Week in Review: Cleaning your water lines | Toothpaste and plaque | Handling negative reviews

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

When was the last time you tested your water lines? Infection-control expert Jessica Wilson shared her tips for how to maintain your water lines and keep your patients healthy. Read more here.

Standard dental care calls for twice-daily toothbrushing with a fluoride toothpaste or dentifrice, but it remains unclear if these substances contribute to toothbrushing's effectiveness at inhibiting plaque regrowth. To learn more, researchers reviewed and analyzed the published evidence. Find out more here.

Negative online reviews can seem damaging to your practice, but there are ways to handle these reviews and come back stronger. Practice management consultant Jen Butler offers five practical tips for dealing with bad reviews. Read more here.

Interest in the link between periodontal health and systemic disease has been growing, with researchers investigating possible connections between oral health and various diseases. But what has recent research found? Read more here.

This past week has also seen the introduction of many new products:

• Voco America has introduced its new Meron Plus QM glass ionomer cement.
• BlueIQ has released a new graphical display that provides key patient scheduling data for dental team huddles.
• KaVo has released its new DEXIS Titanium intraoral sensor.

We held our first Twitter Chat on Thursday, September 20, on the topic of common dental school application questions. We want to thank everyone who participated, including the American Dental Education Association; the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry; the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry; the University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry; and more.