Dental Tribune U.S. Edition

Dental Tribune U.S. Edition | February 2013A12 INDUSTRY NEWS As a recent article on [www.dental-tribune.com] points out, there are some safety issues with hand- held X-ray units made in China and Korea, as well as elsewhere outside of the United States. There are two sources of radiation from an X-ray system — leakage radiationfromtheX-raytubeandscattered radiation from the patient. The leakage ra- diation is minimized by placing highly ab- sorbing material, such as lead, around the X-ray tube. The major issue with the hand- held X-ray units is the scattered radia- tion, that is X-rays that are scattered fromthepatienttowardstheoperator. In fact, about 20 to 30 percent of the X-rays are scattered from the patient toward the person holding the device. The X-ray units from outside the Unit- ed States, which are under FDA scru- tiny, do not provide any protection from X-rays scattered from the patient. These systems look like a large camera that you hold with both hands. There is no shielding provided by these hand-held systems; that is, the user’s hands are exposed to all of the X-rays scattered from the patient. Consequently, the user’s Commentary: Not all hand-held X-ray systems are created equal ChiCago BooTh No. 818 hands are going to receive a radiation dose that will probably exceed the radiation- protection limits for skin and extremities. Therefore, these units should not be hand- held. We evaluated one hand-held X-ray unit manufactured in the United States (No- mad, Aribex Inc.) and compared staff doses with those for the same staff using conven- tional wall-mounted systems prior to ac- quiring the hand-held systems (Gray et al. 2012). This hand-held system uses a propri- etary shielding material around the X-ray tube, resulting in leakage radiation levels that are virtually immeasurable. In addi- tion, it has an integral leaded-acrylic shield that protects the user from ra- diation scattered from the patient. The results of our study indicated that the users of the hand-held X-ray system re- ceived lower radiation doses than they did when they were using conventional wall- mounted systems. Buyers should be beware that not all hand-held X-ray systems are created equal and not all of those being sold on the web have been reviewed by the FDA. Hand-held X-ray units should have suf- ficient shielding to minimize leakage ra- diation from the X-ray tube and an integral shield to protect from radiation scattered from the patient. xpAPce is morphing into ‘Expert Dental CE’ Numerous online C.E. modules launched covering biofilm, bone grafting, smile design, facial pain and more By Dr. Joel gray Dr. Joel Gray While the company name remains the same, xpAPce (www.xpapce.com), an on- line dental C.E. company whose name is taken from its mission — Expert Ap- proved Continuing Education — will now refer to itself as “Expert Dental CE.” (www.expertdentalce.com will point to www.xpapce.com). “It was a mouthful,” says xpAPce Co- Founder Dr. Alan Winter. “Everyone tried to pronounce it and stumbled over the letters because it was meant to be spoken. Knowing that ourselves, we found it difficult to refer to xpAPce when speaking to scholars and dentists taking our courses. We were fortunate to have the domain name “Expert Den- tal CE” available, and this is how we will refer to ourselves in the future.” “When it comes to our mission, Expert Dental CE is right on target,” says xpAPce’s other co-founder, Dr. Frank Murphy. “There are niche online C.E. companies that cater to one area of treatment. The obvious ones are implants or cosmetic dentistry,” Murphy explained. “Our focus is to be the ‘go to’ online C.E. company providing the broadest spectrum of programs. At present, we have 17 differ- ent departments. In six months we’ve launched more than 60 courses com- prising 100 hours of CERP- and AADH- approved C.E. In the future, our library Reflecting a new AKA name, www.expertdentalce.com points to www.xpapce.com, featuring C.E. courses, new products and a community of dental professionals. Photos/Provided by xpAPce will offer more and more procedurally specific modules to enhance skills and improve patient outcomes.” New courses launched In keeping with xpAPce’s mission, re- cent course offerings have something for everyone. Consider Dr. Deborah Stauffer’s course, designed for dental assistants and hygienists, which up- dates current thinking on plaque and biofilm — and how best to teach and motivate pa- tients to perform better oral hygiene. Dr. James Fine, chair- man of New York Pres- byterian/Columbia PG perio program, pro- vides a series of up-to- the-minute courses on bone grafting and bone substitutes. Dr. Graz Giglio, presi- dent of the N.Y. Acad- emy of Prosthodontists, delivers two outstand- ing programs on “smile design for anterior es- thetics and laminate veneer preparations.” And then there is Dr. Barry Rozenberg, presi- dent of the Academy of Orofacial Pain, with an introductory course on diagnos- ing and treating facial pain. Additional upcoming courses will soon be available in oral pathology with Dr. Jon Svirsky, oral medicine with Dr. Jeff Burgess, prosthetics with Dr. Charles Goodacre and Dr. Bruce Valuari, Peri- odontics and implant surgery with Dr. Federico Brugnami. Drs. Peter Cathro and Geoffrey Heithersay will provide courses on instrumentation and treat- ing resorptions — additions to xpAPce’s comprehensive endodontic module. xpAPce’s new price schedule and an- nual subscription makes courses more attractive than ever. The eLearning takes place in a unique format: an online dental community. Dental professionals can earn C.E. cred- it, visit vendors at their leisure, view new products, download PDFs, contact a sales rep, attend a meeting and more. Visit the Education and Vendor Hall for a list of scholars and courses — and to see the vendors that have booths inside the community. For information about becoming a vendor, contact info@xpsquared.com. For a snapshot of both of the organiza- tion's websites, visit www.xpsquared. com, where all courses and vendors are listed. Courses also are available live and on demand on the Dental Tribune Study Club website, www.dtstudyclub.com (Source: xpAPce) Dr. Deborah Stauffer Dr. James Fine Dr. Graz Giglio Dr. Frank Murphy