Race, sex affect Medicaid opioid prescription rates

Dentists are writing fewer opioid prescriptions than other practitioners, but prescribing patterns differ by a patient’s race, ethnicity, and sex, as well as by provider type. That’s according to a new study of Medicaid recipients published in the April issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association. The researchers examined Medicaid claims for oral health-related conditions in 13 U.S. states and found that 23% of patients received an opioid

NIDCR gives $2M for perio disease and diabetes research

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) has awarded researchers from the New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry and the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) Dental Medicine a $2.2 million, five-year grant to study diabetes-related periodontal disease and bone loss. The researchers will use the grant to investigate the role of succinate, an inflammatory and metabolic mediator crystal, in the development and progression of periodontal disease in patients with

JADA: Dentists are prescribing more opioids than ever

The number of opioids prescribed by dentists appears to be increasing over time, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Dental Association. Dentists prescribed more opioids in 2015 than they did in 2010, the researchers found. Opioid prescriptions also increased the most for adolescents ages 11 to 18. The researchers published their full findings in the April issue of JADA (April 2018, Vol. 149:4, pp. 237-245).

Week in Review: Dentist opioid prescriptions | CAD/CAM materials | Insurance participation

Dear DrBicuspid Member, Dentists wrote more prescriptions for opioids in 2015 than they did in 2010, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Dental Association. Researchers also reported that opioid prescriptions increased the most for adolescents ages 11 to 18. Learn more here. To address the ongoing opioid epidemic and dentists’ role in it, the ADA announced a new policy on opioids this week. The policy

Tooth-related factors linked to perio bone loss

Tooth-related factors are linked to periodontal disease but systemic factors aren’t, according to research presented at the recent American Association of Dental Research (AADR) meeting in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Results also indicated that older patients with mild to moderate disease are still vulnerable to bone loss, but minimally invasive treatments may reduce this risk. Researchers analyzed patient- and tooth-related factors in periodontal maintenance patients. They found that those with progressive

Dental practice threatens to report parent for lack of care

A pediatric dental office in Bartonsville, PA, sent a letter to a mother stating the practice may report her to that state’s child protective services for not bringing her child in for follow-up care. The mother, Trey Hoyumpa, claimed that she brought her two children to the Smiles 4 Keeps dental office in December 2017, according to a Pocono Record article. The office refused to treat both of her children

Study: Novel CAD/CAM materials offer aesthetic options

When creating aesthetic restorations with CAD/CAM blocks, finding a close match to the shade and color of a patient’s teeth is crucial. Researchers tested the aesthetic values of three hybrid CAD/CAM blocks and found some differences among the materials. Rather than recommending one of the materials, the researchers noted that dentists should focus on a material’s chromatic values to get the best outcome for each patient. “Nanoceramic and polymer-infiltrated-feldspathic ceramic-network

AADR 2018: Local anesthetic does not improve post-op comfort in kids

Does providing postoperative local anesthetic in addition to intravenous analgesics improve comfort in children undergoing dental surgery under general anesthesia? Research presented on March 24 at the 2018 American Association of Dental Research (AADR) meeting in Fort Lauderdale, FL, took a look. Investigators administered one of two established pain management options to children who underwent dental treatment under general anesthesia: ul.editorialList li {margin-bottom:6px;} Intravenous analgesics with gingival local anesthetic interpapillary

7 Things You Need to Know About Dentists at Molar City

When starting a plan to travel outside of your country of residence, in order to get dental work done, it’s very important to trust the place where you’re going and the people who are going to perform a dental procedure on you. Molar City is known to be the capital of dental tourism because of the high-quality services that more than 300 dentists can offer at a very affordable cost.

AADR 2018: Does potassium iodide erode the benefits of SDF?

Potassium iodide (KI) improves the appearance of teeth treated with silver diamine fluoride (SDF), but does it reduce the effectiveness of SDF? Researchers reported mixed results in a March 23 presentation at the 2018 American Association of Dental Research (AADR) meeting in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Investigators from the University of Washington School of Dentistry in Seattle reported in separate studies that adding KI to SDF treatment did not reduce its

AADR 2018: Can provisionals be milled with a compact unit?

If your practice has not upgraded to a newer milling unit, what can you do if you want to fabricate screw-retained, provisional implant resin restorations? Researchers tested the idea of using a compact milling unit to manufacture these restorations, and they presented their findings at the 2018 American Association of Dental Research (AADR) meeting in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Fabricating a screw-retained, provisional implant resin restoration usually requires an inLab MC

ADA announces new opioid policy

The ADA has announced a new policy on opioid pain medications in an attempt to address the ongoing opioid epidemic in the U.S. The policy has three key components: Joseph P. Crowley, DDS, is president of the ADA. Image courtesy of the ADA. ul.editorialList li {margin-bottom:6px;} The ADA supports mandatory continuing education in prescribing opioids and other controlled substances. The ADA supports statutory limits on opioid dosage and duration of