Did you miss these new products at the ADA meeting?

The weather was pleasant and so was the mood around the exhibit hall during the 51st ADA Annual Session and World Marketplace Exhibition, held October 9-12 in Orlando, FL.

The 23,000 dental professionals attending this year's meeting were treated to a plethora of new products, and booth traffic was steady throughout the show, especially on Saturday.

In case you didn't attend or were just too busy to get to every booth, here's a roundup of products and services that DrBicuspid.com found of interest:

Procter and Gamble: Crest Oral-B introduced a new oral health regimen that is designed to virtually eliminate gingivitis, according to Robert Gerlach, D.D.S., M.P.H., research fellow, worldwide clinical investigations, Procter and Gamble.

"The challenge with gingivitis is that it is cyclical," Dr. Gerlach told DrBicuspid.com. "This program allows the patient and practitioner to break that cycle. We have shown that you can eliminate bleeding, and bleeding is one thing that patients see with gingivitis."

With the Clinical Pro-Health system, Procter and Gamble found in a clinical study "an extraordinary 95% reduction in the number of bleeding sites after six weeks of treatment when compared to control group that used regular anti-cavity toothpaste and soft manual toothbrush after a dental prophylaxis at baseline," he added.

The system comprises:

1. Oral-B ProfessionalCare SmartSeries 5000 electric toothbrush with oscillating-rotating technology, and SmartGuide, which encourages compliance
2. New Oral-B Glide Pro-Health Clinical Protection for Professionals floss
3. New Crest Pro-Health Clinical Gum Protection toothpaste with stabilized stannous fluoride
4. Crest Pro-Health Multi-Protection rinse with CPC

"With the new professional Glide floss, we have coated the Teflon with CPC and a flavoring/cooling agent to reinforce flossing behavior," Dr. Gerlach said. "We've developed technologies that allow people to deal with some of the limitations in the delivery system and access to care."

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK): Concerned that denture wearers may not always be cleaning their dentures properly, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare introduced its new Polident MicroClean denture cleanser at the ADA meeting.

According to a survey of 312 U.S. denture wearers conducted by Versta Research for GSK in August 2010, many denture wearers (46%) are making "detrimental denture-cleaning mistakes," such as brushing with regular toothpaste, which can cause scratches on the dentures where bacteria and other microorganisms can collect and grow.

The survey also found that while nearly half of denture wearers (46%) worry about bacteria growing on their dentures, 74% report that they did not discuss best practices for daily cleaning at their last dental visit. In addition, more than half of the respondents reported that they would value information from their dental professional about topics such as denture-cleaning mistakes that can breed bacteria (71%), the kinds of toothpaste to avoid when brushing dentures (68%), and the latest innovations in denture cleaning (78%).

"The survey demonstrates that there is an unmet need for education among our denture-wearing patients, and with 83% of the respondents citing dental professionals as their single most trusted source, we have a responsibility to provide them with the tips and tools they need to wear and maintain their dentures with confidence," said Gregory Folse, D.D.S., a geriatric dentist based in Lafayette, LA, and a paid GSK consultant, in a press release.

Polident MicroClean is proven to kill 99.9% of odor-causing bacteria and more of other microorganisms than regular toothpaste, the company said in the release. Dental professionals who recommend Polident MicroClean should instruct patients to both soak and brush (with a soft-bristled denture brush) with the solution to effectively remove stains and bacteria, GSK noted. Brushing after soaking helps to ensure the removal of debris and plaque, and it also helps to dislodge food particles that soaking alone cannot.

3M ESPE: 3M ESPE showcased two relatively new restorative products at the ADA meeting: RelyX Unicem 2 automix self-adhesive resin cement and Filtek Supreme Ultra flowable restorative.

RelyX Unicem 2 automix, which was introduced September 1, offers improved color stability, bond strength, and moisture tolerance, as well as low postoperative sensitivity and high long-term stability, according to the company. Another advantage is the automix delivery system. The syringe extrudes the ready-mixed cement through mixing tips, which are available in different sizes: regular mixing tips for standard applications, endo tips for ensuring a safe and void-free procedure when working in the root canal, and special intraoral tips for the cementation of inlays and onlays.

Filtek Supreme Ultra flowable restorative, launched this month, is indicated for nine different uses, including class III and V restorations, base/liner under direct restorations, pit-and-fissure sealants, and restoration of minimally invasive cavity preparations, according to 3M ESPE. It comes in a new unit-dose capsule delivery system and also the original syringe option, and features excellent aesthetics and polish retention combined with low wear, the company noted. In addition, it offers fluorescence for more natural-looking restorations. Finally, the shrinkage has been reduced by almost 20%, 3M ESPE noted.

DentalEZ: DentalEZ displayed two new energy-efficient additions to its StarDental line of handpiece components: the StarBright LED handpiece swivel and StarBright LED replacement bulbs. Designed to enable all existing StarDental handpieces to adopt a white LED light source, the lightweight StarBright LED handpiece swivel provides neutral daylight-color illumination and has a temperature of 4,000 K. The swivels are one-third smaller and 70% lighter than traditional stainless steel 6-pin swivels and can last more than 10 times longer than a halogen bulb, according to Rick Gross, senior product manager.

Much like the handpiece swivel, the replacement LED bulbs provides cool white light (4,000 K color temperature) and lasts 10 times longer than halogen.

"Our company is focused on making technology easier for dentists," Gross told DrBicuspid.com. "We're making products lighter and easier to use."

DentalEZ also participated in the Eco-Dentistry Association's "Green Lounge" during the ADA meeting, showcasing its eco-friendly dental chair and the EverLight LED operatory light.

Patterson Dental: Officially launched just a few weeks before the ADA meeting, Eaglesoft 16 from Patterson Dental is the company's biggest practice management software release to date, according to Michelle Anderson, technology marketing specialist for the company.

Eaglesoft 16 is designed to streamline everyday tasks for every member of the dental team, with new features and capabilities such as line-item accounting, greater customizability, date-based reporting, and family walkout processing. The software also offers time-saving electronic capabilities to help capture and store original patient signatures and documents, transmit claims and statements, and verify patient benefit information, Anderson noted.

"Eaglesoft is a relationship builder, and this is the best software out there for going chartless," she said.

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