More details on medical device tax; calcium eases bleaching sensitivity

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Despite significant lobbying efforts by organized dentistry, a new 2.3% medical device excise tax set to take effect January 1 continues to loom over the U.S. dental industry.

Earlier this month, the Internal Revenue Service issued its final regulations regarding the tax, ignoring numerous requests during the public comment period to exempt dental products and devices from the tax. While most products made by U.S. dental labs will not be subject to the new tax, sleep apnea devices, snore guards, and the materials and components used to make many items will be.

Read more about the tax and some of the dental products it will likely affect in this latest Practice Management Community feature.

Meanwhile, in Imaging & CAD/CAM Community news, a dose study presented at the recent American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology annual meeting provides quantitative data to support the use of digital imaging and rectangular collimation in pediatric dental patients. It is the first study to use juvenile CIRS phantoms in conjunction with optically stimulated luminescence to provide organ dose data from pediatric bitewing radiographs, according to the researchers.

And over in the Cosmetics Community, a calcium-containing 35% hydrogen peroxide gel can reduce tooth sensitivity during in-office bleaching procedures, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Dental Association.

Finally, with the holid ay season upon us, DrBicuspid.com will be going to a reduced publishing schedule for the next two weeks. There will be no Letter from the Editor on either December 24 or December 31, but we will send out the newsletter on December 26 and January 2, 2013.

Happy holidays!