New Hygiene Community debuts; is vitamin D good for perio health?

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Today marks the official launch of our new Hygiene Community, designed to bring you the latest news and research on preventive dentistry, infection control, periodontal disease and its relationship to systemic health, and the evolving role of the dental hygienist in the modern dental practice.

First up: two studies in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Periodontology lend further support to the positive relationship between vitamin D and periodontal health. Read more.

At the same time, however, the Institute of Medicine this week released new recommendations for how much vitamin D and calcium adults and children should ingest on a daily basis, and cautioned that there is not enough evidence to support taking megadoses of the nutrients in supplement form.

Over in the Practice Management Community, a report released November 30 by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals that millions of low-income children in the U.S. still do not have adequate access to dental care. The GAO offers several recommendations on how to address the problem, including what appears to be an endorsement of the midlevel provider model.

Meanwhile, scientific evidence supporting the use of stable amorphous calcium phosphate systems to enhance remineralization and stop caries progression continues to mount, according to a Journal of Dental Research literature review.

Finally, today marks the kickoff of the DrBicuspid Dental Excellence Awards semifinal round of voting. Don't miss this opportunity to honor dentistry's best and brightest. Just click here or go to dentalexcellenceawards.drbicuspid.com to see this year's nominees and vote for your top choice!