Oral cancers in developing countries can be a major public health issue if left unchecked. In some areas the lack of dentists or dental nurses can make routine dental check-ups impossible. To overcome this problem, researchers from Stanford have developed a new smart-phone-based diagnostic device to enable earlier diagnosis of these oral lesions.

Manu Prakash, PhD, an assistant professor of bioengineering has engineered a device called the OScan which works with a smartphone to create detailed images of the oral cavity and screens the mouths for suspicious oral lesions. The OScan, is approximately the size of a packet of gum and clips to the camera of any smartphone. It contains two rows of fluorescent light emitting diodes which illuminate the mouth and highlight lesions and dark spots. Naturally the presence of the smartphone allows for the transmission of images to a remote site for diagnosis if necessary.

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BIOLASE Technology, Inc. (Irvine, CA), introduced a new line of all-tissue lasers, the Waterlase MDX, at the annual Chicago Dental Society Winter Meeting.  Two models of the Waterlase MDX are available. The 8-watt Waterlase MDX 300 improves on BIOLASE’s time-tested Waterlase MD platform with an updated user interface, a new laser engine and a new lightweight and more flexible titanium fiber cable. The Waterlase MDX 450 increases the power output to 9-watts and cuts hard-tissue up to 70 percent faster than the Waterlase MDX 300, but is still approximately 40 percent slower than the Waterlase iPlus.

Most periodontal lasers cut tissue using heat. The Waterlase MD combines laser energy and a spray of water to cut soft tissue and bone without heat. In soft tissue mode, the laser energy penetrates into tissues to seal blood vessels as it cuts, providing hemostasis, which in turn provides a better field of vision during surgery.

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3DISC Imaging inc., Dulles, VA, a manufacturer of digital imaging products, has developed a compact imaging device that provides reading of reusable dental imaging plates. The FireCR Dental Reader features a tablet computer to immediately view and share imaging results at the chair side and features touch screen software that provides dentists with immediate access to the history of the patient’s dental images.

The reader is DICOM 3.0 compatible with existing systems and uses low-cost, reusable imaging plates in a variety of sizes, including bite-wing and intraoral dental imaging plates.

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Self monitoring of activity levels using accelerometer activated devices like Striiv and FitBit is all the rage these days, and now the field is expanding into dentistry thanks to the Beam Brush.  The device transmits data about its use via Bluetooth to a matching smartphone app that keeps track of when and for how long the brush was used for.  Though the brush itself is not motorized, and it’s not clear what the benefits are of keeping brushing data around, it seems like a nifty tool to help you keep an eye on yourself or on your kids’ brushing habits.

GIGAOM is reporting that the brush will be available next month priced at $50 for the base and $3 for a replacement brush head.  No word on whether there are plans for a wireless dental floss product.

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A new generation of the DentalVibe dental injection pain relieving device has recently been released.

The new version of the device, which vibrates the gums to drive the brain’s attention away from the pain caused by the injection needle, sports more power, deeper penetration, and a couple other features to make it a more effective tool in the dental office.

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Chemists from the Otto-Schott-Institute for Glass Chemistry at Jena University in Germany have produced a new kind of glass ceramic with a nanocrystalline structure. The material has high strength characteristics and optical properties which make it ideal for use in dental applications.

The ceramic material comprises magnesium, aluminum and silicon dioxide, a combination known for its high strength properties. So far the new material has demonstrated a strength five times greater than comparable denture ceramics. By making the ceramic optically similar to natural teeth the researchers have overcome the major barrier for use of the material in dental applications.

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A team of researchers from University of Missouri, University of Tennessee, and Nanova, Inc (Columbia, MO) have been working on a new dental “plasma brush” for cleaning out cavities and preparing teeth for fillings. The device uses “cool” plasma to affect chemical reactions while remaining painless to the patient.

So far laboratory trials haven’t revealed any side effects, except that fillings tend to be 60% stronger when applied in conjunction with plasma therapy. Human clinical trials are expected to begin early next year and if everything goes well we may see this technology in dental offices by 2013.

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Dental braces work by applying force to teeth in order to gradually realign them by reshaping surrounding bone. Although the time it takes for patients to wear braces varies considerably, it generally takes longer than one year. To help speed the process, OrthoAccel Technologies (Houston, TX) has developed the AcceleDent system, which uses vibration to help the process go considerably faster. The AcceleDent is a removable and non-invasive appliance that a patient wears in the mouth for 20 minutes daily. The device, which recently was cleared by the FDA, will soon be available in the United States, according to the manufacturer.

In a randomized clinical trial, the device demonstrated with statistical significance that it could accelerate teeth movement by 106% during the initial alignment phase and 38% to 50% during closure of extraction space. There was no evidence of damage of teeth roots or other adverse events caused by the appliance in the study.

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A group of research students from the Technical University of Delft, The Netherlands, have developed a game to help children overcome their fear of dentists. The game will be played with 3D glasses and a game controller, while the children sit on the dentist’s chair. The project was initiated by Rob Kooij and the testing program was supported by many dentists.

The students have been working on this ‘serious game’ since September, but the gameplay isn’t perfect yet. In the game itself you will have to defend a row of teeth: the bad guys are represented by soda and candy, while the good guys are (of course) toothpicks, tooth paste and dental floss. The boss fight consists of a battle with a big bacteria monster. And if you open your mouth at the right moments, the game image will remain sharp. If you don’t, the image will become vague.

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Bone grafting is the use of either native, cadaveric, or artifical bone pieces to fill a void where you would like new bone to grow. Often at first, bone grafts have poor structural qualities and need hardware to protect them, the bone around and to keep them in place. In Oral-Maxillofacial surgery bone loss is often caused by infection, trauma, tumors and other conditions.

Medtronic has announced the launch of its Artisan space maintenance system which is a set of a customizable titanium mesh, special screws for mesh fixation, as well as socket screws. The mesh is specifically designed for the protection of bone graft and has unique handling and structural properties for this purpose. The socket screws in particular are being marketed as ground breaking since the umbrella-shaped screw design allows for the protection of bone graft while eliminating the need to lift a second flap for the removal of the screw.

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