Formula for making teeth, Hypersenstivity, Powerful Painkiller, Dentists income declines in USA

Formula for Making Teeth ?

Each cusp of our teeth is regulated by genes which carefully control the development. A similar genetic puzzle also regulates the differentiation of our other organs and of all living organisms. A team of researchers at the Institute of Biotechnology of the University of Helsinki has developed a computer model reproducing population-level variation in complex structures like teeth and organs. The research takes a step towards the growing of correctly shaped teeth and other organs. MORE

30 Times more potent pain relief in Dental Pain ?

In a study, researchers at  India tried combining buprenorphine with bupivacaine to see if they could produce long-term pain relief in patients undergoing oral surgery (Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, December 2009, Vol. 67:12, pp. 2571-2576).

The investigators selected 50 patients scheduled for such procedures as incision and drainage of abscesses, enucleation of cysts, apicectomy, and third-molar extraction. Twenty-four had procedures in the maxilla and 26 in the mandible.

The investigators randomly divided the patients into two groups similar in demographics and the type of procedure they underwent. Before the surgery, dentists administered nerve blocks consisting of 0.5% bupivacaine and 1:200,000 epinephrine alone to one group, and the same formula mixed with 0.3 mg of buprenorphine to the other group, with the injection site varying depending on the procedure. A different group of dentists then performed the surgery, and a third group asked the patients to rate their pain.

The researchers found that pain relief lasted a mean time of 8.34 (± 0.11 hours) for those patients who only got the bupivacaine and epinephrine, but 28.18 (± 1.02 hours) when buprenorphine was added to the mix, a very significant difference (p < 0.001). By the end of 12 hours, all the patients who didn't get buprenorphine had asked for additional pain relief, compared to only 8% of the buprenorphine patients.

BioDelivery is also testing buprenorphine delivered in what it calls a bioerodible mucoadhesive (BEMA). BEMA consists of a small polymer film that is applied to buccal membranes. It adheres in less than five seconds, then it dissolves in 15 to 30 minutes as the drug crosses the membrane into the bloodstream, according to the company.

Appointment/Election of DCI president challenged in High Court
CHENNAI: A writ of Quo Warranto has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking a direction to show cause under what authority Anil Kohli is holding the office of the president, Dental Council of India (DCI).

In his petition, George Paul of Fairlands, Salem, submitted that he was a registered medical practitioner. Dr. Kohli ought not to have been nominated a member of the DCI as he had become a member of the council by way of a nomination by the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi in June 2009.

The Dentists Act enabled each State to nominate one member, who was a medical practitioner in that State. But, no Union Territory could nominate any member. “Dr Kohli, though not validly nominated, contested and was elected as president of the DCI in July 2009. As Dr Kohli’s election as a member of the DCI is void, his election as its president is also void,” the petition said. LINK 

Jail for charging Capitation fee, bill cleared by Cabinet-Cabinet Clears education reform bills
New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI) Duping students by charging capitation fee or failing to keep promise of quality education could now attract a fine of upto Rs 50 lakh for errant institutes or imprisonment upto three years for its administrators, according a Bill cleared by the cabinet today.

Paving the way for stricter penal action against educational institutions indulging in unfair practices, the Cabinet approved the draft Prohibition of Unfair Practices in Technical, Medical Educational Institutions and Universities Bill, 2010.

The Cabinet also cleared two other education reforms bills -- one for setting up of Educational Tribunals to adjudicate disputes in campuses and another on setting up a National Accreditation Agency to give accreditation and benchmarks to institutions. These bills will now be tabled in Parliament, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters here. LINK

Leave that Carious dentin ALONE
 Contrary to decades of tradition, dentists should leave carious dentin untouched in many lesions, researchers said Wednesday at the American Association for Dental Research (AADR) annual meeting.
For years, dental professors have taught their students to remove all infected tissue from cavities and carefully shape the preparation before placing a restoration, said Edwina Kidd, a former professor at King's College London.

"Does this fit with knowledge?" she asked. "I think the answer may be 'no,' which means I've been teaching unsubstantiated rubbish for 30 years."

James Summitt, chair of restorative dentistry at the University of Texas at San Antonio agreed, citing multiple studies that suggest sealing over a lesion can arrest its progress.
And even when a restoration is needed, it may be sufficient to seal over the cavity without removing the infected tissue, said Dr. Kidd, citing four randomized, controlled trials of this approach. In two of them, the investigators re-entered the lesions to see what had happened under the filling, and the results looked promising, she said.
She also cited a study of the Hall technique, in which a preformed metal crown is placed over an unprepared molar. The procedure is less traumatic for the patient -- typically a child. A randomized trial led by Nicola Innes, in BMC Oral Health found that this type of restoration had no more failure than traditional restorations for the same type of lesion.

USA Dentist used paper clips in Root Canals !

Paper clips are really handy. You can use them for things like hitting that tiny reset button on your DVR and, well, clipping paper. And according to the Attorney General's office in Massachusetts, one dentist was using them in patients' mouths during root canals.

A grand jury in the Bay State have indicted a dentist who had once had a practice in Fall River, Mass., of using paper clips in place of stainless steel posts during root canal procedures. According to the indictment, he would then bill Medicaid for the steel posts and presumably pocket the difference.

Charges brought against the dentist, who now lives in Maryland, include assault and battery, larceny, submitting false claims to Medicaid and illegally prescribing prescription drugs. You can see patient interview video HERE

Best way to Treat Dentin Hypersensitivity, JADA Mar 2010
Three agents were tested, Pain-Free -Parkell, BisBlock-Bisco, Seal & Protect-Dentsply. The results of the statistical analysis showed that all visual analog scale (VAS ) scores at the posttreatment evaluation periods were reduced significantly compared with those at baseline (P < .05). More teeth were sensitive to air stimuli than to tactile stimuli. The mean VAS scores for Dentin Hypersensitivity (DH) in the mandibular teeth were significantly higher than for those in maxillary teeth immediately after treatment (for tactile stimuli) and two weeks after the first application (for air stimuli) (P < .05)
Conclusions. All three desensitizing agents were effective in relieving DH up to four weeks, independent of their application procedures. There was, however, a significant reduction in mean sensitivity scores of teeth that had been treated with Seal & Protect and Pain-Free compared with those of BisBlock at weeks two, three and four.

Dentist's income decline in USA

Dentists' net incomes fell by 5% in 2009, according to a new ADA quarterly survey report. If the finding is borne out by the organization's more detailed annual survey, it would be the biggest drop since at least 2003. Dentists have reported a decline in income for six straight quarters in the survey. In the fourth quarter of 2009, 56.7% of dentists reported that they made less money than they had in the previous quarter. Only 17% said they made more money.

"The fourth quarter of 2009 was another difficult period for dentists who participated in the American Dental Association Quarterly Survey of Economic Confidence," the authors wrote. "Although a number of indicators moved upward, the general results were quite negative."

USA lawsuit Dismissed Listerine's False claims
A Los Angeles court has dismissed a class-action lawsuit challenging Listerine's claim that its mouthwash is "as effective as floss" when used regularly. The suit, originally filed in 2005, alleged false advertising and fraudulent business practices, and was brought on behalf of anyone who purchased Listerine in California from June 2004 through January 2005.

The litigation stemmed from Listerine TV commercials that declared, "It's clinically proven. A quick, easy rinse with Listerine Antiseptic twice a day is actually as effective as floss." Flashy animated graphics showed streams of Listerine flowing around teeth, magically removing bits of food and plaque. The judge in that ruling ordered the company to stop the ads, noting that "substantial evidence" suggests that no amount of mouthwash can replace daily flossing. MORE

Video showing inferior alveolar nerve block

It demonstrates the technique very nicely