NEW PRODUCTS

Oral hygiene boosted

Cavity Busters is an educational kit that motivates children to brush their teeth. The kit includes a paperback book and a video, Look Mom . . . No Cavities. They instruct children in the proper way to clean teeth, offer them interesting facts about teeth, and tell them what happens when teeth aren't cleaned regularly.

Other useful items in the kit are a Reach toothbrush, an antibacterial fluoride rinse, colorful flavored floss, remineralizing chewing gum, and two types of toothpaste. Perhaps most intriguing to children is an egg timer filled with sand that they can turn over and see for themselves they are brushing for exactly three minutes—the time a good brushing takes.

The manufacturer hopes the kit will prevent cavities and protect children's health by enlisting parent- child participation in dental hygiene skills. An incentive packet of coupons for dental hygiene products is also included in the kit. For more information, call 888-292-1991 or visit www.lookmom.com .

Office-drawn blood test finds IgE—and allergies

The ImmunoCAP Allergy blood test determines a person's sensitivity to a given allergen. The test eliminates the use of skin tests, which are often inadvisable for young children. A blood specimen is drawn in the pediatrician's office and analyzed at a laboratory to measure the amount of specific immunoglobulin E circulating in blood after exposure to an allergen. The manufacturer, Pharmacia Diagnostics, reports that the accuracy of the test is superior to that of older so-called RAST methods of blood testing of allergens.

The test kit includes an international reference calibrator and accuracy and precision data. ImmunoCAP is used by a number of laboratories, including Quest, Mayo, ARUP, Nichols, Johns Hopkins, Specialty, AML, and Unilab. For information, call 877-862-4948 or visit www.isitallergy.com .

Emergency facts in the sneaker or shoe

The company Safety At Your Feet has created the Medi-Kit Safety Insole for parents to store vital identification and health information in their child's shoes. Instead of an identification bracelet, which some children refuse to wear, data are kept in a pocket in the insole of the child's shoe.

Parents complete a small card with the child's name, telephone number, address, contacts in an emergency, blood type, allergies, and medical conditions; there is space for a small photograph and a fingerprint. The card is then laminated with materials from the kit and inserted into a pocket in the adjustable insole tucked into the shoe. Last, a bright red tag is installed in plain view at the base of the shoe lace. That tag, plus an adhesive sticker, alerts an observer or caregiver that the insole contains health information. The Medi-Kit sells for approximately $13 and can be purchased by calling 214-370-5934 or at www.safetyatyourfeet.com .

Fiber added to cereals with formula

Nestle Carnation recently added soluble fiber to its just-add-water cereal- plus-formula product as a means of enhancing health and well-being in the digestive tract. Nestle Carnation Baby Cereal with Formula, however, is not intended to be the only source of nutrition for a baby. The product offers four combinations: rice, oatmeal, rice and banana, and a mixed cereal– mixed fruit combination. For information, call 800-759-8807 or visit www.verybestbaby.com .

Protect children at the computer

KeyKatch is a device the size of a pen cap that parents use to monitor their child's e-mail and visits to sites on the World Wide Web. The device plugs into the back of Intel x86, Pentium, and other compatible PCs, or can be connected to a keyboard that has a standard port. Once in place, KeyKatch records hundreds of e-mail messages and keeps track of other online behavior.

Barely noticeable once it has been attached, the device also employs a tamper-proof marking system to prevent undetected removal. Later, parents can retrieve and erase information in computer memory, change a password, disable a recording, or search for a string of letters that contains "www" and "com." KeyKatch costs approximately $130. For information, visit www.keykatch.com .

Professional hands need plenty of help

An educational booklet, "How to Prevent and Protect Chafed, Chapped, Cracked, Dry Hands" is available to pediatricians and other health-care professionals on request from its sponsor, TheraSeal Hand Protection. The booklet discusses irritant contact dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis, and atopic dermatitis or eczema, and reviews how these conditions affect those who wash their hands often and, of course, how to treat them. For copies, write to Healthpoint, Ltd., 2600 Airport Freeway, Fort Worth, TX 76111.

 

New Products. Contemporary Pediatrics 2001;11:107.