Don't forget to vote! And, study disputes x-ray/brain tumor link

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

An epidemiological study published earlier this year in the journal Cancer prompted a flurry of media coverage and public concern because it claimed to have found a link between frequent bitewing x-ray exposure and increased risk of developing meningioma.

It also prompted outcry from the oral and maxillofacial radiology community and organized dentistry, all of whom questioned the study's methodology.

Now new research presented at the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology annual meeting last month disputes the Cancer study's assertions, and does so using actual organ dose data from adult male and female phantoms. Read more.

Meanwhile, in Restoratives Community news, a database review that examined nearly 15,000 nerve block procedures performed on children at U.S. hospitals over a three-year period found virtually no risk of permanent complications or death, leading the study authors to conclude that regional anesthesia can be performed safely in children.

And in response to an article published last week on DrBicuspid.com about the development of the EZCodes diagnostic dental coding scheme, Dr. Titus Schleyer questions why dentistry is now in the position of having not one but two diagnostic vocabularies -- a situation he says is no laughing matter.

Finally, if you haven't yet voted in the semifinal round of the 2013 DrBicuspid Dental Excellence Awards, now's the time! Voting ends this Friday (December 14) at midnight. In just a few weeks, we'll be launching the final round of voting, in which you'll choose from two finalists in each category to pick the winners. Click here or go to dentalexcellenceawards.drbicuspid.com to vote for your favorite semifinalists today!