Flossing fuss a bust; endodontists need more training

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Just in time for the holidays comes news that, despite the dental community's best efforts, telling patients to floss doesn't seem to do much good.

It's not that flossing can't work when done right, researchers note in the November International Journal of Dental Hygiene. But after looking at all the published papers they could find, they concluded that most patients don't bother, or do such a lousy job they don't get any benefit -- even after being instructed.

What with all the candy canes, toffee, and other sugary treats this time of year, is there anything that can be done to alter the potentially carious consequences of underflossing? Read more.

In other research news, a survey appearing in the January 2009 issue of the Journal of Endodontics found that one-third of endodontists finish their residencies without enough training to do endodontic surgery. In a separate study published in Nutrition, scientists from the University of Maryland concluded that dieting appears to help reduce the risk of gum disease more for men than for women. And researchers from Clarkson University have discovered a nanopolishing technique they say makes it more difficult for dental decay to take root; check out the before and after shots!

On the technology front, a study by the ADA concluded that paper-based scans of x-rays can replace films for most insurance claims. For some in the dental community, however, the issue isn't what kind of images should be submitted but how often it is necessary -- and why more dentists aren't opting to go digital. Read more.

Over on the Word of Mouth page, Dr. Allan Farman provides an overview of the new large field-of-view cone-beam CT (CBCT) system just launched by Kodak -- formerly the exclusive dealer of the Imtec Iluma CBCT system -- while Dr. Helaine Smith argues that general dentists don't know enough about pediatrics and should make it a point to brush up on this and other specialties in 2009.

From all of us here at DrBicuspid.com, we wish you and yours happy holidays and a very prosperous new year!