GC America announced the launch of their newly designed website that provides a simple solution for customers to access product information, company news, continuing education, multimedia, sales contact information and more. Product related marketing collaterals including videos, articles, brochures, instructions for use, press releases, safety data sheets, sell sheets, shade guides, technical guides, and advertisements are readily available and easy to access. 

The new site contains integrated social media buttons to increase communication and offers a simple way to connect with GC America on all major social media channels. It also has been optimized for viewers on all platforms including mobile devices. 

GC America’s website address remains the same: www.gcamerica.com 

Deborah comes to Smile Line USA with an extensive background in Customer service, with over 25 years of experience. She studied Business and Marketing at the University of Texas-Arlington. Smile Line is thrilled to have Deborah join us and service our wonderful customers. Give her a call she is as amazing as her Smile!

Henry Schein, Inc.,the world’s largest provider of health care products and services to office-based dental, animal health, and medical practitioners, recently celebrated the 15th anniversary of its Jacksonville, FL distribution center. The celebration was recognized by Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Henry Schein, Inc., during a special anniversary event.

Henry Schein’s presence in Jacksonville began on July 1, 2002, when a group of 77 Team Schein Members (TSMs) opened the center and shipped its first box – a $258 order for a veterinary customer in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. By the end of that first day, customers placed 98 orders involving 371 products, and 325 cartons in total were shipped. Fifteen years later, the team in Jacksonville, now composed of 180 TSMs, recently set a single-day outbound volume record for the facility by shipping more than 5,200 orders and more than 23,100 cartons. Since 2002, the Jacksonville team has increased its inventory level of dental and medical supplies from $18 million to $57 million, and its in-stock SKUs have increased from 25,000 to more than 32,000 today.

To commemorate 15 years of being one of Henry Schein’s top five performing distribution centers, Mr. Bergman addressed the Jacksonville Team Schein Members at the anniversary event.

“The Jacksonville distribution center has generated consistent sales performance and has served as a valuable resource that our customers can rely on for next-day service,” said Mr. Bergman. “Our success is a result of the many Jacksonville Team Schein Members working together to produce top-tier results and putting the needs of the customer at the center of everything we do.”

The distribution center also continues to grow with the expansion of its facility and storage capacity. In addition, the team has received accolades and awards throughout the years, having received ISO certification and the Verified-Accredited Wholesale Distributors (VAWD) accreditation – the first company in Jacksonville to be VAWD-accredited – as well as the inaugural winner of the “Keep Jacksonville Beautiful” award in the Business category. As part of its commitment to Henry Schein Cares, the company’s corporate social responsibility program, the Jacksonville team has also helped contribute to society by participating in programs such as The International Coastal Cleanup; St. Johns River Cleanup; Adopt-a-Road; City Rescue Mission; blood drives; and the Company’s signature Back to School program.

“While the Jacksonville DC grows, the team continues to make an impact on the local Jacksonville community,” said Gerry Benjamin, Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, Henry Schein. “Whether they are hosting programs through Henry Schein Cares or supporting local charity work, including blood drives and similar programs, the Jacksonville Team has proven itself to be an integral part of the community.”

The company offers a comprehensive selection of products and services, including value-added solutions for operating efficient practices and delivering high-quality care. Henry Schein operates through a centralized and automated distribution network, with a selection of more than 120,000 branded products and Henry Schein private-brand products in stock, as well as more than 180,000 additional products available as special-order items. The company also offers its customers exclusive, innovative technology solutions, including practice management software and e-commerce solutions, as well as a broad range of financial services.

Headquartered in Melville, N.Y., Henry Schein has operations or affiliates in 32 countries. The company's sales reached a record $11.6 billion in 2016, and have grown at a compound annual rate of approximately 15 percent since Henry Schein became a public company in 1995. For more information, visit Henry Schein at www.henryschein.com, Facebook.com/HenrySchein and @HenrySchein on Twitter.

Researchers at New York University College of Dentistry’s (NYU Dentistry) Bluestone Center for Clinical Research have been awarded a two-year National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to develop biomarkers for tongue cancer, a subset of oral cancers that often are deadly.

“We are investigating the tongue microbiome, which is the bacterial community on the tongue, said Donna Albertson, PhD, grant co-principal investigator, a professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at NYU Dentistry, and an investigator at the Bluestone Center for Clinical Research.  “We hope to learn how to diagnose aggressive cancers earlier, modulate the microbiome, and prevent or slow the oral cancer progression. Going forward, this research could lead to the development of new, targeted therapies for these cancers.”

The research focus on the oral microbiome is key because the mouth has a lot of diverse bacteria, and disruptions in its normal balance, called “dysbiosis” are considered pivotal in developing diseases of the mouth. New molecular technologies now permit far more comprehensive analyses of the bacterial community in the mouth.

“The majority of oral cavity cancers occur on the tongue,” said co-principal investigator Brian L. Schmidt, DDS, MD, PhD, a professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and the director of the Bluestone Center for Clinical Research. “We believe that the cancers develop through a multistep process involving progression through precancerous lesions, with increasing numbers of alterations in the genome.”

The NIH grant, of nearly $450,000, launched on July 1, 2017, and it is funded through June 30, 2019.

Drs. Albertson and Schmidt have already done critically important work in this field. Previously, they discovered a marked increase in Fusobacterium in the mucosal bacteria communities in the oral squamous cell cancer tissue of 13 patients. This increase was not seen on the opposite, unaffected side of the tongue [which served as controls in the patients with oral cancer], nor was it seen in people who do not have oral cancer.

The team then went on to profile changes in the microbiome associated with more than 50 oral cancers.  They also studied the genomes of the cancers and were particularly interested in cancers that had acquired extra copies of a small region of the genome, a process called “genome amplification.”  Acquisition of extra copies of the genome results in increased expression of genes in the amplified regions to the benefit of the cancer.  By profiling the cancer associated bacterial communities and the cancer genomes, they were able to identify a subset of node positive oral tongue cancers with amplification on chromosome 11 and high abundance of Fusobacterium.

“Since we see this amplification of chromosome 11 in some precancers, it may be that these precancer cells interact with Fusobacterium to promote progression to cancer,” explained Dr. Albertson.

The grant combines preclinical and clinical research. Investigators hope that they will be able to translate findings into the clinic rapidly. The team uses next-generation sequencing (a comprehensive set of modern high throughput sequencing technologies) to profile the bacterial community and bioinformatics (computational techniques that permit analysis of complex biological data such as DNA sequences).

Dr. Albertson underscores the significance of using these innovative techniques.

“We now have tools that allow us not only to describe the bacterial and host (cancer) genomes as we have done here, but also to probe further to describe the bacterial phenotype and functional relationships, she said.  ”Improvements in these technologies are also yielding results more rapidly and making this research more cost effective,” she said.

The importance of this research is considerable.

In the United States each year, approximately 22,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cavity cancers, with squamous cell cancers accounting for approximately 90%. Little is known about the natural history of oral squamous cell cancers, making a search for biomarkers and targets a high priority. Surgery is currently the mainstay of treatment, but it often leaves patients with disfigurement, difficulty eating and drinking, and a poor quality of life. Local recurrence, spread, and death occur frequently because the majority of patients are diagnosed with tongue cancer after the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes.

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research grant award, part of the National Institutes of Health, Grant 1R21DE026964-01A1, is titled “Genome Amplification and Dysbiosis in Cancer.”

Newswise — MADISON, Wis. — The smile may be the most common and flexible expression, used to reveal some emotions, cover others and manage social interactions that have kept communities secure and organized for millennia.

But how do we tell one kind of smile from another?

“When distinguishing among smiles, both scientists and laypeople have tended to focus on true and false smiles. The belief is that if you smile when you’re not happy, the smile is false,” says Paula Niedenthal, a psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. “But people smile in many different circumstances and during many emotional states. So asserting that only smiles that result from states of happiness are ‘true’ smiles limits our understanding of this important facial expression.”

Niedenthal and colleagues from Cardiff University and the University of Glasgow published a set of experiments that seek to expand our understanding of the human smile this week in the journal Psychological Science, showing three distinct, reliably recognized expressions — smiles of reward, affiliation and dominance — and describing the facial muscle combinations that make them.

Each smile hinges on an anatomical feature known as the zygomaticus major, straps of facial muscle below the cheekbones that pull up the corners of the mouth. But it’s not the only muscle at work.

Participants in the study looked at thousands of computer-generated expressions with random combinations of facial muscles activated — with one exception.

“We varied everything that could be varied in an expression, but our stimuli included some action from the smile muscle, the zygomaticus,” says Magdalena Rychlowska, a postdoctoral researcher at Cardiff. “We asked participants to tell us when they see a reward or affiliative or a dominance smile, and when the expression is not a smile.”

The researchers turned their participant-sorted smiles back on two more sets of observers, checking recognition and social messages until they had recipes for each smile.

For example, a reward smile — “probably the most intuitive,” Niedenthal says, “the kind of smile you would use with a baby, so he will smile back or do things you like” — is a symmetrical hoist of zygomaticus muscles plus a dash of eyebrow lift and some sharp lip pulling.

Affiliative smiles — used to communicate tolerance, acknowledgment, or a bond, and show that you’re not a threat — come with a similar symmetrical upturn to the mouth, but spread wider and thinner with pressed lips and no exposed teeth.

Dominance smiles are used to signify status and manage social hierarchies. They dispense with the symmetry, pairing a bit of lopsided sneer with the raised brows and lifted cheeks typically associated with expressing enjoyment.

“This facial expression has evolved to solve basic tasks of human living in social groups: Thanks, I like this. Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you. Hey, I’m in charge here,” Niedenthal says. “There are so many words people use to describe different smiles, but we see them as describing subtypes of a reward situation or an affiliative situation or a situation of negotiating hierarchy and having disdain for someone else.”

With precise physical descriptions of smile types, researchers can better classify subtypes and study the use and effects of smiles in pivotal human interactions.

“We now know which movements we should look for when we describe smiles from real life,” says Rychlowska. “We can treat smiles as a set of mathematical parameters, create models of people using different types of smiles, and use them in new studies.”

Rychlowska and collaborators are already digging into the way affiliative and dominance smiles can shift the outcome of games and negotiations. Niedenthal is working with surgeons who repair and reconstruct facial bones and muscles.

“They may have to make choices that will affect a patient’s expression for the rest of their life,” Niedenthal says. “It’s useful for them to know how different kinds of smiles are used in the world, and which muscles are involved in making them.”

Better definitions of smile types should also help people navigate intercultural communication. Previous research has shown Niedenthal that while the types of smiles used vary from country to country, there is plenty of variation in how often they are used.

“Americans smile so much that people from other countries are taught to smile more when they interact with us,” she says. “The problem is, they’re almost always taught one kind of smile, and that can cause confusion. “Simply teaching people about the existence of different types of ‘true’ smiles can help people pay more attention and avoid some of those misunderstandings.”

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grant T32-MH018931-26), the National Science Foundation (grant BVS-1251101), the Wellcome Trust, Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative/Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (grant EP/N019261/1) and the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (grant 2013205).

Why do people give to charitable organizations? Maybe they have a particular connection to an organization’s cause; or, perhaps they know someone who has benefited from that charity; it could just be the case of good timing – when they were ready to give, this was the charity they noticed. No matter the personal reasons for supporting a particular charity, one underlying truth remains: people want to help other people - and they want to know that what they give is really making a difference.

“3M Oral Care supports the America’s ToothFairy: National Children’s Oral Health Foundation (NCOHF) because we believe in their mission, and we see the results they are getting through their many great programs,” said Jim Ingebrand, vice president, Oral Care Solutions Divison of 3M. “Helping provide oral wellness is our heart and soul, so it’s very gratifying for all of our employees when we can actually see the difference we make together through such programs!”

In the case of a recent NCOHF grant, supported by 3M, to Apple Tree Dental’s Mounds View Center for Dental Health, that difference is treatment this year for 10% more children with special needs. In 2016, Apple Tree Dental provided over 11,000 children with oral health education, preventive services including cleanings, varnish and sealants, and restorative treatment.

“Ten percent might not seem like a lot when you’re buying something online, but that 10% as an increase in dental care could be another 1,100 kids getting access to critical treatments,” continued Ingebrand.

Underwriting contributions like this make it possible for NCOHF to expand programming and provide valuable support enabling its nonprofit safety net clincal partners to continue delivering vital care to underserved populations across the nation, provide educational programs and oral care products for youth, parents, caregivers and pregnant mothers, and increase the number of children receiving dental services.

Ingebrand says, “There are over 500,000 children eligible for Medicaid in our state, yet Minnesota ranks 50^th in the US for Medicaid reimbursement rates to providers of children’s dental care. By partnering with NCOHF we’re trying to do our part to help these kids get the care they need by providing funding and products to the communities that need it most.”

To learn more about getting involved in NCOHF’s Dental Clinic Resource Program, visit www.ncohf.org

Orascoptic™, the market leader in superior vision solutions for dental and medical professionals continues their legacy of game-changing technology with the introduction of OmniOptic™ – the first and only interchangeable magnification loupe that allows the clinician to select the optimal magnification power for each procedure.

Accommodating four magnification powers ranging from 2.5x – 5.5x, the OmniOptic system is an ideal system for users looking to increase their magnification over the course of their career.

The unique design features a magnetic anchor built into the carrier lens of the frame; allowing clinicians to upgrade their magnification powers without having to purchase a new loupe system. Start with a 2.5x magnification power for routine procedures and graduate to 3.5x for more precise procedures. A consistent working distance at each magnification level, also allows the user to swap out magnification powers without compromising their posture or positioning.

The OmniOptic system supports the HDL™ 2.5 Macro, HDL 3.5, HDL 4.5 and HDL 5.5 telescopes. This system is available as a through-the-lens configuration on the Legend™, Rave™, Rydon™, Victory™ and XV1™ frames. 

The Comp-Brushes were developed in partnership with the aesthetic group Style Italiano and are intended for composite staining.  Their black synthetic fiber allow for extreme precision with the best contrast between tip and composite. A working quality superior to standard brushes you find normally in composite kits.  The Compo-Brush set contains two complete brushes and two replacement brush-tips of each model. Single brushes as well as brush tips refills are available separately.  Please contact Smile Line USA, 877-755-6868 for more information.  

More information: www.smilelineusa.com

July 25, 2017: (ATLANTA, GA) With a focus on the Safest Dental Visit™ and strategies central to the conference theme of “Make it Happen,” the Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP) Annual Infection Control Conference, held on June 22 – 25, in Atlanta, Georgia, brought together over 300 policy‐makers, government agency representatives, educators, consultants, scientific authorities and key opinion leaders involved in infection control.

“The OSAP Annual Infection Control Conference serves as an education and networking hub of energy, collaboration and idea sharing,” says Mike Smurr, immediate past OSAP Chairman of the Board. “From the interactive workshops, agency updates, late breaking information and spontaneous meetings and moments that happen in between sessions, the conference continues to combine world class education and inspire those who attend.” 

As the premier infection control and patient safety event in dentistry, conference highlights included:

• Plenary sessions and workshops covering emerging trends and late breaking information on infection control requirements specific today’s healthcare landscape. The Dr. John Zapp Memorial Lecture keynote address with Dr. Ruth Carrico featured insights on the future of infection control, a late breaker session on pathogens, policies and politics with an update on the Amalgam Separator Final Rule reinstated by the Environmental Protection Agency, and an agency update featuring the Food and Drug Administration, Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control. The conference also featured several timely sessions on policies and procedures regarding dental waterlines, the new definition of oral health and a global panel on infection control from international experts from Brazil.

• Over 30 infection control companies and sponsors participated in the event providing an opportunity for the OSAP community to network, engage and discuss the latest developments in products, services and technology related to infection control and global health. OSAP super sponsors include Air Techniques, Coltene, Crosstex, Dentsply Sirona, Henry Schein, Hu-Friedy, KaVo Kerr, Midmark, Patterson and SciCan.

• Standing strong in front of a packed house, Jenn Morrone from Jenn’s Vision shared her story and mission for patient advocacy during the session “I am the Patient, Don’t Forget about Me.” In 2013, a preventable accident at a dental visit caused the loss of her right eye. Morrone has now made it her goal to promote and deliver the message of best practices in dental safety and the use of protective eye wear.

• An emphasis was placed on actively sharing best practices and ideas with colleagues throughout the conference. The Pecha Kucha session allowed attendees to hear quick five-minute presentations from subject matter experts and then breakout into deep dive round tables for further discussions. Topics included safe injection practices, bar code instrument tracking to processing, infection control in nontraditional healthcare settings, infection control resources and the CDC checklist implementation strategies.

• This conference also marks the transition of OSAP leadership. Therese Long, former executive director, has retired into the position of emeritus executive director and Christina Thomas now serves as executive director.

The conference provides a venue to discuss current and emerging issues related to infection prevention and safety in oral healthcare settings, it provides access to new resources, tools and networks to optimize compliance and identifies opportunities to develop and enhance global leadership for the delivery of infection prevention and safety. OSAP is an ADA Continuing Education Recognition Program (CERP) Provider and designated up to 19 continuing education credits for the conference.

“We could not deliver this education program without the support of our sponsors, exhibitors, members, volunteers and committee members,” says Christina Thomas, OSAP’s executive director. “We plan to take the momentum, excitement and success from this year’s conference and carry it through to Dental Infection Control Awareness Month in September, the upcoming OSAP Dental Infection Control Bootcamp™ and next year’s Annual Conference held on May 31 - June 3 in Dallas, Texas.”

For additional information on all the speakers, sessions, sponsors and registration, please visit osapconference.org.

 Young Dental introduced a revolutionary new fluoride varnish product. Varnish Pen by Young is an innovative all-in-one varnish delivery system that offers a quick, simple and mess-free approach to varnish applications. A quick twist and easy press sends varnish right from the applicator system to the teeth, eliminating the need to double-dip, open difficult packaging and keep track of small applicator brushes. The Varnish Pen offers the clinician a very convenient method of applying fluoride varnish with improved patient acceptance. 

Varnish Pen contains a single-dose 5% sodium fluoride varnish made with xylitol that provides sensitivity relief for patients of all ages. The thin, translucent no-mix formula is easy to handle without stringing or clumping, and is available in Mint and Assorted (Mint, Grape and Bubblegum) flavors. 

 For more information or to request a free Varnish Pen sample, visit www.varnishpen.com.