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Dental Tribune U.S. Edition | November 2012A22 INDUSTRY NEWS Ad Register free at www.DTStudyClub.com and learn from experts while earning ADA-CERP C.E. credits One of dentistry’s toughest, age-old challenges solved Of all the procedures performed on a routine basis, the one procedure that is universally perceived by pa- tients as the most fear and anxiety provoking is the dental injection. In-spite of the significant advances made over the past 100 years, our profession has yet to conquer one of the greatest challenges of dentistry — or has it? Milestone Scientific, after spending the past decade responsibly and methodically studying this problem, now believes that with the introduction of its new product, The Wand/STA System instrument, it has finally conquered this age-old problem. The Wand/STA System instrument represents the world’s first and only technology that uses the patented dynamic pressure sensing (DPS) tech- nology that accurately and safely performs a pressure-regulated intra- ligamentary dental injection.1 The new Wand/STA System can also perform all tra- ditional dental injection techniques, i.e., inferior alveolar block, supra-periosteal infiltration, etc. All techniques are performed more efficiently, more ef- fectively and virtually painlessly.2,3 Milestone’s new technology incorporates visual and audible real-time feedback, giving clinicians an unprecedented level of control and information when performing a dental in- jection. The Wand/STA replaces the antiquated, heavy, metal dental syringe with an ultra-light-weight disposable handpiece weighing less than 10 grams for superior ergonomics and tactile control.4 The experience for both patient and dentist is one that is significantly less stressful.5 Milestone Scientific created and defined a new category of dental instruments called C-CLAD (com- puter-controlled local anesthetic delivery) systems. These are the only dental injection instruments that have the published scientific data that substantiate the claim of eliminating or reducing pain perception when performing a dental injection.6,7,8,9 This technol- ogy has undergone the rigors of clinical testing that has been performed in numerous universities and re- search centers throughout the world for more then de- cade. These studies are published in some of the dental profession’s most highly respected dental. No other in- strument, technology or device developed specifically to reduce pain and anxiety while performing a dental injection can currently make that statement. With the introduction of C-CLAD technology, sev- eral newly defined injections were also introduced to dentistry.10 The Wand/STA System has been optimized to perform these new dental injections. The first of these techniques, the anterior middle superior alveo- lar (AMSA) nerve block, published in 1997 by Friedman and Hochman, is a contemporary technique to achieve maxillary pulpal anesthesia of multiple maxillary teeth from a single palatal injection without produc- ing the undesired collateral anesthesia to the lip and face.11 Subsequently, Friedman and Hochman intro- duced a second injection named the palatal-approach anterior superior alveolar (P-ASA) nerve block,12 in Wand/STA reduces or eliminates pain perception of injections Visual and audible feedback gives clinicians using the Wand/STA instrument unprecedented control and information when administering injections. Photo/Provided by Milestone Scientific which pulpal and soft tissue anesthesia of the central and lateral incisors are achieved by a single palatal in- jection.13 The general reduction in pain perception for all injections has lead to innovative ways to producing more efficient and effective dental anesthesia. In addition to the new dental injection discussed above The Wand/STA System instrument improves the success rate of traditional injections such as the in- ferior alveolar nerve block.14 Holding the Wand hand- piece, with the unique pen-like grasp, allows the clini- cian to easily rotate while simultaneously moving the needle forward — increasing accuracy by decreasing needle deflection.15 Added to the ability to use the new injection feature, the Wand/STA instrument provides numerous advantages when performing traditional injection techniques. The introduction of The Wand/STA System instru- ment represents a material improvement over previ- ous versions of this exciting technology. Numerous innovative new features are available in the Wand/STA System; they include: automatic purging of anesthetic solution that primes the handpiece prior to use; auto- matic plunger retraction after completion of use; and a multicartridge feature enables multicartridge injec- tions and reduction of anesthetic waste. Milestone Scientific has developed a novel training feature in the Wand/STA System instrument, provid- ing clinicians with spoken instructional guidance on the use of the instrument, thereby substantially reduc- ing the initial learning curve. The Wand/STA System instrument is today’s most advanced C-CLAD technol- ogy and represents the next generation of a computer- controlled drug delivery instruments for dentistry. (Source: Milestone Scientific) Editorial Note: A complete list of references is available from the publisher. 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