Today's Dental News

A South Carolina senator wants the state to explore the idea of checking dental offices for unsafe conditions. The practice would be similar to the way restaurants are checked for bad food and the overall conditions.

Sen. Harvey Peeler came up with the idea after learning routine checks were not conducted in South Carolina. The number of states that perform such checks is in the double digits. Barbershops and hair salons in South Carolina are routinely checked for cleanliness.

Other lawmakers in the state believe it would at least make sense to explore the idea of performing routine checks on dental offices.

Read more: Senator Calls for Dental Office Inspections

Dentists are winning the trust of patients each day.

A new study indicates that 88 percent of people surveyed say that they trust their dentist. These people trust their dentist more than their doctor, according to the study.

The study also showed that nearly one-fifth of people valued their relationship with their dentist. Only about half of those people said they felt the same way about their doctor. Three out of four people determine how long to wait between dental checkups based on their dentist’s recommendation.

Still, two-thirds of the people in the study hadn’t visited the dentist in the last three years while one-quarter didn’t visit the dentist based on fear of doing so.

Read more: People Trust Dentists Over Doctors

There may be a new way to determine the abrasiveness of toothpaste.

A group of researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM in Halle, Germany recently conducted a study on the subject.

The cleaning particles in toothpaste were examined. These are the particles utilized to mechanically remove dental plaque. If the toothpaste is too abrasive, the tooth enamel can be damaged over time. The damage can be even more pronounced in the dentin.

The abrasive impact of a certain toothpaste on the dentin depends on the hardness level and the quantity and size of the abrasive additives. The abrasiveness was measured on a scale from 30 to 200. The values were assigned after the testers brushed over radioactively marked dentin samples.

Read more: How Abrasive is Toothpaste

West Virginia is doing its best to increase the number of dentists in the state.

West Virginia University’s School of Dentistry recently awarded a $1.5 million grant to the state. The goal is to entice the school’s graduates to practice dentistry in the state.

The grant will aid in the funding for loan repayment programs for West Virginia students who end up staying in state.

West Virginia already has a shortage of dentists. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that 35 percent of the state dental workforce is likely to retire during the next 10 years. Programs like this are the best way to add an influx of dentists.

Read more: West Virginia Awards Grant to Raise Number of In-State Dentists