UCLA–First 5 LA initiative aims to improve California’s low rates of child dental services An innovative program that serves low-income and uninsured children in Los Angeles, the UCLA–First 5 LA 21st Century Dental Homes Project, has more than tripled preventive dental visits for children from birth to age 5, according to a new policy brief by … Read more
The traditional model of “dental customer care” has been in place for a long time, and it has seen little real change. It goes like this: modernize the dental office, promote expensive surgical procedures (e.g. implants and smile makeovers), put up a website and perhaps a Facebook page telling the world what services you provide. … Read more
New studies are identifying the key microbes and their interactions which cause a cavity. Essentially, we now know that dental decay is a “poly-microbial disease”, meaning the destruction of the tooth is caused by many different microorganisms and their complex interaction. Very promising stuff. We also know that a person experiencing a cavity or needing … Read more
The Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA) applauds the federal government for its proposed ban on menthol cigarettes, blunt wraps, and most cigars. Announced on April 30 in the Canada Gazette, Part I, this amendment to the Tobacco Act is open to review and comments from interested parties for a 30-day consultation period. “Flavoured tobacco products … Read more
Dental hygienists and therapists have been empowered by legislators in Canada, the UK and increasingly in the US to deliver dental services outside of the dental practice. There has been a boom in independent hygiene and this will only grow as patients seek more affordable preventive care. In the UK, for example, the reformed National … Read more
CHX Technologies (CHX) and MCI Medical Clinics (MCI Medical) have agreed to jointly promote and improve better oral health to older Canadians in MCI’s 28 medical practices, starting in 2017. MCI Medical will provide a new preventive oral health service called Prevora, a new topical antibacterial tooth coating for adults at high risk of dental … Read more
A new American website called End Cavities is actively promoting prevention of dental decay in children. This website is organized by the Children’s Dental Health Project and it is well done and very worthwhile. My guess is that End Cavities responds to the growing coverage of children’s dental care by Medicaid. Again, another very worthwhile … Read more
Three news items crossed my desk in the past month. All seem to point to a future for dentistry which features more specialization around managing the cause of poor oral health. One news item was a video interview with a number of dental opinion leaders in Minnesota, about the emerging role of dental therapists. Dental … Read more
Ottawa, ON., National Dental Hygienists Week™ (NDHW™) takes place from April 9–15 as part of oral health month in Canada. Why not help your smile shine by making your dental hygienist your partner in disease prevention for better overall health. Organized by the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association, which serves as the collective voice for more … Read more
According to a new study led by University at Buffalo orthodontic researcher Thikriat Al-Jewair, dentists are in the unique position as health care professionals to pinpoint signs of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep due to blocked upper airways. The research found that oversized tonsils and … Read more
Thousands of events nationwide help children improve their dental health CHICAGO, February 5, 2016 marked the kickoff of the ADA Foundation’s annual Give Kids A Smile program, which provides hundreds of thousands of children in need with free oral health education, screening, prevention and treatment services from thousands of volunteer dentists, dental team members, and … Read more
Dental hygiene has changed dramatically from a serious shortage of hygienists leading to high wages and a lack of choice for dentists to choose. Today, there is a vast over-supply; competition between job candidates and existing high-wage hygienists must earn their position with proper billing, periodontal care and overall patient service. The hygiene entry wage … Read more
Dentists analyze sugary drinks and tooth wear; weight screening at the dental office CHICAGO, Just days after the U.S. government released its new dietary guidelines advising Americans to reduce their sugar intake, new research from The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) shows that sugary drinks are associated with erosive tooth wear among teenagers … Read more
Dr. Rollin Matsui passed away in November 2015. He was born in Toronto in 1954. In 1972 he graduated from Jarvis Collegiate Institute, where he was active in sports, President of Students’ Council, and an Ontario Scholar. In 1975, he received his B.Sc. from the University of Toronto, Faculty of Arts and Science, Victoria College. … Read more
What A Wonder Nature Is! When things go wrong, or require a reboot, there is a plan, a system, a structure to get things back on track. Regeneration is “the natural ability of living organisms to replace worn out parts, or renew damaged or lost parts of the body, or even reconstitute the whole body … Read more
It is known that bacteria in the mouth ferments sugar in dental plaque to produce acid that dissolves the outer layer of tooth enamel. It is the acid that damages teeth and causes erosion. Therefore, acidic drinks whether they contain sugar or not can erode teeth and lead to tooth decay. These include sports drinks, … Read more
Saliva is a watery substance secreted by the salivary glands located in the mouth. Saliva is essential for good health, as it assists in speaking, swallowing, food digestion, preventing oral infections in addition to many other tasks. Without normal salivary function the frequency of dental caries, gum disease (gingivitis), and other oral problems increases significantly. … Read more
There is a high level of dental caries in deciduous teeth in developed countries; at a rate of 20.5% in children, aged 2-5 in the US and 25% in children aged three in Japan. Traditional methods to prevent tooth decay in young children include sugar restriction, oral fluoride supplementation and fluoride varnish. A new research … Read more
Two reports crossed my desk recently, which raised some possible serious concerns about how we go about delivering dental care. First, a report suggests that anaesthetics are linked to permanent tooth failure in younger patients. The study authors concluded that it is possible for local anesthetics to inhibit pulp cell growth for still-developing permanent teeth. … Read more
Surpassing the “been there, done that” dental visit … Numerous studies have shown that the way patients rate their level of satisfaction with services provided is largely based on the depth of emotional connection they have received. Patients rate connection and care as “very important” on the scale of what they expect. Visiting the dentist … Read more