News Bites from CDA Knowledge Networks – 2014/06/17
News Bites from CDA Knowledge Networks – 2014/06/17
Dear colleagues, Here is a sampling of news items that came across our desks at CDA in the past week. We invite you to send us leads to news stories worth sharing that have come across your desk in the past week and we look forward to hearing from you (jokeefe@cda-adc.ca or 1-800-267-6354 ext. 2297). Best wishes, John
Canadian dentistry news
Nunavut makes more money on tobacco tax than corporate tax, according to Nunavut Finance Minister Keith Peterson. The territory expects to take in more than $16 million in tobacco tax this year, while corporate tax is expected to bring in $12.5 million. Nunavut has the highest rate of tobacco use in the country, with its 34,000 citizens smoking 66 million cigarettes a year. Read the article…
The federal government has ordered drug manufacturers to make their product labelling and safety information easier to understand for Canadians, according to the Canadian Medical Association. Learn more…
International dentistry news
Dental data could help solve India’s problem of lack of age proof in young people. In India, nearly 41% of children under the age of five are not registered during birth and thus have no birth certificate, making it impossible for children to register in school and easy for young criminals to lie about their age to escape harsher punishment. Learn more…
The UK lifts its ban on whitening teeth for patients 18 and under in cases “where such use is intended wholly for the purpose of treating or preventing disease.” Until recently, bleaching the teeth of those 18 years and under was strictly prohibited; however, the regulation was revised due to concerns about the psychological impacts that discoloured teeth have on young patients. Learn more…
China’s first oral health education museum is set to open in October next to the West China Hospital of Stomatology in the city of Chengdu. The 1,000 square foot museum will give the hospital and the city a means to educate people regarding the importance of oral health. Learn more…
Mexico is becoming a dental tourism destination for many Americans, with an abundance of dentists and prices around one third of those north of the border. Learn more…
India has launched a training program in dental surgery and forensic dentistry to address the lack of forensic dentists in the country. There are fewer than 10 fully qualified forensic dentists in India, and those who wish to take it up are currently forced to study outside the country. Read the article…
Mind your business
Ten issues to consider when dentists plan to sell their practices. Read the article…
Continuing education matters
The Henry Schein Business of Dentistry Conference will be held on August 7 2014 in Las Vegas. The three-day event is designed help dental teams operate practices in the rapidly evolving digital world, and will include more than 80 classes on the latest practice management and clinical skills. Learn more and register online…
Please let us know about upcoming continuing education meetings that could be of interest to Canadian dentists by emailing us at oasisdiscussions@cda-adc.ca
Clinical & scientific news
Ohio State University and the University of Michigan sign an agreement with Venture Therapeutics to form a new company to develop an oral patch for the treatment of precancerous oral lesions. These lesions are currently managed by invasive surgery and approximately a third of these lesions will reoccur after surgery. Learn more…
Swedish study shows patients with Crohn’s disease are at a higher risk of caries. Results show that patients with Crohn’s disease have higher levels of decay, bacteria and plaque, likely because they consume more fermentable carbohydrates than the control group, increasing their caries risk. Learn more…
DNA test finds root of illness and eradicates illness of 14-year-old boy in a coma within days. Bacteria was causing swelling in Joshua Osborn’s brain and no tests could identify the problem until doctors ran an experimental test that searched Joshua’s cerebrospinal fluid for DNA belonging to the pathogen. Read the article…
A single dose of an antibiotic called oritavancin can clear MRSA just as effectively as the 10-day regimen now used to treat patients, according to researchers at Duke University. The drug, to be made by the Medicines Company under the name Orbactiv, may be approved by the FDA as early as August under a special fast-track process. Read the article…
Scientists may be able to solve dental phobia with cranial electrotherapy stimulation. The treatment involves transmitting tiny electric impulses to the brain to soothe anxiety, similar to TENS treatment used by pregnant women for pain. Learn more…
Taiwan researchers have discovered dental pulp stem cells may be able to treat heatstroke. Intravenous injections of stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous tooth pulp (SHED) have a protective effect against brain damage from heat stroke in mice, and may be a candidate to treat heatstroke in humans. Learn more or read the entire study…
Race could be a factor in prognosis of head and neck cancers (HNCs), according to researchers at the University of Missouri School of Medicine. Survival rates for HNCs have gone down significantly over the past four years – in every ethnicity except African-Americans. Learn more…
Your health & medical news
E-cigarettes have the potential to reduce harm from smoking and save Canada’s health care system billions of dollars. Read the editorial…
Dental industry news
Students at the University of Pennsylvania are developing chewing gum that can clean teeth for kids in urban slums in the developing world. The students hope to solve the oral health problems stemming from lack of access to toothbrushes, toothpaste and regular dental care in low-income areas. Learn more…
Dentistry is the newest player in the $11 billion industry of cosmetic surgery. A new book sheds light on the recent trend of “Anti-Aging Dentistry.” Read the editorial…
Rising licensing costs have been shown to have a strong correlation with rising prices for dental services, and thus the falling frequency of patients visiting the dentist. Learn more…
If you wish to send us leads to news stories worth sharing that have come across your desk recently, please contact us by email at oasisdiscussions@cda-adc.ca or by toll-free phone at 1-855-716-2747.