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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.