This post was prepared in collaboration with Pulpdent On an experimental basis, we have asked a limited number of companies to provide us with practical “How To” answers to clinical questions. We were prompted to conduct this experiment when dental team members told us that they visit company websites and consult company representatives for practical clinical information. We look forward to receiving your feedback on this experiment. Tuff-Temp Plus: Esthetic, Durable and Long-Lasting Provisional Material Tuff-Temp Plus is an esthetic, durable and long-lasting provisional material that can be used for single crowns or full mouth reconstructions. The material contains a ...

Dr. Fady Genedy is a member of a US-Egyptian team who developed an enhancement to occlusive collagen membranes in an effort to improve guided tissue regeneration. The team included Professors Vincent Iacono and Ahmed Gamal. Dr. Genedy spoke with me from Cairo, Egypt, about how the project came about and presented a brief clinical case of how the perforated membrane works.  Chiraz Guessaier, CDA Oasis Manager Gamal AY, Aziz M, Salama MH, Iacono VJ. Gingival crevicular fluid bone morphogenetic protein-2 release profile following the use of modified perforated membrane barriers in localized intrabony defects: a randomized clinical trial. J Int Acad Periodontol. 2014 Apr;16(2):55-63. Access the full article Gamal ...

Dr. Suham Alexander speaks to Dr. Bob Schroth in this third segment about hypophosphatasia (HPP) and the dental implications and management of patients with this condition. Children with HPP have some definite dental challenges. The developing teeth in these children lack cementum on the roots which leads to premature exfoliation. Additionally, large pulp chambers and irregular dentin and enamel defects increase the extent and risk of caries development. Radiographic tell-tale signs in HPP include: enlarged pulp horns, lower bone height interproximally as well as bony defects. Prudent use of dental radiographs is recommended in these patients as determined on a ...

Dr. Cheryl Greenberg, a pediatrician and geneticist, speaks to Dr. Suham Alexander about the clinical history and manifestations of HPP in her unique patient population in Winnipeg, MB. HPP is over-represented in the Mennonite population in Manitoba due to a “founder” mutation. Highlights HPP is categorized by age of onset: perinatal, infant, juvenile, adult (systemic forms) and odonto-hypophosphatasia (dental form). All patients with HPP must have a low level of alkaline phosphatase. There is a strong genetic basis for the various forms of HPP. There are more than 300 mutations described in the literature. However, one gene is responsible for ...

Dr. Aviv Ouanounou returns to Oasis Discussions to speak about drug therapy during pregnancy. This presentation is based on an article authored by Drs. Aviv Ouanounou and Dan Haas, from the University of Toronto, in the British Dental Journal in 2016. The article was also selected by the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario as a Practice Enhancement and Knowledge (PEAK*) resource for Ontario dentists. *The goal of PEAK is to provide Ontario dentists with key articles on a wide-range of clinical and non-clinical topics from dental literature around the world. Highlights Pregnancy is a special time in a ...

Timothy Brown, CEO of ROICorp, joins Dr. Suham Alexander to speak about the importance of employee and associate contracts in dentistry.  Highlights Contracts are important for the ongoing business of the practice and they help to avoid misunderstandings at the outset. The contracts package the rights and privilege of the employee and owner and helps to mitigate issues around termination. Additionally, when a business is appraised and is presented for sale, the purchaser and his/her advisors (banker, accountant, lawyer) generally view a practice more favourably if employee and associate contracts are already in place. Important elements of employee and associate ...

Highlights In the first segment of a 4-part series, Dr. Marc McKee introduces Oasis Discussions followers to a soft bone disease which also has a significant dental impact. Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is a very rare disease that has a prevalence of  approximately 1:100,000 live births.  Much progress has been made in recent years in understanding HPP, and in treating patients with this condition. HPP is a disease which negatively affects mineralization due to an increase in inhibitory pyrophosphate levels caused by decreased activity of an enzyme called tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP, TNSALP). This results in the inhibition of mineralization causing ...

  The following consensus statements were developed by 53 participants from academia and industry who attended the Northern Lights Conference held at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on November 4 & 5, 2016. Access: What should you look for in a curing light? Consensus Statements on Bulk Fill Resin Composites By Dr. Richard Price  Introduction In the context of this document, bulk fill materials are light-cured, resin-based composites that can be placed in increments of 4 mm (or in a few cases 5 mm) according to the manufacturer. It is strongly recommended that before using a product, the clinician ...