Neb. dentists get audited for Medicaid prophies

Many Nebraska dentists have opted not to take any more Medicaid patients after being audited for $22 prophies, a pediatric dentist told a recent U.S. Senate hearing on Medicare and Medicaid. Hundreds of Nebraska dentists recently were sent letters from the state’s Medicaid recovery audit contractor (RAC), Health Management Systems (HMS), asking for charts containing adult and pediatric billing codes for prophylaxis, according to an ADA News story. During her

Hu-Friedy starts apprenticeship program for instrument makers

Dental instrument maker Hu-Friedy has started a pilot apprenticeship program covering 20 different development areas to generate its own reliable pipeline of skilled workers. The goal of the two- to three-year program is to ensure that workers have the required skills sets needed to sustain the company’s manufacturing expertise, according to Hu-Friedy. With the pending retirement of several of Hu-Friedy’s instrument makers, the Chicago-based company is offering unique development opportunities

The Virtual Dental Home: Complicating a good idea

The recent Pew Charitable Trust report on expanding the dental team to increase access to dental care describes two programs, one in Alaska and the other in Minnesota, that utilize dental therapists. The Alaska and Minnesota dental therapists qualify as “expanding the dental team” because they are, in fact, a new type of provider added to the dental workforce. Jay W. Friedman, DDS, MPH. A third program described in the

Dental clinics open at Univ. of the Pacific

University of the Pacific’s new San Francisco campus and home of the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry has started seeing patients at its new dental clinics. The Dugoni School of Dentistry has relocated all of its public dental clinics to its new South of Market building at 155 Fifth Street. The clinics offer cleanings, fillings, dentures, digital x-rays, cosmetic dentistry, facial pain treatment, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry services, and dental

Counterpoint response: The Virtual Dental Home

I want to thank the editors of HuangshanDental.com and Jay W. Friedman, DDS, MPH, for the opportunity to provide these comments following Dr. Friedman’s Second Opinion about the recent Pew Charitable Trust report on expanding the dental team and the inclusion of the Virtual Dental Home (VDH) model in that report. I appreciate Dr. Friedman’s recognition of the value of the Virtual Dental Home system in reaching children and adults who do

Oral Cancer

The month of July is a special month for both Americans and Canadians, each has unique holidays this month. Canadians celebrate Canada Day and in the case of the United States, we celebrate our Independence on July 4. In both celebrations, there are outdoor public events, these include parades, carnivals, barbecues, concerts and of course fireworks. Imagine you are with your family enjoying the moment, but lately you have been

Study finds link between perio disease, atherosclerosis

Chronic oral infection with the periodontal disease pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis not only causes local inflammation of the gums leading to tooth loss but is also associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis. A study published July 10 in PLOS Pathogens reveals how the pathogen evades the immune system to induce inflammation beyond the oral cavity. The study was co-authored by Richard Darveau, PhD, chairman of the periodontics department at University

Teeth Whitening

It has finally happened! After months of waiting the modeling agency called you. You reach the agency and they offer you a few tips, unfortunately your agent sees you have a small problem: your smile. Your teeth are not bright enough for the photo-shoot. You need to fix this problem and fix it fast; your photo-shoot will be in 3 days. After hearing the news you make a quick visit

MLB, Minn. Twins host dental screening for kids

Former Major League Baseball (MLB) infielder and manager Frank Quilici and the Minnesota Twins hosted a TeamSmile event last weekend for almost 300 kids that provided dental screening and education. As part of MLB’s All-Star Week Legacy project, children at the Boys & Girls Club in East Saint Paul, MN, received $150,000 worth of free preventive care and education, and, if necessary, follow-up dental treatment. TeamSmile is a nonprofit dental

Judge allows lawsuit over Fla. Medicaid

Despite Florida’s claims that privatizing Medicaid will resolve problems, a federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit that alleges the state does not provide adequate care to children in the Medicaid program. State officials claim that an overhaul to privatize Medicaid will raise reimbursement rates, improve doctor participation, and address allegations that children can’t get appointments with dentists or physicians, according to an NBCMiami.com story. State attorneys said the

Do physicians provide better preventive dental care for young kids?

More often than not, state Medicaid programs will pay for oral healthcare provided by nondental primary care providers, and North Carolina is no exception. The Into the Mouths of Babes program began in 2000 and is backed by state Medicaid. In the program, trained primary care providers, including physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners, provide fluoride varnish, oral health counseling, screening, and risk assessments for children younger than age 3.5

Smoking and Teeth

We all have habits; some habits are good, however others are not so good and can even affect our health. If we grew up between 1960 – 1970 it was common to see and hear in tv the importance of smoking. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in the 1960 – 1970 the average consumption of tobacco in the US was about 9~10 pounds of tobacco per capita. In