Chicago coverage kickoff; Tronsgard on why MLPs don't work; Frachella on silver nitrate

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

CHICAGO - I've flown here to lead our coverage of the Chicago Dental Society's 150th Midwinter Meeting, which starts tomorrow. Look for our stories, pictures, and updates this week and into next. And, if you are attending the show, let me know what you found interesting and what didn't serve your needs as well.

Dr. Paul Tronsgard, president of the North Dakota Dental Association (NDDA), puts forth his organization's plan to improve dental health for North Dakotans, citing data and the need to collaborate innovatively. He advocates for the defeat of a recently introduced state Senate bill that would allow midlevel providers (MLPs). Read this column here.

In the second part of this popular series on the use of silver nitrate and silver fluoride, Dr. John Frachella looks at the larger treatment issues and public health concerns that need to be addressed. He writes that he knows from experience that adding silver solutions to the dental tool kit is a small change that can rapidly reduce the disease burden on children and adults who are in immediate need.

Canadian researchers are proposing a new tumor-staging model for predicting outcomes and guiding treatments for patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal cancer, according to a new study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Since HPV-related cancer differs significantly from smoking-related cancer, less-intensive treatment strategies may be more appropriate, the study found. Read Features Editor Donna Domino's article here.

When a patient with advanced tooth wear needs extensive restoration at increased occlusal vertical dimension, how do you handle it clinically? Do you prepare all the teeth in a single day and place full-arch interim prostheses? Many practitioners do, but this can be tiring for both the patient and clinician, along with being difficult to schedule for all parties. Read more here.