Zila finds a potential buyer; Louisiana governor mulls school dentistry

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Lots of interesting business news this past week:

• Facing some serious financial issues, Zila has found a potential buyer in the form of Tolmar Holding, a privately held pharmaceutical research, development, manufacturing, and commercial operations firm that wants to expand its presence in the dental market.

• Discus Dental filed a lawsuit against BSML over the Discus-owned BriteSmile trademark, charging BSML with breach of contract and violating trademark rights.

• A jury ruled in favor of Ormco in its patent infringement lawsuit against Align Technology, saying that Align's process for creating its Invisalign aligners infringes several claims of a patent held by Ormco.

In other dental news, a bill that would regulate school-based dentistry in Louisiana is now in the hands of Gov. Bobby Jindal after the state legislature unanimously passed it last week. But the final version of the legislation falls far short of the near-total ban originally proposed by the Louisiana Dental Association. Read more.

In clinical news, a new caries treatment technique -- resin infiltration -- that bridges the gap between remineralization and restoration could do away with that age-old dilemma: Is it better to wait and watch or drill and fill?

And the trace mineral selenium could be the key to developing a new line of antibiotics for bacteria that cause periodontal disease, according to researchers from the University of Central Florida. Read more.