Will the EU ban amalgam? And, sign up for our social media meetup!

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

The U.S. government is not alone in its efforts to ensure that dental patients are not at risk of mercury poisoning from dental amalgam. The European Commission is about to release a report that is expected to recommend a phase out of mercury-based amalgam across the European Union (EU), and some countries say they are already moving in that direction. Read more in this latest Restoratives Community feature.

In other news, approximately 15 U.S. states require some form of training and exams to become a registered dental assistant. But many do not, putting patients and the dental team at risk, according to the American Dental Assistants Association (ADAA). The ADAA and some state organizations are calling for mandatory minimum competency standards for dental assistants, with particular emphasis on infection control.

On the technology front, one of the challenges when using lasers for oral and maxillofacial surgery is the lack of a feedback mechanism. Now a group of German researchers has demonstrated the viability of using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy during laser surgery to help prevent iatrogenic nerve damage.

Finally, if you are planning to be in Chicago next week for the Chicago Dental Society (CDS) Midwinter Meeting, be sure to add this to your calendar: The CDS and DrBicuspid are hosting an hour-long "meetup" about the pros and cons of social media for dentistry.

Click here to register for this unique and timely event, which will feature presentations by Dr. Jason Lipscomb, author of Social Media for Dentists, and Dr. Marty Jablow, a DrBicuspid.com columnist and dental technology coach, followed by an audience-based Q&A with these social media experts.