Levin on team retreats; P&G to remove microbeads from toothpaste; new study on free sugars

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Your team spends so many hours at your practice, just getting away to another venue can do wonders for team morale. Plan an all-day team retreat that features pleasant surroundings, good food, and fun that everyone can enjoy, advises Dr. Roger P. Levin in his latest Practice Success tip.

Proctor & Gamble (P&G) will remove polyethylene microbeads from its Crest toothpaste line after a dental hygienist spoke out about finding the blue plastic bits in patients' gums. The microbeads can trap bacteria in the gums and lead to gingivitis, according to some dental professionals, but the ADA said clinical studies show the microbeads don't pose a health risk. Read Features Editor Donna Domino's article here.

Free sugars in the diet should make up no more than 3% of total energy intake to reduce the significant financial and social burdens of caries, according to a new study by British researchers in BMC Public Health. A new radical policy of progressively reducing sugar intake is needed, they noted. Read more here.

In a poster presentation at the American Academy of Periodontology's (AAP) 100th Annual Meeting, researchers from Brazil concluded that while periodontal treatment reduces the inflammatory markers of gingivitis and periodontitis, as well as the histological markers of disease, in all patients, women who are receiving treatment for breast cancer see less benefit from the treatment than "healthy" patients. Find out more here.