York, PA – In today’s world of infection prevention, face masks are a key component for every dental procedure. Dentists, Hygienists, Assistants, and staff are wearing them throughout the day, but do they understand if the mask has the appropriate levels of ASTM protection? Are they comfortable enough to be worn correctly to maximize the benefit of protection? With the launch of new Com‐Fit Plush™ Natural Fit Masks, Sultan Healthcare believes that dental professionals will now have the best of both worlds.

The new Com‐Fit Plush™ Natural Fit mask is unlike other protective face masks. Clinicians say it’s more comfortable than leading competitor brands and independent testing shows it has better breathability. Our innovative elastic chin strip provides a better fit and a better fit helps improve protection.

It is available in all three levels of ASTM protection and offers,

- Patent‐pending elastic chin strip that conforms to your natural facial structure.

- Hypoallergenic inner material that feels silky soft.

- Patented curved noseband to ensure proper placement.

- Gentle ear loops for maximum comfort.

Better fit. Better protection. Hypoallergenic comfort. Com‐Fit Plush™ Natural Fit Masks. Retail launch October 17, 2016. To learn more and find out how you could WIN a free year’s supply, visit www.fitforayear.com.

SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS, October 7, 2016— Sunstar Americas recently announced that it has pledged $250,000 to the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) for a series of research grants to be awarded over a three-year period beginning in 2017. The first Sunstar Innovation Grant will award $30,000 to an AAP member whose research will be presented at the AAP’s 2017 Annual Meeting in Boston September 9-12, 2017.

Grant applications must address the following objectives:

• Innovative treatments and research that serve to alleviate the high burden of periodontitis on the U.S. population.

• Interdisciplinary team approaches to treating patients with periodontal disease that focus efforts on preserving the patient’s natural dentition, particularly among patients at risk.

• Novel approaches to achieve patient compliance with oral hygiene instruction/treatment plans using modern, evidence-based diagnostics and modern patient education tools during and between dental visits.

“For over half a century, our company’s stated mission has been, ‘Always strive to help people everywhere achieve better health and enhance their quality-of-life,’” said Marie Wilson, Sunstar Americas Senior Manager, Scientific Affairs & Professional Relations. “By awarding our Sunstar Innovation Grants over the next three years, we will be able to further support not only our mission but the crucial efforts of AAP members to significantly reduce the impact of periodontitis in America.”

Applications for the initial grant must be submitted by October 16, 2016 on the AAP’s online submission site at https://aapsig2016.abstractcentral.com. All grant applications will be administered by the AAP Research Submissions Committee. Grant applicants must be members of the AAP.

Modern Dental Group Limited, a global dental prosthetic device provider, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire MicroDental Laboratories, a network of dental laboratories across North America. The transaction is anticipated to close ithis month, subject to shareholder approval.

Modern Dental Group, a publicly-held company trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, maintains the largest share of the dental prosthetic markets in Western Europe, Australia, China, and Hong Kong. As a result of this transaction, Modern’s existing North American operations will be enhanced by 21 new dental laboratory locations in the United States and Canada.

“Quality is at the forefront of everything we do at Modern Dental," says Godfrey Ngai, Executive Director and CEO of Modern Dental Group. "The acquisition of MicroDental Laboratories accelerates and aligns perfectly with our strategy for global growth and growth in North America. We are very excited about our future and this is a great day for Modern Dental Group and for MicroDental. We will continue to build on the strength of the MicroDental brand and leverage our breadth of technical support, education, and product offering backed by the best customer care in the business.”

Laing F. Rikkers, Board Member of MicroDental and Managing Director of HealthpointCapital, which owns a majority interest in MicroDental, says: “We are pleased that Modern Dental is acquiring our business because they have a unique appreciation of the people, onshore production, technological capabilities, and brand at MicroDental. It is a great marriage that will be positive for the employees, customers, and patients by making them a part of the strongest dental laboratory company globally."

“Right now we’re seeing terrible discrepancies between our poor elders who have a lot of disease but no access to dental care.” At its recent salon, Expanding Oral Healthcare for America’s Seniors, the Santa Fe Group and a diverse group of leaders came together to develop initiatives to improve the understanding on aging and oral health. 

In this interview, Dr. Linda Niessen, Dean and Professor for NOVA Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine, speaks to Compendium about the need to focus on oral health as part of overall health. 

At their recent salon, Expanding Oral Healthcare for America’s Seniors, the Santa Fe Group and a diverse group of leaders came together to develop initiatives to improve the understanding on aging and oral health. 

In this interview with Compendium, Gary Price, President and CEO of the Dental Trade Association, talks about carrying this message forward to policymakers to try to impact oral health in America. 

Every day, thousands of Americans wake up on their first day of retirement with no dental health benefits. How do we ensure that all seniors get access to needed dental care?

The Santa Fe Group and its partners are looking for answers. Their recent salon, Expanding Oral Healthcare for America’s Seniors, brought leaders together to develop initiatives to improve the understanding on aging and oral health. 

Ann Battrell, CEO of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association, shares her thoughts on these important quality-of-life issues for seniors.

Every day, thousands of Americans wake up on their first day of retirement with no dental health benefits.

The Santa Fe Group and its partners are seeking to change that. At their recent salon, Expanding Oral Healthcare for America’s Seniors, leaders came together to develop initiatives to improve the understanding on aging and oral health. 

The explosive growth of people over 65 in this country is prompting an urgent discussion on providing access to dental care and raising a very important question: Should Medicare provide a dental benefit?

In this video, Kathleen T. O’Loughlin, Executive Director of the American Dental Association, highlights some of the key points in this ongoing discussion. 

Jensen Dental hosted a course at Champion's Crown & Bridge in Houston, Texas. Taught by Peter Pizzi, CDT, MDT, the two-day hands-on course covered a rational methodology to help eliminate the frustrations often encountered during the diagnostic process.

Attendees learned how incorporating communication, material options and selection, photography, and color communication into their daily regimen will enable them to achieve the highest level of predictability and satisfaction.

Pictured in the back row, from left, are Victor Castro, Jeff Singler, Sam Sawvel, Peter Pizzi, Robert Coleman, Jon Springer, Krystyna Jasinski, Debbie Fichter, and Jay McCulley. Pictured in the front row, from left, are Samantha Madsen (Jensen Dental), Alfredo Flores, Bill Bell, Roy Cho, Anton Nelson, and Kristi McCulley. Not pictured is Shirley Galindo.

Every day, thousands of Americans wake up on their first day of retirement with no dental health benefits. An estimated one in five low-income seniors has dental pain.

The Santa Fe Group and its partners are seeking to change that. At their recent salon, Expanding Oral Healthcare for America’s Seniors, leaders came together to develop initiatives to improve the understanding on aging and oral health. 

In this interview, Marko Vujicic, PhD, Chief Economist and Vice President of theHealth Policy Institute at the American Dental Association, talks with Compendium about the hard data documenting these issues affecting the lives of seniors. 

NEW YORK, NY  -- Researchers at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (CDM) Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) have identified 41 master regulator genes that may cause gum disease, also known as periodontal disease. The study was the first of its kind to employ genome-wide reverse engineering to identify the gene pathways that contribute to periodontitis.

Identification of the genes represents a vital step toward developing compounds that can be used in targeted, individualized treatment of severe periodontitis, before loss of teeth and supportive bone occurs.

Findings of the study were published recently in the Journal of Dental Research.

In gene expression studies, investigators find those genes that are most commonly expressed in either healthy or diseased tissue. But such studies cannot identify a causal link between these genes and the disease, and often miss genes that affect a larger number of genetic pathways, which may have a large impact on the disease process.

In this study, a team led by Panos N. Papapanou, DDS, PhD, professor and chair of oral, diagnostic and rehabilitation sciences at the College of Dental Medicine at CUMC, "reverse-engineered" the gene expression data to build a map of the genetic interactions that lead to periodontitis and identify individual genes that appear to have the most influence on the disease. "Our approach narrows down the list of potentially interesting regulatory genes involved in periodontitis," says Papapanou. "This allows us to focus on the handful of genes that represent the most important players in the process rather than the whole transcriptome."

To identify the genes, Papapanou partnered with CUMC investigators in Systems Biology who had previously developed algorithms to identify regulatory genes that fuel cancer growth. The researchers examined RNA from healthy and diseased gum tissues of 120 patients with periodontitis.. They applied one algorithm to study the interactions among the genes and used another algorithm to identify genes that disrupt healthy tissue and drive the disease process.

Many of the genes identified by Papapanou and his team are implicated in immune and inflammatory pathways, confirming laboratory and clinical observations of the development of periodontal disease.

Identification of the master regulator genes will allow investigators to test compounds that interrupt their action, creating treatments that stop periodontal disease at its source. "Now it's important to do the downstream work of validating these master regulators in the lab before we can test these genes in experimental models," says Papapanou.