Dental Excellence Award winners announced; cool plasma a hot topic

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Congratulations to the winners of the 2009 DrBicuspid Dental Excellence Awards!

The response from our members to this first-ever event was fantastic. Many thanks to everyone who participated, and hat's off to all the nominees. This year's campaign featured 138 candidates in 13 categories. To read the list of winners, click here.

Plasma defeats oral bacteria

On the technology front, could plasma jets one day find their way into the dental operatory? In a new Journal of Medical Microbiology study, a team of European researchers found that not only can plasma jets disinfect dentin, they might be a good alternative to chemicals or ozone on tooth preparations. Read more.

In other technology news, an article in the Imaging Community looks at what some Japanese researchers are doing to improve both the cost and comfort of diagnosing Sjögren's disease by using a noninvasive technique that has been around for years. Read more.

And in clinical news, a new meta-analysis reveals a 61% lifetime prevalence of suboptimal oral health among people with serious mental illness, lending further weight to the need for dental and mental healthcare providers to better coordinate their efforts. Read more.

Finally, over on the Second Opinion page, Dr. Sheri Doniger sets her sights on some new -- and very doable -- goals for 2010, while Dr. Alan Kingsbury defines exactly what a dental coach does and why it is important.