GSK to settle Poligrip lawsuits; VA dental clinic faces more inquiry

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Buried deep within GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) latest financial results is a single -- but very telling -- sentence: "With respect to the Poligrip product liability litigation, the Group has reached agreement in principle to settle the vast majority of cases."

With hundreds of lawsuits involved, what does this mean for GSK and fellow denture-cream manufacturer Procter & Gamble? Click here to read more.

In other news, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs continues to come under fire for its handling -- or, as some contend, mishandling -- of a sterilization protocol breach at a dental clinic in St. Louis. Four of the 1,812 veterans who were potentially exposed to several infectious diseases have now tested positive for hepatitis, and lawmakers are up in arms. Read more.

In clinical news, women who have four or more children have more than three times as many untreated dental caries as women with fewer children, according to a new study in the Journal of Dental Research. Click here to read what led researchers to this conclusion.

And severe obstructive sleep apnea not only disrupts sleep, it can lead to a host of medical problems, including hypertension and heart disease. Now a new study suggests it may also be a risk factor for abdominal aortic aneurysm ruptures. Read more.

Finally, on a lighter note, a trio of young dentists has launched DentalToons.com, an online multimedia resource that embraces the public's obsession with poking fun at the dental world. Click here to check out some of their favorite jokes, videos, and cartoons.