In Memoriam of Professor Kamal Asgar (1922-2012).

Dr. Kamal Asgar (Asgarzadeh), a respected Iranian-American dental materials scientist, died suddenly on Monday, July 09, 2012, at the age of 89 in his home in Park Ridge, NJ. Dr.

Photodynamic therapy of Porphyromonas gingivalis via liposome-encapsulated sensitizers.

Photodynamic therapy exploits the light-activation of a photosensitizer to cause cytotoxicity. Liposomes can be used to deliver hydrophobic photosensitizers to bacteria. Positively charged dioleoyltrimethylammoniumpropane:palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine (1:1) liposomes bound quantitatively to the periodontal pathogen, Porphyromonas gingivalis.

Sedation of the pediatric patient.

Children's behavior during dental treatment is often unpredictable. Many techniques for behavior management have been developed and include both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic methods. Pharmacologic management with sedation has been shown to be an important adjunct in treating the fearful, uncooperative or precommunicative patient.

Diagnosis and management of dental wear.

Dental wear is loss of tooth structure resulting from erosion, attrition, abrasion and, possibly, abfraction. Clinical/experimental data suggest no single damaging mechanism, but rather simultaneous interaction of these destructive processes. The most important interaction is abrasion/attrition potentiated by dental erosion.

The virtual dental home: implications for policy and strategy.

Widely recognized problems with the U.S. health care system, including rapidly increasing costs and disparities in access and outcomes also exist in oral health.

Community-based prevention and early intervention strategies.

Many people in California face significant barriers to obtaining dental care. Creation of a community-based oral health delivery system that could deliver preventive and simple therapeutic oral health services in community settings where these populations live or receive social and/or general health services has been one of the proposed strategies for improving access to oral health care. Two of the newer techniques are caries management by risk assessment and interim therapeutic restoration.

In-person versus "virtual" dental examination: congruence between decision-making modalities.

This study evaluated the agreement of a dentist's conclusions reached through an in-person versus a virtual examination. The dentist determined whether a patient was healthy enough to be treated only by allied dental personnel in a community setting or whether the patient needed to be seen by a dentist. The study concludes that a virtual examination is a strong substitute for an in-person examination and validates the application of telehealth-enabled examinations.

Using telehealth technologies to improve oral health for vulnerable and underserved populations.

Telehealth refers to the use of technology to provide health care at a distance. The important and increasing role of telehealth in the delivery of health care has been recognized for several decades. Although there are fewer reports on the use of telehealth to deliver oral health services, evidence is emerging that these technologies can enhance the ability of the oral health delivery system to reach vulnerable and underserved populations.

The virtual dental home: bringing oral health to vulnerable and underserved populations.

Large and increasing oral health disparities in the U.S. population led the Institute of Medicine to call for expanded research and demonstration of delivery systems that test new methods and technologies.

Intraoral radiographic findings in acne calcification: a case report.

The authors present a case report of a 52-year-old Hispanic female who presented for a routine dental exam at the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco. Incidental findings of multiple, calcified acne vulgaris lesions were noted in the soft tissues of the cheek that were viewed in the periapical radiographs.

Caries management by risk assessment: implementation guidelines.

ACT This consensus statement supports implementation of caries management by risk assessment in clinical practice by using the following principles: modification of the oral flora, patient education, remineralization, and minimal operative intervention. The statement includes a list of supporters.