Dear DrBicuspid Member,
A California government agency tasked with determining what chemicals pose a carcinogenic risk to the public voted unanimously last week not to include fluoride on that list, saying the existing research is "inconclusive." Read more in this latest Restoratives Community feature.
In other dental news, the growing incidence of oral cancer makes screening for the disease more important than ever, according to a presentation at the ADA annual session in Las Vegas last week. Click here to read Dr. John Flucke's recommendations for how often to screen and what methods to use.
Speaking of screening, a team of U.S. researchers has developed a new questionnaire to enhance practitioners' ability to identify pain-related temporomandibular disorders earlier and more cost-effectively, thereby improving patients' treatment and prognosis, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Dental Association.
Meanwhile, a number of start-up companies are leveraging their expertise in software development and cloud computing to create Web-based tools for HIPAA-compliant data and image sharing that they say can improve the way dental practices handle consultations and referrals. Click here to read about two of the latest ventures to enter the dental market.
And if you are in the process of "going digital" or have already transitioned to computer-based record keeping, you may want to heed Dr. Sheri Doniger's advice to install antivirus software "immediately." Read how a virus nearly wiped out her new office computer in this latest Dental Diaries entry.
