The Time is Now: How COVID-19 has Awakened a Desire for Wellness

Posted on December 4, 2020May 20, 2021 by Shira Newman RDH

As we all begin to live out the new normal triggered by the current pandemic, one thing that will never go back to normal is peoples’ views on the importance of health. COVID-19 has been a wake-up call for many. There is a collective sense of the need to assess health, contemplating areas and practices we can improve and what we can do to prevent illness and disease in our bodies. As dental providers, the timing is right to capitalize on this movement towards health and wellness. Now is the...

OralDNA has FDA EUA for Saline, Swish & Gargle Only Collection

Posted on October 9, 2020May 20, 2021 by Ronald C. McGlennen, MD

Sept. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Access Genetics, LLC dba OralDNA® Labs announces that FDA has issued an amended Emergency Use Authorization for the OraRisk® COVID-19 RT-PCR test allowing testing from a saline oral rinse collection. This is the first Emergency Use Authorization for a simple saline 30 second swish and gargle collection. It eliminates the need for a nasal swab and avoids the difficulty some individuals have in providing sufficient saliva for saliva direct testing. Samples are vi...

MOUTH-COVID CONNECTION

Posted on August 21, 2020May 20, 2021 by Shervin Molayem DDS

Researchers around the world are combining efforts to increase our understanding of SARS- CoV-2, and recent findings point to the potential role of cytokine storms in the severity of this viral infection. High Interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels have been linked to significantly higher risk for pulmonary complications and increased need for mechanical ventilation in COVID-19 patients. As dental professionals try to establish a new normal in their practices, they play a significant role in decreasing t...

Interview with Dr. Kusek DDS

Posted on July 31, 2020May 20, 2021 by Edward R Kusek DDS

Dr. McGlennen: Thank you for your continued support of our testing services. You have been a legacy provider since early 2011. Tell me how you use OralDNA® salivary diagnostics. Edward Kusek DDS: Most of my testing consists of MyPerioID® IL-6 to pre-determine if patients have a susceptibility to periodontal disease and may be at higher risk for implant placement. In the past, MyPerioPath® provided an objective measure to aid in a study I was conducting for the use of laser detoxication o...

COVID-19 RT-PCR testing in dentistry

Posted on July 24, 2020May 20, 2021 by R Bruce Templeton DMD

As a dentist, seeing patients during this pandemic of COVID-19 is a challenge. The measures put forth by the CDC and updated guidelines for infection control have added a sense of security for the entire team, along with present and future patients. Personal protective equipment (PPE) aids in protecting the clinical team. However, we now know that the droplets generated from aerosol-generating procedures (AGP), which are inherent to dentistry, stay in the room for longer than originally thou...

3 Pillars of Protection in the COVID 19 Pandemic

Posted on July 10, 2020May 20, 2021 by Gwen Smukowski, RDH, BS, MBA

Flashback: Friday the 13th of March 2020, COVID-19 is sweeping the globe – sickness, death, and economic destruction in its pathway. Educated and concerned dental professionals are stopped in their tracks with little scientific guidance as to how COVID-19 will impact the industry. Anxiously, we wait. The media bombards us with horrific accounts of how the virus has perplexed and overwhelmed the medical community. Fear-ridden, we wait. Dentistry is flooded with webinars, best practice protoco...

Take Control & Sense of Security

Posted on June 26, 2020May 20, 2021 by Traci Warner, RDH

As your dental practice opens its doors, answering questions of safety can be one of the many stressors on your mind. This blog will highlight ways to help take control and provide a sense of security. For example, during the mandated shut down dental practices were diligently working, securing limited personal protective equipment (PPE), and studying the ever-changing guidelines. Obtaining the appropriate PPE and conducting necessary training is one way of taking control and providing a sen...

COVID-19: A Primer for the Dental Professional, Part 2

Posted on June 5, 2020May 20, 2021 by Ronald C. McGlennen, MD

Tools for the Dental Professional: Testing for SARS-CoV-2 In response to the pandemic, the community of laboratories from across the globe have worked to develop new tests to diagnose COVID-19 and to identify persons who have successfully survived the infection. There are then 2 types of tests for these two conditions. To diagnose COVID-19 a sample of nasal or oral secretions are collected to look for viral RNA, evidence of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in that person. In short, laborat...