From the Co-Editor

Louis F. Rose, DDS, MD

Dear Readers,

Historically, our primary focus has been on helping our patients achieve optimum oral health. However, our role has rapidly been extending in order to meet patients’ ever-changing expectations. Influenced by media images, patients demand better esthetics; tooth whitening often is among those requirements. Confronting diverse options in the marketplace, dental practitioners should be ready to answer questions from their patients, present treatment options and costs, and gauge the potential for that “perfect” smile.

In the first continuing education (CE) article, we present a thorough review of tooth whitening procedures and treatments, including the offerings of at-home products. We hope this will help you guide your patients in your daily practice.

The second CE piece explains the evolution of light-curing units and curing modes in the use of resin-based composites (RBCs). Types of curing light and curing modes have been shown to affect the degree of polymerization and related shrinkage in RBCs. The first part of this article discusses the contemporary light-curing units and their advantages and disadvantages. The second installment will appear in our October issue of Compendium and highlights the clinical considerations regarding light curing of RBCs that are essential for achieving optimal curing and maximum polymerization.

The Global Health Through Oral Health column is an essential feature of Compendium’s editorial contributions to dentistry, exploring the challenges that our colleagues confront throughout the world. In this issue, the author discusses how dentists in the region of the former Socialistic Federative Republic of Yugoslavia have been bridging the gap between interpersonal and professional relationships through shared educational efforts and mutual respect. It is an intriguing firsthand look into how relationships in dentistry may be severed by politics—and eventually repaired.

I hope that you enjoy this issue of Compendium. Please visit https://www.compendiumlive.com to take CE courses and read both current and archived issues. The site also offers digital editions of recent issues for you to read online. We welcome your comments and suggestions, please contact me at lrose@aegiscomm.com. Thank you for your continuing support.

Sincerely,

Louis F. Rose, DDS, MD