CHICAGO (July 30, 2014) — Healthy Smiles, Healthy Children: The Foundation of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), and its Access to Care Grants program, was recently recognized as one of ASAE’s 2014 Power of A Gold Awardees. The Power of A Awards recognize a select number of organizations annually that distinguish themselves with innovative, effective and broad-reaching programs and activities that positively impact America and the world.

ASAE recognized 23 organizations with a 2014 Power of A Gold Award and another 22 with a Power of A Silver Award this year. The Power of A Awards recognize and celebrate the extraordinary contributions associations make to society by enriching lives, creating a competitive workforce, preparing society for the future, driving innovation and making a better world. ASAE received roughly 100 entries in this year’s awards program.

“Congratulations to this year’s Power of A Award winners for leveraging their resources and coming up with unique, innovative and inspiring ways to benefit not just their own industry or profession, but society at large,” said Paul Pomerantz, CAE, CEO of the American Society of Anesthesiologists and chair of the Power of A Awards Judging Committee. “This year, our committee had an exceptionally strong group of entries to consider, and it’s heartening to see so many organizations excelling in their work. Associations have great stories to share about their industries and professions, and it’s with great pleasure and pride that we recognize their efforts through the Power of A Awards.”

“We deeply appreciate this honor from such an influential organization as ASAE,” stated HSHC President Beverly A. Largent, DMD.  “Healthy Smiles, Healthy Children is committed to supporting community-based initiatives providing Dental Homes to every child in the country currently lacking one, which is the centerpiece of HSHC’s mission.  To date, more than 118,000 children have been helped by HSHC grantees and through multiple affiliations.  HSHC has released more than $1.8 million in grants and commitments through 51 grants to 48 local agencies and dental clinics in 18 states since 2010 (including 2014 commitments).”

Orem, Utah — Aribex, Inc., worldwide leader in handheld X-ray technologies, today announced the sale of their 15,000th NOMADTM handheld X-ray system. Since its creation in 2004, NOMAD has quickly climbed to the top of the intra-oral X-ray market and recently became a proud brand of the Kavo Kerr Group. The device’s breakthrough technology has revolutionized intra-oral X-ray, and now it has become mainstream in the world of dentistry.

“This is the modern way to take intra-oral X-rays efficiently,” says Mike Heyn, Business Unit Director for Aribex. “Why hang a wall-mounted X-ray? Times have changed. NOMAD delivers benefits that wall mounts can’t.” With its lightweight, battery-operated design, NOMAD provides the fastest workflow and most flexibility of any intra-oral X-ray. These are just some of the benefits causing thousands of dental offices to make the switch to NOMAD.

NOMAD requires no walls, no installation and no space-reducing cabinets. This leaves the staff free to arrange their operatories in the most effective workflow for them. Because operators are fully shielded from radiation while using NOMAD, they also have the freedom to stay with patients when taking X-rays which minimizes retakes and expedites the X-ray process.

“NOMAD increases our productivity because we don’t spend as much time obtaining the radiograph,” explains Dr. Robert Studebaker, DDS from Summit Dental in Boise, Idaho. “It allows us to get that information more accurately, and I get to spend my time where it’s important: diagnosing and visiting with the patient.”

In addition to heightened workflow, flexibility is an influencing factor in choosing NOMAD. It allows dental offices to have one NOMAD for multiple operatories, cutting equipment costs and opening up ways to take X-rays more conveniently. Oral surgeons and endodontists are now able to take NOMAD with them into procedures and take X-rays under anesthesia.

Often the convenience and comfort of using NOMAD causes dental staffs to obsolete their older, working wall mounts in favor of NOMAD and it has changed their office. Heyn says, “I hear all the time from dentists and staff that the NOMAD is one of only a handful of products that has entered the dental market and actually changed the way they practice.” NOMAD has proven itself to be a revolutionary technology in the dental world, and the over 15,000 units shipped are a testament that this device is finding itself in the mainstream of dentistry.

CDC officials announced today that the number of girls and boys aged 13-17 years receiving human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine remains unacceptably low despite a slight increase in vaccination coverage since 2012, according to data from CDC′s 2013 National Immunization Survey-Teen (NIS-Teen) published in this week′s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

HPV vaccine prevents various forms of cancer, but HPV vaccine remains underutilized. There is a substantial gap between the number of adolescents receiving tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine and the number receiving HPV vaccine. It is estimated that only 57 percent of adolescent girls and 35 percent of adolescent boys received one or more doses of HPV vaccine. However, nearly 86 percent of adolescents had received one dose of Tdap vaccine.

These gaps in coverage indicate missed opportunities to vaccinate boys and girls with HPV vaccine at the same time as other routinely recommended adolescent vaccines like Tdap and meningococcal vaccines. “The high coverage rate of Tdap vaccine shows us that it is certainly possible to reach our goal of vaccinating 80 percent of adolescents against cancers caused by HPV,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, assistant surgeon general and director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

CDC estimates that if missed opportunities to vaccinate adolescent girls before their thirteenth birthdays were eliminated, 91 percent of adolescent girls would have some protection from cancers caused by HPV infection. “Pediatricians and family physicians are uniquely situated to prevent missed opportunities by giving HPV vaccine during the same visit they give Tdap and meningococcal vaccines,” said Schuchat.

Only one-third of adolescent girls received the recommended series of three doses of HPV vaccine. “It’s frustrating to report almost the same HPV vaccination coverage levels among girls for another year,” said Schuchat. “Preteens need HPV vaccine today to be protected from HPV cancers tomorrow.”

The data also illustrate the influential role a clinician’s recommendation plays in whether or not parents choose to vaccinate their children. For parents that had their daughters vaccinated against HPV, 74 percent received a recommendation from a health care professional, compared to 52 percent of parents who did not have their daughters vaccinated. For boys, the difference is even more staggering as 72 percent of parents who chose to vaccinate their sons received a recommendation, compared to 26 percent of parents who did not have their sons vaccinated. Not receiving a clinician's recommendation for HPV vaccine was one of the five main reasons parents listed during the NIS-Teen interviews for not vaccinating their children against HPV.

Parents also reported safety concerns as a reason for not having their children vaccinated against HPV. In the eight years of post-licensure vaccine safety monitoring and evaluation conducted independently by federal agencies and vaccine manufacturers, and after 67 million doses of HPV vaccine have been distributed, no serious safety concerns have been linked to HPV vaccination. According to today's MMWR article, the most commonly reported symptoms after receiving an HPV vaccine include injection-site reactions such as pain, redness, and swelling; other commonly reported symptoms include dizziness, fainting, nausea, and headache. No new safety concerns have arisen since 2009 when the summary of the first 2.5 years of post-licensure reporting to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) was published.

CDC urges health care professionals to give a strong recommendation for all of the adolescent vaccines recommended for boys and girls aged 11 or 12 years. Clinicians should recommend HPV vaccine as they would recommend Tdap and meningococcal vaccines. Reviewing vaccination status at every health care visit is another strategy doctors and nurses should take to increase vaccine coverage.

All preteens need one dose of Tdap vaccine, one dose of meningococcal vaccine, and three doses of HPV vaccine to be fully protected against serious diseases, including HPV cancers. A second dose of meningococcal vaccine is needed at age 16. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to ask about vaccination every time they take children for a health care visit. If a preteen boy or girl (aged 11 or 12 years) has not received HPV, Tdap, and meningococcal vaccines, make an appointment to get him or her vaccinated.

The NIS-Teen is a random-digit-dialed survey of parents and guardians of teens 13–17 years old and in 2013, included data for more than 18,000 adolescents. The telephone survey is followed by verification of records with health care professionals.

The Affordable Care Act was created to expand access to coverage, lower health care costs, and improve health care quality and coordination. Through the Affordable Care Act, more Americans can get access to the health care coverage that fits their needs and budget, including important preventive services such as the HPV vaccine, tobacco use screenings and tobacco cessation, blood pressure screening and aspirin therapy, cancer screenings, and other services that may be covered with no additional costs for new health plans and in states that are newly expanding their Medicaid programs. Visit Healthcare.gov or call 1-800-318-2596 (TTY/TDD 1-855-889-4325) to learn more.

The winners have been selected for the DALE Foundation’s Liz Koch Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship was open to all dental assistants, DANB certificants and others in field, and is intended to help oral healthcare professionals reach their professional development goals and support their mentorship activities. In total, the scholarship committee received over 100 applications from dental professionals across the country. There were many qualified and outstanding applicants, and selecting the winners was a difficult task. The scholarship committee named Rebecca Horne and Kandra Luna as the 2014 winners. Rebecca Horne, CDA, of Massachusetts, found her passion for dental assisting while she was in school. Today, Horne works in an orthodontic practice, where she helps coordinate a team of employees and two offices. She will use her scholarship award to earn DANB’s Certified Orthodontic Assistant (COA) certification. “I believe we can lead by example,” she says. “I plan on continuing to inspire those around me to see what a dental assistant can achieve.” Kandra Luna, CDA, EFDA, EFODA, of Oregon, has always believed in dreaming big, and with the encouragement of her mentors, she graduated from a dental assisting program. She now works at a general dental practice while pursuing her bachelor’s degree. Luna will apply her scholarship award toward her DANB Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) certification, which she earned earlier this year. Her next goal is to work in dental assisting education and help students achieve their goals. “I am motivated to help others accomplish their goals and strive to do their best,” she says. Additionally, the scholarship committee recognized 11 finalists: Marisa Bouikidis Tanya Broadway Heather Brooks A’yesha Freeman, CDA Amelia Garcia, CDA Jeannie Gillam, CDA Elizabeth Polak-Silva, CDA Guadalupe Rodriguez Karina Schraufnagel, CDA Sarah Serpico, CDA, CPFDA Tyler Winter, CDA The Liz Koch Memorial Scholarship is named in memory of Liz Koch and her many years of service and contributions in support of dental assistants. Liz served as Chief Operating Officer 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. Information about the 2015 Liz Koch Memorial Scholarship will be available in spring 2015. 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.

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, July 22, 2014 —Heraeus Kulzer, LLC, the worldwide leader in dental esthetics, announced that the dental industry’s leading product testing foundation has rated its Venus Diamond nanofill resin composite as having the lowest level of cracks, chips, large breaks and surface degradation.

According to the evaluation report, “In CR/CRA’s 37-year history of controlled clinical trials now involving over 100 different brands of resin-based composites, the nanofill resin brands tested showed best performance yet recorded at three years of service*.“ The report also indicated that Venus Diamond and another brand were best able to overcome clinical problems and patient habits.

The evaluation involved eight Class II resin-based composites. Over a three year period, 55 dentists from 24 U.S. states and Canada placed 386 large Class II restorations in molars in 198 patients. Of all brands evaluated, Heraeus Kulzer’s Venus Diamond exhibited the lowest level of cracks, chips, large breaks, and surface degradation over a three-year period. Two other brands received scores that were below Venus Diamond’s on an absolute basis but statistically equivalent.

“We are thrilled and gratified to have the industry’s leading testing organization confirm the superiority of nanofill resin composites in general, and our Venus Diamond line in particular,” said Aundrea Hoffman, Heraeus Kulzer Product Manager. “Having to replace restorations is both costly and embarrassing to dental practices, and we take great pride in the ability of Venus Diamond to minimize the likelihood of this happening.”

Venus Diamond embodies a true balance of science and esthetics based on a patented crosslinked polymer matrix. The optimal physical properties of Venus Diamond offer a composite that truly performs in every category with low shrinkage stress, unique handling, exceptional strength and durability, and perfect color adaptation. With over five years of extensive composite research that resulted in a patented chemistry, Venus Diamond is the ideal choice for both direct and indirect restorations.

For dentists looking for a composite with a creamier consistency for use with anterior restorations, Heraeus Kulzer offers an outstanding companion product. Venus® Pearl is a universal nano-hybrid composite based on the innovative urethane monomer chemistry of

Venus Diamond and offering the same unprecedented combination of low shrinkage stress and high durability. Formulated for easy handling, Venus Pearl delivers exceptional esthetic results through excellent color adaptation, sculptability, and polishability.

For more information on Heraeus Kulzer or its products, call (800) 431-1785 or visit www.heraeusdentalusa.com.

ATLANTA, July 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , the median salary for a Dental Assistant is $34,500 per year; however, according to a new DentalPost Survey, the average annual salary for a full-time Dental Assistant is closer to $27,000, revealing a 20 percent disparity in annual wages. In order to uncover dental industry employment trends and inform potential job seekers on workplace realities, DentalPost, the dental industry's premier online and mobile job board is sharing the results of its recent salary survey with a new Dental Assistant Salary Stack-Up infographic.  

"At DentalPost, it's our job to keep our finger on the pulse of the dental job market, and share information about the potential of that space with our users," says DentalPost Founder and CEO, Tonya Lanthier. "Through our Dental Assistant Survey, we learned that while workplace realities may differ slightly than industry reports, this occupation remains one of the fastest growing in the dental industry and talent continues to be in high demand."

The survey polled more than 500 DentalPost users on topics including salary information, workplace benefits and employment longevity in order to provide first hand, unbiased information about the Dental Assistant occupation. The survey revealed that the average full time Dental Assistant worked between 36 and 37 hours a week, earning between $24,000 and $27,000 per year, depending on experience. In contrast, the average part time Dental Assistant works between 24 and 26 hours a week, earning between $19,000 and $22,000 per year. Of these employees, four percent hold a bachelor's degree, 49 percent have attended college, 26 percent hold an associate degree and 18 percent hold a high school diploma or equivalent degree.

Crosstex International has developed a new website, CrosstexBMS.com, that provides state-of-the-art laboratory services and infection control information to healthcare professionals. The site content is heavily focused on sterility assurance protocol/products in hopes of educating clinicians to implement safer working environments for their staff and patients.

Crosstex is uniquely qualified to counsel customers as they manufacture biological monitoring systems and operate two testing laboratories in North America that process over 2.5 million mail-in spore tests annually from a diverse range of customers.

Special CrosstexBMS.com features include:

• Resources to key infection control organizations, national and local guidelines (complete with interactive state lookup tool).

• ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ and ‘Helpful Work Tools’ (i.e. annual compliance calendars).

Users do not need to be a Crosstex customer to utilize the website. However, behind the password-protected screen, biological mail-in customers can:

• View their office’s spore test results and sort results by test date, by sterilizer, by result status and filter by date range.

• Print a ‘Certificate of Participation’ to display in their office for patient’s peace-of-mind.

• ‘Reminder Reports’ that email or fax alerts when the system recognizes a missed weekly spore test.

• Automatically receive a personal phone call from a Crosstex clinical consultant when a failed spore test is detected.

What truly makes CrosstexBMS so unique is the step-by-step instrument reprocessing video tutorials. The host of the video series is Leann Keefer RDH, MSM. Ms. Keefer has practiced for over 20 years with academic experience as a dental hygiene director and provided service to various foundation and accreditation boards in the USA and Canada. Leann is also Director of Clinical Education for Crosstex and explains, “I can remember the amount of the information that I needed to absorb as a young clinician... My hope is that these educational videos and website will allow clinicians to learn from trusted sources like the CDC, FDA, OSAP, ADA, AAMI, or directly from their manufacturers, as opposed to putting their trust in colleagues who may not be trained on the latest advanced technologies.”

According to the company, Crosstex International continues to invest in tools that adhere to their brand promise, “Crosstex Protects.” Gary Steinberg, CEO and President of Crosstex International states, “When it comes to developing and manufacturing products that keep patients safe and free from infection; it is not enough to simply deliver products to the marketplace… Crosstex takes personal responsibility to ensure our customers understand how to properly use each piece of advanced medical technology and has a responsive team in place to address their questions. CrosstexBMS.com is another resource to assist our customers.” 

Futuredontics, the nation’s leading provider of dental marketing services and parent company of WebDirector®, has released a new report, “Website Reality Check: 2014 Dental Industry Survey.” The free report is designed to help dental professionals see how their practice website compares to the best sites in the business.

“Website Reality Check” analyzes the findings of an exclusive national survey of over 1,000 dentists and dental office managers. The survey’s goal was to see how many dental practice websites are applying the latest Web standards in five key areas of site design and functionality, including compatibility with mobile devices and social media.

Futuredontics’ report will be a real wakeup call for many dental practices. Among its findings, the survey revealed that nearly 25% of dental sites are virtually invisible to consumers due to outmoded design. “Website Reality Check” reveals the major pitfalls that sabotage online performance and offers many valuable tips for improving site effectiveness.

“Dental practice websites are today’s #1 marketing tool for dentists,” explained Michael Turner, Futuredontics CEO. “Our new report makes it easy for dentists to determine if their practice site delivers the high-quality online experience that converts Web visitors into new patients and for those that don’t, we show them how to fix it.”

“Website Reality Check” is the latest in a series of dental marketing reports published by Futuredontics. This proprietary library of research materials complements the company’s extensive suite of marketing products, which includes WebDirector® — a service that provides practices with modern websites, mobile websites and matching social media pages all for one low price.

Dental professionals can download a complimentary copy of “Website Reality Check: 2014 Dental Industry Survey” by visiting: https://www.futuredontics.com/DentalWebsites2014.

CHICAGO (July 30, 2014) — Healthy Smiles, Healthy Children: The Foundation of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), and its Access to Care Grants program, was recently recognized as one of ASAE’s 2014 Power of A Gold Awardees. The Power of A Awards recognize a select number of organizations annually that distinguish themselves with innovative, effective and broad-reaching programs and activities that positively impact America and the world.

ASAE recognized 23 organizations with a 2014 Power of A Gold Award and another 22 with a Power of A Silver Award this year. The Power of A Awards recognize and celebrate the extraordinary contributions associations make to society by enriching lives, creating a competitive workforce, preparing society for the future, driving innovation and making a better world. ASAE received roughly 100 entries in this year’s awards program.

“Congratulations to this year’s Power of A Award winners for leveraging their resources and coming up with unique, innovative and inspiring ways to benefit not just their own industry or profession, but society at large,” said Paul Pomerantz, CAE, CEO of the American Society of Anesthesiologists and chair of the Power of A Awards Judging Committee. “This year, our committee had an exceptionally strong group of entries to consider, and it’s heartening to see so many organizations excelling in their work. Associations have great stories to share about their industries and professions, and it’s with great pleasure and pride that we recognize their efforts through the Power of A Awards.”

“We deeply appreciate this honor from such an influential organization as ASAE,” stated HSHC President Beverly A. Largent, DMD.  “Healthy Smiles, Healthy Children is committed to supporting community-based initiatives providing Dental Homes to every child in the country currently lacking one, which is the centerpiece of HSHC’s mission.  To date, more than 118,000 children have been helped by HSHC grantees and through multiple affiliations.  HSHC has released more than $1.8 million in grants and commitments through 51 grants to 48 local agencies and dental clinics in 18 states since 2010 (including 2014 commitments).”

(Nanowerk News) Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered that stem cells inside the soft tissues of the tooth come from an unexpected source, namely nerves. These findings are now being published in the journal Nature ("Glial origin of mesenchymal stem cells in a tooth model system") and contribute to brand new knowledge of how teeth are formed, how they grow, and how they are able to self-repair.

Our health and quality of life is closely linked to our dental health. With age, our teeth become more susceptible to infection, wear and damage, and it is important for the health services to help people maintain good dental health. It was previously known that the living, soft part of the tooth, or the pulp, in addition to connective tissues, blood vessels and nerves also contains a small reserve of stem cells. These stem cells are capable of repairing the tooth when it has been damaged by assisting the reformation of both hard and soft tooth tissue. Researchers have long been discussing the origin of these stem cells. By studying the teeth of mice, the researchers behind this new study have been able to map the fate of individual cells.

“We have identified a previously unknown type of stem cells that surprisingly enough belong to the nerves of the tooth; these are nerves that would normally be associated with the tooth's extreme sensitivity to pain,” says Kaj Fried at the Department of Neuroscience, one of the head researchers responsible for the study.

The researchers discovered that young cells, which at first are part of the neural support cells, or the glial cells, leave the nerves at an early stage of the foetal development. The cells change their identity and become both connective tissues in the tooth pulp and odontoblasts, i.e., the cells that produce the hard dentin underneath the enamel. Today we do not have the possibility of growing new teeth in adults, but the discovery of this new type of stem cells is an important step towards the knowledge and technology that is required to make it a future possibility.

“The fact that stem cells are available inside the nerves is highly significant, and this is in no way unique for the tooth. Our results indicate that peripheral nerves, which are found basically everywhere, may function as important stem cell reserves. From such reserves, multipotent stem cells can depart from the nerves and contribute to the healing and reformation of tissues in different parts of the body,” says Igor Adameyko at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, who has headed the study along with Kaj Fried.

The study has been financed with grants from bodies such as the Swedish Research Council, Bertil Hållsten's Research Foundation, StratRegen at Karolinska Institutet, the Wallenberg Foundations, the European Research Council (ERC), the Swedish Dental Association (SDA), EMBO and Stockholm County Council.

Source: Karolinska Institutet