The DMD Check-Up: Toddler's Death After Dentist Visit Prompts Call for New Law in California

A patient death that went viral is prompting California legislators to consider a new disclosure rule. That story tops this week’s DMD Check-Up. Also making the list: A magnet could help speed up the waiting time before a new tooth can be fitted, and a Kentucky dentist devises “The Drink Pyramid.”

• Deaths at Dentist Prompt Push for New Law in California (CBS)

“A bill making its way through California’s legislature would require dentists to inform parents about the dangers of anesthesia in the wake of a toddler’s death after a procedure at a San Francisco dentist,” according to this news report.

• The Drink Pyramid: A New Teaching Tool for Kids’ Oral Health (KET)

The Drink Pyramid, developed by Kentucky dentist Dr. Bill Collins, “modifies the iconic format of the USDA Food Pyramid to instruct children about recommended daily drinking habits, with the goal of strictly limiting sugary drinks.”

• A Dentist’s Tool: The Curing Cube (Technically Delaware)

Two University of Pennsylvania dental students were so frustrated with the time and effort it took to work with another machine, that they ended making a better version of it.” Their product is the first universal light curing unit.

• Tooth Implants Too Slow? Just Suck a Magnet (Daily Mail)

“British dental surgeons have developed a revolutionary implant procedure using an electrical transmitter to speed up the waiting time before a new tooth can be fitted. Their miniaturized electronic device (MED) makes bone grow faster and more densely by transmitting an electromagnetic field into the implant and surrounding bone graft.”

• Old Teeth Tell New Stories (The New York Times)

According to a paper in The Journal of Archaeological Science, Canadian researchers have discovered a permanent record of Vitamin D deficiency in the microscopic structure of old teeth and that sheds new light on the daily challenges faced by people of the past.

• New Link Between Periodontal and Cerebrovascular Diseases (Science Daily)

A new study in the European Journal of Neurology “has revealed a relationship between chronic periodontitis and lacunar infarct, two common diseases in the elderly. It is hypothesized that periodontitis leads to systemic inflammation and, as a result, the health of the blood vessels could be affected.”

• AGD 2016: Plenty to Smile About (Dental Tribune)

The Academy of General Dentistry held its annual meeting in Boston last week. Clinical and practice management lectures, hands-on courses and live patient demonstrations were among the many offerings. Here are some highlights.

• The Right to Dental Health in the US (Pulse Headlines)

“Access to dental health continues to be a big problem for millions of Americans. Although many are on Medicaid, few dentists accept that program. The Department of Health and Human Services recently awarded $156 million to 420 health centers around the country to help fight this issue.”

• Doctors Should Not Ignore Patient Concerns (UPI)

“Self-rated health—a patient's answer when asked how they feel—has value, according to new Rice University research, because indicators of long-term health problems such as inflammation are not always picked up by the standard battery of tests conducted by physicians.”