Week in Review: Small-group growth | Increasing diversity | Making the HPV talk easier

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

According to Zachary Hoard, JD, the interest in creating a small-group practice or dental service organization (DSO) has never been higher. He knows this because he is a lawyer who advises entrepreneurial dentists every day on the benefits, and roadblocks, to practice expansion and DSO formation. He talks with DrBicuspid.com about these topics and how you can participate. Read more here.

You hear about the changing demographics of dentistry, but 2018 is the first year that the majority of applicants to U.S. dental schools were women and did not identify as white. We asked American Dental Education Association President and CEO Dr. Richard Valachovic what the changing demographics of dentistry could mean for the profession. Learn more here.

A neighbor's college-age daughter is considering dentistry, taking the necessary courses and even working in a local practice. I showed her the article with Dr. Valachovic and asked her what she thought. Her experience generally mirrors that of the latest data. Dentistry is changing and becoming more inclusive. This is encouraging and bodes well for the future.

Does your practice struggle when it comes to talking about oral cancer and the human papillomavirus (HPV) with patients? Dentist and health educator Dr. Susan Maples offers seven tips for how to start and have this lifesaving but sometimes difficult conversation. Read more here.

If you follow our Imaging or Business & Industry communities, you'll know it was a big week for Align Technology, as the company made three major announcements:

• The company reported their second-quarter financial numbers, with increased revenue and clear-aligner shipments compared with the same quarter in 2017.
• The company announced a distribution agreement with Aspen Dental Management for Align's iTero scanner.
• To cap the week, the company also announced a distribution agreement with Heartland Dental for the scanner.