It is natural for adults to focus their attention on a child who has a chronic disease or disability, but what happens to the siblings of that child? Research on chronic disease and disability has shown that unaffected children often have poorer psychological functioning as a result of their affected sibling’s condition. Children born with a cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) will experience surgeries, frequent doctor visits, and therapy as a result of this condition; however, in supporting these children through the process, their parents often unintentionally overlook the siblings.

To explore the effects of CL/P treatment on all family members, the authors of an article published in the The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal detailed their in-depth interviews with five siblings and eight parents of children born with CL/P. Siblings had an average age of 17 years and the parents 48 years. The authors found that unaffected siblings had a wide range of reactions to dealing with their affected sibling’s condition. Some children felt obligated to take on a protector role and often more responsibility for the affected child, whereas others demonstrated an attention-seeking behavior because they felt neglected. There were also children who suffered from stress and anxiety about not knowing the details of the condition and its treatment.

During these interviews, the authors were able to gain the perspective of how the siblings coped with the stress of having an affected family member; the parents were also able to realize and comment about their unaffected child’s struggles. The interviews revealed that the more information given to the unaffected child, the more help this provided to his or her overall understanding. In addition, interviews revealed that having a stronger support network for siblings within the CL/P community would help to relieve some anxiety surrounding the situation.

Author Nicola Stock commented, “The study provided insight into a population that is often overlooked in the context of cleft care, and highlighted a number of practical solutions, both within the clinical setting and within the cleft community. Above all, the study demonstrated that an inclusive approach to health care, which is encompassing all members of the family, is essential for optimal familial adjustment. As well as ‘normalizing’ the process for siblings and reducing distress, being involved in the treatment process may empower them to learn about cleft, to feel included, and to report positive consequences of growing up in an affected family.”

Overall, it was noted that sibling rivalry is very common among nearly all children vying for adult attention, but it is greatly intensified when one child has a condition that demands extra attention. However, with proper knowledge and support, the family as a whole will have a more positive experience that can potentially bring them closer together.

Full text of the article, “The Psychosocial Impact of Cleft Lip and/or Palate on Unaffected Sibling,” The Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Journal, Vol. 53, No. 6, 2016, is available at https://www.cpcjournal.org/doi/full/10.1597/15-148.

In keeping with a long tradition of offering meaningful innovation to the market, Dentsply Sirona recently introduced Aquasil® Ultra+ Smart Wetting® Impression Material. A completely redesigned VPS offering, Aquasil Ultra+ material merges state-of-the-art intraoral hydrophilicity and intraoral tear strength to deliver better-than-ever results--optimizing performance in all areas, not just one. The plus means clinicians do not have to choose between wettability, tear strength, speed, and delivery options. 

Today, Dentsply Sirona announces a new way to experience Aquasil Ultra+ material—the Aquasil Ultra+ Smart Wetting Impression Material Introductory Kit. This new introductory kit (Reorder# 678695) features an assortment of fast set material to allow clinicians the opportunity to try multiple viscosities and delivery options in this newly launched impression material line. Also included in the kit is the digit Targeted Delivery System that gets clinicians up to 34% closer to the prepared tooth than conventional 50mL delivery methods. This precision delivery system is an excellent way to experience both precision delivery and convenience. 

Aquasil Ultra+ material is a final VPS impression material indicated for use in all dental impression techniques. 

A No-Compromise VPS Solution 

Aquasil Ultra+ material provides clinicians a no-compromise solution to their final impression needs with market leading intraoral hydrophilicity and intraoral tear strength. Historically, the market has measured impression material performance outside of the clinical context in which a dentist works. Leveraging the latest technology, Dentsply Sirona tests and publishes clinically relevant intraoral performance to better empower clinicians to make clinical decisions. 

Aquasil Ultra+ material’s market leading intraoral hydrophilicity is designed to help clinicians avoid trapping fluid from the moment the material is syringed into the oral cavity, helping clinicians alleviate voids and bubbles at or near the margin. 

Market leading intraoral tear strength delivers a material designed to help clinicians reduce risks of tears at the margin while the material is in thin cross-sections and when being removed from the patient’s mouth, including in cases where retraction paste is used. 

CHICAGO, November 3, 2016 —The American Dental Hygienists' Association (ADHA) has released a new white paper that underscores the ability of the dental hygienist to perform dental hygiene diagnosis as part of the oral care team working to ensure that every patient is evaluated and treated, based on their individual oral health needs. According to the ADHA paper, dental hygiene diagnosis is an essential part of dental hygiene care and scope of practice, yet confusion exists on how to implement it into daily practice.

The ADHA has created this white paper to help practicing dental hygienists understand and use dental hygiene diagnoses in their daily practice across a wide variety of care settings. In addition, the organization is providing tools and resources for dental hygiene educators to help them teach dental hygiene diagnosis to students. The organization is the profession’s national voice informing policymakers as they consider legislation related to the dental hygiene scope of practice.

ADHA defines dental hygiene diagnosis as “the identification of an individual’s health behaviors, attitudes, and oral health care needs for which a dental hygienist is educationally qualified and licensed to provide. The dental hygiene diagnosis requires evidence-based critical analysis and interpretation of assessments to reach conclusions about the patient's dental hygiene treatment needs.”

“Through dental hygiene diagnoses, dental hygienists educate patients on behaviors that minimize risks of oral infections, help detect risk factors for infectious diseases and cancers of the head and neck,” said ADHA president Betty Kabel, RDH, BS. “This elevates the role of the dental hygienist within the overall healthcare system, as we seek to expand the access to oral care. It's important to utilize the dental hygiene diagnoses regularly and consistently to ensure optimal care for our patients.”

While dental hygienists’ rigorous education prepares them to provide preventive and therapeutic oral health services, the profession’s scope of practice varies from state to state. ADHA emphasizes that it is important for dental hygienists to fully utilize their education to provide oral health care services that fall within their scope, especially for populations that lack adequate access to oral health care services. The organization also advocates for using the new white paper as a resource by policymakers involved in decisions about state practice acts.

ProSomnus Sleep Technologies, manufacturer of the award-winning MicrO₂®Sleep and Snore Device, announces the appointment of Dr. Mark T. Murphy as Lead Faculty and Mr. Jerry Vogel as Vice President of Sales. Dr. Murphy and Mr. Vogel join Len Liptak, Bob Starr, Sung Kim and Dave Kuhns on the ProSomnus Executive Team.

“ProSomnus is on a mission to help dentists address the most important challenges in Oral Appliance Therapy for the treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea, including patient compliance, reducing the untreated population, and improving practice efficiency,” stated Len Liptak, CEO of ProSomnus Sleep Technologies. “Mark and Jerry are central to these ambitious and important plans. Both offer a rare proficiency in collaborating with dentists to develop innovative and impactful products, processes and programs.”  

Dr. Mark T. Murphy has lectured internationally on Leadership, Practice Management, Communication, Case Acceptance, Planning, Occlusion, TMD and Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Mark has been involved in Sleep Dentistry for over 25 years. He is an active member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, and has trained with several of the leading sleep dentists and post-graduate training institutes. 

Jerry Vogel brings a wealth of sales and executive management experience to ProSomnus. Prior to joining ProSomnus, Jerry successfully commercialized numerous dental sleep medicine and dental implant restorative and prosthetic implant products for Panthera and Nobel Biocare. Mr. Vogel’s experience also includes the development and implementation of sleep and implant therapies as practice development initiatives.

Orascoptic™, the leader in superior vision solutions for dental professionals, is excited to announce their new line of HDL™ prismatic telescopes; including their first and only 5.5x telescope.

Ranging in magnification powers from 3.5x to 5.5x, these prismatic expanded field loupes are designed for dental professionals who perform exacting procedures ranging from a crown replacement to an apicoectomy.

Designed for performance, these telescopes offer a generous field of view with a high-definition resolution and an edge-to-edge clarity that has become synonymous with the Orascoptic brand.

Working to improve speed and efficiencies in the operatory, HDL prisms enable precise interactions by bringing the operating site closer and into focus.

An anti-reflective coating on the objective lens of the telescope, also allows additional light to pass through for a brighter and crisper image. 

The compact design and sleek brushed metallic finish on the telescope delivers an aesthetically pleasing element to this custom-crafted medical device.

The HDL line of prisms is currently available on the Legend™, Rave™, Rydon™, Victory™, XV1™ and Rigid headband and is configurable as a through-the-lens (TTL) or flip-up. 

Alexandria, Va. – The International and American Associations for Dental Research (IADR/AADR) have published an article titled "Development and Testing of a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Resource for Children's Dental Anxiety" in the OnlineFirst portion of JDR Clinical & Translational Research. In this study, Jenny Porritt, Department of Psychology, Sociology, and Politics, Sheffield Hallam University, UK, et al describe the development of a guided self-help cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) resource for the management of children's dental anxiety and provide preliminary evidence for the feasibility and acceptability of this approach with children aged between 9 and 16 years.

CBT is an evidence-based treatment for dental anxiety; however, access to therapy is limited. This study employed a mixed methods design where within phase one, a qualitative "person-based" approach informed the development of the self-help CBT resource. Guidelines for the development and evaluation of complex interventions were also used. Within phase two, children aged between 9 and 16 years who had elevated self-reported dental anxiety and were attending a community dental service or dental hospital were invited to use the CBT resource. Children completed questionnaires, which assessed their dental anxiety and health-related quality of life prior to and following their use of the resource. Recruitment and completion rates were also recorded.

Acceptability of the CBT resource was explored using interviews and focus groups with children, parents/caregivers and dental professionals. A total of 85 children were invited to participate in the feasibility study and trial the CBT resource. The recruitment rate (proportion of children invited to take part in the study who agreed to participate) and completion rate (proportion of children who agreed to participate who completed the study) was 66% and 86%, respectively. A total of 48 patients completed the study.

At the conclusion of the study, the authors ascertained that there was a significant reduction in dental anxiety and an increase in health-related quality of life following the use of the guided self-help cognitive behavioral therapy resource. The results of this study will inform the design of a definitive trial to examine the treatment and cost-effectiveness of the resource for the reduction of children's dental anxiety.

"Having launched this year, JDR Clinical & Translational Research provides a unique opportunity for oral health research leaders to publish their research and effectively translate their findings to those who need the information to deliver evidence-based prevention and care. On behalf of the International Association for Dental Research, I am pleased that the authors of this study contributed their research to this publication," said IADR President Jukka Meurman.

This study titled "Development and Testing of a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Resource for Children's Dental Anxiety" is available online at jdrctr.sagepub.com.

ProSomnus Sleep Technologies, manufacturer of the award-winning MicrO₂® Sleep and Snore Device, announced the appointments of Mark T. Murphy, DDS, FAGD, as Lead Faculty and Jerry Vogel as Vice President of Sales. Murphy and Vogel join Len Liptak, Bob Starr, Sung Kim, and Dave Kuhns on the ProSomnus Executive Team.

“ProSomnus is on a mission to help dentists address the most important challenges in oral appliance therapy for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, including patient compliance, reducing the untreated population, and improving practice efficiency,” says Liptak, CEO of ProSomnus Sleep Technologies. “Mark and Jerry are central to these ambitious and important plans. Both offer a rare proficiency in collaborating with dentists to develop innovative and impactful products, processes and programs.”  

Murphy has lectured internationally on leadership, practice management, communication, case acceptance, planning, occlusion, TMD, and obstructive sleep apnea. He has been involved in sleep dentistry for more than 25 years. He is an active member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine and has trained with several of the leading sleep dentists and post-graduate training institutes. 

Vogel brings a wealth of sales and executive management experience. Prior to joining ProSomnus, he successfully commercialized numerous dental sleep medicine and dental implant restorative and prosthetic implant products for Panthera Dental and Nobel Biocare. Vogel’s experience also includes the development and implementation of sleep and implant therapies as practice development initiatives.

It's no secret that using tobacco is bad for you, but what has been a mystery until now is how tobacco causes increased inflammation throughout the body. Now, a team of researchers from the United States and Sweden have learned why. In a new report appearing in the November 2016 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, scientists show that nicotine activates certain white blood cells, called neutrophils, which in turn release molecules that lead to increased inflammation.

"Our study reveals an explanation how nicotine contributes to induction of inflammation and in doing so shows new possibilities for future therapies to treat tobacco-related diseases which each year lead to premature deaths of several million people worldwide," said Constantin Urban, a researcher involved in the work from the Umeå Centre for Microbial Research in Sweden.

To make this discovery, the researchers stimulated isolated neutrophils from humans and mice with nicotine and could measure a dose-dependent release of inflammatory molecules. By using pharmacological small molecule inhibitors as well as neutrophils from genetically modified mouse strains the team could identify essential receptor and signaling pathways involved in the nicotine-mediated activation of neutrophils.

"The cancer-causing effects of smoking have been known for decades, but how smoking is related to immune changes has been less clear," said E. John Wherry, PhD, Deputy Editor of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology. "Because of the direct link between nicotine itself and inflammation, this study has important implications including that alternative forms of nicotine inhalation, such as vaping that lacks other chemicals from cigarette smoke, may nonetheless still have detrimental immunological effects."

Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-10/foas-sim103116.php