Needham, MA (February 13, 2017) –Convergent Dental Inc., developer of Solea^®, the industry-leading, computer-aided, CO₂ all-tissuedental laser system, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with a leading Korean distributor that will drive the Company’s expansion into the Korean dental market. Effective immediately, MEDIS SLU will distribute Solea across the entire Republic of Korea.  

Based just outside of Seoul, Korea, MEDIS SLU is equipped with a sales force of dedicated representatives that span the entire Korean nation to serve a population of over 20,000 dentists. “We are tremendously excited about this partnership,” remarked Shin Yongro, CEO of MEDIS SLU. “Having experienced a number of dental laser manufacturers in the Korean market that simply did not deliver on what was promised, we were eager to explore Solea. We quickly learned that Convergent Dental was a different kind of company whose priorities lie within delivering a unique, superior product that lives up to its claims while providing exceptional service to each and every customer.”  

“We are honored to work with MEDISU SLU,” remarked Michael Cataldo, Convergent Dental CEO. “This partnership is a wonderful way for us to broaden our reach. Korean dentists are among the world’s most advanced and productive professionals, and when the technology makes sense, they are quick adopters.”

Convergent Dental and MEDIS SLU signed a formal agreement on June 15, 2016. The Company immediately entered into the regulatory process and achieved clearance in an unprecedented five-month timeframe. “I think we received such quick clearance for two reasons: Mr. Shin’s personal commitment to driving Convergent Dental’s application through the rigorous regulatory process, and Convergent Dental’s well-organized regulatory files,” continued Cataldo. “We are looking forward to seeing the tremendous impact Solea will have in Korea.”    

For more information about Solea, please visit www.convergentdental.comor call 844.GOSOLEA.

February 13, 2017: (ATLANTA, GA) — The Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP), a community of clinicians, educators, consultants, researchers and industry representatives who advocate for the Safest Dental Visit™ will bring focus to current and emerging dental infection control and patient safety issues at its annual conference, June 22-25, in Atlanta, GA. The OSAP conference is the premier infection control education and networking event in the dental industry. Nationally and internationally known experts discuss current and emerging issues relating to infection prevention and safety in oral healthcare settings, and provide attendees with essential resources, valuable tools, and new approaches for better protecting patients and staff.

The OSAP conference is a must for anyone who wants to get the most current dental infection control information right from the experts. Among the items on this year’s agenda is the Orange County California Dental Clinic outbreak of Mycobacterium chelonae/abscessus (M. chelonae/abscessus) in which 67* children were infected. The conference will also feature new instrument processing technologies, teaching and compliance aids for infection control, targeted workshops and a session on late-breaking issues—topics so up-to-the-minute that they aren’t even identified until shortly before the conference convenes.

Because the conference draws leading educators, policy makers, and researchers, it offers unparalleled networking opportunities. The OSAP conference includes a wine & cheese reception sponsored by OSAP exhibitors, the legendary “Fun”d-raising Auction that gives participants an opportunity to bid on a dazzling array of items, an optional tour of the David J. Sencer CDC Museum at the headquarters of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and more.

The earlybird price is $549 for OSAP members, $699 for nonmembers (additional attendees from the same facility are $449), and $99 for students. The deadline for hotel and course registration is May 30, and the deadline for the earlybird discount is March 15.

For additional information and to register, go to www.osap.org.

*As of February 7, 2017

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BIOLASE, Inc., the global leader in dental lasers, announced today that its new, fifth-generation Waterlase Express™ all-tissue laser system, having received 510(k) clearance for commercial distribution from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is available for immediate sale to dentists in the U.S. as well as select international markets in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Waterlase Express represents the newest addition to the Company’s best-selling Waterlase® portfolio of Er,Cr:YSGG all-tissue lasers, and is the fifth generation of the world’s most widely used all-tissue dental laser wavelength. Waterlase Express will first be exhibited at the upcoming Chicago Dental Society’s Mid-Winter meeting on February 23-25, and then be unveiled internationally in Cologne, Germany at the International Dental Show (IDS), which is the world's leading trade show for the dental industry.

With extensive qualitative and quantitative research from a team of dentists around the world guiding the design of the system, Waterlase Express represents the new foundation of the Company’s strategy to greatly expand all-tissue laser use in dentistry.

“We are excited to launch the Waterlase Express, our next-generation Waterlase system designed for easy and intuitive operation, integrated learning, and portability. We believe the Express user interface is to legacy laser user interfaces what the Apple iPhone was to the flip phone,” said Harold C. Flynn, Jr. President and CEO of BIOLASE, Inc. “Express will enable significantly higher penetration and adoption of all-tissue laser dentistry worldwide. With all the value of Waterlase technology at nearly one-quarter the size, one-third the weight, and nearly half the U.S. retail price of our market-leading Waterlase iPlus system, we believe Express is the dental laser that is finally ready for the vast majority of dentists around the world, many of whom have waited to integrate our all-tissue laser solutions into their practices.

“These clinicians can now join our current customers who report improved patient-reported outcomes after integrating the laser into their treatment plans, including greatly simplifying perio disease management with REPAIR Perio™, implant management with REPAIR Implant™, pediatric and restorative procedures.”

BIOLASE Chief Technology Officer Dmitri Boutoussov, PhD, said, “When we began this project, our goal was to create a new version of Waterlase that would be a much smaller, simpler, more reliable and cost-effective system, while still carrying all the benefits of powerful Waterlase laser technology. We designed Express so that every dentist, whether completely new to lasers, or a pro, can easily learn Waterlase Express and start using it, with integrated support by BIOLASE and its network of educators and peer practitioners.”

Waterlase Express offers several breakthroughs to help dentists new to all-tissue lasers integrate powerful Waterlase technology with simple, elegant user controls and learning tools. Key features to support ease of learning and ownership for new dentists include:

Game Changing Features and Technology

Easy to learn and use:

• Familiar tablet-based interface makes it easy for new laser dentists to learn quickly

• HD quality clinical animations for every procedure on-board guiding proper laser techniques

• Easy to use procedure presets, with a simple, one-slider cutting adjustment control

• Simplified and intuitive clinical workflows for expansive library of over 80 clinical procedures

• Step-by-step protocols for guiding laser perio and implant procedures

• Full suite of pediatric and deciduous tooth procedures

Easy to own and get support:

• One-touch access to BIOLASE Customer Care™ from the laser control screen when a customer needs assistance (available to U.S. customers only at launch; international availability to follow)

• BIOLASE Connect™ system to link Express owners to a network of support resources

• Resource Center with Patient marketing support resources to enhance integration

• Video tutorials for easy maintenance and care

• Multiple financing options to enable positive cash flow and a great return on investment

Technology advancements:

• System uses compact, miniaturized version of patented Waterlase Er,Cr:YSGG laser engine, with more than 11,500 lasers installed worldwide and used to perform more than an estimated 20 million procedures

• Patented comfortable, contra-angle handpiece design for improved clinical intraoral access

• Cloud-based software, learning, and support content delivery and remote diagnostics

• New side-firing tips to follow soon for implant thread debridement

Dr. Samuel Low, Chief Dental Officer and Vice President of Dental Affairs, was a member of a team of 11 laser dentists from around the world who collaborated with BIOLASE R&D to develop the Waterlase Express experience. “Every setting, every frame of every animation was meticulously crafted by this team of clinical advisors and very talented artists to create a very high-quality learning tool for new laser dentists,” said Dr. Low. “With learning styles more variable than ever, the Waterlase Express offers an appropriate level of simplicity and access to deeper knowledge when needed,” he added.

To learn more about the Waterlase Express system, and other innovations designed to simplify laser dentistry, visit www.biolase.com/waterlaseexpress

New Milford, CT – March 1, 2017 – Superb handling and beautiful aesthetics, CLINICIAN’S CHOICE^® Dental Products Inc. announces the addition of EVANESCE™ Nano-Enhanced Universal Restorative material to its line of innovative, clinically proven products.

Ideal for both simple, single shade cases or more complex cases utilizing a layering technique, EVANESCE is designed to perfectly match natural tooth structure. Formulated with a proprietary process to optimize the refractive index of its unique nano pigments and fillers, clinician’s will appreciate its polishability and its truly amazing aesthetics - with margins that simply disappear. Requiring fewer layers of composite, EVANESCE exhibits excellent handling properties, allowing the clinician to sculpt the most detailed anatomy without slumping.

Featuring high strength and low shrinkage (2%), EVANESCE is ideal for both anterior and posterior restorations and packs easily into Class I and II restorations.

EVANESCE is available in the most popular VITA shades with three opacity options: Universal (85% opacity), Enamel (80% opacity), and Dentin (90% opacity). To further enhance aesthetic enamel characterization, three Enamel “FX” shades: White, Incisal and Clear, as well as two bleach shades are also available.

EVANESCE Nano-Enhanced Universal Restorative is distributed exclusively through Henry Schein Dental.

For more information, visit www.clinicianschoice.com  

Elevate Oral Care recently introduced the Advantage Arrest^™ Silver Diamine Fluoride 38%, Unit-Dose delivery system. Advantage Arrest provides immediate relief from dental hypersensitivity, kills pathogenic organisms and can provide important feedback due to its potential to stain visible or hidden caries. Most dental insurance plans cover its use. Advantage Arrest 8 mL bottles or new 0.1 mL ampules are only available directly from Elevate Oral Care.

www.elevateoralcare.com

Oral health is a key foundation of good overall health. There is an urgent need to understand how to get all residents sufficient access to dental care services.

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 US. 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 twelve 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 towards dental care within Asian subgroups, enabling factors like affordability, familiarity with health-care 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 that 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 health-care professionals on how to best combat this problem. Improving oral health is imperative, and a big step to improving overall health.

New York, NY-December, 2016-Kuraray America, Inc. is excited to announce the introduction of CLEARFIL Universal Bond Quick: the newest member in the family of CLEARFIL adhesives. 

CLEARFIL Universal Bond Quick is a single-bottle, fluoride-releasing, universal adhesive with the new original MDP & AMIDE-based chemistry that provides a unique RAPID BOND TECHNOLOGY. This new AMIDE monomer rapidly permeates dentin & enamel which eliminates waiting time & dramatically reduces water absorption. It also reduces technique sensitivity & application time without compromising bond strengths, sealing or desensitizing. 

It’s indicated for use with all etching techniques and light, self or dual-cure materials. CLEARFIL Universal Bond Quick offers your practice versatility, since it directly bonds to dentin, enamel, metals, zirconia and lithium disilicate restorative materials. 

CLEARFIL Universal Bond Quick will be available for sale mid-February, 2017. 

For more information on CLEARFIL Universal Bond Quick, or any other Kuraray products, please visit www.kuraraydental.com 

January 31, 2017: (ATLANTA, GA) — The Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP), a community of clinicians, educators, researchers and industry representatives who advocate for the Safest Dental Visit™, held its Dental Infection Control Boot Camp™ January 9-11, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Georgia. During the Boot Camp, attendees voted to select companies from among all the exhibitors that they felt deserved special recognition for infection control design.

The winner for Most Innovative Product was Stoma Dental. Jim Langeloh, VP of Sales at Stoma Dental, said: “As a newer disposable company, it’s very exciting for us to be recognized from the OSAP community. At the Boot Camp we were fortunate to speak with many infection control professionals about maintaining the evacuation valves and realized valve cleaning protocol varies from office to office. Attendees appeared to appreciate how our DOVE Disposable Valves alleviate the cleaning inconsistencies and offer other benefits for both patients and dental professionals.”

The winner for Top Infection Control Coordinator’s Choice (product most likely to enhance compliance) was Hu-Friedy Manufacturing Company. “Hu-Friedy is honored to have been selected as the recipient of the first annual Top Infection Control Coordinator’s Choice exhibitor award at the 2017 OSAP Dental Infection Control Boot Camp™,” said Jennifer Naylor, Senior Vice President. “The award highlights Hu-Friedy’s commitment, embodied by its knowledgeable and passionate employees, to provide dental professionals with the high-quality instrument management and infection prevention products they need to enhance compliance and achieve greater efficiency, enabling them to perform at their best.”

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. The “basic training” program covers core infection prevention and safety fundamentals for dental practitioners. One of the highlights of the Boot Camp is the exhibits, which allow attendees to learn more about infection control products and services. Product manufacturers and distributors have the opportunity to talk with participants one-on-one, and in some cases can even provide hands-on demonstrations.

For additional information, go to www.osap.org.

By Dr. Hector Sarmiento

As Latin America is the focus of the AO’s annual meeting this year, we look forward to dentists from our neighbors to the south sharing their insights and experience of implant dentistry while offering new perspectives in clinical procedures and new ways to care for patients.

Many speakers will join us from various areas throughout Latin America at the March 15-18 conference in Orlando, Florida, a certainly convenient locale in the U.S. for them to visit.

While dentists in the U.S. will learn of Latin American procedures, the occasion also will give the Latin American dentists an opportunity to acquire additional surgical knowledge to ensure quality dental healthcare for their patients.

Speakers who are from Latin American countries are identified throughout the meeting program with an icon reading “LA,” and complimentary simultaneous Spanish and Portuguese translation services will be provided in the two main general session rooms.

We will be looking at various perspectives of implant dentistry. I, for one, am excited about all the Latin American presentations that will show clinicians how to treat perimplantitis, the infection in tissues surrounding implants.  Many clinicians have worked extensively to find a cure for perimplantitis and also to carry out various surgical interventions for proper treatment.

In some ways, perimplantitis has been perplexing. This year, Drs. Michael Norton and Joseph Fiorellini joined me in publishing the first classification for perimplantitis based on etiologies. While an understanding of perimplantitis has evolved over the years, its classification has been limited to descriptions of the disease progression or involving soft and/or hard tissues. None has been based on etiology.

It will be a pleasure to discuss this and other issues with my colleagues from Latin America. In the year and months leading to the conference, we have focused on inviting dental students and residents from universities and master clinicians throughout Latin America to not only enjoy but also participate fully in our 2017 sessions.

Collaboration among our multi-specialists throughout the world does not only portend the future of modern dentistry but also shows it will become the gold standard to provide the best quality care for our patients.

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