Industry News

SOUTH JORDAN, Utah October 15 2010 – The Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontics (PCSO) recognized two Opal Orthodontics advisory board members during the annual session in Honolulu this week.  PCSO board members honored Drs. Terry McDonald and Rick McLaughlin individually for their achievements and contributions to the PCSO and the specialty of orthodontics.

Read more: PCSO Recognizes Opal Orthodontics Advisory Board Members

As clinicians, we all know that oral cancer, when diagnosed in its later stages, can be disfiguring and deadly. We’ve also been trained to look at alcohol and tobacco use as two of the main factors, other than family history, that put patients in the high-risk category.

There is a relatively new risk factor that is rapidly overtaking smoking and drinking as the primary etiologic factor for newly-diagnosed cases of oral cancer: the oral human papillomavirus, or HPV. Of the 34,000 cases of oropharygeal cancers diagnosed each year, HPV is now found in up to 50 percent of them.1

Read more: Are We Limiting Our Standard of Care for Oral Cancer Diagnosis?

New survey shows an unmet need for education about denture care and the tools appropriate for proper maintenance

According to a new survey conducted by the makers of Polident® MicroClean™ denture cleanser, many denture wearers are making detrimental denture-cleaning mistakes, such as brushing with regular toothpaste (46 percent), which can cause scratches on the dentures where bacteria and other microorganisms can collect and grow.1 Recent studies show that oral health may affect overall health.2,3,4,5,6 It is essential that denture wearers get education on how to care for their dentures.

Read more: Denture Cleaning Routine May Promote Bacteria Growth