New dental imaging-related recommendations, breaking news, life-threatening accidents, and more were the topics that made DrBicuspid.com's top 10 most popular articles of 2023, which are based on member views.
This year, the top story was the release of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology’s (AAOMR) position paper calling for clinicians to no longer shield patients during dental imaging. Other favorites included the ransomware attack against Henry Schein, which paralyzed the dental distributor's operations for a month, a patient death caused by opioids prescribed a dentist, and a devastating toothbrush injury.
Without any further pause, here are the top stories of 2023.
1. AAOMR: Stop shielding patients during dental imaging
In August, the AAOMR issued a position statement published in the Journal of the American Dental Association stating that it no longer recommended that patients’ reproductive organs and fetuses be covered during dental imaging. In the position statement, the AAOMR recommended that teams cease shielding patients’ thyroid and reproductive parts during intraoral, panoramic, cephalometric, and cone-beam computed tomography imaging, because lead aprons provide no protection from internal scattered radiation.
2. Henry Schein hit by cybersecurity incident
In the fall, part of Henry Schein’s manufacturing and distribution businesses were struck with a cyberattack. Actions were taken, including taking certain systems offline, to contain the cyber incident, which disrupted some of Henry Schein’s business operations.
3. Ransomware gang owns Schein cyberattack, threatens giant data leak
More than two weeks after Henry Schein took some of its systems offline due to a cybersecurity incident, the BlackCat ransomware crew took responsibility for it. The ransomware-as-a-service squad claimed it had taken dozens of terabytes of data, including shareholder information and payroll data.
4. Align Technology sues SmileDirectClub for false advertising
In January, Invisalign maker Align Technology filed a lawsuit against SmileDirectClub claiming that the company misled patients by advertising that its clear aligner treatment was provided under the care of dentists and orthodontists. SmileDirectClub investors and executives were also named as defendants and were accused of engaging in a scheme to preserve false advertisements, which constituted a pattern and practice of wire and mail fraud, according to the suit.
5. What we know about the Henry Schein cybersecurity incident
More than a week after Henry Schein had announced it had been hit with a cybersecurity attack, no further light was shed on the incident. The leaks of several ransomware groups showed nothing, and the company remained tight-lipped on the matter.
6. Judge tosses suit claiming Oral-B dental floss contains PFAS
A judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed a U.S. proposed class action suit claiming that Procter & Gamble’s Oral-B Glide dental floss contained harmful manmade chemicals. The suit was thrown out because the plaintiffs failed to show that the floss contained substances known as PFAS or that it harmed users.
7. Man sues Suboxone drug maker for causing tooth decay
In September, an Ohio man filed a lawsuit against the manufacturers of the transmucosal opioid use disorder and pain prescription medication Suboxone claiming that the drug’s high acidic content caused tooth decay and permanent dental damage. The product liability lawsuit was filed against Indivior, Aquestive Therapeutics, MonoSol Rx, and Beckitt Benckiser.
8. Dentist convicted of prescribing opioid that caused patient’s death
In June, a U.S. jury convicted a dentist in Kentucky for unlawfully prescribing morphine that caused the death of a 24-year-old dental patient. Dr. Jay Sadrinia, 60, was convicted of one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances resulting in death and one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances.
9. Toothbrush injury causes stroke in 2-year-old boy
A 2-year-old boy fell while brushing his teeth, causing a blunt cerebrovascular injury to the pharynx and leading to an ischemic stroke, according to a clinical note published in July. The toddler experienced a lengthy hospital stay and sustained long-term injuries following the accident.
10. Dentists sue DSO NADG affiliate for ownership share data
In June, dentists in the U.S. sued Zahn Parent, an affiliate of dental service organization (DSO) North American Dental Group (NADG), seeking data that would explain what may have diluted their ownership shares in the firm, potentially hurting their retirement and finances.
