New clinical guidelines released by the International Diabetes Foundation (IDF) emphasize the importance of periodontal health for people with diabetes. Diabetes affects approximately 246 million people worldwide, and this number is only expected to increase. The IDF is an organization of 200 national diabetes associations from 160 countries.

In today's state watch, Virginia plans to close a pharmacy for the mentally ill, Medicaid patients in Michigan are suing over dental care and Rhode Island reports that insurers remain relatively healthy.

The annual amount spent by Georgians and Ohioans or their insurers for dental care in 2006 averaged about $150 less than the national average of $607, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The average annual dental expenditure for each Georgian who had dental care was $466, while for Ohioans, it was $474.

An "unacceptable and growing chasm" exists in the UK between those with good and poor oral health, according to the British Dental Association's (BDA's) Oral Health Inequalities Policy which is published today. The policy highlights the close association between low socio-economic status and poor oral health, calling for more focus on preventive care. It also says there should be a more integrated approach to oral health from health and social care providers.

PAIR Technologies, a start-up company established by University of Delaware researchers and a former DuPont scientist, is preparing to commercialize a high-precision detector - a planar array infrared spectrograph - that can identify biological and chemical agents in solids, liquids, and gases, present at low levels, and in less than a second.