Will child's death lead to defibrillator law? And, FTC goes after NC dental board

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

When 8-year-old Raven Blanco died in 2007 following conscious sedation to calm her nerves prior to a routine dental procedure, her father, Mario, was devastated. Now he is pushing Virginia lawmakers to require defibrillators in dentists' offices and establish new regulations to ensure the machines are properly maintained. Could a defibrillator have saved the young girl's life? Read more.

In other news, the North Carolina dental board has come under fire for trying to prevent nondentists from offering teeth-whitening services in the Tar Heel state. On June 17, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission charged the board with anticompetitive conspiracy, claiming the board is harming consumers by blocking nondentists from providing these services. Click here to read more or visit the Cosmetics Community.

In other cosmetics news, a new study in the Journal of the American Dental Association found that carbamide peroxide is useful for much more than just teeth whitening, especially in patients with special needs.

And over on the Second Opinion page, Dr. Helaine Smith tackles the issue of missed diagnoses, sharing two recent examples from her practice.