The Kerr company provides continuing education presentations and hand-on learning courses designed for the general dentist and taught by experts in restorative and endodontic dentistry.  Courses are designed to expand knowledge, gain clinical experience and increase clinical success incorporating the latest products and methodologies.  Courses are held every Friday in cities throughout the nation.  Visit https://www.kerrdental.com/events for more information and to register.

FEBRUARY COURSES

Gary Glassman, DDS

Feb 17

Hands-On Course

Montgomery, AL 

MARCH COURSES

Garry Bey, DDS

Mar 10

Hands-On Course

Pearl, MS

Brett Gilbert, DDS

Mar 10

Hands-On Course

St. Louis, MO 63130

Brett Gilbert, DDS

Mar 24

Hands On Course

Raleigh, NC

Scott Coleman

Mar 31

Hands-On Course

Houston, TX

Ron Kaminer

Mar 31

Lecture with Demo

Virginia Beach, VA

APRIL COURSES

Brett Gilbert, DDS

Apr 7 - 8

Two-day advanced learning experience with live patient demonstration and hands-on learning.

Rosemont, IL 60018

John Olmsted, DDS MS

Apr 7

Hands-On Course

Irvine, CA 92618

Herbert Ray, DMD

Apr 7

Hands-On Course

Cranberry Township, PA

Brett Gilbert, DDS

Apr 21

Hands-On Course

Columbia, MD

Kerr Endodontics announced the launch of Endovac Pure, an irrigation system that combines a portable base unit with a sterile packed cartridge and an ergonomically designed, single handheld controller for ease of use. It is the only system of its kind to leverage the apical negative pressure technique, a method supported by more than 200 independent studies.

With a single handheld controller, dentists can achieve complete three-dimensional and apical cleaning of a root canal. Endovac Pure removes debris and bacteria from the apical third and provides a continuous flow of irrigants to the canal while minimizing the risk of extrusion past the apex. Endovac Pure’s Apex cartridge is sterile packed and fully integrates the MacroPure and MicroPure cannulas for greater ease of use. Endovac Pure offers best-in-class canal debridement when compared to other leading irrigation techniques.

“Endovac Pure is a great example of how we approach innovation at Kerr — with a focus on efficiency, results and cutting edge clinical technique,” says Phil Prentice, Vice President of North America for KaVo Kerr. “We believe that general practitioners and specialists deserve a partner who is committed to their success at every level.”

For more information on Endovac Pure and for the entire Kerr Endodontics family of products, go to KerrDental.com or call 800-KERR123.

AO recently sat down with #AOOrlando presenter Dr. Arturo Llobell – a clinician known to thrive in fast-paced environments. He’s a renowned and practicing periodontist and prosthodontist, as well as a national racecar champion. We asked Dr. Llobell to preview the Young Clinicians’ Series, where he will set a clear “roadbook” for predictability when facing complex full arch implant rehabilitations.

Q: What is the purpose/goal of this session?

The session will give a through and through vision on an array of important steps involved in today’s full arch rehabilitations, while contemplating different treatment options and sequences related to both prosthodontics and surgery aimed to achieve predictable esthetic and functional outcomes.

A: What topics will be covered? 

The lecture will have an interdisciplinary focus based on treatment planning and execution, involving both surgical and prosthodontic aspects related to implant dentistry. The surgical portion will involve different approaches and keys to success in guided bone regeneration and bone resection, while debating the importance of implant selection and planning in guided surgery and immediate load protocols. The prosthodontic portion will discuss the benefits and limitations related to different prosthetic designs and material selection, involving new technologies such as the facial scan or contemporary CAD/CAM protocols.

Q: Why is it important for young clinicians to attend? 

A: During the session, I will also show tips that I’ve learned during my training as well as those that now try to teach through my faculty appointments that are really helping me in a daily basis. I will also explain clear, straightforward pathways with the goal of adding simplicity and avoiding confusion during the treatment planning and sequence of complex cases. Basically to show with a clear view, it is possible for us to do it!

Q: Why is it important to a cross-selection of clinicians?

A: I believe that an adequate knowledge and consideration of different specialties, which can merge together in the treatment of complex cases, is crucial in order to obtain predictable, long lasting results without undesirable surprises. This merging of concepts will be emphasized in the session by setting a clear “roadbook” to follow through different important steps of the treatment.

Q: What some key takeaways attendees will glean?

A: Although the continuous innovation and evolution of technology will help us in many steps of the treatment, planning prior to execution must be considered as the most important treatment aspect in order to achieve predictable long lasting esthetic and functional results.

Another takeaway will be that Zirconia is a great material being used more and more in the profession due to its broad range of advantages and indications, but it also has a significant number of considerations and limitations that have to be encountered in order to avoid failures.

Yet another key takeaway will be that an increase in vertical dimension can be considered as a secure and predictable procedure under certain parameters that can increase the treatment options available and improve the outcomes to follow.

This session will take place on Friday, March 17, from Noon - 1:30 pm ET, and is available complimentary to all registered attendees of the Annual Meeting, however advanced registration is required. Tickets will be collected and a box lunch will be served.

Register for AO’s 2017 Annual Meeting today at www.osseo.org. Follow AO on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for the most recent news, and please use #AOOrlando when posting about the meeting. 

CHICAGO, Jan. 26, 2017 - The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) will host North America’s premier gathering of dental hygienists at its 94th Annual Conference. The Conference features 30 hands-on workshops and 26 unique seminars led by the top educators and practitioners in the field. The four-day event, running June 14-17, will be held at the Prime Osborn Convention Center in Jacksonville, Florida, with more than 1,500 dental hygienists from all parts of the U.S. participating. 

ADHA’s Annual Conference offers opportunities for all dental hygienists to learn, engage and advance professional and personal skills through continuing education, exhibits, networking and social events. Sessions will be held for clinical practitioners, public health professionals, students, emerging professionals, educators and researchers. Some of the workshop topics include:  

·       Periodontal Instrumentation   

·       Individual Career Power Sessions and Garnering the Respect You Deserve 

·       Digital Imaging  

·       Cardiovascular Disease and Dental Considerations  

·       New Gingivitis Coding 

·       Oral Cancer Clinical Guidelines   

·       Teledentistry and Addressing the State of Decay in Older Adults 

·       The Importance of Trauma Informed Care and more! 

The conference features a keynote address by Olympic Gold Medalist Laurie Hernandez, with the core educational sessions led by top industry speakers including Tom Viola, RPh, CCP; Patti DiGangi, RDH; Kristine Hodsdon, RDH, MSEC; Michelle Noblet-Vacha, RDH; Jasmin Haley, RDH, BSDH, CDA; JoAnn Gurenlian, RDH, PhD; Cathy Draper, RDH, MS; Cynthia Gadbury-Amyot, MSDH, EdD; and Hannah Maxey, PhD, MPH, RDH. 

In addition to a full educational agenda, the event features a packed exhibit hall, a 5K Fun Run/Walk and lots of giveaways, contests and awards. Additional conference program information, registration instructions and other details are available on ADHA’s website, www.ADHA.org/annual-conference. 

Ivoclar Vivadent, through its partnership with 3Shape, will now offer Implant Studio—a powerful implant surgical planning and surgical guide design software package—to laboratories worldwide.

Implant Studio enables laboratories to use CB/CT scans, combined with intraoral or model scans, to plan implant surgical procedures and then design a surgical guide based on that planning. In addition, Implant Studio seamlessly integrates with 3Shape’s Abutment Designer and Dental Designer, giving laboratories the ability to provide a comprehensive implant solution—from surgical planning to final prosthesis—to their dentist clients, using a single software platform.

Depending on the case requirements, Ivoclar Vivadent offers a range of material solutions to satisfy the clinician’s needs, from IPS e.max Press Hybrid Abutments, Zenostar T and MT Zirconia, to IPS e.max CAD or Press. By matching Ivoclar Vivadent’s proven materials with 3Shape’s powerful and efficient Implant Studio, laboratories can now offer solutions to challenging implant cases in a way never before possible.

Planning Implant Placement

Using patient CB/CT scans and intraoral scans (or traditional impressions), laboratories and clinicians can use Implant Studio to cooperatively plan the implant surgery in both partially and fully edentulous cases.

In Implant Studio the virtual implant can be viewed from every possible angle to ensure proper placement, the inferior alveolar nerve can be identified and marked, and any other pertinent anatomical elements can be taken into consideration during the planning process. A robust library of virtual implants is available to ensure that the plan matches existing products from today’s implant manufacturers.

Designing Implant Surgical Guides

With Implant Studio, tooth-supported or fully edentulous guides can be designed and then 3D printed or milled. Viewing windows, support bars, and identification tags can all be added to the final guide, and the guide can be designed for either pilot, universal, or fully guided drilling procedures. A large library of guide sleeves is also available for the laboratory to choose from.

Prosthetic Driven Planning

Implant Studio’s ability to design a virtual “reference” crown during the implant planning stage means that dentists and patients can both rest assured that the Implant placement was carried out with an optimal final prosthesis in mind. And, using 3Shape’s highly accurate “three-point” alignment function, clinicians can be sure that the guide will match the surgical plan exactly.

A comprehensive one-day training on Implant Studio is provided at Ivoclar Vivadent in Troy, Michigan, with the purchase of the software module.

CHICAGO, January 26, 2017 - With the nomination hearing of U.S. Representative Tom Price for the U.S. Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Oral Health America (OHA), a national nonprofit dedicated to changing lives by connecting communities with oral health resources to increase access to care, health literacy and equitable policies, sent key questions to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

It has been nearly 17 years since U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher MD, PhD, published the first-ever Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health that declared dental and oral diseases a “silent epidemic” in America. OHA sought to learn how Secretary-designate Dr. Price plans to utilize the resources at the Department of Health and Human Services to educate the American public about the importance of oral health and the relationship to overall health and well-being.

OHA’s questions for the hearing covered Dr. Price’s position on Medicare, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Community Water Fluoridation (CWF). OHA’s questions probed the issues that affect our organization’s advocacy priorities.

• What steps are you willing to take to ensure all Americans, young and old, poor or rich, educated or non-educated, receive dental insurance to cover dental services such as exam, cleanings, fillings, and extractions?

• Does Secretary-designate Dr. Price agree with President-elect Trump’s statements and what is the secretary-designate’s vision for the future of Medicare? Specifically, what changes do you believe are needed in Medicare and does your vision include the addition of an oral health benefit to improve the overall health of seniors?

• As a proponent of the ACA’s repeal and replacement, what will Secretary-designate Dr. Price do, if confirmed, to ensure Americans do not face periods of time without coverage, or lose previously held benefits, for example, through the essential health benefit of dental coverage for 8 million children or through Medicaid expansion, as a result of legislation that would replace the ACA?

• What is Secretary-designate Dr. Price’s position on the FY2018 and future budgets vis-à-vis their impact on the ability to extend funding for CHIP, a bipartisan-supported program that provides 8 million children and 370,000 pregnant women with affordable, age appropriate health coverage, including a guaranteed dental benefit?

• What is the position of Secretary-designate Dr. Price on Community Water Fluoridation? Do you endorse Community Water Fluoridation as an effective public health strategy as previous U.S. surgeon generals have done publicly?

OHA champions the principle that everyone deserves a healthy mouth. Our legislative priorities are based on increasing access to oral health care by advocating for innovative policies and evidence-based interventions, such as school-based sealant programs, guaranteed dental benefits in CHIP and Medicare, Community Water Fluoridation and an inter-professional dental workforce.

From including dental health coverage in Medicare to Medicaid expansion through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), OHA has a vested interest in legislation that ensures oral health care for all. We continue to stand as the national voice for oral health – particularly for vulnerable children and older adults.

To read the letter that was sent to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, please visit https://oralhealthamerica.org/blog/2017/01/letter-to-senate-committee-on-health-education-labor-and-pensions-concerning-dr-price-appointment/.

For more information about Oral Health America’s advocacy efforts, please visit oralhealthamerica.org/take-action.

Jan. 27, 2017--In patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), oral appliances that treat the condition by moving the lower jaw forward appear to improve sleep but not reduce key risk factors for developing heart and other cardiovascular disease, according to new research published online, ahead of print in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

In "Impact of Mandibular Advancement Therapy on Endothelial Function in Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea," French researchers report on a randomized controlled trial of 150 patients with severe sleep apnea and no overt cardiovascular disease who received either a mandibular advancement device (MAD) or a sham oral appliance.

The researchers found MAD therapy significantly improved the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) scores, micro-arousal index scores, and symptoms of snoring, fatigue, and sleepiness. However, MAD did not improve endothelial function, a key predictor of cardiovascular disease, or lower blood pressure.

Continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, is considered the "gold standard" of obstructive sleep apnea treatment. However, many patients find it uncomfortable, and MAD is the most commonly prescribed alternative.

"Endothelial dysfunction is one of the intermediate mechanisms that potentially contribute to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease in OSA," said lead study author Frédéric Gagnadoux, MD, professor of pulmonology at the University Hospital of Angers in France. "Whether MAD therapy improves endothelial function in OSA patients had not been evaluated before in properly controlled and adequately powered trials."

Patients in the current study had an AHI ≥ 30. They ranged in age from 18 to 70, and 86% were men. None had signs of cardiovascular disease. Although their AHI scores were indicative of severe sleep apnea, participants reported only mild daytime sleepiness. A strength of the study, which lasted two months, was that compliance with using MAD was high, as verified by researchers using a tiny embedded monitor.

"Our study demonstrates the effectiveness of MAD therapy in reducing sleep-disordered breathing and improving related symptoms in patients with severe OSA who do not tolerate CPAP," Gagnadoux said. "Despite being affected by severe OSA, our patients' reactive hyperemia index (RHI), a validated marker of endothelial function, was within the normal range at baseline."

Further studies, he added, are required to determine whether MAD therapy can improve endothelial function in OSA patients who exhibit endothelial dysfunction when they enroll, or have overt signs of cardiovascular disease or metabolic disorders.

The authors write that their negative findings on blood pressure outcomes should not be generalized to all OSA patients because study participants shared characteristics associated with lower blood pressure reductions in response to OSA therapy, including a low prevalence of hypertension and mild daytime sleepiness.

​Nicotine is an extremely addictive substance. The earlier in childhood a person starts, the stronger the addiction, and children have more trouble quitting, according to a new American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) technical report, "Nicotine and Tobacco as Substances of Abuse in Children and Adolescents," published in the January 2017 Pediatrics.

An estimated 4% of kids who try to quit nicotine will succeed, compared to 5% of adults who try to quit. Children and adolescents also make more attempts to quit before succeeding.

The new technical report, which supports guidance published in a 2015 AAP policy statement, provides research and information about the addictive and disease-promoting aspects of smoking and nicotine use. Among the technical report's findings:

-E-cigarettes, which have been aggressively marketed as cessation devices, have never been proven effective at helping people quit, and research suggests they encourage rather than discourage tobacco use.

-Between 2011 and 2012, e-cigarette experimentation by US high and middle school student doubled, and has increased significantly since then, but so has accidental poisonings associated with e-cigarettes, increasing from 1 per month in 2010 to 215 per month in 2014, including one death.

-It's estimated that two-thirds of children who smoke in 6th grade become regular adult smokers compared to 46% in 11th grade. Ninety percent of tobacco-dependent adults started smoking before age 18.

-For adolescents, even infrequent smoking increases the risk of addiction. One study found that monthly smoking for teens increases the likelihood of addiction to tobacco 10-fold.

-Nicotine is metabolized at different rates depending on gender, which impacts addiction. Women metabolize nicotine faster, which may explain why they have more trouble quitting.

-Studies show that smokers have higher levels of cortisol, indicating that addiction stresses them.

-The technical report also details nicotine's link to numerous diseases, including some cancers, kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease, osteoporosis, and obesity; its impact on sexual function and fertility rates in men and women; and on the adverse developmental impact on babies of mothers who smoke.

The rapidly developing brains of children and adolescents are particularly susceptible to nicotine addiction.

"Given the difficulty that adolescents have attempting to stop smoking and use of tobacco products, the need for prevention efforts to stop them from starting is extremely important," said Lorena M. Siqueira, MD, MSPH, lead author of the technical report.

Between 2004 and 2014, rates of US adolescent cigarette smoking decreased, even as teen e-cigarette use increased rapidly between 2011 and 2014. As a result, some have suggested that e-cigarettes have contributed to declining cigarette smoking among youth.

However, authors of the study “E-cigarettes and National Adolescent Cigarette Use: 2004-2014,” to be published in the February 2017 issue of Pediatrics (published online Jan. 23), used the CDC’s National Youth Tobacco Survey to analyze trends in cigarette and e-cigarette use among youth between 2004 and 2014. They found that the advent of e-cigarettes had no effect on already declining cigarette smoking among youth. In fact, combined current use of e-cigarette and cigarette use (accounting for dual use) in 2014 was higher than cigarette smoking alone in 2009. In addition, the authors analyzed the psychosocial characteristics of e-cigarette users and cigarette smokers and found that e-cigarette users would be unlikely to have initiated tobacco product use with cigarettes.

This finding calls into question whether these youth would have ever initiated nicotine use at all had e-cigarettes not been available. The authors suggest that including e-cigarettes in smoke-free laws, state tobacco control programs, and national media campaigns, as well as taxing e-cigarettes and eliminating youth-friendly flavors, would combat rapidly rising e-cigarette use among adolescents without causing cigarette smoking to increate among youth.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics, aap.org.

Oral health is an integral part of general health, and adequate dental care is important for individuals to help maintain good oral health. However, there are far too many people who do not have sufficient access or utilization of dental care services. Disparities are attributed to challenges racial and ethnic minorities face in comparison with non-Hispanic whites.

However, of these racial and ethnic minorities, there is very little research on Asian immigrants and the different subgroups that fall into that category. With the Asian population being the second-fastest growing group in the United States, there is a call for more comprehensive research on what inhibits their dental care.

To answer this call, Bei Wu, PhD, of the New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing (NYU Meyers), and her colleague, Huabin Luo, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Public Health, East Carolina University, conducted a study, “Acculturation and Dental Service Use Among Asian Immigrants in the US,” using data from the National Health Interview Surveys to assess dental service utilization across different Asian immigrant groups and examine the relationship between acculturation and dental service utilization among Asian immigrants in the United States. The study appeared in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

“Untreated oral health problems can cause pain, difficulty eating, and speech problems, affecting self-esteem and quality of life. It is imperative to examine dental care use within Asian groups,” said Wu.

Wu and her research team, studied both predisposing and enabling characteristics affecting dental service utilization like, age, sex, marital status, and education level combined with family income level and dental insurance coverage, and used these characteristics and whether these adults had a dental visit in the previous 12 months as the basis of their data.

The results of the study indicated that the acculturation variable - length of stay in the United States - had the strongest association with having a dental visit in the previous 12 months among Asian immigrants. This finding remained significant even after controlling for family income level and dental care insurance status, further suggesting its important impact.

“We hypothesize that this could be because longer stays in the United States allow for immigrants to gain improved familiarity with health care system, increases health literacy, and social support networks,” said Luo.

Researchers note that the second acculturation variable, English language proficiency, was significantly related to dental visits.  However, it became insignificant after controlling for family income and dental insurance. While language barriers are often thought of as one of the most important factors, this highlights the larger impact of length of stay over English language proficiency, and has important implications.

Overall, this study found that Asian immigrants, with exception of Filipinos, had significantly lower use of dental services. Despite cultural differences and different attitudes toward dental care within Asian subgroups, enabling factors like affordability, familiarity with healthcare system, and oral health status had important effects on dental services utilization. The most prominent factor affecting utilization proved to be dental insurance coverage.

This study suggests healthcare professionals need to pay more attention to providing oral health education among newer immigrants, and that interpretation services could be necessary There is an apparent need for more dental care promotion among these groups, especially in the beginning stages of their arrival.

Wu and Luo note a few limitations of this study, including self-report bias, examination of only Chinese, Filipino, and American Indian Asian groups, and no distinction between reported dental visits for treatment of a problem versus preventative care.

“Length of stay in the US is a significant factor affecting dental service utilization among Asian immigrants. Variation in dental service utilization exists across adult Asian immigrant groups. As Asian immigrant populations continue to grow in the US, it is important to increase oral health awareness, promote dental care, and provide affordable dental coverage for them, especially new immigrants,” said Wu.

There is an important need for more research to gain a comprehensive understanding of these disparities, and allow for further education among healthcare professionals on how to best combat this problem. Improving oral health is imperative, and a big step to improving overall health.