Whip Mix just successfully completed its 7th Annual Digital Forum with an outstanding line-up of speakers.

The well-known experts in CAD CAM technology covered the most important and prevalent subjects in the dental industry, including using the 3Shape Ortho Module for laboratory-processed aligners, shading zirconia with an easy and effective technique, developing functional occlusion in the digital age, understanding digital implant workflows, printing and pressing using 3D Printed Patterns, working within FDA regulations in the CAD/CAM world, and several others.

The speakers included Bennett Napier; Carl Horrocks; Al Fillastre, CDT; Mark Williamson, CDT, DTG; Charley Fager, CDT; Al Hodges, CDT; Gary Morgan, CDT; and others.

LED Medical Diagnostics Inc. ("LED Medical" or "the Company"), has proudly announced that its VELscope® Vx Enhanced Oral Assessment System, manufactured by its subsidiary LED Dental Inc. (“LED Dental”), has received the Cellerant “Best of Class” Technology Award for the eighth consecutive year. The VELscope Vx has once again been designated as the leading device for the “oral screening” category, continuing to be recognized as the vanguard technology in the space.

The VELscope Vx utilizes tissue fluorescence technology to serve as an adjunct to the traditional comprehensive oral examination, aiding in the enhanced visualization of a variety of oral mucosal abnormalities, including oral cancer and pre-malignant dysplasia. Clinicians can incorporate the VELscope technology into their existing oral screening protocol as an additional tool to help ensure that areas of concern are visualized, even those that may not be apparent or even visible with the naked eye.

“Receiving the Cellerant Best of Class Award is an honor due to the rigorous product review process and the recognized clinical expertise of the panel members,” stated Wayne Rees, vice president of VELscope imaging for LED Dental. “We are proud that a group of respected dental thought leaders continues to see the value of the VELscope technology in the modern dental practice over such a sustained period.”

The Cellerant “Best of Class” Technology Award is one of the most prestigious dental industry honors recognizing innovation from manufacturers and service providers. “Best of Class” honorees are chosen by a panel of leading voices in dental technology that come together each year to discuss, debate and decide which products merit recognition.

“We see the pace of innovation accelerating in dentistry, which is a shift from our assessment just a few years ago,” said Dr. John Flucke, one of Cellerant’s Chief Development Officers and a Best of Class panel member. “Selection as a ‘Best of Class’ winner recognizes manufacturers that develop technologies that are truly exceptional.”

Dr. David Gane, CEO of LED Medical concluded, “Our VELscope team continually strives to deliver innovations that set our technology apart from our competitors. Receiving an eighth consecutive Best of Class award reinforces the efforts of our entire team in delivering class-leading adjunctive oral screening capabilities to the global dental market.”

The Best of Class Technology Award winners will be showcased at the 2018 ADA Annual Meeting in Honolulu from October 18–22. Dental professionals will have the unique opportunity to experience the Best of Class technologies, including the VELscope Vx, first-hand at the ADA meeting, as well as hear the panel members lecture on these products at the Digital Future of Dentistry Technology Expo.

For more information on the VELscope Vx, please visit www.velscope.com.

About LED Medical Diagnostics Inc.

LED Medical Diagnostics Inc. is a dental imaging technology provider focused on delivering state-of-the-art imaging software and systems. Through its wholly-owned subsidiaries LED Dental Inc., LED Dental Ltd., and Apteryx, Inc., LED Medical has provided dentists and oral health specialists with advanced diagnostic imaging products and software for over 20 years. LED’s proprietary technologies include the VELscope Vx Enhanced Oral Assessment and TUXEDO Intraoral Sensors, in addition to Apteryx’s XrayVision, XVWeb and XrayVision DCV imaging software solutions.

Backed by an experienced leadership team and dedicated to a higher level of service and support, LED is committed to providing dental practitioners with the best technology available by identifying and adding leading products to its growing portfolio. The Company is currently listed on the TSX-V under the symbol LMD, the OTCQB under the symbol LEDIF, as well as the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol LME.

About the Cellerant Best of Class Technology Award

Since the inaugural presentation in 2009, the Best of Class Technology Awards have grown to occupy a unique space in dentistry by creating awareness in the community of manufacturers that are driving the discussion as to how practices will operate now and in the future.

The selection process relies on an expert panel of dentists recognized as thought leaders and educators. It includes Dr. Paul Feuerstein, Dr. John Flucke, Dr. Marty Jablow, Dr. Pamela Maragliano-Muniz, Dr. Chris Salierno, and Dr. Lou Shuman. Over the course of each year, the panel members seek out and conduct research on potentially practice-changing technologies, with deliberations on nominees and final voting taking place in February. Panelists are precluded from voting in any category where they have consulting relationships. The entire selection process is conducted and managed on a not-for-profit basis.

For more information on the Cellerant Best of Class Awards and the 2018 Award Winners, go to www.cellerantconsulting.com/bestofclass.

The Pacific Dental Services® (PDS®) Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization committed to providing oral health care to those in need, provided comprehensive oral health care to patients in the communities of Mekelle and Hawzen, in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. From September 14-22, the PDS Foundation, in collaboration with Smile Generation®-trusted clinicians, served alongside the Dental School at Mekelle University and the Relief Society of Tigray and provided 655 patients over $344,433 of donated dentistry.

“I was so blessed to be able to be a part of this trip,” said Dr. Paul Awad of Pomona Dentistry. “The opportunity to serve the wonderful people of Ethiopia with other like-minded clinicians was an experience I’ll never forget,” continued the Smile Generation-trusted dentist.

The clinical volunteers on this mission trip provided patients with a full range of dentistry, from extractions to restorations to scaling and root planing. In addition, the clinical team worked shoulder-to-shoulder with the Mekelle University dental students, providing them with additional coaching.

The PDS Foundation’s trip to Ethiopia is part of the organization’s international mission to provide individuals with opportunities to serve those most in need around the world. According to the World Health Organization, it’s estimated that 71% of Ethiopians are affected by oral health-related illnesses. Smile Generation-trusted clinicians and volunteers have embarked on annual missions to Ethiopia with the PDS Foundation since 2010. They will work shoulder-to-shoulder with the Dental School at Mekelle University to provide coaching and training for their dental students. To date, clinical volunteers have treated an estimated 10,000 patients.

About Pacific Dental Services Foundation

The Pacific Dental Services Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization whose mission is to create opportunities to serve through improving oral healthcare locally, nationally and internationally. By creating opportunities to serve, the PDS Foundation positively enhances the lives of those in need, and in turn, those who serve. The Foundation provides access and advocacy to disadvantaged and underserved communities in four key areas: PDS Foundation Mobile Dental Clinic, Special Needs Advocacy and Training, Oral Health Scholarships, and International Trips. For more information, visit www.pdsfoundation.org.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PDSFoundation

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PDSFoundation

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pdsfoundation/ 

Low-income children in California suffering from tooth decay have a reason to smile thanks to a recent product donation from Cosmedent, Inc. made to America’s ToothFairy.

The donation, valued at $102,808, consisted of an assortment of restorative materials, including Insure, CosmeSeal and Renamel products. America’s ToothFairy distributed the donation to AYUDA International, a member of its Dental Resource Program, which supports nonprofit clinics serving low-income and uninsured children.

AYUDA treats patients in Southern California and around the world through a partnership with the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry at the University of Southern California and works to support dental services and programs for children and families in need. “The poverty rate in the communities we serve is as high as 24%,” said Dr. Harris Done of AYUDA. “These children are five times more likely to have untreated tooth decay. Restorative products are essential to repair the consequences of that decay and put our patients back on track for a healthy smile. We are thankful to partner with America’s ToothFairy to procure those necessary products and grateful to Cosmedent for their generosity.”

“We are proud to set the standard for quality esthetic materials and continuing education for dentists across the country,” said Michael O’Malley, President of Cosmedent and Dr. K. William Mopper, co-founder and Chairman. “And we are especially proud to play a role in restoring the smiles of economically vulnerable children.”

“A healthy smile is essential to the confidence and future success of our nation’s children,” said Jill Malmgren, Executive Director of America’s ToothFairy. “The members of our Dental Resource Program provided oral health services for more than 520,000 children last year. They couldn’t do that without product donations from generous companies like Cosmedent. We are sincerely grateful for their generosity.”

About Cosmedent

Cosmedent, Inc. was founded in 1982 to meet the early demands of educating dentists in the use of composite materials for esthetic dentistry. As one of the pioneering companies in aesthetic dental education, Cosmedent operates the Center for Esthetic Excellence, a highly interactive, hands-on educational center at its corporate headquarters in downtown Chicago, IL. While maintaining its focus on education, Cosmedent worked with practicing dentists to develop a line of quality products including dental composites, dental adhesives, resin cements, finishing and polishing materials, and core buildup materials that changed the face of dentistry. For more information, visit www.cosmedent.com.

About America’s ToothFairy

As a resource provider, America’s ToothFairy increases access to oral health care by supporting non-profit clinics and community partners delivering education, prevention, and treatment services for underserved children. Since its inception in 2006, America’s ToothFairy has distributed more than $19 million in donated products, educational materials, and financial grants to improve oral health outcomes for children and youth in need. For more information, visit www.AmericasToothFairy.org. 

As if lung cancer, emphysema and heart disease weren’t enough, there’s more bad news for cigarette smokers.

Researchers at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine found that smoking also weakens the ability for pulp in teeth to fight illness and disease.

In other words, smokers have fewer defense mechanisms on the inside of their teeth.

“That might explain why smokers have poorer endodontic outcomes and delayed healing than non-smokers,” said Anita Aminoshariae, associate professor of endodontics and director of predoctoral endodontics. “Imagine TNF-α and hBD-2 are among the soldiers in a last line of defense fortifying a castle. Smoking kills these soldiers before they even have a chance at mounting a solid defense.”

The results of the study were published in the Journal of Endodontics.

Aminoshariae said that, previously, there was little research into the endodontic effects of smoking—the inside of teeth. Smokers had worse outcomes than nonsmokers, with greater chances of developing gum disease and nearly two times more likely to require a root canal.

This new preliminary research set out to explain the possible contributing factors.

Thirty-two smokers and 37 nonsmokers with endodontic pulpitis—more commonly known as dental-tissue inflammation—were included in the study.

“We began with a look at the dental pulp of smokers compared with nonsmokers,” she said. “We hypothesized that the natural defenses would be reduced in smokers; we didn’t expect them to have them completely depleted.”

One interesting find, Aminoshariae noted, was that for two patients who quit smoking, those defenses returned.

Joining Aminoshariae in the study were former students Caroline Ghattas Ayoub and Mohammed Bakkar; faculty members Tracey Bonfield, Catherine Demko, Thomas A. Montagnese and Andre K. Mickel; and research Santosh Ghosh—all from the School of Dental Medicine.

SEE ORIGINAL STUDY  

Anesthesia Progress – Anesthesia is an ongoing challenge in dentistry, especially when working to correct severe disease of the tooth pulp (irreversible pulpitis which causes spontaneous tooth pain) in adult teeth. The difficulty tends to be compounded when dentists work with pediatric patients who have irreversible pulpitis from dental caries of their permanent teeth. Young, permanent teeth in children have a larger pulp, which increases the blood and nerve supply in young teeth, thereby also increasing sensitivity. Determining the correct method of anesthesia to assist dentists in fixing these young, diseased teeth is imperative.

Researchers from the Chiang Mai University in Thailand published a novel study in the current issue of Anesthesia Progress that compared the success rates of pulpal anesthesia in children pre-medicated with ibuprofen when local anesthesia was combined with inhalation of nitrous oxide with oxygen or with oxygen alone.

The researchers performed a single-blind study in which 33 children with pulpitis of a permanent molar were included. The children were evaluated preoperatively for fear and anxiety using the Facial Image Scale and pain using the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale (WBFPS) in case this affected their intraoperative pain perception. During the procedure, pain perception was measured with the WBFPS. Both scales are easily understandable by children and use pictures of faces that express emotions. Each child was given ibuprofen with a meal approximately 1 hour before the procedure. Seventeen children were then randomly assigned to the nitrous oxide group and 16 to the oxygen group. Once the gas was administered, the children were given nerve blocks to numb the area, and once numb, the procedure commenced.

The researchers measured the success of the procedure based on the results of the WBFSP. The WBFSP is rated on a 0 to 10 scale correlating to “does not hurt” to “hurts the worst.” The method of anesthesia was considered a failure if the score was higher than 4 during any part of the procedure. Overall, the results showed a success rate of 71% in the nitrous oxide group; this was 52% higher than the success rate of the oxygen group. Compared with previous local anesthesia studies using nitrous oxide but without preoperative ibuprofen, these results showed an increased success rate in the combination of ibuprofen before the procedure and nitrous oxide during the procedure.

Given these results, the researchers concluded that local anesthesia with nitrous oxide inhalation sedation combined with preoperative ibuprofen could have an increased success rate of pulpal anesthesia in cases of severe pulpitis in pediatric patients. They also believe that these results will benefit from further studies using a larger sample size.

Full text of the article, “Effect of Nitrous Oxide on Pulpal Anesthesia: A Preliminary Study,” Anesthesia Progress, Vol. 65, No. 3, 2018, is available online at https://www.anesthesiaprogress.org/doi/full/10.2344/anpr-65-02-08.

About Anesthesia Progress

Anesthesia Progress is the official publication of the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology (ADSA). The quarterly journal is dedicated to providing a better understanding of the advances being made in the science of pain and anxiety control in dentistry. The journal invites submissions of review articles, reports on clinical techniques, case reports, and conference summaries. To learn more about the ADSA, visit: https://www.adsahome.org/.

The 3Shape TRIOS intraoral scanner has received the 2018 Cellerant “Best of Class” Award for intraoral scanners. This marks a record-breaking six years in a row that the 3Shape TRIOS has won the "Best of Class” award in the digital impression solution category.

“The Cellerant Best of Class Technology Award continues to highlight the innovative dental technologies that are shaping the future of our profession. As a six-time winner, 3Shape continues to impress the panel with its accomplishments. The dental community is very fortunate to have you in our space,” says Dr. Lou Shuman, Best of Class founder and Cellerant CEO.

Since 3Shape launched the TRIOS intraoral scanner in 2011, it has won the Cellerant “Best in Class” award for digital impression solutions every year – now six years in a row!

The 3Shape TRIOS is the world’s first and only wireless intraoral scanner. The digital impression solution is recognized for its documented accuracy, scanning speeds, and ease of use. TRIOS provides professionals with an unrivalled and open ecosystem of workflow and partner-integrations with orthodontic, implant-makers, practice management, and sleep treatment providers, as well as open and trusted manufacturing options with 3D printers and milling machines.

The 3Shape TRIOS helps doctors to excite their patients by bringing digital dental impressions and treatments to life. The intraoral scanner is supported by an ever-growing number of patient-excitement apps like 3Shape Smile Design, Treatment Simulator, TRIOS Patient Monitoring, and more.

“What makes the Cellerant 'Best of Class' award so special is that the winners are chosen by a panel of doctors and industry professionals. That means recipients need to demonstrate real and measurable benefits to practitioners as well as bringing outstanding value to the practice. We are very proud that the panel has recognized 3Shape TRIOS, now for the sixth straight year in a row,” says Tais Clausen, 3Shape Co-CEO and Co-founder.

“The award winners have revolutionized, simplified, or advanced their category in a meaningful way,” said Dr. John Flucke, Cellerant CDO and Best of Class panel member. “We also make sure that winning technologies work in our actual practice settings, providing confidence in recommending them to our peers.”

The 2018 Best of Class panel consists of Founder, Dr. Lou Shuman; John Flucke, DDS, Technology Editor for Dental Products Report; Paul Feuerstein, DMD, Technology Editor for Dentistry Today; Marty Jablow, DMD, known as America’s Technology Coach; Pam Maragliano-Muniz, DMD, Associate Clinical Professor at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine; and Chris Salierno, DDS, Chief Editor of Dental Economics.

Practicon, Inc. is pleased to announce their acquisition of GlasSpan, the flexible ceramic fiber reinforcement material that combines superior bonding, ease of application, and excellent aesthetics with outstanding long-term dimensional stability.

Since 1992, GlasSpan has helped clinicians address a variety of treatment applications, including anterior and posterior periodontal splinting, emergency stabilization of reimplanted or injured teeth, and aesthetic, non-metallic post-orthodontic retention.

Colorless, pre-silanated GlasSpan fibers readily adapt to all teeth, are virtually invisible when applied, and are easily cut to desired length, with no special scissors or handling required. Fully biocompatible, GlasSpan is available as an ultrathin woven tape or in three diameters of braided ropes. Practicon will fabricate GlasSpan at their manufacturing facility in Greenville, NC.

For over 35 years, Practicon has partnered with dental professionals to advance patient care, increase productivity and profitability, and heighten professional enjoyment by bringing “practical innovations” to dentistry. Practicon’s growing product line ranges from hard-to-find problem solvers to cost-effective everyday supplies. For more information, visit www.Practicon.com or telephone (800) 959-9505.

NYU College of Dentistry and its World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center, together with NYU College of Global Public Health, will host an event on Friday, September 28, on accelerating global progress in addressing oral health. This is part of the worldwide movement to prevent noncommunicable chronic diseases, which are a growing threat.

Svetlana Axelrod, the WHO Assistant Director General for Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health at the WHO Headquarters in Geneva, will present the keynote address. Said Dr. Axelrod, “Good oral health is a crucial element of overall health and, as such, part of the human right to health. It is a striking fact that untreated tooth decay is among the most common noncommunicable diseases worldwide—and almost entirely preventable. The side event, organized by the two NYU colleges, is a welcome opportunity to promote full integration of oral health in strategic actions to address the global noncommunicable disease crisis.”

Other noteworthy speakers include Francesco Branca, director of the WHO Department of Nutrition for Health & Development in Geneva. The Minister of Health of the Kingdom of Morocco, Anass Doukkali, and the Minister of Health from Burkina Faso, Nicolas Meda, will share their countries’ experiences.

The side event follows the United Nations 3rd High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs), to be held at the UN Headquarters in New York on September 27.  The meeting brings together heads of state, ministers of health, and other international stakeholders to review global progress on the prevention and control of noncommunicable chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity.

More than 3.5 billion people worldwide suffer from oral diseases and related psychological, social, and economic consequences. Despite the wide prevalence of oral diseases, oral health is rarely the focus of discussions on noncommunicable diseases. NYU’s side event is designed to bring increased visibility to oral health, provide a snapshot of the burden of oral diseases, and outline challenges related to addressing oral disease, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

“Cost-effective interventions to prevent oral diseases are available at the policy, health system, community, and personal levels, but are not universally implemented. Our event will explore evidence and pathways towards prevention of oral diseases in synergy with other noncommunicable diseases,” said Richard Niederman, chair of the Department of Epidemiology & Health Promotion at the NYU College of Dentistry and director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Quality-improvement, Evidence-based Dentistry, the only WHO Collaborating Center on oral health in the Americas. The Center aims to foster policy dialogue around oral health and the translation of evidence into practice.

“While worldwide access to oral health care is improving, many people still lack access,” said Cheryl G. Healton, dean of NYU College of Global Public Health. “In some parts of the world, notably in sub-Saharan Africa, the ratio of dentist to patient population is exceedingly low—1:150,000, according to WHO—making universal access essentially impossible and prevention even more important.”

The event is endorsed by the governments of Burkina Faso and Morocco, whose work on noncommunicable diseases and oral health will be featured. Colgate and Henry Schein have provided corporate support.

“The event will send a strong signal to the global health community that oral diseases are major public health challenges that can no longer be ignored. The Sustainable Development Goals call for universal health care, and that must include access to basic oral health care and prevention for everyone,” said Habib Benzian, adjunct professor at NYU’s Colleges of Dentistry and Global Public Health and associate director of global health and policy for the WHO Collaborating Center.

The NYU side event, which is free and open to the public with registration, will take place from 1 to 7 pm (full schedule and registration available at the event website) at the NYU Institute for the Study of Ancient World (15 East 84th Street, New York, NY 10028). Reporters interested in attending should contact Rachel Harrison at rachel.harrison@nyu.edu.

About NYU College of Dentistry

Founded in 1865, NYU Dentistry is the third oldest and the largest dental school in the US, educating nearly 10 percent of all of our nation’s dentists. NYU Dentistry has a significant global reach with a highly diverse student body. It is the home of the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for Quality-improvement, Evidence-based Dentistry. WHO Collaborating Centers are designated by the Director-General of WHO as part of an inter-institutional collaborative network of centers worldwide. NYU Dentistry’s WHO Collaborating Center is one of only 10 WHO Collaborating Centers in the world. For more, visit: https://dental.nyu.edu/

About NYU College of Global Public Health

At the NYU College of Global Public Health (NYU GPH), we are preparing the next generation of public health pioneers with the critical thinking skills, acumen, and entrepreneurial approaches necessary to reinvent the public health paradigm. Devoted to employing a nontraditional, inter-disciplinary model, NYU GPH aims to improve health worldwide through a unique blend of global public health studies, research and practice. The College is located in the heart of New York City and extends to NYU's global network on six continents. Innovation is at the core of our ambitious approach, thinking and teaching. For more, visit: https://publichealth.nyu.edu/

ZirClean is a cleaning gel designed for the non-abrasive cleaning of the bonding surfaces of zirconia (and other prosthetic restorations) after intraoral try-in. The use of ZirClean will help to recover, improve, and/or maintain the bond strength of Zirconia restorations by neutralizing the phosphate contamination of zirconia (as well as ceramic and metal restoration surfaces) that occur during a try-in.

For more information, call 800-247-3368 or visit bisco.com