Sarrell's Parker; preop acetaminophen before IAN block; an edible toothbrush

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Jeffrey Parker, CEO of DentaQuest Healthcare Delivery, has been a "disruptive innovator" since joining Sarrell Dental. In an interview, Parker looks ahead at new developments for his organization and pinpoints what might be holding back some aspects of dental care in the U.S. Read his thoughts here.

Dental spending was $111 billion in the U.S. in 2012, remaining roughly the same as the previous year, according to a new ADA report. The report suggests strongly that the dental economy is not rebounding. Read Contributing Editor Rabia Mughal's story here.

Providing people with dental insurance does not necessarily mean they will use it, according to a new study in the American Journal of Public Health. Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry analyzed nearly 13,000 people from the 2008 Health and Retirement Study for their project. Find out who was more likely to seek dental care in Features Editor Donna Domino's story here.

Dent-Chew Brush has developed a dissolvable, single-use oral appliance that is made from edible materials and contains xylitol and its own dentifrice. Read more about its potential markets and uses here.

When patients walk into the office already in moderate to severe pain, their duress heightens the need for an effective anesthetic before treatment. Given the success of pain management with acetaminophen and hydrocodone, could preoperatively administering them increase the effectiveness of an inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) block? Researchers from private practices and the Ohio State University College of Dentistry tested the efficacy of this approach in a new study published in the Journal of Endodontics. Read Associate Editor Rob Goszkowski's story here.

What do you think of these stories and others that we provide on DrBicuspid.com? What would you like to see us cover? Please drop me a line. I'd love to hear from you.