Don't miss a digital issue! Renew/subscribe for FREE today.
×
Inside Dentistry
October 2008
Volume 4, Issue 9

In the News

First Woman President of AGD Installed

Paula S. Jones, DDS, FAGD, of Naperville, Illinois, made history when she became installed as the first female president of the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) during its 56th Annual Meeting and Exhibits in Orlando, held in July. Dr. Jones has served in many capacities within the AGD. In 1993, she was appointed to the Council on Membership serving two terms (6 years), which included 5 years as chair, and then was elected regional director for the Illinois AGD. She served 3 years on the AGD’s Council on Annual Meetings and International Conferences and then was elected to the AGD’s Board of Trustees for her region in 2002. She served as a member of the AGD Foundation’s Board of Directors from 2004-2007. Dr. Jones has been a national media spokesperson since 1994 and a SmileLine Online volunteer since its inception, providing answers to questions posted to a consumer online dental health forum. In 1995, she was awarded the AGD Distinguished Service Award, which honors a council or committee member who has served the AGD in an outstanding manner by dedicating extensive time and energy to assure the continuity and integrity of the AGD, as well as by developing new programs and services to meet the membership’s changing needs. “As a member of the AGD for nearly 25 years, I have learned a great deal, made many friends and have been afforded the opportunity to work in various areas of the organization,” said Dr. Jones. “However, one of my greatest achievements within this organization of esteemed general dentists came when the gavel of presidency was passed to me. My passion is to continue to help the AGD advance the practice of general dentistry and ensure that patients are provided with the best oral healthcare. I am eager to step into my new role.” Dr. Jones is a long-time member of the American Dental Association, Illinois State Dental Society, the Chicago Dental Society, and the American Association of Women Dentists. She is a Fellow of the American College of Dentistry and the Academy of Dentistry International and will be inducted as a Fellow of the International College of Dentists in October of 2008. Dr. Jones began her career in dentistry as a dental hygienist. She graduated from Case Western Reserve School of Dentistry in 1984.

Demandforce Launches Reputation-Based Marketing Program for Dental Practices

Demandforce announced today the availability of a Reputation-Based Marketing™ program that leverages the power of the Internet.

The new program takes advantage of Demandforce’s leading online patient communication system to proactively contact patients after their visit enabling the patient to submit a certified public review of their experience. Demandforce has established a relationship with Google to transmit public reviews and practice information to Google for the purpose of populating the practice results in Google.

“Dental practices obtain a majority of their new patients from word-of-mouth referrals,” said Rick Berry, president of Demandforce. “Providing certified reviews from over 5 million patients along with pertinent information such as staff information, specialties, hours of operation, and practice description directly to search engines like Google enables prospective new patients to find the information they need to make an informed decision regarding scheduling an appointment with a new dental practice.”

In addition to certified reviews, Demandforce’s offering to dental practices also includes review management, a real-time reputation Web site, Google profile management, integrated online scheduling and analytics. This offering is available free of charge to all Demandforce D3 customers as part of their regular monthly subscription.

Ultradent Hosts Unforgettable Mediterranean Cruise with Dr. Newton Fahl

Ultradent Products, Inc will sponsor an unforgettable Mediterranean cruise on June 1-6, 2009, with world-renowned Dr. Newton Fahl, Jr, as the featured presenter. The cruise will include stops in Barcelona, Spain; Cannes, France; and Rome, Italy.

A 1987 graduate of Londrina State University in Brazil, Dr. Fahl lectures extensively on composite artistry. Dr. Fahl’s course, Composite Restorations—Mastering Anterior Composite Restorations, will introduce a philosophy of how to conservatively, effectively, and artistically perform esthetic direct anterior composite restorations based on emulating proper form, color, and function.

Dentists, hygienists, dental assistants, and lab technicians are invited to attend. Attendees can earn up to 16 CE hours within the brilliant setting of the Mediterranean Sea and exotic sites of Southern Europe. The cruise will be serviced by the Royal Caribbean cruise line.

For more information, call 800-520-6640 or visit www.ultradent.com/medcruise.

The Ben Massell Dental Clinic Announces Grand Opening of $5.5 Million Facility to Serve Financially Disadvantaged

The Ben Massell Dental Clinic has opened the doors to its 7,900 square foot state-of-the-art facility in Atlanta, Georgia. The new clinic features 16 patient stations outfitted with advanced medical equipment, as well as two hygiene rooms, a large laboratory, x-ray room, and sterilization area. The new facility greatly expands the clinic’s service to Atlanta. It expects to double its patient capacity over the next 3 years to serve more than 9,000 patients annually. “Dental care, which is so important to overall health, should not be a luxury reserved for the privileged. With the opening of our new facility, The Ben Massell Dental Clinic now provides Atlanta’s indigent and working poor a dental office that exceeds the capabilities of most high-end dental offices around the country,” said Gary Miller, CEO of Jewish Family and Career Services, the parent organization of The Ben Massell Dental Clinic. “Our patients come from all walks of life, and they deserve exceptional medical care whether or not they can afford it.”

More than 100 dental professionals volunteer their time at the Clinic. Ben Massell is aggressively recruiting more dentists to meet the anticipated demand for services. For these volunteer dentists, it’s a wonderful opportunity to “give back” to dentistry while working on equipment that, in many cases is, 5 years ahead of their own practice.

Dr. Ray Stewart Joins NuSmile Primary Crowns as Clinical Advisor and Technical Consultant

NuSmile® Primary Crowns announced that Ray Stewart, DMD, MS, has joined the company as clinical advisor and technical consultant.

Dr. Stewart has more than 30 years of clinical experience in pediatric dentistry, has for the past 12 years been an avid user of NuSmile products, and is an exceptional advocate for care for children. Dr. Stewart will lead two new initiatives for NuSmile to assure that all clinicians have ready access to technical advice concerning esthetic crowns and to address the increasingly large number of requests NuSmile Crowns receives from pediatric dental residents for information and preparation for a hands-on experience with the products.

For more information, call 800-346-5133 or visit info@nusmilecrowns.com.

TUSDM Holds Memorial Service for Former Dean Erling Johansen

The life and professional achievements of former Tufts University School of Dental Medicine Dean Erling Johansen, DMD, PhD, were celebrated with a memorial service held on September 26, 2008. Dr. Johansen, who was Tufts University School of Dental Medicine’s longest-serving dean (a role he held from 1979-1995), passed away in his native Norway on February 29, 2008, after a long illness. “I really do believe in the power of education,” Johansen said at the time of his retirement. “And I think a dental education is about the best anyone can get.”

After serving for a year as a lieutenant in the Norwegian Armed Forces Dental Corps in the Allied occupation army in Germany, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to pursue doctoral studies at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Dr. Johansen was appointed chair of Rochester’s department of dentistry and dental research after he completed his PhD in pathology in January 1955. In 1966, Rochester named him the Margaret and Cy Welcher Professor of Dental Research. His pioneering research in preventive dentistry led to the development of an oral health management system for cancer patients. Head and neck cancer patients and others around the world benefited from his research.

Dr. Johansen became dean of Tufts School of Dental Medicine on January 1, 1979. One of his first tasks as dean was to engineer the switch from a 3-year to a 4-year curriculum, a tricky proposition since the 6-year-old dental facility at One Kneeland Street had been designed for a 3-year curriculum. Dr. Johansen noted that with the 3-year program, “research more or less disappeared.”

A prodigious fundraiser, Johansen went on a campaign to elevate the dental school to the high level of clinical and experimental research for which it was known from the mid-1940s through the mid-1960s. Under his leadership, the dental school established an array of new specialty clinics and laboratories for orofacial pain, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, oral surgery, geriatrics, and for treating patients with serious medical conditions. With expanded space and the infusion of new funding, Johansen recruited talented scientists who helped raise the dental school’s research profile.

He also believed that alumni were critical to the school’s mission. In recognition of the generosity of alumni who enabled the school’s strong growth, the school dedicated the Dr. Edward Becker, D34, Alumni Center on the seventh floor of One Kneeland Street in April 1989.

Johansen was appointed a Distinguished Professor in 1994, the same year he received the Tufts University Alumni Association’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award. That year also saw Johansen honored by Becker, the alumnus who established the school’s first endowed faculty chair, the Dr. Erling Johansen, D49, Endowed Professorship in Dental Research.

When Johansen retired on July 1, 1995, he had been at the dental school’s helm for 16? years—the longest tenure of any dean in the school’s 140-year history. He was named dean emeritus and professor of general dentistry emeritus.

Johansen is survived by his wife of 55 years, Inger; three sons, Erling T. Johansen of Alaska, Erik B. Johansen of Australia, and Steven D. Johansen of Norway; three grandchildren; and his sisters, Laila Voie of Norway and Randi Jakobsen of Sweden.

Acinetobacter Baumannii Named to the Growing List of Microorganisms Likely to Become Drug Resistant

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) named Acinetobacter baumanii as one of the next likely pathogens to become drug resistant. This pathogen, thought to come from the Middle East, is becoming a growing problem in US hospitals and surgical centers.

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) also names Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Clostridium difficile as two others likely to join tuberculosis (TB), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) that will “pose serious threats to domestic and global health.”

All of these microorganisms are known to be transmitted on contaminated hands and via environmental surfaces such as countertops, telephones, bathroom fixtures, bedrails, doorknobs and patient care devices including medical, dental, and surgical equipment. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved Opti-Cide 3 brand disinfectant (Micro-Scientific Industries, Inc, Rolling Meadows, IL) to quickly and safely kill these and other environmentally transmitted microbes when used as directed. Opti-Cide 3 Disinfectant Cleaner can be obtained from your local supplier.

JADA Publishes Key Clinical Data for the Use of Local Anesthetic Reversal Agent

Novalar Pharmaceuticals, Inc announced the publication of three clinical trials on the use of OraVerse (phentolamine mesylate) injection as a local dental anesthetic reversal agent in the August 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA). The first publication, entitled, “Reversal of soft tissue local anesthesia with phentolamine mesylate in adolescents and adults,” includes an overview of two pivotal trials while the second publication, “Reversal of soft-tissue local anesthesia with phentolamine mesylate in pediatric patients,” reviews the pediatric Phase 2 data. Together, these key Novalar-sponsored clinical trials were the foundation for the FDA approval of OraVerse in May 2008.

JADA’s publication of these trials highlights the importance and value of these data to the dental community,” commented Athena Papas, DMD, PhD, professor at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Novalar Scientific Advisor, and co-author on both publications. “Many dental patients, including children, could benefit from this clinical research which found that OraVerse helped patients regain sensation to their lips and tongue in approximately half the time following routine dental procedures.”

“We are very pleased with JADA’s decision to publish these studies,” stated Donna Janson, president and CEO of Novalar. “Publication in JADA further demonstrates the quality of our clinical science and allows Novalar the opportunity to begin educating the dental community on the benefits of OraVerse to both patients and clinicians.”

Exceptional Customer Service Leadership Underlies BIOMET 3i’s Receipt of Frost & Sullivan Award

BIOMET 3i is the recipient of the 2007 Frost & Sullivan European Dental Implant Customer Service Leadership Award. By winning this award, BIOMET 3i demonstrated excellence in all facets of customer service including providing exceptional support, offering outstanding technology and services, effectively responding to customer needs, and successfully monitoring and addressing customer feedback.

“Whether new to strategic business planning or having a great deal of experience, BIOMET 3i offers tools for practices or laboratories to develop a plan that is right for them,” notes Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Dr. Bejoy Daniel. “The company has a dedicated professional development team and a comprehensive practice enhancement portfolio that includes tools for marketing, professional education, and patient awareness and education to help implement its plan. In this way, the company provides its clients with outstanding technology and services.”

The Frost & Sullivan Award for Customer Service Leadership is bestowed upon the company that has demonstrated excellence in customer service leadership within the industry. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry. The recipient company has shown tremendous responsiveness to customer needs and has continually focused on long- and short-term customer goals. In addition, the recipient company demonstrated flexibility in tailoring its product offerings to suit customer businesses.

Contest Educates Young Baseball Players About the Dangers of Tobacco Use

The National Spit Tobacco Education Program (NSTEP) announced the winner of its annual slogan contest today, and encouraged young baseball players to talk to their coaches and parents about tobacco addiction and the health risks of using tobacco products, including spit and smokeless tobacco. This year’s slogan contest winner was Joe Reck, a 9-year-old Little League Baseball player with the Walnut Creek Little League from Windsor Heights, Iowa, whose submission, “Take tobacco out of your lineup!” sends a clear message that tobacco has no place in the ballpark.

“We are so proud of Joe for winning the contest and speaking up against tobacco use,” said his parents, Michael and Kristi Reck.

Joe’s slogan was featured on a baseball pin designed by NSTEP for distribution at the Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport, PA, from August 15-26, 2008. Joe won a monetary award, a trip to the event with one of his parents, and an on-field award ceremony.

Throughout the year, Oral Health America’s NSTEP works with Little League International to educate families about the risks of spit tobacco use, including oral cancer, gum disease, tooth decay, and nicotine addiction. During the 10-Day Little League Baseball World Series, NSTEP provides tobacco and health education to tens of thousands of young baseball players and their families.

Dr. Jeffrey Hutter Named Dean of Goldman School of Dental Medicine

Following a nationwide search, Dr. Jeffrey Hutter has been appointed as dean of the Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Hutter has served as dean ad interim for the past 10 months, a position he assumed after the death of former dean, Spencer N. Frankl.

In making the announcement, Boston University Medical Campus Provost Karen Antman said, “Dr. Hutter has a clear vision and plan to take the Goldman School of Dental Medicine to an ever higher level of excellence. His leadership and commitment to dental education combined with his 11-year tenure at Goldman have prepared him well for this opportunity.”

“My overarching goal is to become a premier provider of didactic and clinical dental education and a world-class research institution while expanding initiatives and development opportunities to prepare the school for a great future. I look forward to working with and engaging the faculty, staff, students, and alumni as we proceed together to achieve this goal,” said Dr. Hutter.

Before being appointed dean ad interim last October, Dr. Hutter served as senior associate dean and is a professor and Herbert Schilder Chair of the Department of Endodontics and director of the school’s postdoctoral program in endodontics. Dr. Hutter retired with the rank of captain from the United States Navy Dental Corps in 1996 after a 21-year career. His last assignment was chair of the Department of Endodontics and director, Postdoctoral Endodontics at the Naval Dental School in Bethesda, Maryland. Upon retirement from the Navy and before assuming his present position at Boston University, he was director of Postdoctoral Endodontics at the School of Dentistry, University of Maryland.

Sybron Dental Specialties Acquires Pentron Corporation

Sybron Dental Specialties, Inc, announced the addition of the Pentron brands to its corporate portfolio through the purchase of all the outstanding stock of Pentron Corporation. Daniel Even, Danaher Group Executive/President of Sybron Dental Specialties (SDS), said, “We are very enthusiastic about adding the Pentron brands to our family of companies. The crown jewel of Pentron is Resilon®, which has demonstrated through clinical review and scientific investigation to be superior to gutta percha.” Mr. Even noted that Resilon-based endodontic filling materials bond to the canal wall and minimize leakage, thereby reducing the chances of a failed root canal.

Pentron’s Resilon products will be distributed via the SybronEndo distribution channel while the balance of the Pentron brands will continue to be distributed via their current channel. Pentron customers should continue to secure products through their preferred source.

ADEA Awards Open to Dental Educators and Students

Applications are open for awards, scholarships, and fellowships to be conferred in 2009 by the American Dental Education Association (ADEA). The ADEA Awards program recognizes excellence in teaching, scholarship, and research and provides funding for fellowship opportunities. Educators and students in all of our predoctoral, postdoctoral, and allied dental institutions are encouraged to apply.

Awards range from $1,000 scholarships to $15,000 in support of leadership development education or $15,000 stipends to pursue 3-month fellowships at the ADEA offices in Washington, DC. Self-nominations from individual ADEA members are accepted for many of the awards. ADEA Member Institutions are also eligible for significant monetary recognition for research and work with new procedures.

Awards recipients will be recognized at the 2009 ADEA Annual Session and Exhibition in Phoenix, Arizona, March 14-18. Please contact Ms. Monique Morgan at morganm@adea.org for additional information.

GC America Appoints New President and COO

GC America, Inc announced that it has appointed David C. Allen as president and chief operating officer. Mr. Allen most recently was the corporate director of mergers and acquisitions for Carestream Health. Before this, he held positions of increasing responsibility in the Eastman Kodak Company’s dental business for 13 years, including general manager of the Europe, Middle East, and Africa Region, and general manager of the United States and Canada Region. Mr. Allen succeeds Mr. Tadahiko Kumaki, who will remain director of GC America when he returns to Japan in October 2008. Mr. Allen holds a MBA from the Simon Business School at the University of Rochester and a BA from Syracuse University.

VISTAS Coming from The Dawson Academy

The Dawson Academy announced it will launch its own publication later this year. The publication, VISTAS: Complete and Predictable Dentistry, will be published in November 2008. Peter E. Dawson, DDS, founder of The Dawson Academy, will serve as editor-in-chief.

“The basis of the Academy’s teachings is proper diagnosis and occlusion,” Dawson said. “Proper techniques and procedures cannot be performed correctly without proper diagnosis and occlusion, and this is the purpose of VISTAS. We want to show the reader how the Dawson Philosophy can be implemented in a variety of procedures. We’re extremely excited to show the entire dental industry how The Dawson Academy can ensure predictable outcomes.”

VISTAS will examine the core principles of occlusion and comprehensive dentistry that also constitute the philosophy and teachings of The Dawson Academy. Each issue will include special features discussing diagnosis and treatment planning, principles in occlusion, new technologies, dental medicine, entrepreneurship, and dental assisting. Beginning in 2009, three issues of the publication will be developed and circulated to 100,000 general dentists. In addition to Dr. Dawson, VISTAS executive editors will be: John C. Cranham, DDS; Lee Culp, CDT; Glenn DuPont, DDS; Henry Gremillion, DDS, and Joan S. Forrest, BA, MS.

For more information about, call 800-952-2178 or visit www.TheDawsonAcademy.com.

New Location for Holiday Dental Conference Announced

The Holiday Dental Conference is proud to announce this year’s meeting will take place at the Concord Convention Center in Concord, NC, and the Embassy Suites Hotel, Golf, Spa and Resort. The Conference will be take place November 13-16, 2008, and marks its 19th year in existence.

The Holiday Dental Conference is a leading edge, 4-day regional forum held annually in the late fall with continuing education tracks for dentists, dental assistants, dental hygienists, front office staff, dental laboratory technicians, dental teams, students, and residents. The conference sponsor is the Holiday Dental Conference Foundation, a North Carolina non-profit corporation.

“The Holiday Dental Conference is very proud of its 2008 selection of Scientific Sessions and Scientific Exhibits offering CE tracks for all members of the team,” said Kenneth D. Owen, DDS, spokesman for the Holiday Dental Conference Foundation. “Besides our excellent courses and exhibit hall, our new venue and location offers attendees exciting new options for recreation and entertainment as well as hassle-free parking.”

The Holiday Dental Conference Foundation is designated as an Approved PACE Program Provider by the Academy of General Dentistry. The formal continuing education programs of this program provider are accepted by Academy of General Dentistry for Fellowship, Mastership, and membership maintenance credit. They are also an ADA CERP Recognized Provider.

Dental Trade Alliance Has Record-Setting Meeting

A record 99 companies attended the Dental Trade Alliance Annual Meeting in July at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California. This represented an increase of 10 over the previous record. DTA announced at the meeting that more than 30 new companies have been added to the membership rolls in the past year. Membership in DTA now numbers 196 companies.

The meeting program theme was “Signals of Change” and featured Clayton Christensen, noted Harvard business professor and author. The program focused on looking at the future of the dental industry. Presentations on the future of dental education, expanded duties for members of the dental team, the role of technology and the role of key opinion leaders stimulated the attendees to plan for a healthy business future for the industry.

The DTA 2009 Annual Meeting will be held at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort in Nassau, Bahamas, August 12-15, 2009.

For more information, call 703-379-7755 or visit www.dentaltradealliance.org.

© 2024 BroadcastMed LLC | Privacy Policy