SHELTON, Conn.– Centrix, Inc., a leading innovator of dental materials, preventive products and applicators and delivery systems, today introduces NoCord™ VPS, the first one-step, self-retracting impressioning system that retracts gingiva, controls bleeding and delivers an accurate, final impression all in one system.

According to Frank J. Milnar DDS, AAACD, “NoCord VPS is a trifecta for impression materials; sulcus expansion, hemostasis and accuracy.  NoCord is the next generation of impression materials. There are less steps and cost because the impression material does more.”   

NoCord VPS is a major advance in vinyl polysiloxane impression materials:  

· NoCord™ Wash is the first wash material that incorporates a hemostatic agent to control bleeding and fluid flows.

· The unique NoCord™ MegaBody™ Tray Material is designed to work with NoCord Wash, driving the wash to gently retract gingiva from the tooth.

Together the NoCord Wash and NoCord MegaBody Tray materials work as a complete system to provide the optimal impression result without separate retraction and hemostasis procedures. And, because they are VPS materials, they deliver the accuracy and dimensional stability dentists expect from vinyl polysiloxane impression materials.  A leading independent testing and evaluation group demonstrated that NoCord VPS exceeded the ISO standards for impression materials and performed equivalent to other major VPS materials.

“For patients, retraction of the gingiva is uncomfortable and often painful.  Placement of cord is time-consuming and can even exacerbate tissue and bleeding problems. That’s why we developed NoCord VPS – it eliminates the part of impression making that dentists and patients don’t like – retraction and hemostasis steps,” said Dr. William Dragan, founder of Centrix.  “With NoCord VPS, a dentist uses their normal technique, except they now can skip separate retraction and hemostasis steps.”

NoCord VPS is very competitively priced and is available in introductory and refill packages. It has been in clinical trials for over two years and with very strong results.

"Through 30 years of clinical practice, having tried and used every impression material and gingival retraction method that has been available, I have found the NoCord VPS impression material to be the easiest method of saving time when taking impressions,” said Gregori M. Kurtzman, DDS, MAGD, FPFA, FACD, FADI, DICOI, DADIA.

To learn more about NoCord VPS, please visit CentrixNoCordVPS.com

MELVILLE, New York — (July 12, 2016) —Air Techniques, Inc.,a leading innovator and manufacturer of dental equipment, is excited to announce the promotion of Lou Guellnitz as their new Vice President of Sales in North America.

Mr. Guellnitz first joined Air Techniques in November of 2009 and held the role of Director of Sales for North America. His promotion comes at the heels of his 30^th year in the dental industry. Throughout his career, Mr. Guellnitz has held many positions at both Henry Schein and Patterson Dental – two of the largest dental distributors in the United States.

“We are excited to name Lou as our new VP of Sales in North America,” said Christoph Roeer, Chief Executive Officer of Air Techniques. “Lou’s ability to lead our North American sales team and consistently make stellar contributions to the organization made this an easy decision.”    

Mr. Guellnitz is responsible for North American sales with direct dealer responsibility in the United States and Canada, and manages 2 national sales managers, 8 regional sales specialists, and nearly 30 sales associates.

“I understand the value of our relationships with dental partners, and am looking forward to developing programs that will continue to grow new business,” said Lou Guellnitz. 

When asked what goals Mr. Guellnitz has for Air Techniques in North America, he responded with maintaining Air Techniques’ leadership in the large equipment categories, while increasing shares for other products in the portfolio. Lou will also look to increase Air Techniques’ presence in dental universities. 

Air Techniques is the leading dental manufacturer of dental vacuums and air compressors systems in North America. They offer an entire line of digital imaging products as well as an infection control line. Air Techniques distributes their products globally through a large network of dealers. For more information on Air Techniques, please visit: www.airtechniques.com. Become a fan of Air Techniques on Facebookand follow the company on Twitter.

SafeLink Consulting, a provider of OSHA and FDA regulatory compliance services for dental practices and dental laboratories, will present a live webinar on August 18, 2016, 10am PT / 1pm ET.  SafeLink Consulting vice president and senior consultant Gary Morgan, CDT, will present The Evolution of the Quality Function.  Morgan is an Authorized Trainer under OSHA’s Outreach Program, an ASQ-Certified Quality Auditor, an authorized DAMAS consultant and DAMAS certification auditor.

This presentation will address the quality function and how the quality team must be a partner in all decision making that affects products and services. How does your organization perceive the value of your Quality System?  In many organizations decisions are made without input from the quality department.  Over the years the quality function has evolved from basic inspection of product to a critical role when strategic planning is underway.  If the quality function in your organization is perceived as reducing productivity, then learn in this course to add value to the quality function by aligning it with the organization’s values and goals.

Course provides one hour CE credit for: NBC Regulatory Standards and FL Office of Dental Laboratories 

Registration for this webinar is available at: https://www.safelinkconsulting.com/live-webinars.html .  Fee: $75 per attendee.

For more information on this event or to learn how SafeLink can help your business meet compliance standards, contact SafeLink Consulting.

Contact:

Sandy Blastick

SafeLink Consulting, Inc.

327 Dahlonega St, Ste 601A | Cumming, Georgia 30040

770.205.6745 | 800.330.6003 | 770.205.6741 fax

www.safelinkconsulting.com | sandy@safelinkconsulting.com

July 11, 2016—(BRONX, NY)—More than one-third of Bronx residents are born outside of the United States. Often separated from family, challenged by language barriers, unfamiliar with health resources, and burdened by poverty, they are at high risk for health problems. And these risks extend to their young children.

Now, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore have received a $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to test a new intervention to improve the health outcomes of children of South Asian immigrants. South Asians are the fastest growing immigrant community in the United State and recent arrivals often lack access to good medical care.

Community health workers, who will also be South Asian women, will visit nearly 400 mothers with newborns in the Bronx and greater New York area to help them learn healthy feeding practices and improve oral hygiene for their children.

“We’ve found that many new mothers bottle-feed more frequently and delay weaning to a later age than is optimal for their children,” said Alison Karasz, PhD, associate professor of family and social medicine at Einstein and principal investigator on the project. “This can result from overcrowded homes, where mothers feel pressure to keep their children quiet, or concerns about children getting enough to eat. Based on our pilot program, we expect that when mothers are provided resources and support from someone they see as their peer, feeding practices will improve—and so will children's health.”

The home-based intervention is titled Child Health Action to Lower Oral Health and Obesity Risk, or CHALO!, which means “Let's go!” in Hindi. It will target excess bottle-feeding and the extended use of bottles and “sippy” cups—the two most significant risk factors for childhood obesity and cavities.

“We know that health behaviors and eating patterns in the first few months of life can have an oversized impact on long-term health,” said Karasz. “Obesity and caries, or tooth decay, are the two most common childhood diseases in the United States and impose a significant, lifelong burden.”

Community health workers will visit 377 South Asian mothers of children aged 4 to 5 months and their families six times over the course of a year and will supplement with phone support. They will work with the mothers and their families to make concrete changes, such as listening and responding to children's cues about when they are hungry and when they are full; making and keeping dental visits; and ending the common practice of using food to pacify children.

To evaluate the efficacy of the intervention, the health workers will assess the children's oral health and height and weight at 6, 12 and 18 months of age. They will use novel devices and techniques, including an inter-oral camera to capture images of the teeth. These images will be sent to the University of Rochester dental school for review. They’ll also use an iPad program to assess children’s feeding and oral health practices, in collaboration with Columbia University dental researchers.

Einstein researchers are partnering with a New York-based nonprofit organization, Sapna NYC, to deliver this home-based intervention. The mothers will be identified through Montefiore and the South Asian Practice Partnership for Health Improvement and Research, a practice-based research network for South Asian primary care practices. Karasz is executive director and co-founder of Sapna NYC, which started from a research project on women’s depression funded by the NIH. Karen Bonuck, PhD, professor of family and social medicine at Einstein, is the project's co-principal investigator. Bonuck conducts research on early childhood feeding.

The title of the grant is “Obesity and Caries in Young South Asian Children: A Common Risk Factor Approach” (1R01MD010460).

SOUTH JORDAN, Utah, July 7, 2016 –Ultradent Products, Inc. is excited to introduce three new delicious flavor offerings to its Enamelast fluoride varnish line: Cool Mint, Bubble Gum, and Orange Cream. The fluoride varnish is also available in the original Walterberry flavor.

Ultradent created Enamelast fluoride varnish in response to overwhelming demand for an effective varnish that doesn’t leave an unsightly, uncomfortable, or gritty residue. Enamelast varnish finally allows patients to leave the dental office with teeth that feel clean and smooth. In addition to its silky texture, Enamelast varnish appears nearly invisible against the teeth, eliminating the embarrassment that many patients feel after other varnish treatments.

For a fluoride varnish to provide the best results, it must adhere to the teeth for the entire recommended time. Enamelast varnish features a patented adhesion-promoting agent that enhances retention, making it easier for patients to receive its full benefits. Enamelast varnish’s natural feel also makes it more comfortable to wear for a longer amount of time, allowing for maximum fluoride uptake.

Enamelast fluoride varnish comes in two convenient delivery options: unit-dose blister packs or Ultradent’s signature syringe and tip application. The Enamelast varnish unit-dose blister packs provide an ideal delivery option for the clinician who prefers the convenience of a one-time use application, or for dental clinics in hospital settings that require the use of unit-dose treatments in which all materials are packaged together. Each blister pack includes a prefilled well and applicator brush, allowing the clinician to dip the brush in the well and paint the varnish on the teeth. Conversely, the syringe delivery facilitates the ability to express Enamelast varnish through Ultradent’s SoftEZ^® tip directly onto the teeth for fast application. The clinician can also choose to express the varnish onto the back of their glove before painting onto the teeth. As opposed to the unit-dose blister packs, each syringe of Enamelast varnish provides enough varnish for three to four patients. 

July 11, 2016 (ATLANTA, GA) — The Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP), a growing community of clinicians, educators, policy makers, consultants and industry representatives who advocate for the Safest Dental Visit™has announced that registration is now open for its Dental Infection Control Boot Camp™ January 9-11, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Georgia. The “basic training” program will cover core infection prevention and safety fundamentals for dental practitioners, and offer up to 24 continuing education (CE) hours. Space is limited, so it is important to register early. A special early bird registration discount is available until October 31, 2016.

The OSAP Boot Camp is a crucial building block for every dental professional with infection control responsibilities. The program features national and international experts in infection prevention and safety, presenting a fast-paced, comprehensive curriculum. Attendees receive an extensive resource binder, checklists, tools, and much more.

Although anyone involved with infection control in dentistry would benefit from this course, Boot Camp is targeted to dental personnel who desire a strong foundation in infection control, infection control coordinators, educators, compliance officers, federal service employees with infection control responsibilities, federally qualified health center personnel, consultants, and sales representatives.

For additional information, go to www.osap.org/page/2017bootcamp.

Louisville, Kentucky was host to the TEREC, NA association - a strategic alliance of leading North America independently owned dental laboratories.

TEREC NA continues to reach out to the leading companies and associations in the world for the latest in technology, manufacturing and industry trends.  At their May meeting in Louisville, TEREC members had the privilege of touring member Derby Dental Laboratory’s new state of the art facility.

“Reed and David Nunnally, and the entire staff at Derby graciously welcomed the TEREC members and openly shared information regarding all facets of their dental laboratory and the process they went through in designing a new facility.”  Kris Van Cleve, President, Dental Prosthetics Services, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Chris Frye, and Stuart and Anne Steinbock from Whip Mix gave a presentation on 3D printing and the dental industry.

Barry Diener and Weng Lam from Stratasys gave an overview of the Stratasys additive manufacturing solutions and technologies.

Researchers from the University of Nottingham and the Wyss Institute at Harvard University have developed therapeutic synthetic, light-curable, biomaterials for dental treatments that support native dental stem cells inside teeth to repair and regenerate dentin. 

The approach could significantly impact millions of dental patients each year by dental fillings that help heal teeth when they are injured from dental disease or dental surgery.

The research won second prize in the materials category of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Emerging Technologies Competition 2016.

“Existing dental fillings are toxic to cells and are therefore incompatible with pulp tissue inside the tooth. In cases of dental pulp disease and injury a root canal is typically performed to remove the infected tissues," said Adam Celiz, Marie Curie Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham. 

“We have designed synthetic biomaterials that can be used similarly to dental fillings but can be placed in direct contact with pulp tissue to stimulate the native stem cell population for repair and regeneration of pulp tissue and the surrounding dentin. Our approach has great promise to impact the dental field and this prize provides a great platform to develop this technology further with industrial partners.”

David Mooney, the Pinkas Family Professor of Bioengineering at the John Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, added, “These materials may provide an effective and practical approach to allow a patient to regenerate components of their own teeth.”

Kyle Vining, DDS, Fellow at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University said, “We are excited about the promise of therapeutic biomaterials for bringing regenerative medicine to restorative dentistry.”

Applications were judged on the degree of innovation of the technology, its potential impact, and the quality of the science behind it. The group will receive tailored business support from multinational partner companies, business training, media support, and a cash prize of £3,000.

Steve Pleasance, Head of Industry at the Royal Society of Chemistry, said, “Increasing innovation in the chemical sciences is one of the key elements of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s industry strategy. Our Emerging Technologies competition, now in its fourth year and supported by our industry partners, is proving to be highly successful in accelerating the commercialisation of the cutting-edge research taking place in both universities and small companies.”

Winning the competition gives businesses the platform they need to make the industry aware of their technology.

Since the initiative began in 2013, winners have gone on to raise a combined total of over £16 million in further funding, grown their companies and entered commercial contracts. 

A previous winner went on to secure US $1.7 million of funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop their novel treatment for iron deficiency anaemia, whilst another received support from GSK and was awarded over £2.5 million to take their enzyme catalysis technology towards market.

Forty shortlisted entrants presented their ideas to a panel of expert judges at the competition final, held at the Chemistry Means Business event. The judges are industry leaders and experts in their fields, drawn from a wide range of specialisms.

Tech Squared Dental Studios hosted Kuraray Noritake Dental on June 26, 2016 for a day of education on the new KATANA zirconia. Kozunobu Yamada, RDT (CUSP Dental Supply, Inc./Kanare Technical Center, Japan) presented a lecture “Material Characteristic for Zirconia Restorations” and demonstration for the top laboratory technicians in the nation. The program highlighted the uses, handling, and benefits of Kuraray Noritake multilayered zirconia, and how to achieve optimal outcomes in the rapidly evolving digital age. Tech Squared Dental Studios showcased this program in their downtown Manhattan state-of-the-art facility that offers the latest in digital workflow and solutions that enhance the laboratory-dentist relationship.

Recognizing the early stages of esophageal cancer is difficult because it can easily be missed. TU Eindhoven has therefore been working with the Catharina Hospital in Eindhoven to develop a method to enable a computer to scan esophagus images for signs of esophageal cancer. With exceptional results: the computer recognizes early cancer with almost as much accuracy as top specialists, of which there is only a handful. The results are published in the July issue of the scientific journal Endoscopy.

People with prolonged reflux tend to develop abnormal tissue in the esophagus due to gastric irritation. This so-called Barrett’s esophagus is one of the major risk factors in the development of esophageal cancer in the Western world and, therefore, people with a Barrett’s esophagus regularly undergo an endoscopic hospital check. The earliest stages of esophageal cancer are, however, very difficult to detect and only a handful of medical specialists in the Netherlands are experienced in this. Thus, when the cancer begins, and when it is easy to treat, it can be missed. Once the cancer reaches an advanced stage, the five-year survival rate is less than fifty percent. Each year there are around 2500 new patients with esophageal cancer in the Netherlands. This number is rising because reflux often occurs in overweight people, and the incidence of overweight is also increasing.

Spectacular

Therefore, 4 years ago Dr. Erik Schoon, gastroenterologist at the Catharina Hospital and top specialist in the area of the Barrett’s esophagus, knocked on the door of the Video Coding and Architectures Research Group of TU/e, led by professor Peter de With. His group has many years of experience in image analysis methods in which the recognition of people and objects is central, for instance in smart cameras. TU/e PhD doctoral candidate Fons van der Sommen and dr. Sveta Zinger, both of the VCA, worked with Erik Schoon to develop new methods that can accurately investigate the first signs of cancer. These methods have already become as good as the recognition score of the best European specialists. “Spectacular,” Schoon says of the results. “To recognize early forms of cancer in a Barrett’s esophagus is one of the most difficult things to do in our field.”

Much less invasive

The computer analysis should become available in every hospital over time to help gastroenterologists recognize the earliest stages of cancer and so pave the way for 100% recognition and treatment. That would save many patients having to undergo surgery that removes part of the esophagus, which is normally inevitable when the cancer is detected late on. The treatment of early cancer is much less invasive for patients and tends to comprise a microsurgical operation from within. It is also much cheaper. Additionally, doctors who are not Barrett specialists can use this method to learn to recognize abnormalities faster.

Real time

Before the new method can be employed, the software has to be improved and made suitable for analyzing real-time video frames. Then a number of extensive hospital tests will have to follow. It will probably take five to ten years before broad implementation occurs. Currently, there are various subsidy applications being submitted to fund this project further.

The study is being undertaken by TU Eindhoven in collaboration with the Catharina Hospital Eindhoven, the Leuven University Hospital, the Barmherzige Brüder Regensburg Hospital, the St. Antonius Hospital in Nieuwegein and the Academic Medical Center Amsterdam. The publication in the leading scientific journal Endoscopy, entitled ‘Computer-aided detection of early neoplastic lesions in Barrett’s esophagus’ can be found: DOI number 10.1055/s-0042-105284.