With 5 years of data since the Great Recession, the ADA Health Policy reports that dentists’ earnings are not recovering, according to ADA News.

Since the early 2000s, dental spending has flattened but the number of dentists has increased, resulting in stagnant dentist earnings, according to authors Bradley Munson, senior research analyst, and Marko Vujicic, PhD, chief economist and vice president of the ADA Health Policy Institute, in "General Practitioner Dentist Earnings Down Slightly in 2014," available at ADA.org/researchbriefs. 

To read the full ADA News article, click here.

Chicago (January 12, 2016) — The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) will serve as the host for North America’s largest meeting of dental hygiene professionals at the 2016 ADHA Center for Lifelong Learning (CLL) at the 93rd Annual Session (AS). Some 2,000-plus attendees are expected to attend during the course of the week-long event, which takes place June 8-14, 2016, at the David Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh.

This year’s program again features a diverse offering of continuing education (CE) programs within six different CE tracks. Attendees can choose from 30 CE programs and elect to follow a specific track, or diversify their selections based on interest and educational requirements.

In addition, for the first time ever, the ADHA’s Institute for Oral Health is hosting the inaugural In Motion: 5K Run-Walk-Fun. This event — which will take place on Thursday, June 9, 2016, at 8 p.m. along Pittsburgh’s riverfront — will allow attendees to participate in a unique event that raises funds for the foundation committed to empowering, supporting, and developing education and research opportunities for dental hygiene professionals.

“ADHA’s CLL at the 93rd Annual Session is a one-of-a-kind, all-encompassing event for dental hygiene professionals and students,” said ADHA President Jill Rethman, RDH, BA. “Each year, this signature event offers outstanding opportunities that include excellent educational content, fun networking events and a rewarding community outreach project. With the introduction of the In Motion: 5K Run-Walk-Fun, we’re engaging dental hygienists to participate in an exciting event that supports overall health and wellness. In addition, this event promotes opportunities for dental hygiene research and education by benefiting the ADHA’s Institute for Oral Health.”

This year’s CLL again features a community service day on June 8; a pair of inspiring plenary sessions slated for June 9 and June 11, respectively; as well as a product exhibition hall showcasing more than 125 companies involved in oral health and dental hygiene — affording dental hygienists from around the globe the opportunity to view, learn and discover the latest products and technologies over two full days from June 10-11, 2016.

“CLL is an event that offers a unique opportunity in the oral health and dental hygiene community,” added ADHA Chief Executive Officer Ann Battrell, MSDH. “All of our attendees benefit from not just the education, but the experience, the networking, the engagement. They have the opportunity to interact with their peers, corporate sponsors and mentors in the field to build their knowledge in oral health and create new career opportunities.” To learn more about the ADHA’s CLL at the 93rd Annual Session taking place June 8-14, 2016, in Pittsburgh, please visit https://www.adha.org/annual-session

Washington, DC—January 5, 2016 The National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center (OHRC) at Georgetown University has been awarded $747,689 by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to identify opportunities for engaging oral health professionals (dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants) in reducing childhood obesity by using evidence-based recommendations and strategies. The project aligns with two RWJF goals: (1) to eliminate young children’s consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and (2) to ensure that children enter kindergarten at a healthy weight.

Maintaining a healthy weight during childhood is critically important for children’s overall health as well as for good health in adulthood. However, the increasing number of children who are obese has led federal policymakers to rank obesity as a critical health threat. Multiple approaches are necessary to address the challenges of childhood obesity. Oral health professionals have an important role to play because of the synergy between oral health and overall health. Thus, the opportunity exists to engage oral health professionals in adopting approaches and providing evidence-based, consistent, and concise information and strategies to families to help reduce childhood obesity while also working to improve children’s oral health.

The project aims to identify evidence on what the scientific research tells us about:

• What is the role that oral health professionals can play in addressing childhood obesity.

• What has been learned from oral health professionals’ efforts to address other systemic health issues and related risks and behaviors.

• How oral health professionals have addressed health policy and advocacy issues to reduce childhood obesity.

• What oral health coalitions and other organizations have done and could do to reduce childhood obesity.

The findings of the scientific review will be shared during a national conference of stakeholders, with the goal of refining evidence-based recommendations and strategies that oral health professionals, oral-health-related organizations, and others can employ to reduce childhood obesity.

This important work will be spearheaded by a collaboration consisting of OHRC, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), the American Dental Association (ADA), the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA), and the Santa Fe Group. It will also include input and involvement from other stakeholders from academia, professional associations and societies, coalitions, government agencies, the dental insurance industry, the dental trade industry, philanthropic organizations, and community programs.

San Jose, CA (January 8, 2016) – Sikka Software, the leading innovator in Business Intelligence Software for healthcare and small business communities, and the American Dental Association (ADA) announced today that all ADA members are eligible to receive a free, six-month trial of the new ADA Benefit Plan Analyzer (ADA BPA).

The ADA Benefit Plan Analyzer is designed to help dentists evaluate potential revenue and costs of becoming a provider for dental benefit plans and compare the outcomes via the Sikka Software Platform Cloud. 

Dental professionals who utilize the ADA Benefit Plan Analyzer are able to:

Score the Benefit Plan:This particular ADA BPA tool connects with the dentist’s practice management system, automatically pulling out key data points integral to evaluating insurance plans. Dentists can choose from a list of PPO and DHMO plans across the nation to evaluate. Based on practice-specific inputs, the ADA BPA scores the plan on a 100-point scale, providing a visualization of potential value that can be added to the practice. Each score is unique to a practice and accounts for differences in operational management.

Know the Numbers:With the ADA BPA, dentists receive an estimate of not only gross revenue and overhead costs, but also the chair time and practitioner hours associated with serving the patients in the network. Estimates are based on practice inputs, allowing practices to better manage their capacities and administrative hours and ensuring all patients receive the time they need to achieve optimum oral health.  

Compare Multiple Plans: Each dental benefit plan is different and by using the unique inputs from a practice alongside the proposed fee plan, dentists can compare plans side-by-side for quick and accurate evaluations. Side-by-side comparisons remove the guesswork from choosing insurance plans by providing standardized data that dentists need for objective evaluation.

“Previously, dentists have needed to guess which insurance plans will be profitable for their practice while also best serving the dental needs of their community,” remarked Vijay Sikka, CEO of Sikka Software. “With the ADA Benefit Plan Analyzer, dental professionals can make informed decisions about which insurances to accept, and feel confident they have made the best choice for their practice and their patients.”

The ADA offers easy enrollment for the free six-month trial by visiting:https://success.ada.org/freeBPA.  Non-ADA members may also purchase the tool through the ADA catalog.

More than 16,000 providers use Sikka Software apps worldwide. The apps are compatible with 96% of practice management systems and help dentists manage their practices by providing the critical information they need to make management decisions anytime, anywhere.

For more information about the ADA Benefit Plan Analyzer as well as all Sikka Software practice management solutions, please visit www.sikkasoftware.com.

About Sikka Software 

Sikka Software Corporation is revolutionizing the retail healthcare industry via its platform cloud, analytical tools, apps, and big data leadership. The retail industry includes over 2.1 million providers worldwide and over 600,000 in the United States. The Sikka Platform Cloud allows seamless compatibility with over 96% of the dental, veterinary, vision care, and hearing care markets in the United States. Sikka Software Corporation has over 16,000 installations and is experiencing strong growth and market presence in the retail healthcare big data space. For more information, please visit www.sikkasoftware.com.

(Charlotte, NC, January 11, 2016) – Supporting the expanded delivery of oral health services to underserved children and youth across the country, Cosmedent has donated a collection of resin cements, dental composites, temporary and impression materials, and other valuable products to America’s ToothFairy: National Children’s Oral Health Foundation.

Valued at more than $102,000, the donation was distributed to 11 nonprofit service providers that are members of the America’s ToothFairy Affiliate Network. This network isa collaborative alliance of leading university dental and dental hygiene programs, hospitals, community clinics, mobile units and school-based programs that provide comprehensive oral health services to underserved children and families.

Recipient Affiliates of the Cosmedent donation include:

·       A.T. Still University dba Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health, Mesa, AZ

·       Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington – DC Dental Clinic, Washington DC

·       Native American Health Center, San Francisco, CA

·       Arroyo Vista Family Health Center, Los Angeles, CA

·       Gateway to Oral Health Foundation, Olivette, MO

·       Community Dental Services, Inc., Minneapolis, MN

·       FirstHealth of the Carolinas Dental Care Centers, Southern Pines, NC

·       Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL

·       University of North Carolina School of Dentistry, Chapel Hill, NC

·       Howard University College of Dentistry, Washington, DC

·       CareSouth CarolinaDivision of Dental Medicine, Hartsville, SC

In addition to donated products, members of the America’s ToothFairy Affiliate Network receive free educational materials, community-based programs and financial grants to support expansion of their services for children.

“Cosmedent is proud to make this donation to support vital children’s oral health services through America’s ToothFairy and its Affiliate Network,” said Michael O’Malley, President of Cosmedent. “We remain steadfastly committed to expanding access to quality dental services for children and families from underserved communities.”

“We are very grateful for this generous donation of dental products from Cosmedent,” said Fern Ingber, America’s ToothFairy President and CEO. “This donation will allow our Affiliate Network to provide preventive services and care for thousands of children in need across the country.”

SAN DIEGO, CA –The Argen Corporation has promoted Donnie Bridges, CDT, to Eastern Regional Sales Manager. Donnie will oversee Argen’s sales strategy throughout the Eastern United States while continuing to drive sales and promote Argen’s comprehensive line of products and services.

Donnie previously held the title of Digital Sales Specialist for the Argen Corporation under which he educated customers nationwide on Argen’s digital technologies. Prior to joining Argen, Donnie was a Territory Representative with Nobel Biocare from 2009 to 2014 during which he consistently outperformed the market and won multiple Outstanding Sales Achievement Awards. He was appointed to the North American Sales Advisory Board for Nobel Biocare in 2012. Donnie started his dental laboratory career working in his family’s laboratory where he eventually had the role of laboratory manager. He received his CDT in 2002. During his time at the laboratory, Donnie served on the Mississippi Dental Laboratory Association Board (twice serving as President), Southeastern Conference of Dental Laboratories Board and NADL’s Visions Committee.

“We are thrilled to promote Donnie to Eastern Regional Sales Manager to support Argen’s tremendous growth in the rapid, ever-changing world of digital dentistry” states Michael Clark, Senior Vice President, Domestic Sales. 

PR Web - From January 23 to 24, 2016, Dr. John Cranham, Clinical Director of The Dawson Academy, will launch the Academy in India with the lecture, “Functional Occlusion From TMJ to Smile Design” which will allow him to share the knowledge that he has gained as a dentist in Chesapeake, VA, who offers services such as dental implant placement and smile design. During this course, Dr. Cranham will instruct attendees on occlusion and its effects on various dental procedures, from implant placement to TMJ treatment.

Dr. Cranham’s lecture will emphasize the management of occlusion, or contact between teeth, as a fundamental aspect of other areas of dental practice. During the course, Dr. Cranham will teach attendees to recognize stable and unstable occlusions, determine where implants or other restorations should be placed and plan effective courses of TMJ treatment. Dr. Cranham will also advise attendees on how to weigh the aesthetic and functional benefits of different treatments in order to find the most fitting option for each case.

During this course, Dr. Cranham will draw on years of experience that he has gained as a dentist in Chesapeake, VA. Dr. Cranham also regularly performs various cosmetic and restorative procedures, including placing veneers, crowns and dental implants. These procedures can replace missing teeth, improve the strength of damaged teeth or enhance the appearance of teeth that have become stained, misaligned or malformed. Dr. Cranham also uses his understanding of occlusion to offer TMJ treatment, which can help alleviate issues such as headaches and tooth grinding by ensuring the teeth and jaw muscles are properly aligned.

Individuals who believe they may need treatment for cosmetic or functional oral health issues, including tooth damage and tooth loss, can learn more about Dr. Cranham’s areas of specialization by visiting his website. Patients who need to see a dentist near Chesapeake, VA, are also welcome to call Dr. Cranham’s office directly to request appointments.

GIBBSTOWN, N.J. – Keystone Industries announced the unveiling of their brand new, completely redesigned website, https://dental.keystoneindustries.com.

Some highlighted features include a much more appealing design for devices of all sizes, an updated user experience for search and navigation, a live-chat with customer service option, and an easier, more efficient way to place orders.

“We have been extremely excited to get this website launched for the start of 2016, because we know how much our customers value an easy-access to information and ordering,” said Derek Keene, VP of Marketing and Product Development. “As an international manufacturer, we want to stay ahead of the technological curve to serve our wide customer base.”

Along with the simple and clean look to Keystone’s new website, placing orders is now more efficient than ever, with both Keystone and the customer’s preferred dealer processing the order. Getting product information is readily available, with tutorial videos being housed in the Learning Center and all SDS forms sitting in the newly-designed SDS database.

“Everything from the look and feel of our product pages to our order forms has changed, and undeniably for the better,” Keene continued. “This innovative platform for the dental industry will certainly boost the connection between manufacturer, dealer, end user, and the product itself.”

Keystone’s website will undergo more updates in the coming months, such as multiple language translations, more product tutorial videos, and more. The site has officially been rolled out to the public, viewable at https://dental.keystoneindustries.com.

Computer-aided design and manufacturing is the next generation of dentistry, and Bates Technical College in Tacoma, Wash. now has the state-of-the-art equipment that will give future dental laboratory technicians a reason to smile.

The CAD/CAM technology was the focus of the Dental Lab Technician program’s Open House in December, where more than 20 industry representatives, prospective students, and community members joined the program to explore the new equipment and software.

“Bates Technical College provides students with one of the best education opportunities in the dental field,” said Matthew Chapman, owner of Chapman Dental Laboratory, Inc. in Tacoma. “Bates is the only accredited dental laboratory program on the West Coast to implement the dental CAD/CAM education into their curriculum,” said Chapman, who added that the college can now offer CAD/CAM continuing education to those in the dental laboratory industry.

Dental CAD/CAM allows dentists and lab technicians to customize appliances specifically for patients, with increased accuracy, a more precise fit, better aesthetics, and a quick turnaround for efficiency.

Dental lab program instructor Bob Criss noted that digital restorative dentistry is here to stay, and will be the standard going forward. “Our industry is telling us that CAD/CAM technology is a necessary tool for the 21^st Century dental laboratory technician tool belt,” he said.

Co-instructor Kristina Merriman added, “Not only will we attract students who enter the industry because they are drawn to the artistry involved in dental laboratory work, but it will now attract those who have an affinity for computer design or other computer-related work, though the artistry will always be a draw,” she said.

Students enrolled in the program learn to fabricate orthodontic appliances, complete and partial dentures, and gold or porcelain crowns and bridges. The program offers an Associate in Applied Science and a Certificate of Competency. It is the only American Dental Association-accredited dental laboratory technician program in Washington state.

 “We are privileged to add this technology to our program and region. Keeping our curriculum relevant and meaningful to our students and the industry we serve remains a high priority. After all, as dental professionals, it is our goal to give the patient the most accurate fitting and esthetically-appealing restorations possible,” added Criss.

NYU College of Dentistry researchers provide first experimental evidence of a new multidien chronobiological rhythm responsible for regulating the pace of growth and development in large mammals

The circadian rhythm, or “daily biological clock,” controls much of an organism’s regular pace of development, and this growth paradigm has been the focus of intense molecular, cellular, pharmacological, and behavioral, research for decades. But then, why do rats mature faster than humans?

“It is impossible to explain enormous variations in age at maturity and other developmental milestones just by looking at differences in this daily rhythm,” said Dr. Timothy Bromage, a professor of Biomaterials and of Basic Science & Craniofacial Biology at the New York University College of Dentistry. “This suggests that another biological timing mechanism is at work.”

Through metabolomic analysis of blood plasma, Dr. Bromage and his team, have for the first time, linked these variations to another biological timing mechanism operating on multi-day (multidien) rhythms of growth and degradation. The findings were published today in the online journal PLOS ONE.

This research builds upon earlier studies by Dr. Bromage that observed multi-day biological rhythms within incremental growth lines in tooth enamel and skeletal bone tissue first published in the February, 2009 issue of Calcified Tissue International.

“These rhythms, originating in the hypothalamus, a region of the brain that functions as the main control center for the autonomic nervous system, affect bone, body size, and many metabolic processes, including heart and respiration rates,” Dr. Bromage hypothesized. “The rhythms affect an organism’s overall pace of life and its lifespan, so a rat that grows teeth and bone in a fraction of the time of a human, in fact also lives faster and dies at a much younger age.”

In his current research, Dr. Bromage and his team further characterized these rhythms through metabolome and genome analysis of blood plasma from a medium-sized mammal, the domestic pig. The study, “The Swine Plasma Metabolome Chronicles "Many Days" Biological Timing and Functions Linked to Growth,” is the first ever use of metabolomics to address a question in evolutionary biology.

The researchers found that blood plasma metabolites and RNA drawn from 33 domestic pigs over a two-week period oscillate on a five-day rhythm. Using microscopic analysis, the investigators also observed a corresponding five-day rhythm in the pigs’ tooth enamel.

Further study revealed two five-day rhythms in tandem – one controlling tissue growth and a second one beginning three days later for degradation of growth-related molecular compounds back to their basic biological entities for use in the next growth round.

“These findings provide new insight into biological processes regulating growth and body size and controlling gestation length, weaning, age at maturity and other developmental milestones,” said Dr. Bromage. “We believe this to be a key component to what regulates species’ life history evolution.”

In the next stage of this research, Dr. Bromage will use metabolic profiling to reveal the intricacies of a four-day growth rhythm he observed in the rhesus macaque monkey’s teeth. The final stage of research will examine humans, who are expected to clock eight- to nine-day rhythms, reflecting a larger body size and longer average lifespan than the macaque.

Dr. Bromage’s coinvestigators included: Dr. Youssef Idaghdour of the Department of Biology at NYU Abu Dhabi; Dr. Rodrigo S. Lacruz of the Department of Basic Science & Craniofacial Biology at NYU College of Dentistry; Dr. Thomas D. Crenshaw of the Department of Animal Science at the University of Wisconsin at Madison; Dr. Olexandra Ovsiy of the Department of Biomaterials at NYU College of Dentistry; Dr. Björn Rotter and Dr. Klaus Hoffmeier, both of GenXPro GmbH in Frankfurt, Germany; and Dr. Friedemann Schrenk, head of the Palaeoanthropology Division at the Senckenberg Research Institute and professor of Paleobiology at the Institute for Ecology, Evolution, and Diversity at Goethe University, both in Frankfurt.

Source: New York University