Canadian researchers at the University of Alberta have found the surface nanocrystallization of a metallic material is an effective approach for modifying the surface energy of metals. "Our results demonstrate that the combination of surface nanocrystallization and thermal oxidation treatment is a promising approach to suppress the formation of infectious biofilms on metallic materials, thus providing a surface technique to minimize bacterial biofilms on implant surfaces for improved orthodontic and orthopedic applications" says Li the lead researcher. This surface modification is promising not only for suppressing bacterial biofilms on medical implant materials but also has potential in treating materials for food processing and storage as well as for bio-corrosion control. Li points out that it is also possible to add additional elements into the nanocrystalline surface layer to further improve surfaces with anti-bacteria capability.

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E-Mail This     Topic: Research

3M ESPE`s digital dental impression system has been selected as a bronze award winner in the International Design Excellence Awards for 2008. This digital dental impression system captures continuous 3D video images to create precise 3D dental models. Intended for use by dentists and hygienists, it eliminates the discomfort of traditional methods and improves communication between patients and dentists by allowing immediate chair-side review. To create a digital impression, the dentist positions the wand in the patient`s mouth and glides the tip over the teeth to capture surface data. The 3D data is collected and reviewed in real-time on the display.

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E-Mail This     Topic: Instrument Design

A report by scientists from the Netherlands published in the FASEB Journal identifies a compound in human saliva that greatly speeds wound healing. Scientists found that Histatin, a small protein in saliva previously only believed to kill bacteria was responsible for the healing. Because saliva is a complex liquid with many components, the next step was to identify which component was responsible for wound healing. Using various techniques the researchers split the saliva into its individual components, tested each in their wound model, and finally determined that Histatin was responsible. "This study not only answers the biological question of why animals lick their wounds," said Gerald Weissmann, MD, Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB Journal, "it also explains why wounds in the mouth, like those of a tooth extraction, heal much faster than comparable wounds of the skin and bone. It also directs us to begin looking at saliva as a source for new drugs

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Dr. Jong-Ho Lee, a Korean dentist, has patented his design for a free-angled screwdriver and abutment. The system addresses the prosthetic problem of access screw hole placement. The free-angled driver consists of 2 to 3 sections connected using universal joints which allows the unrestricted rotation of the free-angled driver at any angle. The free-angled driver eliminates the need for a straight channel to access the abutment screw. The abutment screw can be screwed and unscrewed using the curved channel up to 30 degrees and 35Ncm.

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Michael Mastromarino, the leader of the body-snatching ring that plundered the corpse of broadcaster Alistair Cooke apologized to the victims as he was sentenced to 18-54 years in prison. "I am deeply sorry for all the emotional pain I have caused to donor families and donor recipients," he told the Brooklyn Supreme Court in New York. Mastromarino once ran a dental practice on New York`s Fifth Avenue specializing in dental implant surgery. But he was forced to surrender his dental liscence and go into drug rehabilitation after he allegedly abandoned a patient under general anesthetic and was found in his office bathroom with a hypodermic needle in his arm. At a hearing last month, Mastromarino apologized when confronted by angry victims - including a woman who had received stolen bone. Dayna Ryan told the court she was infected with Hepatitis B after receiving an implant of stolen bone in spinal surgery. "His sick, disgusting, appalling actions, all in the name of greed, have devastated my family," she said. Two other members of the body-snatching ring had already been sent to jail.

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E-Mail This     Topic: Bone Grafting

Novel processing of commercially pure titanium (CP Ti) has produced exceptional mechanical properties and recent clinical trials have proven its superior biocompatibility as well. CP Ti is desirable mainly for its superior biocompatibility, but suffers from low strength compared to either steel or alloyed titaniums. Severe plastic deformation (SPD) processing aims to get microstructural refinement to a level not achievable with traditional processing yielding nanocrystalline titanium. Fatigue life has nearly doubled and although damage tolerance suffered, the levels are still more than acceptable for medical devices. Mouse fibroblast cells were seeded to test biological compatibility, and the SPD-processed titanium showed significant improvements in cell occupancy rates, compared to conventionally processed CP Ti. Clinical trials of this material are progressing well using dental implants, where the higher strength has allowed for smaller implants to be fabricated, enabling surgeries that were previously limited by small spaces and insufficient bone to anchor the implant.

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Bioengineers and bioscientists at Rice University and Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands, have shown they can grow denser bone tissue by sprinkling stick-like nanoparticles throughout the porous material used to pattern the bone. To grow new bone, tissue engineers typically place bone cells on porous, biodegradable materials called scaffolds, which act as patterns. With the right chemical and physical cues, the cells can be coaxed into producing new bone. As the scaffold degrades, it is replaced by new bone. "Ideally, a scaffold should be highly porous, nontoxic and biodegradable, yet strong enough to bear the structural load of the bone that will eventually replace it," said lead researcher Antonios Mikos, Rice`s J.W. Cox Professor in Bioengineering, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and the director of Rice`s Center for Excellence in Tissue Engineering. "Previous research has shown that carbon nanotubes give added strength to polymer scaffolds, but this is the first study to examine the performance of these materials in an animal model."

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SurgeryTec is a Netherlands based website that allows members to upload and share surgical technique videos and slideshows. The site has a majority of medical surgery related videos, but some oral surgery/implantology related surgeries are also included.

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E-Mail This     Topic: Education

A shortage of NHS dentists is leading to thousands of needless deaths from mouth cancer, according to dental experts. "The survival rate of mouth cancer has not improved in 30 years," Nigel Carter, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation said. "If people were able to gain easier access to a dentist then the 50 per cent mortality rate could be significantly improved. It is Britain`s secret cancer despite killing more people annually than cervical and testicular cancer put together." There are 4,750 new cases of mouth cancer in Britain a year. A recent BBC documentary reported that there is an epidemic of poor teeth in Britain. 1 in 5 people never visit the dentist. 1 in 10 is terrified of the dentist chair. Sugar consumption, eating disorders, and bad diet make Britain’s global reputation for being a nation of terrible teeth completely justified.

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The Medical College of Georgia School of Dentistry has selected BreakAway, Ltd. to develop a virtual, 3D simulator to help teach students dental implant procedures. The virtual dental office is designed to improve student learning outcomes in the areas of diagnostics, decision making and treatment protocols for enhanced patient therapy outcomes and risk management. The computer application will be initially developed and tested in conjunction with MCG dental students and faculty. It will then be tested by other universities in the NobelBiocare University Partner Program and distributed globally.

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E-Mail This     Topic: Software