DMD Checkup: How the Sugar Industry Manipulated Government Research

August 4, 2017

A new report outlines how the sugar industry affected federal research on tooth decay in the early 1970s. That tops this week's news so far in the world of dentistry. Also making the list: digital dentistry, an ADA committee chair opening and a shortage of dentists in Arizona.

This is the latest in the world of dentistry.

A new report outlines how the sugar industry affected federal research on tooth decay in the early 1970s. That tops this week’s news so far in the world of dentistry. Also making the list: digital dentistry, an ADA committee chair opening and a shortage of dentists in Arizona.

· The Sugar Industry Shaped Government Advice On Cavities, Report Finds

A new report reveals that the sugar industry heavily influenced federal research—as well as the guidelines that resulted from that research. Tooth decay remains a problem in the U.S. despite being preventable. One simple fix is cutting back on overall sugar intake. But a new report published in the journal PLOS Medicine reveals that the sugar industry greatly influenced the U.S. National Institute of Dental Research (NIDR) 1971 research by shifting the group's focus away from dietary changes.

· Digital Dentistry Program Takes Root At SBU

Break out the intraoral scanners: Stony Brook University is sinking its teeth into a groundbreaking digital dentistry curriculum. The university’s School of Dental Medicine is one of five U.S. dental schools (there are only 66 total) selected to pilot a new digital dentistry program developed by the Chicago-based American College of Prosthodontists. Stony Brook joins dental schools at the University of Kentucky, Rutgers University in New Jersey, A.T. Still University in Arizona and UCLA.

· Arizona needs more dentists, U.S. rankings say

As the dean of the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health in Mesa, Dr. Jack Dillenberg has spent the last 10 years turning out dentists who deal with more than just crowns, bridges and teeth cleaning.

· Committee chair sought for instruments-related standards development

The ADA Standards Committee on Dental Products is seeking a dental professional who knows a lot about or is interested in standards development and dental instruments to chair a subcommittee focused on dental instruments.