The U.S. dental industry may be losing as much as US$3.1 billion annually in potential revenue due to missed chair-time linked to administrative staffing shortages, according to a new survey by California-based Edge, a company that provides remote support staff for dental and medical practices. Edge’s report claims that up to 15 per cent of … Read more
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Dr. Shimon Sakaguchi won the Nobel Prize in medicine Monday for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance. Brunkow, 64, is a senior program manager at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle. Ramsdell, 64, is a scientific adviser for Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco. Sakaguchi, 74, is a distinguished … Read more
Dental patients no longer flip through phone books or rely only on referrals. They research online, reading reviews, comparing services, and searching Google for the most convenient clinic. If your dental practice doesn’t appear in those local searches, you’re missing out on a steady flow of new patients. Google’s local algorithm prioritizes dentists near the … Read more
Yet another study is strengthening the connection between oral and overall health — this time suggesting that heart attacks may partly be an infectious disease. Researchers from Finland and the UK, writing in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA), report they found bacterial DNA from common oral species inside arterial plaques. Their findings, … Read more
The Canadian dental industry is entering a new chapter. Dentalcorp Holdings Ltd., the country’s largest dental services organization with more than 550 practices, has agreed to be acquired by U.S. private equity firm GTCR in a transaction valued at C$2.2 billion. Once complete, Dentalcorp will no longer be publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange … Read more
Oral health is increasingly linked not only to overall health, but also to confidence and daily behaviours like smiling. A new survey released Friday found that more than half of Canadians say they would smile more if their teeth were healthier or better looking. The poll, conducted in August by Leger Marketing for 123Dentist, surveyed … Read more
Nearly half of the 5.2 million Canadians approved under the federal Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) have yet to see a dentist, Health Minister Marjorie Michel acknowledged Thursday. “It’s still a new program,” Michel told reporters when pressed on the uptake rate. “It’s like, you can go to your doctor, and you don’t feel the … Read more
Alberta dentists are caught in “limbo” as confusion persists over how the federal Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) is overlapping with the province’s existing coverage and when Ottawa’s program will end for Albertans. “Without a time frame, our dentists are in limbo with respect to knowing how to encourage patients, which plan to utilize. Should … Read more
New York University scientists are developing a zinc-based treatment for cavities that could eliminate the need for drilling and filling, while also avoiding the black staining that limits use of existing products. Marc Walters, a professor of chemistry at NYU, has created a colourless compound called zinc tetramine difluoride, which forms zinc oxide crystals deep … Read more
The American Dental Association is pushing back against claims from the Trump administration that Tylenol could be linked to autism, stressing that peer-reviewed science shows acetaminophen is safe. “Acetaminophen is well studied and proven to be safe for use in pregnancy and is one of the few medicines available to pregnant individuals for pain relief … Read more
A bacterium best known for causing tooth decay has been linked to Parkinson’s disease, in what researchers call the first study to show a direct microbial pathway driving the condition. The study, published this month in Nature Communications, was led by researchers in South Korea at POSTECH and Sungkyunkwan University, with collaborators from Seoul National … Read more
University of Toronto researchers are testing whether probiotics infused into common foods such as milk or yogurt could help prevent childhood cavities — one of the world’s most widespread chronic diseases. Led by dentistry professor Céline Lévesque, the team is using synbiotics — a combination of probiotics and prebiotics — to determine if beneficial bacteria … Read more
Corus Orthodontists, a North American orthodontic partnership network, said Wednesday it has increased its secured syndicated credit facility to C$250 million from C$175 million. The facility, provided through a syndicate of Canadian and U.S. lenders, also includes an uncommitted accordion feature that allows for expansion up to C$325 million. The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce … Read more
A University at Buffalo postdoctoral researcher will use artificial intelligence (AI) to uncover how gum disease develops and progresses. Lu Li, a postdoctoral associate in the School of Dental Medicine’s Department of Oral Biology, has received a $993,098 Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). The five-year grant will … Read more
The rollout of the national dental care program is improving, industry representatives say — but political statements are still driving a misconception among patients that the program will cost them nothing. “When the plan was initially announced, the government of the day continually talked about free dentistry, free dental care,” said Dr. Bruce Ward, president of the Canadian Dental Association. Former … Read more
A new cohort study of 122,000 adults reports that specific oral bacteria — and the fungal genus Candida — were linked with a higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer years later. Published Sept. 18 in JAMA Oncology by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and collaborators, the nested case–control analysis identified 445 people who … Read more
Brain fog, weight gain, mood swings, lower libido, painful intercourse, night sweats, hot flashes and insomnia — these are among the symptoms that affect about 85 per cent of women during menopause, varying in intensity and combination. For some, these struggles create a bond and a willingness to talk about what has long been taboo. … Read more
Ontario is consulting on expanding the scope of practice for several regulated health professionals, including dental hygienists and denturists, to improve access to care. Deputy Premier and Health Minister Sylvia Jones said Wednesday the proposal would allow a range of regulated health professionals — including dental hygienists, denturists, speech-language pathologists, physiotherapists, chiropractors and chiropodists — … Read more
Heavy alcohol consumption has sharply increased the global burden of lip and oral cavity cancers over the past three decades, with the steepest rise seen in Southeast Asia and in lower-middle SDI regions, according to a new analysis based on Global Burden of Disease 2021 data provisionally accepted for publication in Frontiers on Sept. 15. … Read more
A new resin technology developed with U.S. Department of Energy support promises to cut down on costly, repeat dental procedures. Dental restorations such as fillings and crowns often fail within five to seven years because of secondary tooth decay. But a Brazilian dentist-turned-researcher, now based in Oklahoma, has developed a groundbreaking adhesive resin that could … Read more