U.S. firm halts anesthesia production; study questions BRONJ treatments

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Pharmaceutical manufacturer Hospira has decided to permanently end its production of Pentothal after the anesthetic agent's use in prison executions in several U.S. states put the company -- the only U.S. manufacturer of Pentothal -- at the center of an international controversy. Will this move prompt another drug shortage that could affect U.S. dental practitioners? Read more in this latest Restoratives Community feature.

In Cosmetics Community news, thanks in part to a series of high-profile lawsuits, bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) has gained attention as a rare but serious side effect of widely used bisphosphonate medications such as Fosamax and Zometa. Now research to be presented at the upcoming International Association for Dental Research conference questions the success rate of conventional BRONJ treatments. Read more.

And have you ever wondered where the modern dental chair was invented? Would you believe in a garage in Iowa? Read more in a historical perspective penned by another Iowa native, William Brown, DDS.