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The article presents information on laser research in dentistry in the U.S. The use of lasers in dentistry continues to move forward in the U.S. Some of the early pioneers in lasers in dentistry belong to the U.S. There are several universities and organizations currently active in the area of laser research and successful in transferring their findings to the practice of dentistry. It is reported that Beckman Laser Institute, near Los Angeles, California, has been doing research with dental applications principally under the direction of Petra Wilder-Smith.

This paper examines a study of perceptual-cognitive development among black children from three cultures. The study investigates patterns of perceptual and cognitive functioning as a transaction among developmental, genetic, environmental, cultural, and child-rearing variables. The samples consisted of four and eight year olds from three distinct groups: (1) white and black middle socio-economic status (SES) children from the US; (2) lower and middle SES children from St. Kitts in the Caribbean; and (3) middle SES children from Nigeria. The research paradigm permits a cross-cultural comparison of three samples of middle-class, urban, English-speaking, black children in relation to six areas of perceptual-cognitive development, four anthropometric, and three physiological measures. Because of the inclusion of a white sample, the interactions of SES, race, culture, nutritional status, proximity to the equator, and physical growth and development can be correlated with the performance of black children on perceptual-cognitive tasks. Results of data analyzed thus far are reported and implications are discussed.