(Charlotte, NC, February 11, 2015) – America's ToothFairy: National Children's Oral Health Foundation announced today a partnership with the International Federation of Dental Hygienists (IFDH) to increase public awareness of oral disease prevention and promote positive oral health behaviors among at-risk children and their families. Though it is nearly 100% preventable, pediatric dental disease is one of the most prevalent chronic childhood diseases in America and affects 60-90% of school children worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

This partnership will provide multiple opportunities for IFDH members to expand their roles as community health educators and oral health advocates by participating in America's ToothFairy programs for vulnerable children.

Throughout February, National Children's Dental Health Month, dental hygienists across the U.S. will join the America's ToothFairy Smile Drive, a national campaign to raise oral health awareness and collect oral care products for at-risk children. Dental hygienists and dental hygiene students will participate by holding toothbrush and toothpaste collection drives at their dental practice, school, pharmacy, or other location and donating the collected items to nonprofit charities serving children in their community.

Dental hygienists will also participate in the Esther Wilkins Education Program (EWEP), an America’s ToothFairy initiative that builds on the role of dental hygienists and dental hygiene students as prevention specialists by providing educational assets for community outreach activities. These assets include the ToothFairy 101™ Community Education Kit, a comprehensive tool for improving oral health literacy covering nutrition, germ transmission and prevention, mouth safety, tobacco, and infant care, as well as basic preventive strategies appropriate for children of all ages and learning levels. In return for the kit, members of the program agree to conduct a minimum of four community educational activities annually. Last year, EWEP members reached nearly 50,000 children and caregivers across the U.S., Canada and internationally through mission trips and international volunteerism.

"We are proud to work alongside America's ToothFairy: National Children’s Oral Health Foundation to mutually advance our missions through an array of joint activities," said Dr. JoAnn Gurenlian, President of International Federation of Dental Hygienists. "This partnership will provide new opportunities to drive positive oral health behaviors among children and their families and increase public awareness that oral disease can be prevented through proven regimens."

Collaboration with the IFDH and its network of more than 77,000 dental hygienists in 28 countries will help pave the way for America's ToothFairy to further expand its programs and educational resources to children and families in need worldwide.

"As oral health advocates and prevention specialists, dental hygienists play a critical role in helping children develop positive oral health behaviors," said Fern Ingber, America's ToothFairy President and CEO. "Together with the International Federation of Dental Hygienists, we look forward to expanding and enhancing services for vulnerable children not only in the U.S. and Canada but for children and families around the globe."

Chicago, February 10, 2015 – The Academy of Osseointegration (AO) recently hosted its first-ever AO Indian Outreach Meeting (AOIOM), in collaboration with Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth (DPU), Pune.More than 275 dentists gathered January 22-24, 2015 to discuss and exchange information related to the event’s theme “Innovation and Practice in Modern Implant Therapy.”

This three-day scientific program included plenary lectures from internationally and nationally acclaimed experts. In addition, delegates shared their scientific expertise during an E-poster session.

“Renowned experts from across the world shared their vast knowledge of the field and its latest advances. The interdisciplinary makeup of these speakers provided a refreshing and unparalleled learning experience,” said Dr. D. Gopalakrishnan, AOIOM 2015 Organizing Chairman.

The speaker line-up included: Dr. Joseph E. Gian-Grasso (USA), Dr. Michael Norton (UK), Dr. Paresh Kale (India), Dr. Hugo De Bryun (Belgium), Dr. Saphal Shetty (India), Dr. Dhirendra Srivatsava, Dr. Georgios Romanos (USA), Dr. T. V. Padmanabhan (India), Dr. Suvarna Nene (India), Dr. Fernando Viscaya (Spain) and Dr. Jocelyne Feine (Canada).

There were 50 E-Poster Submissions, of which 20 were selected for a blind-review competition. Prizewinners for each category are listed below:

Original Research: Dr. Shuchi Tripathi

Case Series: Dr. Gurbani Kaur

Case Report: Dr. Binita Srivastava

“AOIOMexemplifies the successful network AO is creating internationally to facilitate the exchange of new technologies, emerging trends and research in the fields of implant dentistry and tissue engineering,” said Dr. Joseph Gian-Grasso, AO President. “This is consistent with, and critical to, the Academy’s mission. Exchanging ideas and learning with international colleagues is the fabric of our organization.”

For more information about AO’s Global Outreach and Chapter Charters, visit https://www.osseo.org/charterChapters.html. To stay up-to-date on the Academy’s news and upcoming meetings, follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

About the Academy of Osseointegration (AO)

With 6,000 members in 70 countries around the world, the AO is recognized as the premier international association for professionals interested in implant dentistry. AO serves as a nexus where specialists and generalists can come together to evaluate emerging research, technology and techniques, share best practices, and coordinate optimal patient care using timely, evidence-based information. Follow AO on Facebook and Twitter.

An exciting new era in cancer research is emerging, called precision oncology. It builds on decades of research establishing that cancers start with glitches in the genome, the cell’s instruction book. Researchers have now identified numerous ways that mutations in susceptible genes can drive the cancer process. Knowing where and how to look for them brings greater precision to diagnosing cancers and gives doctors key clues about which treatments might work and which ones won’t.

To build a firmer evidence base for precision oncology, more and more cancer genomes, from many different body sites, must be analyzed for clues about the drivers of the malignant process. That’s why it’s always exciting to see a new genomic analysis that adds substantially to our understanding of a common tumor. The latest to appear, published online at the journal Nature, comes from an NIH-supported study on the most common type of head and neck cancer, called squamous cell carcinoma. The technologically advanced analysis confirms that many previously suspected genes do indeed play a role in head and neck cancer. But that’s not all. The new data also identify several previously unknown subtypes of this cancer. The first descriptions of the abnormal molecular wiring in these subtypes are outlined, suggesting possible strategies  to neutralize or destroy the cancer cells. That’s potentially good news to help guide and inform the treatment of the estimated 55,000 Americans who are diagnosed with a head and neck cancer each year.

Head and neck cancer is a diverse group of tumors that arise in the mouth, nose, throat, and larynx (voice box). Most squamous cell carcinomas, which account for 90 percent of all head and neck cancers, are associated with heavy smoking and alcohol use. Over the last decade, researchers have reached a consensus on a second type caused by certain strains of the human papillomavirus virus, typically HPV 16, which also is associated with cervical cancer.

In head and neck cancer, HPV-positive tumors typically form in the middle of the throat behind the mouth, an area called the oropharynx. What’s interesting—and highlights the tremendous value of precision oncology approaches—is that people diagnosed with an HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer tend to have tumors that are different in their molecular wiring than non-HPV head and neck cancers, and often respond better to treatment. In fact, people with an HPV-positive head and neck cancer have a far better survival rate than those who don’t.

In the current paper, the authors present their analysis of 279 head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. They were primarily oral (62 percent), with other tumors from the larynx (26 percent) and oropharynx (12 percent). There were 243 non-HPV tumors, most linked to heavy smoking, and 36 HPV-positive tumors largely from the oropharynx. Importantly, rather than just focusing on a single type of genetic mutation, the researchers examined the tumors for various types of DNA alterations that can trigger or drive cancer growth.

For the cancers linked to smoking, almost all had lost the normal function of TP53, a much-studied gene that many other cancers frequently inactivate. Unfortunately, the gene’s protein, p53, is thus far not a good therapeutic target, for a variety of reasons. More interesting were the distinct subsets of smoking-related tumors, each exploiting a different growth-activating signaling pathway. These variations will help to distinguish between tumors and provide a better idea of the molecular landscape and where to use targeted drugs to stop their growth.

For the cancers attributed to HPV, almost all had working TP53 genes. Many had alterations in a gene called TRAF3, which is important for fighting viral infections. That suggests that HPV cleverly disables one of the body’s antiviral defense genes, which then allows it to proliferate. Some HPV-tumors carried mutations that boosted the activity of the growth-promoting PIK3CA gene. PIK3CA mutations are also common in HPV-cervical cancer, which suggests a common mechanism.

The confirmation that a substantial fraction of head and neck cancers are attributable to HPV is yet another reason to be grateful that two highly-effective HPV vaccines have been developed (with major leadership by NIH’s Douglas Lowy and John Schiller [2]). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all children, male and female, receive the HPV vaccine at age 11 or 12 to help prevent cervical cancer. These vaccines also may thwart oral HPV and cancer, but this remains to be established.

As we roll out President Obama’s Precision Medicine Initiative in the coming months, expect a lot more genomic analyses of cancer to be included. This initiative will greatly expand the evidence base to enhance our capability to diagnose, prevent, and treat cancer.

References:

[1] Comprehensive genomic characterization of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. Cancer Genome Atlas Network. Nature. 2015 Jan 29;517(7536):576-82.

[2] Understanding and learning from the success of prophylactic human papillomavirus vaccines. Schiller JT, Lowy DR. Nature Rev Microb. 2012 Oct;10(10):681-692.

PITTSBURGH, Feb. 10, 2015 – Investigators at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC are testing a novel compound, originally developed to prevent decline in cognitive function, to determine if it can help people quit smoking.

Withdrawal symptoms include difficulty in concentrating and short-term memory problems, said Kenneth A. Perkins, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry, epidemiology and psychology at Pitt and principal investigator of the study. These cognitive difficulties and other symptoms often lead to relapse in the vast majority of smokers who try to quit.

The experimental compound, developed by Janssen Inc. and known as JNJ, acts at specific nicotine receptors in the brain involved in cognitive function, and researchers will assess whether limiting decline in cognitive problems may decrease motivation for tobacco and lessen the withdrawal symptoms, making it easier to quit altogether.

Study participants will try to quit briefly during each of two week-long periods, in which they receive JNJ during one and placebo during the other. The difference in their ability to quit will be compared between the JNJ and placebo periods

“Many smokers desperately want to quit, but often have a hard time with loss of concentration, focus and short-term memory,” said Dr. Perkins. “This compound is different than other cessation drugs and we are excited to see if it can aid more smokers to quit successfully.”

All participants will be offered counseling and the FDA-approved cessation medication bupropion (Zyban) at no cost to help them permanently quit once they have completed study testing. They also will be compensated for attending study visits.  Smokers already planning to quit soon can find out more information by calling 412-246-5306 or visiting www.SmokingStudies.pitt.edu.

Roseville, CA– January 13, 2015 – The Pacific Aesthetic Continuum (PAC) has announced a new cooperative working agreement with Danville Materials making Danville the newest benefactor of the PAC. Danville Materials is a California-based manufacturer of high-quality clinical materials ranging from bonding agents, to impression materials, to composite materials, and more. Danville conducts extensive research with careful testing, production specification, and a manufacturing discipline that incorporates the latest instruments and chemical technology. All of Danville’s products are manufactured in the USA.



“We are extremely excited about this relationship with Danville Materials,” said Garrett Caldwell, Chief Executive Officer for The PAC. “Danville is such an innovative company that brings our clients access to innovated materials and service.” Danville works closely with a team of leading clinicians to develop, manufacture, and test its vast line of products. The result of this effort and collaboration is materials that deliver consistent, predictable results in the practice at a value price.

“This partnership really gives us another critical component in providing our doctors with a level of comprehensive service not found with other teaching organizations.”

One of many benefits that Danville’s customer base will gain is the ability to tap into the PAC’s extensive educational opportunities through scholarships. “The fact that we now have this community of mentorship and education to support our dentists who are looking to broaden and sharpen their skills is very exciting,” said Garrett Sato, CEO of Danville Materials.



“The PAC’s lineup – with Dr. Thomas Dudney, Dr. Jack Griffin, Dr. Michael Miyasaki, Dr. Todd Franklin, and Dr. Samir Ayoub, among others – make it one of the best team of educators out there right now,” said Dr. Ray Bertolotti, Co-Founder of Danville Materials.


The Pacific Aesthetic Continuum (PAC) brings an exceptional brand and a world-class educational organization to raise the level and scope of the service that Danville can provide its many clients. The PAC provides postgraduate dental education primarily focused on comprehensive restorative dentistry finished esthetically. They currently present live patient hands-on programs in San Francisco, Detroit, Chicago, Denver and Southern California. In the next 12 months the PAC will expand into new markets. They provide local study groups and one-day lectures in each of these areas, as well.

Tallahassee, FL –  The Foundation for Dental Laboratory Technology announces the launch of a new comprehensive, Virtual Full Denture Training Program. The program was underwritten and produced through the generosity of DENTSPLY Prosthetics to provide new learning tools for dental technicians in removable technology that will enrich the Foundation’s removable curriculum.

This 5-module removable video program documents a patient case from initial chairside assessment through placement of the final dentures. Each individual module was scripted and produced to document each step of the denture process between the dentist and the dental laboratory technician. Dr. Lars Bouma and Mr. Jerry Kaizer (Murray-Kaizer Dental Lab) provided clinical and technical guidance throughout the program development and production. This unique program provides a visualization of the chairside and labside protocols and delivers key insights into the collaboration needed between the dentist and the technician to ensure the best denture solution for the patient. 

“The Foundation’s mission is to ensure accessible high quality education to meet ever changing workforce needs. Removables continue to be a growing segment of the dental laboratory market, and many technicians, who focus on crown and bridge, are getting to this arena and have skills gaps on dentures. Additionally, today’s dental school graduates receive less hands-on training in removable prosthetics. This program will serve as a valuable resource for both target audiences” says Leon Hermanides, CDT, foundation chair.

The new program will be available formally through the online education platform on the Foundation website by the end of the first quarter 2015.

“Dentsply Prosthetics has been committed to removable product solutions for more than 110 years.  As part of our corporate commitment to give back to the industry, we are pleased to have this opportunity to work with the  Foundation to enrich their training tools and curriculum in Removable Technology Programs.  We believe this new virtual training program and live video materials will  provide significant value to a broader base of dental professionals” says Catherine Bonser, Director of Marketing, DENTSPLY Prosthetics.

For more information on the Foundation (to donate, learn about grants and scholarships and continuing education programs), visit www.dentallabfoundation.org.

Scientists at the University of Granada and the High Resolution Hospital in Loja (Granada) prove that asthmatic patients who suffer from xerostomia (dry mouth syndrome) have a poorer level of control disease. Whether an asthmatic patient also suffers from severe xerostomia can be of great use for the pneumologist when it comes to establishing that particular patient's level of control disease.

Xerostomia is the subjective perception of dryness in the mouth due to malfunction of the salivary glands. It affects 50% of the population over sixty, and it can affect more than 90% of hospitalized patients. It is a frequent symptom in patients suffering from a diversity of diseases, and it affects their quality of life and mouth health.

For their part, inhaled corticosteroids (ICs) constitute the basic treatment for patients with bronchial asthma, and they are applied by means of inhaling devices through the oral cavity.

ICs in current use for asthma treatment have a very low level of bioavailability, i.e. they work at local level and pass in a very small percentage onto general circulation. This is the reason why their systemic effects are minimal. The effects of ICs at local level, in particular over oral mucosa, has so far been very little studied.

To conduct this study, these researchers from Granada analysed a total of 57 asthma patients plus 17 healthy ones, who acted as control group. They could thus confirm that a large percentage of asthma patients also suffered from xerostomia.

"Our data indicate that treatments with high ICs doses diminish the production of salivary protein MUC5B, which has a protective function on the buccal mucosa" says Pedro José Romero Palacios, full professor at the Medicine department, University of Granada, and principal investigator in this research. Clinically this effect results in xerostomia (dry mouth), and is generally associated with a poorer control of asthma.

Under the light shed by this study, scientists concluded that there is a moderate relation between the level of asthma control and the severity of xerostomia.

Source: EurekAlert!

Peoria, az: January 30, 2015: The Anaheim Group, publishers of DentalFax^®, has released the 2014 Dental Industry Review^©, a 371-page comprehensive report of the key events in the worldwide dental industry for 2014.  The Dental Industry Review is a well-known resource that contains dozens of color charts and graphs. The complete report costs just $195 and is transmitted immediately by The Anaheim Group’s Direct Download service.

The new 14^th edition of the Dental Industry Review includes sections on acquisitions and sales multiples; bankruptcies and corporate restructurings; dental implant market shares and growth; management changes; litigation; and market growth estimates for equipment, consumables, over-the-counter oral care products, and implants. Distribution agreements, developments, and implant market shares are also covered. The acquisitions and sales multiples section enables the market value of a company to be calculated based upon the type of company. The Dental Industry Review is indispensable for anyone working or investing in the dental marketplace.

The 2014 Review also has a comprehensive Innovation Index that offers a complete list of dental FDA Product Marketing Clearances, United States Dental Patents, and European Patent Office (EPO) and World International Patent Office (WIPO) Dental Patents issued in 2014.

For more information, call 623-334-0091 or email dentalfax@dentalfax.com.

HOUSTON, TEXAS, February 2, 2015 — Leading crown manufacturer NuSmile, Ltd. today announced the launch of BioCem Universal BioActive Cement, its first product designed for use with custom-fabricated zirconia and glass ceramic restorations.

“Over the years, our discussions with dentists made it clear to us that they needed, and their patients deserved, a luting cement that provides not just impressive bond strength, but advanced biological properties as well,” said Diane Johnson Krueger, NuSmile president and CEO. “After years of intensive product development and testing, we are proud to say that this is exactly what BioCem delivers.”

According to Mark Binford, NuSmile’s senior vice president for new product development, “BioCem forms a superior bond between dentin and zirconia, lithium silicates and disilicates, or leucite glass ceramic materials. Moreover, it actively mimics, and is available to replenish, the physical and chemical properties of the natural tooth and surrounding structures.” Importantly, he adds, BioCem also features a unique shock-absorbing rubberized resin component, making it much tougher than traditional cements.

Independent university studies confirm BioCem’s impressive bond strength when cementing either zirconia or ceramic restorations to dentin. Additional studies have proven that BioCem forms hydroxyapatite, which is available to integrate with and replenish tooth structure—something that even the most advanced resin and resin-modified glass ionomer cements cannot do. BioCem also releases phosphate, calcium and fluoride ions into the oral environment. Mr. Binford stresses that BioCem exhibits properties that are superior even when compared to the newest calcium aluminate–based, hydroxyapatite-forming cements. As he points out, these 2 first-generation bioactive cements can be wasteful and difficult to handle, and they release neither fluoride nor phosphates. BioCem, in contrast, has been formulated and packaged into a convenient, simple-to-use, low-waste delivery system. Additionally, it is not necessary to prime the tooth or zirconia restorations. As a result, BioCem delivers exceptional convenience as well as time and cost savings.

“We are very proud of the benefits BioCem brings to dental practices and their patients,” says Ms. Krueger. “We feel that its superior bond strength in the most popular anterior and posterior full-coverage esthetic restorations, coupled with its unsurpassed biological benefits, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, truly makes it the ultimate universal cement.”

Additional information about BioCem can be found at www.nusmile.com/biocem.

Head and neck cancers include tumors of the mouth, throat, larynx, nasal cavity, salivary glands, and elsewhere. Tobacco use, alcohol use, and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection are important risk factors for these cancers. An estimated 55,000 people developed head and neck cancers in the United States in 2014. About 12,000 Americans die from the diseases each year. A better understanding of the causes behind these diseases can help lead to the development of new treatment approaches.

Most head and neck cancers—about 90%—are squamous cell carcinomas, which occur in the surface layers of cells in the body. Investigators with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network generated and analyzed genomic data on 279 head and neck squamous cell carcinomas from untreated patients. About 80% of the samples were from people who smoked. The majority were oral cavity cancers (61%) and larynx cancers (26%). TCGA is jointly supported and managed by NIH’s National Cancer Institute (NCI) and National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). The study appeared on January 29, 2015, in Nature.

The TCGA team found that many HPV-associated tumors have specific genomic alterations, some of which are also found among a much broader set of mutations in smoking-related tumors. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted virus nationwide, and about 25% of head and neck cancers are linked to HPV infection. The HPV vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can likely help prevent many cancers caused by HPV infection.

The researchers uncovered novel smoking-related cancer subtypes and potential new drug targets. In addition, they found numerous genomic similarities with other cancer types, including squamous cell lung and cervical cancers. These findings suggest possible common paths of cancer development and potential treatment opportunities.

Taken together, the results yield insights into how HPV infection and smoking affect head and neck cancer risk and disease development. They also suggest potential new diagnostic and treatment directions.

“The rapid increase in HPV-related head and neck cancers, noticeably in oropharyngeal tumors, has created an even greater sense of urgency in the field,” says lead author Dr. D. Neil Hayes at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Cancer Center at Chapel Hill. “We’re uncovering differences between tumors with and without HPV infection, and these new data are allowing us to rethink how we approach head and neck cancers.”

“While many head and neck cancers are preventable, they are increasingly common throughout the world, and often challenging to effectively treat over the long term,” says NCI Director Dr. Harold Varmus. “This type of broad analysis provides important new clues for future research and treatment directions.”

Source: National Institutes of Health