Dear Imaging & CAD/CAM Insider,
A number of new and interesting imaging and CAD/CAM products were featured at the recent ADA Annual Session in San Francisco. One that has received much fanfare is Dexis go, a new iPad app that integrates the Dexis Imaging Suite with the iPad to enhance patient communication and case presentation.
Click here to read how the Dexis go design team took a Windows-based mouse and keyboard imaging program and made it work -- elegantly, no less -- on the touchscreen Apple iPad.
Dexis wasn't alone in its emphasis on cutting-edge technologies at the ADA Annual Session. 3M ESPE was touting its new True Definition intraoral scanner, and Sirona showcased its new Omnicam scanner. In addition, numerous presentations focused on how to successfully integrate digital imaging and related products into a dental practice, while key opinion leaders shared their thoughts on specific products and services and why now is an optimum time to consider "going digital."
For example, with equipment costs dropping and technology improvements coming at a breakneck pace, digital impressioning is becoming an increasingly attractive and affordable option for general dentists, according to a presentation by the head of technology at the University of the Pacific dental school.
And digital diagnostic tools are a useful adjunct for early caries detection, according to a presentation by technology guru John Flucke, DDS, that included a comparison of four of the leading devices and some discussion of his product preferences.
In other Imaging & CAD/CAM Community news, gingival epithelial cells experience genotoxic effects when exposed to panoramic radiographs, according to a study in Quintessence International. What causes this phenomenon, and how can dental practitioners protect their patients from it? Read more.
And quantitative laser fluorescence is proving to be a useful tool for quantifying fluorosis and distinguishing between fluoridated and nonfluoridated populations in epidemiological studies, according to a new study in BMC Oral Health.
Meanwhile, a team of Japanese researchers is proposing that 100% of the country's dental records be digitized and stored using cloud computing to ensure that dental records cannot be lost -- a problem that has plagued the quest for the identities of victims of last year's tsunami. Read more.
Finally, high-resolution CT has given researchers a better look at a unique dental intervention previously discovered in a mummy that is thousands of years old, providing evidence that dental specialists practiced in ancient Egypt.
