Time for the Dental Excellence Awards; more tech news from the ADA meeting

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

In case you missed the announcement in the last Letter from the Editor, a reminder that the nomination round for the 2013 Dental Excellence Awards is now under way.

Through midnight November 2, we will take nominations from registered members of DrBicuspid.com for candidates in 13 categories, ranging from Most Effective Dentist Educator to Best New Material and Most Controversial Topic.

Your participation in the nomination process is critical to ensuring that the Dental Excellence Awards are an accurate reflection of dentistry's best and brightest. To get started, just click here or go to dentalexcellenceawards.drbicuspid.com.

Meanwhile, in our continuing coverage from the 2012 ADA Annual Session in San Francisco, the recession is only partly to blame for the dampening of U.S. dentists' profitability, according to a well-attended panel discussion, "Has the Economic Downturn Changed Dentistry Forever?" Click here to read what other factors are playing a part -- some of which began to affect dentistry long before the recession.

And a presentation by the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry head of technology during the ADA Annual Session highlighted the breakneck pace that technology development in digital restorative dentistry has reached and the role this is playing in the adoption of digital impressioning among general dentists. Read more.

Speaking of new products, Dr. Marty Jablow shares his favorites from the ADA meeting in his latest Ask Marty column.

In other news, older Americans use less dental care as wealth and income decreases, according to a recent study in the Journal of Public Health Dentistry. But the decrease occurs only when their household wealth falls by 50% or more.

Finally, acupuncture is effective in relieving the symptoms of xerostomia in patients who undergo radiotherapy for head and neck cancer, and can be easily incorporated into the care of patients with xerostomia, according to a study published today in Annals of Oncology.