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Services of the Council on Dental Therapeutics
Services of the Council on Dental Therapeutics LELAND G. HENDERSHOT,'*' D.D.S., PH.D., CHICAGO
The term “ dental therapeutics” relates, in the strict sense, to the use of remedies or drugs for the treatment and prevention of dental disease. In a broader sense, and perhaps more correctly, the definition o f the term also includes the use of devices for the treatment and prevention of den tal disease and the use of both drugs and devices in the diagnosis of dental disease. Not a specialty of dental practice, dental therapeutics pertains to practically every phase of dentistry. It is a fundamental and vital part of dentistry. But it is not the only part of dentistry which is funda mental and vital. Long before the completion of formal training, professional students become aware o f the. sizable circumferences of their disciplines. This awareness may come early, perhaps even before entering a professional school. But the necessity for constant professional growth after the formal training period may not be come apparent until a much later time. It is at this later awakening that one realizes that he may never cease being a student, that the degree of success and enjoyment of professional practice paral lel the degree of attentiveness paid to progress in the profession. This is no less
true in dentistry than in other profes sions, and a shortage of time makes it difficult to be attentive to all of the ad vances in dentistry. For these are golden years for dentistry. Present day advances in dental teaching, practice and admin istration are remarkable, as are the con tributions being made by dental investi gators and manufacturers. Therefore, well balanced professional growth of the practitioner requires judicious propor tioning of time. The scientific investigator, because ofthe discouragingly voluminous literature with which he must deal, depends heavily on literature abstracts in his floundering effort to keep abreast of what other per sons are doing in the clinic or laboratory. In the biological sciences, for example, he may read Biological Abstracts, Exerpta Medica, Chemical Abstracts and even publications which give only titles of papers, such as Current Contents, Index
Medicus, Index to Dental Literature, Biochemical Title Index and Chemical Titles.
It is not surprising, therefore, if the dental practitioner, whose major propor tion of working time is spent beside the dental chair, yearns for a longer day or a
34/20 • THE JO URNAL OF THE A M E R IC A N DENTAL A SSO C IA TIO N
longer week so that he may read as well as perform. The practitioner, like the re searcher, is forced to utilize services which simplify his task of achieving a respect able rate o f professional growth. In one area alone, dental therapeutics, this task is formidable. T he dental armamentarium is large and rapidly growing. New drugs and de vices appear with startling rapidity. Fur thermore, much o f current research is highly sophisticated, making necessary equally sophisticated assessment o f the validity of conclusions reached. This re quires intensive and informed reading, and such reading is time consuming. It is reasonable, therefore, that some central agency, devoted exclusively to dental therapeutics, be responsible for collating and disseminating essential information in this area. The Council on Dental Ther apeutics of the American Dental Associa tion is such an agency. The Council has existed for over 30 years, a fact which attests to its useful ness. Indeed, one of the most useful things it can offer to the practitioner is its long experience. In gaining this experience it has been instrumental in causing the dis appearance of many useless drugs and in encouraging the retention o f many worthy ones. The Council on Dental Therapeutics is one of the 16 Councils serving members o f the profession. It has nine members, all of whom serve without pay. All of the members are dentists and, like the members of other Councils, their ap pointment by the Association’s Board of Trustees must be approved by the Asso ciation’s House of Delegates. After care ful examination o f all available informa tion, including the opinions of Council consultants and referees, the Council makes decisions by vote of its members. Its administrative work is performed in the Central Office of the Association by the Council secretary and his staff, none of whom are voting members of the Council.
CLASSIFICATION OF PRODUCTS The Council classifies products by brand name. There are four classifications, Groups A, B, C and D. Group A consists o f accepted products. Group D consists o f unaccepted products. The intermedi ary groups, B and C, are necessary be cause there are many instances in which a product does not clearly merit classifica tion in either Groups A or D. Group C consists of products for which the evi dence is so limited or inconclusive that the products cannot be accurately evalu ated. Group B products are those for which there is reasonable evidence of safety and efficacy but which require ad ditional study to justify acceptance. Sometimes sufficient additional study is delayed for an appreciable time, in which case the Council feels that the profession is entitled to know o f favorable evidence already available. Classification in Groups B or C is not meant to imply that the product is inferior but that further evi dence is needed to assess its usefulness more accurately.
SPECIFIC SERVICES Specifically what services does the Coun cil on Dental Therapeutics provide? The Council serves both the practicing dentist and the public. It serves the dentist in the following ways: By evaluating drugs and devices which are offered for the prevention, treatment and diagnosis of dental diseases. By publishing its findings. The Coun cil’s annual publication, Accepted Dental Remedies, and its reports, which appear a t intervals in t h e j o u r n a l , constitute its major publishing efforts. By assisting other agencies of the Asso ciation in assessing the validity o f drug advertising claims. By cooperating with other agencies, both within and outside the Association, in programs which enhance dentists’ con
HENDERSHOT . . . VO LUM E 64, JA N U A RY 1962 • 35/21
tributions to dental health or general health. The Council serves the public in the following ways: By helping to provide the public with well informed dentists. By disseminating certain information directly to the public. By cooperating with agencies which serve the public interest, such as the U. S. Public Health Service, the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission. T he preceding recitation is almost meaningless without examples, preferably examples which are timely and informa tive. The examples which follow relate to “ audio analgesia,” drug advertising, Crest dentifrice, dietary fluoride supple ments, enzyme preparations, viral hepa titis and cooperative efforts with the American Heart Association.
“Audio Analgesia”
• In the October, 1961 issue of t h e j o u r n a l the Council published a report on “ audio analgesia.” 1 The report is in two parts, each dealing with an important aspect of the subject. In the first part of the report the Council presents a review of the evidence of the usefulness of these devices in dental prac tice. In the second portion of the report, two recognized experts in the physiology of hearing, both physicians, present a set of safety standards for the design and use of “ audio analgesia” devices. This excellent report is noteworthy for several reasons. First, it provides a means by which the safety of a given make of “ audio analgesia” device can be deter mined. Second, it provides a basis on which the dentist can determine the use fulness of “ audio analgesia” in his prac tice. Third, it is a demonstration of the healthy relationship which we enjoy with members of the medical profession. Thus, there is now no good reason why a dentist should inadvertently choose an “ audio analgesia” device which, when properly used, constitutes a hazard to hearing.
Nor is there any reason for the dentist to be misinformed about the efficacy of these devices.
Product Advertising
• Each year, at the annual session of the American Dental Association, thousands o f therapeutic products are exhibited. N o product which falls within the purview of the Council is admitted for exhibit unless it has been classified favorably by the Council, that is, in Groups A or B. A similar policy applies to advertising in publications of the American Dental Association. These policies benefit the dentist by lessening his exposure to fraudulent advertising and by inspiring the manufacturer to intensify his efforts to provide dentists with good therapeutic agents. Such a program has a further benefit, too, for it affords a measure of protection to reputable drug companies against unscrupulous com petitors. The writer would be remiss if he did not supplement the last paragraph with a statement of two relevant facts. First, the fact that a product is ineligible for advertising and exhibit does not neces sarily mean that the product is inferior or useless. Sometimes there are good rea sons for a company’s delay in submitting a product or for the Council’s delay in classifying it. Second, it is well to recog nize the importance of manufacturers to dental progress. The manufacturers can accomplish things which practicing den tists and persons in university and gov ernment laboratories cannot accomplish. What university laboratory, for example, is equipped to develop and market a drug?
Dentifrices
• Recently the Council on Dental Therapeutics recognized the un usual merits of a commerical' dentifrice.2 At present the Council excludes from its program ordinary cleansing dentifrices. This was not always the case, for years ago many dentifrices bore the Council’s Seal of Acceptance. Other consumer
36/22 • THE JO U R N A L OF THE A M E R IC A N DENTAL A SSO C IA T IO N
products are presently included in the Council’s list of accepted brands, how ever, and some of these bear the Council’ s Seal— denture adhesives, for example. There is nothing novel, therefore, about the Council’s classification of consumer products, even so-called prophylactic dentifrices, for a number of them are classified in Groups C and D. But the classification of Crest dentifrice in Group B does have novelty. Never before had the Council been presented with a suffi cient amount of convincing evidence to enable it to recognize formally the un usual caries preventive effects of a com mercial dentifrice. Certain benefits have resulted from the Council’s action. First, and most obvious, the profession and the public have been advised of a means of combating dental decay. Second, the public has accepted the advice enthusi astically, which speaks well for the con fidence of the public in the dental profession. Third, and perhaps most im portant, manufacturers o f consumer den tal items are intensifying their research and development efforts. These greater efforts should result in better dental health aids.
Dietary Fluoride Supplements
• In 1958 the Council published a report on pre scribing supplements of dietary fluorides.3 Although the Council recognizes the po tential value of these fluoride supple ments to persons living in areas where water fluoridation is not possible, it took care to emphasize in its report that “ pre scribing fluoride supplements is not a substitute for community fluoridation programs.” There are several reasons for the Council’ s taking of this position. Evidence is lacking which would allow accurate assessment of the caries pre ventive effect of dietary fluoride supple ments since “ none of the procedures for individual administration of fluoride sup plements completely duplicates the situa tion which exists when the entire com munity water supply contains fluoride at
the optimum level.” Furthermore, for maximum effectiveness, the Council be lieves that fluoride supplements must be administered conscientiously for the en tire period of tooth formation. Limited observations indicate that parents often fail to continue the regular administra tion of fluorides over the necessary time period. Then there are the factors of the greater cost of fluoride supplements over water fluoridation and the potential haz ards involved in the misuse or careless home storage of supplements. The Council’s opinion on the useful ness of prescribing dietary fluoride sup plements has not changed since 1958. Several dietary fluoride preparations have received favorable Council classifi cation. However, the Council still recog nizes the drawbacks in the use of sub stances, such as vitamins, milk and salt, which continue to be proposed as media for the administration of fluorides. Recent questions concerning the use fulness of dietary fluoride supplements have included their possible value to the infant when administered to the mother during pregnancy. The Council neither advocates nor discourages this measure. Copies of a report on this subject and copies of the 1958 report may be ob tained from the Council secretary.
Council Sponsored Articles: Viral H epa titis; Hyaluronidase • From time to time the Council invites qualified persons to prepare articles on topics of current in terest. In the past year two important Council sponsored articles have appeared in t h e j o u r n a l . One of these deals with viral hepatitis,4 the other with hyaluroni dase.5 Council sponsored articles, unlike Council reports, do not express the de cisions and collective opinions of the Council. The article on viral hepatitis is timely and important because the incidence of this serious disease is on the increase and every available precaution must be taken to prevent its transmission. Instrument
H E N D E R S H O T . . . V O L U M E 64, J A N U A R Y 1962 • 37/23
Accepted Dental Remedies
sterilization is essential, particularly those instruments which could carry a patho genic microorganism or viral agent into the bloodstream. In the article on hyaluronidase the author discusses the usefulness of this drug in reducing swelling caused by trauma and by extravasation of blood into the tissues. He also warns o f the hazard of spreading infection if hyaluron idase is injected into infected tissues. O f several enzymes of interest in dentistry, only accepted dosage forms of hyaluroni dase and thrombin appear in Accepted Dental Remedies. Others, such as the proteolytic enzymes papain, trypsin and chymotrypsin and enzymes which induce the formation of fibrinolysin (strepto kinase, for example) are being used and studied clinically. These are discussed in
• A discus sion of the means by which the Council on Dental Therapeutics serves the pro fession would be incomplete without spe cial mention of the Council’s annual publication, Accepted Dental Remedies. Every dentist should own tire current edi tion of this informative, concise, inex pensive book. It contains much informa tion of practical importance and its regular use is one means of achieving the professional growth which was discussed earlier. Should the reader fail to find the answer to his question in Accepted Den tal Remedies or other reference sources, an inquiry directed to the secretary of the Council on Dental Therapeutics will be considered promptly and carefully.
Cooperation with American Heart Asso ciation • For a number of years the
In summary, the program of the Council on Dental Therapeutics, which is broad in scope and efficiently conducted, serves both the dental profession and the public. Some recent Council activities have been cited as examples of how the profession and the public benefit from the Council’s program. Further, the need for such a program has been discussed. Continued use of the Council’s services will help insure further growth in the important area of dental therapeutics.
Accepted Dental Remedies.
Council has cooperated with the Ameri can Heart Association in formulating and disseminating information to dentists and physicians on proper antibiotic prophy laxis against bacterial endocarditis, an important measure for individuals who have cardiac valve defects. Recently a leaflet in which this prophylactic treat ment is described was mailed by the American Dental Association to all its members. The leaflets were provided by the American Heart Association. Copies are still available from the office o f the Council on Dental Therapeutics. Currently the Council is cooperating with the American Heart Association in disseminating information on the admin istration of closed chest cardiac resusci tation. The Council believes that dentists should be familiar with this lifesaving procedure in advance of an emergency.
SUMMARY
*Assistant secretary, Council on Dental Therapeutics. 1. Am erican Dental Association, Council on Dental Therapeutics. "A u d io analgesia." J.A .D .A . 63:517 O ct. 1961. 2. Am erican Dental Association, Council on Dental Therapeutics. Evaluation of Crest toothpaste. J.A .D .A . 61:272 Aug. I960. 3. Am erican Dental Association, CouncH on Dental Therapeutics. Prescribing supplements of dietary fluor ides. J.A .D .A . 56:589 A p ril 1958. 4. Knighton, H. T. Virai hepatitis in relation to den tistry. J.A .D .A . 63:21 Ju ly 1961. 5. Morris, A . L. Evaluation of the literature pertain ing to the use of hyaluronidase in dental practice. J.A .D .A . 61:725 Dec. I960.
The term “ dental therapeutics” relates, in the strict sense, to the use of remedies or drugs for the treatment and prevention of dental disease. In a broader sense, and perhaps more correctly, the definition o f the term also includes the use of devices for the treatment and prevention of den tal disease and the use of both drugs and devices in the diagnosis of dental disease. Not a specialty of dental practice, dental therapeutics pertains to practically every phase of dentistry. It is a fundamental and vital part of dentistry. But it is not the only part of dentistry which is funda mental and vital. Long before the completion of formal training, professional students become aware o f the. sizable circumferences of their disciplines. This awareness may come early, perhaps even before entering a professional school. But the necessity for constant professional growth after the formal training period may not be come apparent until a much later time. It is at this later awakening that one realizes that he may never cease being a student, that the degree of success and enjoyment of professional practice paral lel the degree of attentiveness paid to progress in the profession. This is no less
true in dentistry than in other profes sions, and a shortage of time makes it difficult to be attentive to all of the ad vances in dentistry. For these are golden years for dentistry. Present day advances in dental teaching, practice and admin istration are remarkable, as are the con tributions being made by dental investi gators and manufacturers. Therefore, well balanced professional growth of the practitioner requires judicious propor tioning of time. The scientific investigator, because ofthe discouragingly voluminous literature with which he must deal, depends heavily on literature abstracts in his floundering effort to keep abreast of what other per sons are doing in the clinic or laboratory. In the biological sciences, for example, he may read Biological Abstracts, Exerpta Medica, Chemical Abstracts and even publications which give only titles of papers, such as Current Contents, Index
Medicus, Index to Dental Literature, Biochemical Title Index and Chemical Titles.
It is not surprising, therefore, if the dental practitioner, whose major propor tion of working time is spent beside the dental chair, yearns for a longer day or a
34/20 • THE JO URNAL OF THE A M E R IC A N DENTAL A SSO C IA TIO N
longer week so that he may read as well as perform. The practitioner, like the re searcher, is forced to utilize services which simplify his task of achieving a respect able rate o f professional growth. In one area alone, dental therapeutics, this task is formidable. T he dental armamentarium is large and rapidly growing. New drugs and de vices appear with startling rapidity. Fur thermore, much o f current research is highly sophisticated, making necessary equally sophisticated assessment o f the validity of conclusions reached. This re quires intensive and informed reading, and such reading is time consuming. It is reasonable, therefore, that some central agency, devoted exclusively to dental therapeutics, be responsible for collating and disseminating essential information in this area. The Council on Dental Ther apeutics of the American Dental Associa tion is such an agency. The Council has existed for over 30 years, a fact which attests to its useful ness. Indeed, one of the most useful things it can offer to the practitioner is its long experience. In gaining this experience it has been instrumental in causing the dis appearance of many useless drugs and in encouraging the retention o f many worthy ones. The Council on Dental Therapeutics is one of the 16 Councils serving members o f the profession. It has nine members, all of whom serve without pay. All of the members are dentists and, like the members of other Councils, their ap pointment by the Association’s Board of Trustees must be approved by the Asso ciation’s House of Delegates. After care ful examination o f all available informa tion, including the opinions of Council consultants and referees, the Council makes decisions by vote of its members. Its administrative work is performed in the Central Office of the Association by the Council secretary and his staff, none of whom are voting members of the Council.
CLASSIFICATION OF PRODUCTS The Council classifies products by brand name. There are four classifications, Groups A, B, C and D. Group A consists o f accepted products. Group D consists o f unaccepted products. The intermedi ary groups, B and C, are necessary be cause there are many instances in which a product does not clearly merit classifica tion in either Groups A or D. Group C consists of products for which the evi dence is so limited or inconclusive that the products cannot be accurately evalu ated. Group B products are those for which there is reasonable evidence of safety and efficacy but which require ad ditional study to justify acceptance. Sometimes sufficient additional study is delayed for an appreciable time, in which case the Council feels that the profession is entitled to know o f favorable evidence already available. Classification in Groups B or C is not meant to imply that the product is inferior but that further evi dence is needed to assess its usefulness more accurately.
SPECIFIC SERVICES Specifically what services does the Coun cil on Dental Therapeutics provide? The Council serves both the practicing dentist and the public. It serves the dentist in the following ways: By evaluating drugs and devices which are offered for the prevention, treatment and diagnosis of dental diseases. By publishing its findings. The Coun cil’s annual publication, Accepted Dental Remedies, and its reports, which appear a t intervals in t h e j o u r n a l , constitute its major publishing efforts. By assisting other agencies of the Asso ciation in assessing the validity o f drug advertising claims. By cooperating with other agencies, both within and outside the Association, in programs which enhance dentists’ con
HENDERSHOT . . . VO LUM E 64, JA N U A RY 1962 • 35/21
tributions to dental health or general health. The Council serves the public in the following ways: By helping to provide the public with well informed dentists. By disseminating certain information directly to the public. By cooperating with agencies which serve the public interest, such as the U. S. Public Health Service, the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission. T he preceding recitation is almost meaningless without examples, preferably examples which are timely and informa tive. The examples which follow relate to “ audio analgesia,” drug advertising, Crest dentifrice, dietary fluoride supple ments, enzyme preparations, viral hepa titis and cooperative efforts with the American Heart Association.
“Audio Analgesia”
• In the October, 1961 issue of t h e j o u r n a l the Council published a report on “ audio analgesia.” 1 The report is in two parts, each dealing with an important aspect of the subject. In the first part of the report the Council presents a review of the evidence of the usefulness of these devices in dental prac tice. In the second portion of the report, two recognized experts in the physiology of hearing, both physicians, present a set of safety standards for the design and use of “ audio analgesia” devices. This excellent report is noteworthy for several reasons. First, it provides a means by which the safety of a given make of “ audio analgesia” device can be deter mined. Second, it provides a basis on which the dentist can determine the use fulness of “ audio analgesia” in his prac tice. Third, it is a demonstration of the healthy relationship which we enjoy with members of the medical profession. Thus, there is now no good reason why a dentist should inadvertently choose an “ audio analgesia” device which, when properly used, constitutes a hazard to hearing.
Nor is there any reason for the dentist to be misinformed about the efficacy of these devices.
Product Advertising
• Each year, at the annual session of the American Dental Association, thousands o f therapeutic products are exhibited. N o product which falls within the purview of the Council is admitted for exhibit unless it has been classified favorably by the Council, that is, in Groups A or B. A similar policy applies to advertising in publications of the American Dental Association. These policies benefit the dentist by lessening his exposure to fraudulent advertising and by inspiring the manufacturer to intensify his efforts to provide dentists with good therapeutic agents. Such a program has a further benefit, too, for it affords a measure of protection to reputable drug companies against unscrupulous com petitors. The writer would be remiss if he did not supplement the last paragraph with a statement of two relevant facts. First, the fact that a product is ineligible for advertising and exhibit does not neces sarily mean that the product is inferior or useless. Sometimes there are good rea sons for a company’s delay in submitting a product or for the Council’s delay in classifying it. Second, it is well to recog nize the importance of manufacturers to dental progress. The manufacturers can accomplish things which practicing den tists and persons in university and gov ernment laboratories cannot accomplish. What university laboratory, for example, is equipped to develop and market a drug?
Dentifrices
• Recently the Council on Dental Therapeutics recognized the un usual merits of a commerical' dentifrice.2 At present the Council excludes from its program ordinary cleansing dentifrices. This was not always the case, for years ago many dentifrices bore the Council’s Seal of Acceptance. Other consumer
36/22 • THE JO U R N A L OF THE A M E R IC A N DENTAL A SSO C IA T IO N
products are presently included in the Council’s list of accepted brands, how ever, and some of these bear the Council’ s Seal— denture adhesives, for example. There is nothing novel, therefore, about the Council’s classification of consumer products, even so-called prophylactic dentifrices, for a number of them are classified in Groups C and D. But the classification of Crest dentifrice in Group B does have novelty. Never before had the Council been presented with a suffi cient amount of convincing evidence to enable it to recognize formally the un usual caries preventive effects of a com mercial dentifrice. Certain benefits have resulted from the Council’s action. First, and most obvious, the profession and the public have been advised of a means of combating dental decay. Second, the public has accepted the advice enthusi astically, which speaks well for the con fidence of the public in the dental profession. Third, and perhaps most im portant, manufacturers o f consumer den tal items are intensifying their research and development efforts. These greater efforts should result in better dental health aids.
Dietary Fluoride Supplements
• In 1958 the Council published a report on pre scribing supplements of dietary fluorides.3 Although the Council recognizes the po tential value of these fluoride supple ments to persons living in areas where water fluoridation is not possible, it took care to emphasize in its report that “ pre scribing fluoride supplements is not a substitute for community fluoridation programs.” There are several reasons for the Council’ s taking of this position. Evidence is lacking which would allow accurate assessment of the caries pre ventive effect of dietary fluoride supple ments since “ none of the procedures for individual administration of fluoride sup plements completely duplicates the situa tion which exists when the entire com munity water supply contains fluoride at
the optimum level.” Furthermore, for maximum effectiveness, the Council be lieves that fluoride supplements must be administered conscientiously for the en tire period of tooth formation. Limited observations indicate that parents often fail to continue the regular administra tion of fluorides over the necessary time period. Then there are the factors of the greater cost of fluoride supplements over water fluoridation and the potential haz ards involved in the misuse or careless home storage of supplements. The Council’s opinion on the useful ness of prescribing dietary fluoride sup plements has not changed since 1958. Several dietary fluoride preparations have received favorable Council classifi cation. However, the Council still recog nizes the drawbacks in the use of sub stances, such as vitamins, milk and salt, which continue to be proposed as media for the administration of fluorides. Recent questions concerning the use fulness of dietary fluoride supplements have included their possible value to the infant when administered to the mother during pregnancy. The Council neither advocates nor discourages this measure. Copies of a report on this subject and copies of the 1958 report may be ob tained from the Council secretary.
Council Sponsored Articles: Viral H epa titis; Hyaluronidase • From time to time the Council invites qualified persons to prepare articles on topics of current in terest. In the past year two important Council sponsored articles have appeared in t h e j o u r n a l . One of these deals with viral hepatitis,4 the other with hyaluroni dase.5 Council sponsored articles, unlike Council reports, do not express the de cisions and collective opinions of the Council. The article on viral hepatitis is timely and important because the incidence of this serious disease is on the increase and every available precaution must be taken to prevent its transmission. Instrument
H E N D E R S H O T . . . V O L U M E 64, J A N U A R Y 1962 • 37/23
Accepted Dental Remedies
sterilization is essential, particularly those instruments which could carry a patho genic microorganism or viral agent into the bloodstream. In the article on hyaluronidase the author discusses the usefulness of this drug in reducing swelling caused by trauma and by extravasation of blood into the tissues. He also warns o f the hazard of spreading infection if hyaluron idase is injected into infected tissues. O f several enzymes of interest in dentistry, only accepted dosage forms of hyaluroni dase and thrombin appear in Accepted Dental Remedies. Others, such as the proteolytic enzymes papain, trypsin and chymotrypsin and enzymes which induce the formation of fibrinolysin (strepto kinase, for example) are being used and studied clinically. These are discussed in
• A discus sion of the means by which the Council on Dental Therapeutics serves the pro fession would be incomplete without spe cial mention of the Council’s annual publication, Accepted Dental Remedies. Every dentist should own tire current edi tion of this informative, concise, inex pensive book. It contains much informa tion of practical importance and its regular use is one means of achieving the professional growth which was discussed earlier. Should the reader fail to find the answer to his question in Accepted Den tal Remedies or other reference sources, an inquiry directed to the secretary of the Council on Dental Therapeutics will be considered promptly and carefully.
Cooperation with American Heart Asso ciation • For a number of years the
In summary, the program of the Council on Dental Therapeutics, which is broad in scope and efficiently conducted, serves both the dental profession and the public. Some recent Council activities have been cited as examples of how the profession and the public benefit from the Council’s program. Further, the need for such a program has been discussed. Continued use of the Council’s services will help insure further growth in the important area of dental therapeutics.
Accepted Dental Remedies.
Council has cooperated with the Ameri can Heart Association in formulating and disseminating information to dentists and physicians on proper antibiotic prophy laxis against bacterial endocarditis, an important measure for individuals who have cardiac valve defects. Recently a leaflet in which this prophylactic treat ment is described was mailed by the American Dental Association to all its members. The leaflets were provided by the American Heart Association. Copies are still available from the office o f the Council on Dental Therapeutics. Currently the Council is cooperating with the American Heart Association in disseminating information on the admin istration of closed chest cardiac resusci tation. The Council believes that dentists should be familiar with this lifesaving procedure in advance of an emergency.
SUMMARY
*Assistant secretary, Council on Dental Therapeutics. 1. Am erican Dental Association, Council on Dental Therapeutics. "A u d io analgesia." J.A .D .A . 63:517 O ct. 1961. 2. Am erican Dental Association, Council on Dental Therapeutics. Evaluation of Crest toothpaste. J.A .D .A . 61:272 Aug. I960. 3. Am erican Dental Association, CouncH on Dental Therapeutics. Prescribing supplements of dietary fluor ides. J.A .D .A . 56:589 A p ril 1958. 4. Knighton, H. T. Virai hepatitis in relation to den tistry. J.A .D .A . 63:21 Ju ly 1961. 5. Morris, A . L. Evaluation of the literature pertain ing to the use of hyaluronidase in dental practice. J.A .D .A . 61:725 Dec. I960.