In memory of Liz Koch and her many years of service and contributions in support of dental assistants, the DALE Foundation has introduced a scholarship in her honor. Liz joined the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc. (DANB) staff in 2001; she was promoted to the Director, Testing and Measurement in 2002 and named Chief Operating Officer in 2006. In addition to her remarkable impact on DANB, Liz played an instrumental role working with board directors, trustees, and staff to establish the DALE Foundation, the official DANB affiliate. Liz served as COO of DANB and the DALE Foundation until her untimely passing in 2011.

Liz believed in the potential of DANB and the DALE Foundation, but even more so, she believed in the potential of others. This memorial scholarship embodies Liz’s values and belief in the power of lifelong learning.

“Liz had the ability to accept you for who you are and to see what you had the capacity to become,” says Cindy Durley, M.Ed., MBA, Executive Director of DANB and the DALE Foundation. “The Liz Koch Memorial Scholarship is a true legacy to her commitment to mentoring others and her passion for lifelong learning.”

The Liz Koch Memorial Scholarship is intended to help oral healthcare professionals reach their professional development goals and support their mentorship activities. The scholarship is open to all dental assistants, DANB certificants and other oral healthcare professionals.

Winners will receive between $250 and $1,000, plus access to three continuing education products of their choice from the DALE Foundation catalog. Winners will be chosen based on their interest in and commitment to the oral healthcare profession, as well as mentorship experiences.

To learn more about the scholarship requirements, download the application.

Individuals and organizations interested in donating to the Liz Koch Memorial Scholarship can donate online or mail a check to the DALE Foundation, 444 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 970, Chicago, IL 60611.

As towns across Cape Cod struggle with problems stemming from septic systems, a recent study by a Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) scientist focuses on one specific toxic byproduct: mercury. In a study of local groundwater, biogeochemist Carl Lamborg found microbial action on wastewater transforms it into more mobile, more toxic forms of the element.

His findings were published in Environmental Science and Technology in November 2013.

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic trace metal. Wastewater contains small amounts of it, but Lamborg found the chemical processes that break down waste increase mercury levels in the ground and water.

Between 2010 and 2012 Lamborg measured the concentrations and various forms of mercury at sampling wells installed by U.S. Geological Survey surrounding a wastewater treatment site operated by the Massachusetts Military Reservation in western Cape Cod. Wastewater was disposed into the ground at this site from 1936 to 1995, creating a 3-kilometer-long plume of contaminants spreading downstream from this site. The plume travels about 200 meters per year through the aquifer and ends in a coastal saltwater pond.

“The amount of mercury flowing out of the watershed and into the ocean and these ponds is something like twice as much as it would be if wastewater was not being put into the ground,” said Lamborg, who analyzed the chemistry of the samples in his lab at WHOI.

To better understand why, he looked at two sites along the plume where microbes have broken down the carbon and nitrogen from the waste and have consumed all of the oxygen in the sediment and groundwater, making the sites anoxic.

Near the upstream point of entry, he found the microbes were using iron to break down the waste, a process called iron reduction. In this process, he observed the most common form of mercury, (Hg²⁺), which, he said, normally sticks to the sediment, was reduced into “less sticky” elemental mercury (Hg⁰) that more easily seeps into the groundwater and is transported downstream.

At a second sample site further downstream, he found a high concentration of another type of mercury, monomethylmercury (MMHg), which accumulates in fish at toxic levels and can be detrimental to human health.

“In some cases, 100 percent of the mercury present at that location was MMHg,” he said. This form of mercury also easily moves through the water and can accumulate in ponds and the ocean, where fish and other animals absorb it.

He quickly adds that the level of MMHg is not high enough to make the water dangerous to drink. However, the concentration would be even lower if wastewater had not been disposed into the ground in the first place.

“This should make us all think twice about what we dump into the ground. Adding more nitrogen into the ground through wastewater, and even fertilizers for our agricultural fields and golf courses, offers a potential for mercury to accumulate and move through the aquifer to our ponds, lakes, and the ocean. That’s something I don’t think people are really thinking about,” he said.

Lamborg looked further into the chemical process occurring at the second site and found something even more surprising. He observed a chemical process where microbes use organic carbon with nitrate to break down organic matter, a process called denitrification. While previous studies have shown low levels of MMHg where denitrification occurs, this site exhibits high levels of MMHg occurring from denitrification.

“This kind of thing where you see denitrification resulting in the methylation of mercury has never been observed before,” he said.

Lamborg is pursuing funding to support the next steps in this research to illuminate what is triggering these chemical changes in the mercury. 

Accumulating out of sight

Curiously, there is even more mercury in the plume than was originally deposited from the wastewater and produced by the waste-eating microbes. So where is it coming from?

“What it looks like is, the mercury that was already there in the aquifer or sand is being mined out when the groundwater goes anoxic,” said Lamborg. Mercury that has been stored in the ground for several thousands of years is being drawn out and is now on the move.

Along the Ashumet Valley, a 3-kilometer depression between the towns of Falmouth, Sandwich, and Mashpee, Mass., mercury continues to accumulate and move downstream in a plume ending in Green Pond in East Falmouth.

According to Lamborg, it’s a community-wide problem. Because the soil on Cape Cod is sandy, waste dumped into the ground disappears quickly. Although it may seem out of sight and out of mind, the contaminants such as mercury accumulate and resurface in the ponds and ocean.

“This is just one really big example, but it’s happening in a small way through everybody’s backyard septic system, which leaches a little bit of mercury out of the aquifer and accumulates. You don’t need a really big industrial scale thing for this to happen. It’s happening everywhere,” Lamborg said.

“These findings should help guide future studies evaluating potential groundwater contamination with mercury,” said Doug Kent, a U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist, who collaborated on this research.

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, non-profit organization on Cape Cod, Mass., dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930 on a recommendation from the National Academy of Sciences, its primary mission is to understand the ocean and its interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate a basic understanding of the ocean’s role in the changing global environment. For more information, please visit www.whoi.edu.

Moving Forward to a Safer Tomorrow in Dentistry is OSAP's 30th anniversary educational symposium; a richly constructed conference combining world class education with valuable networking activities. You will leave with new information, resources and products to help you better address your infection prevention and safety challenges. You also will meet new colleagues who share your interest in this critically important topic area.

The 2014 OSAP Symposium is June 5-8 in Minneapolis, MN. Early-bird registration ends March 31.

Click here for further information and to register.

Conference time is here! The team here at American Academy of Dental Office Managers (AADOM) can’t wait to see you in gorgeous San Diego! September will be here before you know it and YOU will be meeting new friends and catching up with old ones at the beautiful Hilton San Diego Bayfront hotel all while getting an exceptional education. And “HAPPY ANNIVERSARY” to AADOM! This year marks AADOM's 10th Annual Conference!

The line-up this year is education packed and full of cutting edge practice management education. Additionally, AADOM is delighted to welcome back its most popular Keynote Speakers who will comprise the “Hall of Fame” Expert Panel. The topics this year are timely and you will take away pearls that will improve your practice substantially. Visit the registration site and choose your workshops. You do not want to miss out on four days of valuable education consisting of workshops, industry updates, software palooza and events with leaders in the dental field, and industry veterans!

This conference sells out every year; do not wait!

Click here to register.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – 3M ESPE continues to advance the overall scanning experience of the 3M True Definition Scanner with its latest 4.2 software upgrade. This upgrade improves the ease of rotation when scanning over incisal edges and streamlines the installation process for chairside connections.

The 3M True Definition Scanner allows dentists the flexibility to practice the way they want, using the digital workflows that they choose. This one device gives dentists unlimited options, with access to the broadest array of Open and Trusted Connections. The upgrade will be available to all 3M True Definition Scanners and is another example of 3M’s commitment to continuously improve the user experience and offer the greatest value possible with its affordable monthly data plans.

“The newest software update for the 3M True Definition Scanner has definitely reduced the time it takes to complete a scan,” said Dr. Joseph Fox of Fox Family Dental in Sun City, Ariz.

“Our customers are pleased to see 3M providing continuous technology improvements without additional upgrade costs,” said David Frazee, VP and GM of 3M Digital Oral Care. “With 3M’s model, it is easy to get started now with something that is proven, and still be well positioned for future improvements.” 

The 3M True Definition Scanner continues to be more accurate—and more consistently accurate—than leading systems on the market¹. The outstanding accuracy leads to reduced seating times and has been clinically proven in thousands of cases in the past 12 months, with a fit rate of 99.7%². 

For more information about the 3M True Definition Scanner, visit www.3M.com/TrueDef.

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1.      Study methodology described in: van der Meer WJ, et. al. (2012). Application of Intra-Oral Dental Scanners in the Digital Workflow of Implantology. PLoS ONE 7(8):e43312.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0043312. Additional measurements conducted by ACTA (Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam); Wicher J. van der Meer, et. al. (2012). Publication pending.

2.       Data on file.

The uplifting effects of energy drinks are well advertised, but a new report finds consumption among teenagers may be linked with poor mental health and substance use.

Researchers are calling for limits on teen’s access to the drinks and reduction in the amount of the caffeine in each can.

The paper by researchers at the University of Waterloo and Dalhousie University, published in Preventive Medicine, found that high school students prone to depression as well as those who are smoke marijuana or drink alcohol are more likely to consume energy drinks than their peers.

 “While it remains unclear why these associations exist, the trend is a concern because of the high rate of consumption among teenagers,” said Sunday Azagba, a researcher at the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact at the University of Waterloo and lead author on the paper.  “These drinks appeal to young people because of their temporary benefits like increased alertness, improved mood and enhanced mental and physical energy.”

Among the 8210 high school students surveyed, nearly two thirds reported using energy drinks at least once in the past year, with more than 20 percent consuming them once or more per month. Younger high school students were more likely to consume energy drinks than older ones.

“Marketing campaigns appear designed to entice youth and young adults,” said Azagba. “It’s a dangerous combination, especially for those at an increased risk for substance abuse.”

Energy drinks have been associated with a number of negative health effects, including cardiovascular symptoms, sleep impairment and nervousness and nausea. The side effects are caused by the beverages’ high concentration of caffeine.

“Given the negative effects of excessive caffeine consumption as well as the coincident occurrence of the use of energy drinks and other negative behaviors in teens, the trends we are seeing are more than cause for concern,” said Azagba.

In recent years energy drink sales have skyrocketed, with sales forecasted to reach $20 billion in 2013 in the United States alone.

“In our opinion, at the very least steps should be taken to limit teens’ access to energy drinks, to increase public awareness and education about the potential harms of these drinks and to minimize the amount of caffeine available in each unit,” said Azagba. “This won’t eliminate the problem entirely, but steps like these can help mitigate harm to our youth that appears to be associated with consumption of these drinks. This is something we need to take seriously. Change won’t happen without a concerted effort.”

The study was based on data from the 2012 Student Drug Use Survey, consisting of a representative sample of junior and senior high school students from three provinces in Atlantic Canada.

With nearly 32 million American students receiving government-subsidized meals every day, getting children the nutrition they need is a priority for schools as well as legislators. In the fall of 2012, revamped school lunch guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) went into effect. New standards necessitate increased availability of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, require students to select either a fruit or vegetable as one of their lunch items, and mandate larger portion sizes for fruits and vegetables.

Initially, the guidelines were maligned by food service directors, teachers, parents, and students who claimed that forcing larger portion sizes and requiring students to select a fruit or vegetable they may not want to eat would lead to an increase in food waste. While mostly anecdotal, these concerns were potentially problematic if true. To find out, researchers looked at cafeteria food waste from four low-income urban schools in Massachusetts, both before and after the new USDA standards went into effect. Their findings are published in the April issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Investigators found that the new school meal standards did not result in increased food waste, and that percentages of food discarded remained roughly the same both pre- and post-implementation of the new regulations. Investigators did discover that the new guidelines have resulted in increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, along with students eating more of their main entrée.

After the new regulations went into effect, the percentage of students selecting a fruit increased significantly (from 52.7% to 75.7%), but there was no corresponding rise in food waste, meaning that there was a substantial increase in the number of students consuming fruits. For children who selected a vegetable, both the percentage consumed (24.9% pre-implementation vs 41.1% post-implementation) and cups per day consumed (0.13 cups/day vs 0.31 cups/day) improved. The changes also led to students consuming a larger portion of their main entrée (from 72.3% to 87.9%).

“Many low-income students rely on school meals for up to half of their daily energy intake,” says lead investigator Juliana F.W. Cohen, ScM, ScD, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health. “Therefore, school meals can have important implications for student health. Increased consumption of healthier foods during the school day may result in the displacement of energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods that many students are exposed to after leaving school grounds.”

Although investigators found no evidence that the new USDA policies lead to an increase in food waste, they discovered that the guidelines did not impact the existing problem of excessive amounts of school lunch ending up in the trash can. Data revealed that the amount of food discarded both pre- and post-regulation remained consistently high, with students throwing away roughly 60%-75% of the vegetables and 40% of the fruits they were served.

“While the new standards make important changes by requiring reimbursable school meals to have increased quantities of fruits and vegetables and more vegetable variety, this may not be sufficient,” explains Dr. Cohen. “Schools must also focus on the quality and palatability of the fruits and vegetables offered and on creative methods to engage students to taste and participate in selection of menu items to decrease overall waste levels.”

While there is no doubt that steps should be taken to lower the amount of overall food waste in schools, the new standards from the USDA appear to be a step in the right direction by helping students to consume more fruits and vegetables without leading to an increase in the amount of food thrown away.

Still, there is political pressure on the USDA to relax the guidelines due to food waste concerns. “Overall, the new requirements have led to improvements in student diets and have not resulted in increased food waste,” adds Dr. Cohen. “Lawmakers should not consider further weakening the school meal standards. The new school meal standards are the strongest implemented by the USDA to date, and the improved dietary intakes will likely have important health implications for children.”

HAUPPAUGE, NY — Mydent International’s newest addition to its preventative line is the DEFEND Desensitizer. A universal desensitizing agent, this product can be placed under dental cements as well as temporary, provisional or final restorative materials to reduce postoperative sensitivity. It can also be used for desensitization of amalgam restorations, placed either conventional or bonded.

DEFEND Desensitizer contains HEMA to aid bonding primers to penetrate etched dentin. The HEMA base in DEFEND Desensitizer helps seal tubules, giving immediate relief from pain due to hypersensitivity.

Most dentin resin bonding materials will benefi­t from the DEFEND Desensitizer application. Its application reliably reduces post-op sensitivity by supporting the collagen framework for easier penetration of the adhesive, thus enhancing the dentin bond.

Offered in a 10ml Bottle, DEFEND Desensitizer is available through most dental dealers.

For more information on Mydent International and the DEFEND brand of products, call 800-275-0020, or visit www.defend.com.

Doctors warn that a garden-variety type of bacteria, which is normally present in the human intestinal tract, may be morphing into a tough-to-treat superbug.

Click here to read more.

In a small, retrospective study, Mayo Clinic researchers found that 8 percent of heart patients who did not wait to have teeth pulled suffered major adverse health outcomes, such as a heart attack, stroke, kidney failure or death.

Click here to read more.