Minimally invasive laser treatment helps Air Force's largest dental unit provide unsurpassed readiness through integrated oral health
The company made the announcement at the 109th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Periodontology in Austin.
Used in conjunction with a specialized laser called the PerioLase® MVP-7™, the LANAP protocol selectively removes harmful bacteria and diseased tissue while preserving healthy tissue and regenerating alveolar bone, helping to save teeth from extraction. The no-incision, no-suture procedure will help airmen return to duty significantly faster, with less discomfort and without opioids for post-operative pain compared with traditional surgery.
The adoption of the LANAP protocol represents the first time the Air Force has implemented laser periodontal surgery at the Air Force Postgraduate Dental School, which is part of the 59th Dental Group at Lackland Air Force Base. The 59th Dental Group is the Air Force's largest dental unit and is responsible for providing oral and maxillofacial healthcare while ensuring service members are medically ready for deployment around the world.
Periodontal disease affects up to 85% of adults and has been linked to many systemic conditions such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes, which can impact airmen readiness for deployment.
"Periodontal disease can be particularly problematic for members of the military, many of whom have limited time for lengthy, painful and invasive dental procedures that can impact readiness," said Robert H. Gregg II, DDS, Founder, President and Chairman of the Board at Millennium Dental Technologies. "With the LANAP protocol, we can treat our military in a way that is less invasive and with faster readiness for deployment. In addition, our laser technology can be used for other procedures such as saving failing dental implants, preventing peri-implantitis and helping to ensure greater implant treatment success."
As part of the implementation, 16 airmen including periodontists and residents were selected for initial training and certification through the Institute for Advanced Laser Dentistry (IALD), a non-profit education and research center. The training involved several days of didactic and hands-on, live-patient procedures using the LANAP protocol and PerioLase MVP-7.
"Calibrating Air Force faculty as IALD Instructors in the future will enable ongoing LANAP training and access within the Air Force Dental Corps," said Dawn M. Gregg, DDS, Training Director, IALD.
Now that training and certification are officially completed, the Air Force joins the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy Dental Corps in adopting the LANAP protocol and laser dentistry to treat periodontal disease and other conditions among U.S. military service men and women.
Headquartered in Cerritos, CA, Millennium Dental Technologies, Inc., is the developer of the LANAP protocol for the treatment of periodontal disease and the manufacturer of the PerioLase MVP-7 digital dental laser. By providing a simple and comfortable experience with unique bone-building clinical results, the company's FDA-cleared LANAP protocol removes the fear from gum disease treatment, offering a more comfortable and less invasive regenerative treatment alternative to conventional surgery. The Nd:YAG PerioLase MVP-7 has the power and versatility to perform a wide range of soft- and hard-tissue laser procedures including the LAPIP™ protocol to save failing dental implants and BLAST™ protocol to prevent peri-implantitis and enhance implant integration. The company's founding clinician, Robert H. Gregg, II, DDS, continues to operate the company with the vision: To create better clinical outcomes in periodontal disease patients and to remain true to the guiding principle, "It's all about the patient." For more information, visit http://www.lanap.com.
The IALD is a non-profit educational and research center dedicated to providing evidence-based clinical training in advanced laser dentistry therapies. Formed in 1999, the IALD is nationally recognized for its continuing education programs as both an ADA-CERP and AGD-PACE recognized provider. For more information, visit http://www.theiald.com.
