FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 1, 2007
Toothprints Dental ID System for Children
ORANGE, CA - As social responsibility goes hand in hand with business success, Kerr Corporation supports Toothprints®, a dental identification system for children.
Toothprints is a thermoplastic wafer that softens in hot water and taken in the same manner as a bite registration for orthodontics. It records children's individual tooth characteristics, tooth position within the arch and the upper to lower jaw relationship - all-important information for identification. Dental records have historically been the primary basis for dental identification, but the successful fight against tooth decay has left many children with no cavities and, thus, no records. An unrinsed Toothprints also captures saliva, which is a powerful source of human scent, thus making Toothprints effective for scent-dog tracking. Parents keep the Toothprints record themselves for confidentiality and quick access.
According to Peter Banks, Director of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, sufficient proteins in the saliva remain on Toothprints from which DNA can be garnered for another means of identification. David Harte, DMD and Director of the Massachusetts Masonic Child Identification Program, reports, "Law enforcement officials rarely have ID materials available for teenagers, yet teens are the most likely to become lost, missing or abducted. Toothprints offers a very powerful recovery and identification component of any child's identification kit." Dr. Harte is past recipient of the Massachusetts Dentist of the Year award and the special achievement award from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Kerr makes available a display and a patient brochure that covers important safety information and what to do if a child is missing.
For more information visit KerrDental.com, contact your local Kerr representative or Kerr Customer Care at 800.KERR.123.
Kerr Corporation, a division of Sybron Dental Specialties, is a manufacturer of premiere dental consumables. Advancing esthetic dentistry through education and sustainable solutions based on clinician input, Kerr has become synonymous with integrity for dental professionals worldwide.
