FDA addresses radiation dose concerns; U.S. lags in OMS research

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Last week the FDA held two days of hearings to address growing concerns about medical radiation dose. Recent studies indicate that the U.S. population's exposure to medical radiation has risen steadily over the past several decades, and in the past year the medical field has also witnessed a series of high-profile errors involving both diagnostic and therapeutic uses of radiation. Click here to read how this could affect dentistry.

In clinical news, a study presented at the American Association for Dental Research (AADR) meeting examined a troubling trend: the significant decline in recent years in the amount of oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) research being done in the U.S. And most OMS programs do not require students to conduct research, the study found. Read more.

In another AADR presentation, researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University found that adding a dab of chlorhexidine to a preparation can make your restorations last longer. In fact, a few dental professors are so convinced it works they're already teaching it to their students as standard procedure. Read more.

And in his latest Coaches Corner column, Dr. Alan Goldstein notes that there is hearing, and then there is hearing. And the difference between the two can be critical.