Dentistry equipment includes a voice alert device adapted to annunciate a status of the dentistry equipment or a process performed by the dentistry equipment. The voice alert device in various embodiments employs synthesized and recorded human voices.

Voice alert in dentistry

Physiologically acceptable films, including edible films, are disclosed. The films include a water soluble film-forming polymer such as pullulan. Edible films are disclosed that include pullulan and antimicrobially effective amounts of the essential oils thymol, methyl salicylate, eucalyptol and menthol. The edible films are effective at killing the plaque-producing germs that cause dental plaque, gingivitis and bad breath. The film can also contain pharmaceutically active agents. Methods for producing the films are also disclosed.

Fast dissolving orally consumable films

Production of flavours by microorganisms

The past 5 years have seen significant progress in the field of limonene biotransformation, especially with regard to the regiospecificity of microbial biocatalysts. Whereas earlier only regiospecific biocatalysts for the 1,2 position (limonene-1,2-diol) and the 8-position (α-terpineol) were available, recent reports describe microbial biocatalysts specifically hydroxylating the 3-position (isopiperitenol), 6-position (carveol and carvone), and 7-position (perillyl alcohol, perillylaaldehyde, and perillic acid). The present review also includes the considerable progress made in the characterization of plant P-450 limonene hydroxylases and the cloning of the encoding genes.

Biotransformation of limonene by bacteria, fungi, yeasts, and plants

The terpenes are secondary metabolites of plants that are produced, in part, as a defense against microorganisms and insects in addition to their pollinator-attractive properties.1 In mammals, terpenes contribute to stabilizing cell membranes, participate in metabolic pathways, and act as regulators in some enzymatic reactions.2 Members of this class of chemicals have carbon structures which can be decomposed into isoprene (C5H8) residues and are classified, based on the number of carbons in the molecule, as monoterpenes (ten carbons), sesquiterpenes (fifteen carbons), diterpenes (twenty carbons), triterpenes (thirty carbons), and tetraterpenes or carotenes (forty carbons).3 The simpler terpenes (monoand sesquiterpenes) are the major constituents of essential oils and are widely used in the perfumery industry, while diand triterpenes are less volatile and are obtained from plant gums and resins.4 Carotenes are synthesized by bacteria, algae, fungi, and green plants and comprise more than 600 known structures.5 The most important terpenes and their oxygenated derivates (terpenoids) cited in this study may be seen in Figures 1-3. Terpenes are a good starting material for the synthesis of many fine chemicals due to their similar carbon skeleton. R-(+)-Limonene (2), for example, is the most abundant monocyclic monoterpene in nature, and it represents more than 90% of the orange peel oil; thus, it is an inexpensive precursor.6,7 The oxygenated derivatives of limonene, e.g. carveol (24), carvone (25), perillyl alcohol (26), menthol (39), and R-terpineol (29), are recognized for their pleasant fragrances,8 and some of them also present bioactivity against certain types of tumor cells, not only preventing the formation or progression of cancer but also regressing existing malignant tumors.9,10 R-(6) and -pinene (7), in turn, are found in high concentrations in turpentine, a paper and pulp industry residue, and they are, therefore, also available in bulk at a low price. These bicyclic monoterpenes are used as a fragrance substance that is used to improve the odor of industrial products and are also precursors of important flavor compounds, such as terpineols, borneol (45), camphor (46), citronellol (11), geraniol (14), menthol (39), verbenol (48), and verbenone (49).6,7 The tetraterpene -carotene (62), an orange pigment found mainly in tropical vegetables, is a precursor of norisoprenoid ionones, molecules responsible for desirable fruity and floral flavors.7,11 Volatile carotenoid breakdown products have been long known as important flavor compounds.12

Bio-oxidation of terpenes: an approach for the flavor industry.

The transformation of three monocyclic terpenes by three soil microorganisms have been studied. The organisms were isolated on, and grew rapidly in, mineral salts medium containing the appropriate terpene substrates as sole carbon sources. These organisms belong to the class Fungi Imperfecti, and two of them have been tentatively identified as Cladosporium species. A Cladosporium species designated T(1) was isolated from terpene-soaked soil, using 1-menthene as the sole source of carbon. The major catabolic product isolated from the growth medium of this organism was found to be a cyclic 1,2-diol identified as trans-p-methane-1,2-diol. A similar but biochemically distinct Cladosporium sp. designated T(7) was isolated on D-limonene. After growth, the medium of this organism contained 1.5 g/liter of the analogous product, trans-limonene-1,2-diol. Minor quantities of the corresponding cis-1,2-diol were also isolated. The third organism, designated as laboratory culture T(8), was isolated on 3-menthene and yielded a diol identified as trans-p-menthane-3,4-diol. From these results it is concluded that the formation of diols is a common intermediate in the fungal metabolism of monocyclic terpenes.

Synthesis of glycols by microbial transformation of some monocyclic terpenes.

A shred resistant, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, micromesh interproximal device produced by fibrillating and slitting stretched polyethylene film having a tensile-strength from between about 0.7 GPa and about 5GPa, where said polyethylene has an intrinsic viscosity of frmo between about 5 and about 50 dl/g and wherein said resultant micromesh tape is coated with an oral care substance at from between about 10 and about 120 mg/yd.

Micromesh interproximal devices

A wide range of aqueous based soaking operations can be employed to impregnate substantially throughout various rawhide pet chews; suitable substances for release into the oral cavity of pets during chewing include emulsions, surfactants, conditioners, flavorants and/or active ingredients. Prior to impregnation, the rawhide chews are physically disrupted/penetrated to augment substance impregnation substantially throughout the chews.

Emulsion impregnated rawhide chews

Various monofilament dental tapes with substantive coatings including: solutions of block copolymers and non-ionic surfactants, melt emulsions of waxes emulsified in surfactants and inverse melt emulsions of surfactants emulsified in a continuous wax phase, and their methods of manufacture are described.

Monofilament dental tapes with substantive coatings

Molecularly oriented, thermoplastic elastomeric dental tapes extruded with a melt spinning extrusion carried out at draw ratios from between about 4:1 and about 7.5:1 and draw temperatures from between about 80° and 265° C. having: elongation at break of less than about 50%, an elastic limit of less than about 25% and enhanced tape flex-twist index from between about 2.5 and about 5, with the capacity to release substantive, flake-free, saliva soluble coatings during flossing.

Ira D. Hill

Papers

Synthesis of glycols by microbial transformation of some monocyclic terpenes.

Micromesh interproximal devices

Emulsion impregnated rawhide chews

Monofilament dental tapes with substantive coatings

Elastomeric monofilament dental tapes