What is BPA? It stands for ‘BISPHENOL A’, a plastic-hardener and epoxy additive that may affect children’s brain development and that some believe may be linked to breast and prostate cancers. PHTHALATES (found in some plastics and added to products like lotions to bind fragrances) and TRICLOSAN (an antibacterial ingredient in many soaps, toothpastes and cutting boards) are also common …
A New Career: Dental Therapists (DT) and Advanced Dental Therapists (ADT)
Dental therapists can fill cavities, extract primary teeth and put in crowns and spacers. DT’s get a 2½-year degree (compared with four years for dentists) and earn roughly half what a dentist does. University of Minnesota School of Dentistry’s Dental Therapy program is the first in the country to graduate 9 students in 2011. The school’s second graduating class of …
Oral & Maxillofacial Resident asks, ‘How do I prevent being brushed-off from patient because I’m just a ‘resident’?
Twelve UCSF oral & maxillofacial residents entered the conference room at 7AM for my lecture. They were polite but I got the feeling they wondered why they had to hear from a patient when that happens every day on rounds. However, five minutes into my talk I noticed their stiff body language soften. At the end, their questions demonstrated they …