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Plasma jets could offer a painless alternative to dentists' drills, according to German researchers. The study is in the February issue of the Journal of Medical Microbiology.
Plasmas are known as the fourth state of matter after solids, liquids and gases and have an increasing number of technical and medical applications. Plasmas are common everywhere in the cosmos, and are produced when high-energy processes strip atoms of one or more of their electrons. This forms high-temperature reactive oxygen species that are capable of destroying microbes. These hot plasmas are already used to disinfect surgical instruments.
Researchers found that firing low temperature plasma beams at dentin -- the fibrous tooth structure beneath the enamel coating -- reduced the amount of dental bacteria by up to 10,000-fold. The results suggest that plasma jets could be used to remove infected tissue in tooth cavities, a procedure that currently requires a drill.
For the study, the researchers infected dentin from extracted human molars with four strains of bacteria and then exposed the dentin to plasma jets for 6, 12 or 18 seconds. The amount of bacteria that was eliminated increased the longer the dentin was exposed to the plasma jets.
Dr Stefan Rupf from Saarland University who led the research said that the recent development of cold plasmas that have temperatures of around 40 degrees Celsius showed great promise for use in dentistry. "The low temperature means they can kill the microbes while preserving the tooth. The dental pulp at the centre of the tooth, underneath the dentin, is linked to the blood supply and nerves and heat damage to it must be avoided at all costs.
Once again, a new technology in dentistry seems promising and exciting! Comments?
More information: Science Daily; Journal of Medical Microbiology
One of our members brought the following story from the BBC to my attention. Scientists in Italy have developed a way of turning rattan wood into bone that is almost identical to the human tissue. The team is lead by Dr Anna Tampieri. "It's proving very promising" she says. "This new bone material is strong, so it can take heavy loads that bodies will put on it. "It is also durable, so, unlike existing bone substitutes, it won't need replacing".
In our periodontal and implant practice, we have been using bone grafts for decades to restore normal physiologic bony parameters around teeth, as well as to facilitate ideal dental implant placement and restoration. In our experience, the synthetic graft materials, although successful, have yielded results that are less desirable than the outcomes achieved with autografts, allografts, and xenografts. However, this is very interesting and promising. Time will tell if it will truly be a viable bone graft material. Check it out.
Source: BBC
With the emergence and growth of CAD/CAM dentistry and fabrication of simple in-office dental restorations, one might regard this as a threat to the dental laboratory technician. However, the experience, expertise, knowledge, and guidance provided by the dental lab technician are critical for successful outcomes for our patients, especially for larger, more sophisticated cases. The lab technician remains a vital member of the dental team from the initial diagnosis to the delivery of the final restoration, as well as during long term maintenance. The importance of this relationship is elaborated upon in an article by Lee Culp, CDT & Lida Swann, DDS. Comments?
Use a Boone's gauge and mark the position using a lead pencil as shown in the photograph. Simple!
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orthocourse@drravikumar.in
It seems as though we are learning more about the relationship between periodontal disease and Diabetes every day. Information about the link between the two continues to grow as new scientific literature is published.
A recent study led by Dr. Sheila Strauss, Associate Professor of Nursing and Co-Director of the Statistics and Data Management Core for NYU's Colleges of Dentistry and Nursing, examined data from 2,923 adult participants in the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey who had not been diagnosed with diabetes.
Using guidelines established by the American Diabetes Association, Dr. Strauss determined that 93 percent of subjects who had periodontal disease, compared to 63 percent of those without the disease, were considered to be at high risk for diabetes and should be screened for diabetes. Screening could be performed by dentists using a simple glucometer with blood taken from inflamed periodontal pockets.
Dr. Strauss stated, "In light of these findings, the dental visit could be a useful opportunity to conduct an initial diabetes screening -- an important first step in identifying those patients who need follow-up testing to diagnose the disease."
"It's been estimated that 5.7 million Americans with diabetes were undiagnosed in 2007," Dr. Strauss added, "with the number expected to increase dramatically in coming years. The issue of undiagnosed diabetes is especially critical because early treatment and secondary prevention efforts may help to prevent or delay the long-term complications of diabetes that are responsible for reduced quality of life and increased levels of mortality among these patients. Thus, there is a critical need to increase opportunities for diabetes screening and early diabetes detection."
Given the findings of this study, do you think you would incorporate routine Diabetes screening into your daily practice?
Source: The Journal of Public Health Dentistry
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AFO Level I - May 14th, 15th, 2011
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Orthodontics course in Tamilnadu, Chennai
Orthodontics courses in Chennai. Was a grand success. Taught Straight Wire, Begg's, Tip-Edge, Self Ligating Brackets. Introduced Lingual Orthodontics to my students there.
Our Periodontal Associates study club co-hosted a meeting the other night with Dentsply on the topic of overdentures. The material was expertly presented by Ira Dickerman of Dickerman Dental Prosthetics and Dr. Theo Kapos from Harvard Dental School. In particular, the Ankylos Syncone protocol was reviewed. This seems to be an extremely precise, stable, and cost-effective method for delivery of an implant-supported overdenture prosthesis. It also appears as though the protocol may be modified to support a fixed "hybrid" prosthesis on four implant fixtures. Even though I have been involved with implant dentistry for over 21 years, it is exciting to see new developments and technologies that can have a tremendous impact on improving the quality of life for our patients. Comment or thoughts (especially from our international members)?
Kent Coulter and his colleagues at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio have developed a new proof-of-concept dental restorative material under a program funded by the National Institutes of Health that seeks to replace amalgam with other materials. The new fillings are made with a plastic-like material containing zirconia nanoplatelets. Coulter and his colleagues designed a way to make a roll of this material under vacuum. They envision that this material would be lifted from the roll and packed in a dental cavity and then cured -- using an ultraviolet lamp or some other means -- so that it hardens in place without shrinking. It seems like ziconia continues to be a very exciting, useful and beneficial material in dental practice. Comments?
Source: Science Daily
A patient mentioned a great article written by Jane E. Brody in the Health section of the New York Times regarding dental implants as the treatment of choice when compared to fixed bridges. The author unfortunately had experienced failure of a conventional three unit fixed bridge. Fortunately, she has the option of restoring her quality of life with an implant supported crown. In our periodontal practice in Framingham and Newton, Massachusetts, implant dentistry and related procedures represent the bulk of our daily treatment activities. We have placed thousands of dental implants since 1988, with a success rate of greater than 98%. The majority of our cases result from failing root canals, tooth fractures, and recurrent decay. Although conventional tooth-supported three unit bridges still have a viable role in dentistry, it is refreshing to see that the general public is becoming more educated about the most ideal treatment options. Kudos to Jane E. Brody for her article today. Please share your thoughts on this topic.
photo credit: Cary Feuerman DMD
One day in medical clinics, the big picture of a patient’s state of health may be found in little pictures from the mouth, says Li Mao, MD, a new professor at the University of Maryland Dental School.
The mouth or oral cavity area is an excellent indicator of the whole body’s health, says Mao, who is the chair of the new Department of Oncology and Diagnostic Sciences at the School.
Mao recently joined the Dental School to be at the forefront of a movement to retool dental education, he says, to make dentists practice more within the bigger health care community.
Future lung cancer prevention trials, for example, could soon be designed so that surface tissues inside the cheek could be checked to detect tobacco-induced damage in the lungs, according to a study led by Mao last year published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.
“We hypothesized that tobacco-induced molecular alterations in the oral epithelium are similar to those in the lungs,” says Mao. “This might have broader implications for using the mouth as a diagnostic indicator for general health.” More..
Source: Newswise
An American Dental Association survey of dentists reported that a majority of dentist feel that their work level is comfortable. Given the current economic climate and jobless claims exceeding 10% on a national level, I wonder if those dentists would respond in the same way today. Comments?
