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Dental Tribune Indian Edition

4 Dental Tribune Indian Edition - April 2013 Traditionally, acupuncture meri­ dians are believed to form a network throughout the body, connecting peripheral tissues to each other.33 Studies that seek to understand the acupuncture point/meridian systems from a Western perspective have mainly focused on identifying di­ stinct histological features that dif­ ferentiate acupuncture points from surrounding tissue.34 One of the histological and anatomical asso­ ciations with the meridians is inter­ muscular or intramuscular loose con­ nective tissue (fascia). Ancient acupuncture texts con­ tain several references to “fat, gre­ asy membranes, fasciae and sy­ stems of connecting membranes” through which the qi is believed to flow.35 In terms of connective tissue associations, several authors have suggested that a connection may exist between the acupuncture meri­ dians, which tend to be located along the fascial planes between muscles or between a muscle and bone or ten­ don, and the connective tissue.34,35 In view of experimental evidence, it has been hypothesized that the network of the meridians can be viewed as a re­ presentation of a network of interstitial connective tissues. These findings are supported by ultrasound images show­ ing connective tissue cleavage planes at the acupuncture points in human beings.34 Rather than viewing acupun­ cture points as discrete entities, it has been proposed that these points might correspond to sites of convergence in a network of connective tissue permea­ ting the entire body, similar to highway intersections in a network of primary and secondary roads.34 Correlationbetweentrigger pointsandacupuncturepoints Although separated by two millen­ nia, the traditions of acupuncture and myofascial pain therapies share fun­ damental similarities in the treatment of pain disorders.36 Recent reports have suggested substantial anatomic, clinical and physiological overlap of the myofascial trigger points and acu­ puncture points.36 The analogy betwe­ en the trigger points and acupuncture points has been discussed since 1977,37 when 100% anatomic and 71% clinical pain correspondences for the myofa­ scial trigger points and acupuncture points in the treatment of pain disor­ ders were reported. A number of similarities between them were also suggested. The two structures have similar locations and needles are used at either point to treat pain. The pain associated with the local twitch response at trigger points is similar to the de qi sensa­ tion, and the referred pain generated by needling trigger points is similar to the propagated sensation along the meridians. It was pointed out, however, that the acupuncture points located at the trigger points are not frequently used by acupuncturists, and do not share the same clinical indications as the trigger point therapy.38 It was further argued that the claim of 71% corre­ spondence between the acupuncture points and the trigger points37 is con­ ceptually impossible. Furthermore, even putting this con­ ceptual problem aside, no more than 40% of the acupuncture points cor­ related with the treatment for pain and, more likely, only approximately 18 to 19% of the points are actually correlated.39 The correlation between the trigger points and the acupuncture points clearly need to be further inve­ stigated in the future. The fascial connection theory we propose can explain the functional connection between dental occlusion/ TMJ and other parts of the body based on either myofascial release or the qi and meridian system, or a combination of the two. Therefore, dental occlusion should be built up and maintained in a normal natural condition, while cau­ ses for deterioration of the TMJ status should be treated in an effort to restore the natural condition.DT Editorial note: This article is a sum- mary of two review papers recently published in the Journal of Alterna- tive and Complementary Medicine 17 (2011): 995–1000 & 1119–24. A complete list of references is availa- ble from the authors. Trends & Applications Drs Yong­Keun Lee and Hyung­Joo Moon are practicing dentistry at the Moon Dental Hospital and ICPB in Seoul in South Korea. They can be contacted at ykleedm@gmail.com. Contact Info 3Shape releases its new Dental SystemTM 2013 3Shape’s Dental System™ 2013 in- troduces new major indications, a variety of powerful design tools, opti- mized order-creation, stronger scan and design workflows, and a new and highly intuitive user-interface. Copenhagen, January 7, 2013–on December 21, 2012, 3Shape, a user­ acclaimed worldwide leader in 3D scanners and CAD/CAM software solutions, released its next generation Dental System™ 2013 to the market. “We are keenly focused on helping labs stay competitive in an industry driven by technology changes, esca­ lating globalization, and increasing regulatory demands,” says Flemming Thorup, President & CEO at 3Sha­ pe. “By enhancing ease­of­use in our Dental System 2013, and adding even more major indications that can be provided digitally, we believe that we have significantly increased the pro­ ductivity and range of services labs can offer at competitive prices.” New features in Dental System 2013 include: • New user interface for maximum ease-of-use and simplified design workflows A new intuitive workflow progress bar guides users through each de­ sign step. The new interface intro­ duces an impressive full Screen design window that maximizes 3D design space. • Advanced implant bridges with gingiva (“Prettau style”) Design advanced bridges ­ com­ plete with gingiva, teeth, and im­ plant interfaces in a single smooth workflow. Designs can be milled directly in Zirconia, titanium, PMMA, or other materials. • New Post and Core design software Completely new Post and Core so­ lution with unique scanning and design workflows. Specially desi­ gned scan­posts capture post po­ sitions and depth from the model. All layers are designed in a single workflow – starting with the ana­ tomy layer first. Uses scans from both TRIOS® and 3Shape desktop scanners. • New Abutment Designer™ work- flow for screw-retained crowns and anatomical abutments 3Shape introduces a new workflow for designing screw­retained resto­ rations in Abutment Designer™. All types of abutments – Standard customized abutments, screw­ retained Crowns and anatomical abutments – are selected directly in the order form, followed by the new ‘Anatomy­First’ workflow. • Ground-breaking Digital Dentu- re Design 3Shape’s new Denture Design™ software brings digital precision and efficiency to a traditionally technique demanding process. Technicians use 3Shape’s Smile Composer™ and a unique Gingiva Creation Tool to ef­ ficiently model highly esthetic and functional dentures. • TRIOS® Inbox - labs can con- nect to any open TRIOS® digital impression system in the world The new TRIOS® Inbox enables labs to receive scans from TRIOS® Digital Impression Systems in den­ tal clinics and discuss cases with dentists online. Incoming cases are accepted or rejected with a single click and a notification is immedia­ tely sent back to the dentist. • Get Dental System 2013 as a part of your 3Shape LABcare™ All Dental System™ subscriptions include 3Shape LABcare™ ­ 3Sha­ pe’s customer­centric business mo­ del that gives users new technolo­ gies through annual releases such as this Dental System™ 2013 softwa­ re. In addition to upgrades, 3Shape LABCare™ gives labs access to an efficient support network with mul­ tiple language assistance, and access to training and learning channels such as webinars, videos, etc. Dental System™ 2013 will be avai­ lable through 3Shape resellers. Actual availability to end­users will depend on the specific sy­ stem configuration. Please contact your local 3Shape supplier, or visit www.3shapedental.com regarding reseller information. About 3Shape 3Shape is a Danish company specia­ lizing in the development and marke­ ting of 3D scanners and CAD/CAM software solutions designed for the creation, processing, analysis and management of high­quality 3D data for application in complex manufac­ turing processes. 3Shape envisions the age of the “full digital dental lab,” and its more than 140 developers provide superior innovation power toward reaching this goal. 3Shape’s flexible solutions empower dental professionals through automation of real workflows, and its systems are applied in thousands of labs in more than 90 countries worldwide, putting 3Shape technologies at the peak of the market in relation to units pro­ duced per day by dental technicians. With TRIOS, 3Shape now brings its vast expertise and innovation power directly to dentists. 3Shape boosts its first­line distributor support network with a second­line support force of over 30 in­house experts placed in 5 support and service centers stra­ tegically located around the globe. 3Shape is a privately­held company headquartered in Copenhagen, with the market’s largest team dedicated to scanner and software development for the dental segment based in Denmark and Ukraine, production facilities in Poland, and Business Development & Support Offices at several locations in Europe, in North and South America and in Asia. For further information regarding 3Shape, please refer to www.3shapedental.com. Visit us on www.facebook.com/3shape DT “...the traditions of acupuncture and myofascial pain therapies share fundamental similarities...” ← DT page 3