According to the Research: Trisha E. O’Hehir, RDH, BS
Editorial Director, Hygienetown Magazine

When a new product is introduced, ask for the research. Look for studies establishing safety and effectiveness. Also, look for comparison studies to see how the new product compares to today’s gold standard. New products are developed from ideas to make our jobs easier. Some ideas come to dentistry from other fields, when clinicians request changes and improvements to existing products and some products are re-introduced when studies show they can be used in a new way.

Three of the Perio Reports research summaries in this issue involve new products. The first, an ultrasonic scaler that also detects calculus, was developed to help clinicians provide better care. Researchers teamed up with engineers at Sirona Dental in Germany to “teach” an ultrasonic scaler to differentiate between cementum and calculus. Combining detection and removal in one instrument should definitely make instrumentation easier and faster. Read the summary to see how effective it is compared to studies using an explorer.

Second, researchers in London may have found a use for minocycline gel during maintenance. Over instrumentation at maintenance visits can lead to sensitivity and tooth loss. Minocycline has been used in Europe as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal therapy. Now, researchers wondered if instrumentation could be avoided and the bacterial infection of periodontal disease treated with a 2% minocycline gel instead. They compared the two approaches every three months for a year. Applying the gel subgingivally would seem easier and faster than instrumentation, but is it as effective? Read the research summary and find out.

And third, a chance meeting on a bus between a scientist and colonel in charge of M.A.S.H. supplies during the Vietnam War led to a conversation about the horrors soldiers experience with shattered bones. The colonel challenged the scientist to come up with a better implant material to repair bone. The scientist developed a glass with high levels of calcium to be more compatible in the body. With a grant from the military, he tested his calcium-based glass and found it slowly released soluble silica and calcium, which in turn activated several genes to produce new bone. Bioglass is a revolutionary bone repair material that also is used in oral and periodontal surgery to repair bone. His next formulation was NovaMin, now found in oral hygiene products to remineralize enamel and reduce root sensitivity. NovaMin toothpaste was tested to measure its effects on gingivitis. Will these particles replace fluoride and chlorhexidine? Read what the Japanese researchers and NovaMin inventors report in their research.

The three other Perio Reports research summaries deal with periodontal disease and other conditions: miscarriages, psychosocial factors and genetics. Each one provides you with information to better understand and treat periodontal disease.

This month’s Profile in Oral Health spotlights six hygienist/consultants who find research essential for building strong foundations for the hygiene departments that hire them. Consultants who also are hygienists provide a unique perspective that is patient focused, not production focused. These hygienists have found, when patient care and optimum oral health are the goals, the business follows, not the other way around. These women are trail-blazers and leaders who instill confidence and encourage leadership in the hygiene teams with whom they work. Read more about their contribution to oral health in this month’s Profile in Oral Health.

I encourage you to go to www.hygienetown.com and join in the discussions about this month’s issue. Do you agree with the research findings in Perio Reports? Or, do you question the study outcomes? What do you think about our Profile in Oral Health? Have you been fortunate enough to work with one of our featured hygienist/consultants? Share your experiences, opinions and comments. Hygienetown is your community. You make it happen.