This report describes a surgical technique for root coverage using an acellular dermal graft material and a coronally positioned flap. Video clips of a root coverage surgery are included using the graft material to cover multiple teeth in the same quadrant. Three additional completed cases are presented in which a mean root coverage of 97% was achieved, resulting in 100% coverage on 9 of 11 teeth. The results from this case series conform with the available evidence on the use of acellular dermal graft material in root coverage procedures.

Early recognition of dental erosion is important to prevent serious irreversible damage to the dentition. This requires awareness of the clinical appearance of erosion compared to other forms of tooth wear. An understanding of the etiologies and risk factors for erosion is also important. These form the basis of a diagnostic protocol and management strategy that addresses the multifactorial nature of tooth wear. The primary dental care team has the expertise and the responsibility to provide this care for their patients with erosion.

The use of computers as an information resource in dentistry has grown dramatically over the past ten years. Fueled by the availability of more powerful computers, societal acceptance of computer-based resources, and the development of the Internet, millions of documents now provide a tremendously important repository of information for healthcare providers. Those involved in delivery of dental care need to know how to access and use this information for their professional development and to support clinically related activities. This paper presents issues related to the use of the Internet. It also provides information on the use of search engines to find resources (websites) on the Internet and descriptions of some available resources of interest to those involved in oral healthcare.

Answering the telephone is an important first contact with the dental office. The voice tone, inflection and other non-verbal aspects of the person answering all have a profound impact on how the caller perceives the dental office. Suggestions are presented which are designed to avoid communication problems and to project a positive professional image to a caller. Audio clips are included to demonstrate variations in telephone technique to assist the reader in the development of a telephone answering protocol that reflects a desirable image for the office staff and for the dental practice.

Dental clinicians intuitively weigh patient risks for developing disease and use that information for making treatment decisions and recommendations. Periodontitis, for instance, is one oral disease with documented risk factors including smoking, specific plaque bacteria and diabetes mellitus. While this link between systemic disease and periodontitis was thought to be unidirectional, mounting evidence in the last decade suggests that the relationship may be bi-directional. Cross sectional and case control studies indicate that periodontitis may confer two and seven-fold elevations in risk for cardiovascular disease and premature low birth weight respectively. While these early studies indicate potential associations between oral and systemic health, they support the central hypothesis that periodontitis triggers both local and systemic host inflammatory responses. Consequently, a new discipline, periodontal medicine, has emerged in dentistry which seeks to further define these interrelationships through scientific inquiry. Ultimately, this new knowledge may prove useful in intervention strategies to reduce patient risks and prevent systemic disease outcomes. This manuscript clarifies the concept of risk, traces the emergence of periodontal medicine and serves as a resource for the oral health professional in assessing and utilizing the current evidence on periodontal-systemic disease connections.

A major drawback to clinicians prescribing and patients using chlorhexidine rinse is the development of extrinsic staining. In order to assess the effectiveness of a whitening dentifrice in controlling chlorhexidine stain, fifty-seven subjects rinsed with chlorhexidine twice daily while brushing twice daily with either fluoridated whitening or a fluoridated regular dentifrice. Stain was assessed at 1, 2, and 3 month intervals using a stain index with two components; one with parameters for color intensity and one for tooth percentage covered with stain. Facial surfaces accumulated less stain than lingual surfaces. For many, although not all surfaces, and at many, although not all time periods, the group utilizing the whitening dentifrice exhibited less staining.

It is advantageous to recommend a whitening dentifrice that has demonstrated stain suppression when prescribing a chlorhexidine rinse. Improved patient satisfaction leading to increased compliance with the antimicrobial regimen is a desired outcome.