Curing light burns.

This study sought to reveal the potential heat generated by a light-emitting diode (LED) curing light, which has generally been considered to be relatively cool. It is likely that similarly designed curing lights will produce a similar level of heat and have the potential to cause damage to soft tissue.

Electronic textbooks as a professional resource after dental school.

In two previous studies of dental students' attitudes about the VitalSource Bookshelf, a digital library of dental textbooks, students expressed negative opinions about owning and reading electronic textbooks. With the assumption that dentists would find the digital textbooks useful for patient care, the authors surveyed recent graduates to determine if their attitude toward the VitalSource Bookshelf had changed. A brief survey was sent to 119 alumni from the classes of 2009 and 2010 of one U.S. dental school. Forty-seven (39.5 percent) completed the questionnaire. Eighteen respondents (48.3 percent) reported using the e-textbooks often or sometimes. The twenty-nine dentists who said they have not used the collection since graduation reported preferring print books or other online sources or having technical problems when downloading the books to a new computer. Only five respondents selected the VitalSource Bookshelf as a preferred source of professional information. Most of the respondents reported preferring to consult colleagues (37.8 percent), the Internet (20 percent), or hardcopy books (17.8 percent) for information. When asked in an open-ended question to state their opinion of the Bookshelf, nineteen (42.2 percent) responded positively, but almost one-third of these only liked the search feature. Six respondents reported that they never use the program. Twenty-two said they have had technical problems with the Bookshelf, including fifteen who have not been able to install it on a new computer. Many of them said they have not followed up with either the dental school or VitalSource support services to overcome this problem. Our study suggests that dentists, similar to dental students, dislike reading electronic textbooks, even with the advantage of searching a topic across more than sixty dental titles.

Application data as an indicator for post-Katrina recovery of LSU Postdoctoral dental programs.

Devastated by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, the New Orleans campus of the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry was closed for two years. With help from the university's Systems Office, the school created a temporary campus in Baton Rouge, seventy-five miles from the New Orleans campus. The eight postdoctoral education programs, however, were forced to find clinic and seminar space in other facilities and cities. Of the seventy-nine students in these programs, only sixteen did not continue after the storm. This article describes how each program maintained its curriculum while the main campus was closed. By comparing numbers of student applications to these programs in each year since Hurricane Katrina with the average baseline for each in the ten years preceding the storm, this article illustrates the current viability of these residency programs. Total applications in 2005-07 were significantly lower than baseline measures, but applications in 2008 and 2009 have returned to pre-storm levels. A comparison of these application numbers with national trends also demonstrates that these programs have rebounded from the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

Incoming dental students' expectations and acceptance of an electronic textbook program.

Since 2005, the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center School of Dentistry has required the VitalSource Technologies, Inc. Bookshelf as the textbook program for all dental students. In a 2008 survey, four classes of dental students expressed dissatisfaction with most features of the bookshelf. With the expectation that incoming students would be more accustomed and amenable to digital textbooks and to further determine student attitudes toward electronic textbooks, we developed two surveys for first-year dental students in the class of 2013. The sixty-five first-year students received a survey (S1) one week before they were introduced to the e-textbook program. Questions centered on their undergraduate experience with e-books and their expectations of studying with an electronic textbook collection. In the second survey (S2), sent nine months later, the questions focused on students' opinion of the VitalSource Bookshelf. Forty-five students (69.2 percent) completed the S1 survey. Of those, thirty-six (80 percent) responded that they never used e-textbooks in college. Of the nine students who responded that they used e-books, only two liked them without reservations. The response rate to S2 increased to fifty students (77 percent). After using VitalSource for nine months, thirty-three students (66 percent) indicated a preference for reading print textbooks, compared to forty-seven students (57.3 percent) of the four classes surveyed in 2008. Although we expected incoming dental students to have had previous experience with e-textbooks, only nine students had used e-books in college courses. Few students indicated preference for e-textbooks, and over half of the group was undecided. After experience with VitalSource for first-year courses, students indicated that they like VitalSource for the ability to search for specific topics across the entire collection of dental books, but not for reading large amounts of text.

A simple device for positioning intraoral x-ray sensors.

This article describes a simple technique for positioning an intraoral x-ray sensor in patients who are undergoing procedures such as endodontic treatment or post fitting for a crown. By placing a wooden tongue depressor and sensor inside an infection control barrier, the patient is able to hold the sensor comfortably in position without removing the rubber dam clamp, while the patient's fingers are kept out of the path of the x-ray beam.

Dental students' attitudes towards digital textbooks.

Dental students at the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry (LSUSD) have participated in the VitalSource Bookshelf digital textbook program for the last four years. The Bookshelf, a collection of downloadable textbooks, includes the Contemporary Dental Library (CDL), a basic package of sixty books, plus additional titles selected by course directors. A survey was sent to students in the four LSUSD classes to assess satisfaction with the program. Eighty-two (34.2 percent) students completed the survey. In addition, exit interviews of graduating seniors contained a question on the Bookshelf. In both the survey and the exit interview, LSUSD students overwhelmingly expressed dissatisfaction with reading extensive amounts of text online and indicated a preference for printed books. Some students also resented paying for books in the CDL that were not required by instructors and felt that, considering how infrequently they used the Bookshelf, the cost was too high.

Reducing Staphylococcus aureus bacterial counts in a dental clinic using an Ionic Breeze air purifier: a preliminary study.

Aerosols and droplets generated by dental procedures are contaminated with blood and bacteria and represent a potential route for the transmission of disease. This study sought to determine if Ionic Breeze air purifiers are effective in collecting and destroying bacteria found in dental aerosols (such as Staphylococcus aureus). This study placed one Sharper Image Professional Series Ionic Breeze Quadra unit and one Ionic Breeze GP unit (with germicidal protection) in dental operatories within the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry. After six hours of operation, bacterial samples were collected and streaked over surfaces of petri dishes containing trypticase soy sucrose bacitracin agar that had been supplemented with 5% sheep blood. The samples were incubated at 37 degrees C for 48 hours; at that point, the microbial colonies were counted. Additional testing was performed on suspect colonies to identify S. aureus strains and to determine if any of those isolates were pathogenic with or without antibiotic resistance. The Ionic Breeze GP unit killed more than 99% of all bacteria on the stainless steel collecting blades. The non-germicidal Ionic Breeze Quadra air purifier collected numerous bacteria that were found to include some pathogenic strains of S. aureus; however, none of these were resistant to antibiotics.

The dentist's armamentarium: a collection of 19th century instruments in the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry Library.

A small collection of antique dental instruments located in the LSU School of Dentistry Library (LSUSD) provides a glimpse into the world of the 19th century dentist. The instruments in this collection, with handles carved from common and rare early materials such as bone, wood, ivory, ebony, cameo, shell and pearl, provide a striking contrast to all-steel instruments of the 20th century. An understanding of their development and function substantially increases appreciation of these instruments, which can be categorized as instruments for oral surgery, prophylaxis, restoration, and general use. In this article, the authors summarize the historical development of each type of instrument and describe the specific items in the LSUSD Library collection.