U.S. State CE Requirements in Oral Health: A National Discrepancy?

Continuing Education in the dental industry is required for professionals in almost every state within the U.S., according to the guidelines set forth by the American Dental Association (ADA). Despite being mandatory in order to retain a license, it is interesting to note that there is quite a discrepancy in the number of credits required by each state among the major dental professions—including: Dentists (or General Practitioners), Dental Hygienists, and Dental Assistants.

For instance, Kansas currently mandates the highest number of credits (for Dentists in particular) within a specific time period, which is 60 credits in two years.[1] On the other hand, states such as Connecticut or Indiana only require 25 and 20 credits (respectively), within a two-year time frame for General Practitioners, and less than 10 credits per year for Dental Hygienists. What’s more is that Assistants are not required to earn CE whatsoever in over 70% of U.S. states.

The chart below compares the number of credits required in each state from highest to lowest for Dentists/General Practitioners within the United States:

(click for larger view of image)

As you can see, there is a substantial difference in the amount of time that Dentists need to commit to CE according to the state that he or she practices in. Is this okay, should each state be able to dictate their own number of credits, or should the entire U.S. share some type of congruity in the continuation of educating oral health professionals? Would it affect the state of oral health among the public as a whole?

For more on this topic, visit the ADA website and their resources related to CE at: http://www.ada.org/98.aspx

Aesthetically Speaking: Teeth More Important than Eyes or Hair

The Evolution of Oral Health: Infographic

The history of oral health extends much further back than most people may realize. For example, did you know recipes for toothpaste date as far back as 500 BC? Or that the first case of forensic dentistry took place in 1776? To learn more about the evolution of dentistry, check out this infographic to see how it has progressed over hundreds of years from around the globe.

Awakening Study: Coffee Fights Against Oral Cancer

Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages on the planet, which makes the latest study by the American Cancer Society so intriguing for the millions of people who enjoy it on regular basis. As published in last month’s edition of American Journal of Epidemiology, the study concluded that there is in fact a strong association between [caffeinated] coffee consumption and a decreased rate of oral/pharyngeal cancer mortality.[1]

This finding was based off a cohort study that started back in the early 1980′s, which analyzed 968,432 people from across the U.S. who were all cancer-free at the start of the study, but at the end of the 26 year follow up, found that 868 of them had eventually succumbed to oral/pharyngeal cancer. Researchers concluded after analyzing their tea and caffeinated/decaffeinated coffee intake, that consuming more than four cups of caffeinated coffee per day was associated with a 49% decrease in risk from dying from this same type of cancer (when compared to zero or minimal consumption).

“Although it is less common in the United States, oral/pharyngeal cancer is among the 10 most common cancers in the world. Our finding strengthens the evidence of a possible protective effect of caffeinated coffee in the etiology and/or progression of cancers of the mouth and pharynx…” stated the lead author of this study—Janet Hildebrand, MPH.[1,2]

She went on to highlight that the combination of antioxidants, polyphenols, and other active elements within this particular beverage may be the biggest conductors of protection against the development and/or progression of this and other cancers.

“Our finding strengthens the evidence of a possible protective effect of caffeinated coffee in the etiology and/or progression of cancers of the mouth and pharynx. It may be of considerable interest to investigate whether coffee consumption can lead to a better prognosis after oral/pharyngeal cancer diagnosis.”

For the other related beverages analyzed in this study, no association was found between tea and a decreased mortality for oral/pharygeal cancer, though a very small link was made between drinking two or more cups of decaffeinated coffee and a reduced risk of this disease.

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• For more information on this topic, check out the article by the Huffington Post at: http://ow.ly/gx9ij
• For U.S. statistics on oral/pharyngeal cancer from the National Cancer Institute, visit: http://ow.ly/gx9rC
• For info on how to treat patients with cancer from an oral health perspective, check out our CE course: http://ow.ly/gx9FZ

Dental News Headlines: December 18-22

• JDE Outlines Best Practices for Oral Health Policy Programs

• Study Links Dental Malformations to Cancer

• ADA News: HHS Seeks Comment on Dental Coverage Proposal

• Why Is It Better to Save a Natural Tooth?

• New Study Discusses BPA Effect in Dental Products

• Salivary Fluid Offers New Options for Disease Detection

• The Oral Health Benefits of Coffee Consumption

• Apical Surgery for Complete Endodontic Healing

• IADR Study Estimates High Prevalence of Periodontis in U.S. Adults

• Digital Radiography Myths

• Proposed Taxes on Unhealthy Foods to Improve Oral Health

• The Medical-Device Tax and the Dentist

• New Strategy To Prevent or Halt Periodontal Disease

• Root Canal Surgery to Repair Post Perforation

• ETS Dental: Your Career and the Dental Job Market

• Orthodontic coverage may be affected by Affordable Care Act

• Take advantage of Section 179

• Ergonomics in your practice

• Baseball Players, Smokeless Tobacco and Oral Cancer

U.S. Dental Shortage Areas are All Over the Map

Access to oral healthcare in the U.S. has been a growing concern over the past few decades, but what initiatives are being done to diminish the current limitations? One component of this is whether or not the ratio of dental professionals to patients is realistic enough to adequately treat the surrounding population. Unfortunately, the U.S. is experiencing a shortage of dental clinicians in virtually every state, as the infographic represents. Until these numbers are met, access to care will become even more challenging, and the state of oral health in this country may be adversely affected.

(Image courtesy of DentalCarePlus.com via Richmond Institute Dental CE Pinterest).

Detecting Gum Disease with a Tooth Tattoo?

US scientists recently announced they have created a tooth ‘tattoo’ made of gold, graphite, and silk that is supposed to aid in both the detection and measurement of bacteria within the oral cavity.[1] Led by a Princeton nanoscientist, and a team of Tufts bioengineers, the tattoo acts like a sensor that gives a 24-hour panoramic view of what’s going on inside the mouth. Made of a three-tiered strip, it’s applied directly to the tooth by a strand of silk, which eventually dissolves and becomes wirelessly powered with the sensor stuck in place. They hope someday it will also detect other diseases with recent advancements in salivary diagnostics…[MORE INFO]

ER Doctors Provide Care Via Webcam: Will Dentistry be Next?

In Sioux Falls, South Dakota, healthcare has taken the next big step in using modern technology to provide rural communities with more immediate services and better access to care. This all came about when Avera Health Network created the first long-distance critical care center in the U.S. (and possibly the world) to use high-definition, two-way video consulting to give physicians a 24-hour window of availability from almost anywhere in the central US.

So, you may be asking yourself, how does a doctor in another state help care for a patient using just a webcam? Fred Slunecka, the CEO of Avera Health, helped to explain this question.

“If you think about it, there’s an awful lot of medicine that is just done throughvisualization of X-rays, looking at the chart, talking to the patient, making assessments, and writing prescriptions…”.

Jay Weems, executive director of eCare, adds to this comment by stating, “The magic is being able to see the room, but the bigger magic, we think, is the people that are on both ends—in the rural community and in the hub—that support each other and work together as a team, as medicine is meant to be practiced.”

As the demand for high-quality care increases, more forms of this “telemedical” practice are sure to follow. What’s more is that in emergency situations—where life and death is determined by a matter of seconds—long-distance doctors can be available to the operating room an average of 14 minutes sooner than a local physician. They can also help monitor ICU patients, which the team in South Dakota does for over 60% of them, in addition to tracking medical histories and keeping on top of the latest guidelines, recommendations, and standards of care.

Since October of this year, the town of Sioux Falls has already reported an 18% decrease in ambulance/helicopter transfers to major hospitals, which has already saved them a staggering $6.6 million in total costs, which translates into the local economy.

So, is dentistry the next industry to take on this new form of care? With the amount of related-ER visits these days, some may think it could be possible. Specialists—for example, oral/maxillofacial surgeons—may be some of the top contenders for introducing this type of collaborative environment. Regardless, access to care in this country is growing in demand almost everyday, so only the future can tell if it will be a good fit for the field of oral health.

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Information in this article was obtained by The Atlantic, “Where ER Doctors Work Entirely Via Webcam”. To view this post, visit: http://theatlantic.com/health/print/2012/12/where-er-doctors-work-entirely-via-webcam/265935/

The Influence of Stress on Poor Oral Health

As many in the dental profession are aware, the oral-systemic link has been drawing more attention than ever lately with the abundance of research being conducted throughout the industry. One aspect of this dynamic that affects nearly every single one of us at some point or another (if not on a continual basis…), is the relationship between stress and oral health.

Having good oral health, of course, involves many other factors aside from just how often you brush your teeth, but in essence, how often do you find yourself sitting there with your teeth grinding back and forth because you have 8,500 things to do that day? Not only is it unpleasant to hear, but the damage you’re doing to your teeth can be profound if the stress continues to grow.

Here are some other ways that stress can play a role in the condition of oral health:[1]

• Canker Sores: small ulcers on the inside of the mouth that are believed to  emerge with the onset of a stress.

• Cold Sores: fever blisters that appear on the outside of the lip that thrive and/or multiply during conditions of incremental stress.

• Bruxism: The act of teeth grinding or clenching your teeth subconsciously due to a high level of stress or worry.

• Poor Diet/Enamel Erosion: Stress can cause individuals to change their eating habits, which comprehensively affects oral health as more snack/junk type food is typically consumed (more sugar –> greater acidity/overall erosion) and salivary flow rates are altered/diminished.

• Poor Oral Hygiene: Stress can cause people to re-arrange priorities and skip out on preventive measures  that affect the state of their oral hygiene.

• Caries/Periodontal Disease: Stress has been known to correlate to an increased level of plaque in the oral cavity, and aid in the development of common oral diseases.

Antioxidant Effects on the State of Oral Health

There are many factors to good oral health that we often don’t think of, and one of them is the influential presence of simple antioxidants. Consumed with our regular diet, the effects of antioxidants are vast—extending beyond the oral cavity and into the realm of systemic health. DentistryIQ discusses how factors like pollutants, alcohol, nicotine, and more can disturb the oxidative balance of oral tissues…[READ ARTICLE]