The number of American children who began kindergarten during the 2021-2022 school year fully vaccinated against polio, measles, and diphtheria has decreased for the second year in a row, according to data compiled by the United States…

Named after the late inspirational dental hygiene leader and inaugural recipient Esther M. Wilkins, BS, RDH, DMD, the Esther Wilkins Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually to recognize the distinguished career of a worthy…

A recently published study of those who experienced stroke found that the oral microbiome of patients with the most severe stroke had high levels of oral bacteria and cytokines compared with those who had undergone less serious stroke.…

Through the support of a $3.7 million grant given by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are taking a close look at the impact of…

A study, recently published in the Journal of the American Dental Association, investigated oral health professionals’ knowledgeable base and comfort level surrounding the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. The review found that most…

The Dental Hygiene Program at the University of New Haven in West Haven, Connecticut, received a $70,000 grant to purchase new equipment, including an instrument sterilizer, oral cancer detection system, and intraoral cameras. The equipment…

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) has awarded Tulane University in New Orleans $1.9 million to investigate the relationship between oral health status and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) severity and the…

Linda Irwin, RDH, a dental hygienist in Middletown, Connecticut, was enjoying dinner out in Farmington when she noticed another diner fall out of his chair. The diner was 68-year-old Larry Friel, who was eating with friends in the…

More than 600,000 residents of the Volunteer State now have access to oral healthcare due to the addition of dental benefits to Tennessee’s Medicaid program, TennCare. DentaQuest is managing the dental benefits, which began on January 1.…

A small study of 87 patients investigated whether poor oral health impacted the risk for cerebral abscesses, which are not common but have devastating effects on the health of those impacted. Authors of the paper “Oral Microbes and the…