Dear Restoratives Insider,
A new start-up founded by two graduates from the University of California San Diego hopes to make dental implants accessible to diabetics and other populations for whom the procedure is currently risky.
Read more about their unique titanium implant surface-modification process, which recently won them top prize in a Southern California entrepreneur competition, in our latest Restoratives Insider Exclusive.
In other Restoratives Community news, the phrase "amalgam-free" in a letter to students at New York University dental school alarmed them and led to a robust discussion about amalgam's place in dentistry on DrBicuspid.com's discussion Forums.
In a related story, amalgam's use abroad may be in jeopardy after a new European Commission report recommended phasing it out over the next five years. Click here to read why.
On the research front, a Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) critical summary cast doubt on the conclusions of a 2011 study that found that articaine is better than lidocaine for pulpal anesthesia.
And another JADA study comparing risk assessment techniques for early childhood caries found a mutans streptococci culture to be the most effective. But is a newer method more effective?
Performance comparisons in restorative dentistry continued in a study in which the color stability of 10 resin-based restorative materials was tested. Find out which clinically relevant color changes occurred immediately after polymerization, and how important they were a month later here.
And another study added fuel to the debate over bisphenol A's safety, linking restorative materials made with the chemical to behavior issues in children.
Restorative dentistry also recently received broad national attention: An ABC News segment spotlighted the risks of dental sedation, while New York City created a furor with a proposed ban on large sugary sodas.
Finally, in business news, Glidewell Laboratories is acquiring IOS Technologies, bringing longstanding cooperative efforts under one roof.
