 patients with nonvascularized iliac bone grafts with 34 patients with vascularized iliac bone grafts. More

Dentistry 2020
from Inside Dentistry
As dentistry looks ahead to 2020, it's natural to try and excitedly forecast the conditions and trends that will shape the profession and the face of oral health care overall. In some instances, advancements and discoveries in one area may come to bear on another, helping to broaden our understanding or use and application of that innovation or scientific discipline in the context of oral health care. More

Effect of Dental Arch Convexity and Type of Archwire on Frictional Forces
from the American Journal of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics
Friction measurements in orthodontics are often derived from models by using brackets placed on flat models with various straight wires. Dental arches are convex in some areas. The objectives of this study were to compare the frictional forces generated in conventional flat and convex dental arch setups, and to evaluate the effect of different archwires on friction in both dental arch models. More

The Return of the ... Dreaded ‘Phossy Jaw’
from RDH Magazine
The first case of "phossy jaw" was recorded in 1838, and the victim, a female Viennese matchstick maker, had been exposed to the phosphorous vapors over a five-year period. Back then, the average time between exposure to the phosphorous vapors and the appearance of "phossy jaw" was about five years, but only about 5 percent of those exposed were inflicted with this disfiguring and often lethal affliction. More

Using Dentists as Dope Dealers
from CNN
Kenny Morrison soaked in life from his beachfront home. A top chef at a trendy L.A. restaurant, he served dinner to the Hollywood stars, including A-listers. But within a couple years, he lost it all. He got hooked on pain medication after some dental work. Morrison didn't buy his drugs on a street corner or get them from a dope dealer. He got them mostly from dentists he had never met. More

Tooth Decay, Bleeding Gums may Herald Chronic Ills
from Reuters
Our modern dental woes have a lot do to with modern whole-body ills like heart disease and diabetes, according to the author of a review of decades' worth of studies on diet and health. The culprit in both cases? The so-called fermentable carbohydrates forming the foundation of the modern diet, says Dr. Philippe P. Hujoel with the University of Washington School of Dentistry in Seattle. More

Selling Gum with Health Claims
from The New York Times
The slogan for Trident in the 1970s — "four out of five dentists surveyed recommend sugarless gums for their patients who chew gum" — typified how sugarless gum was marketed for decades after Trident first introduced a saccharine-sweetened gum in 1964. Today, however, sugarless brands claim not that they do less harm but untold good. More