Week in Review: Largest U.S. DSOs | Dental infections cost Texas $1.7B | Measles outbreaks

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Because of the growth in the U.S. dental service/support organization (DSO) market, we update our list of the largest DSOs in the U.S. twice a year. In our latest ranking, Western Dental has jumped three spots, having added more than 50 practices since the last update.

In other news, researchers analyzed Texas hospital admissions data over a 10-year period. They found that admissions because of nontraumatic dental infections cost the state $1.7 billion during that period. More importantly, these infections also cost nearly 200 Texans their lives.

Almost 200 people died because of nontraumatic dental infections while they were in a hospital in Texas, according to this report. I hope we can all agree that we must do better.

Another healthcare issue in the news is the ongoing outbreaks of measles. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has now reported 555 cases of measles in 20 U.S. states. In response to this information, dental hygienist Corinne Jameson-Kuehl offers an overview of what you and your team should know and what to ask your patients about their immunization status.

Finally this week, more than 80% of patients with head and neck cancer develop painful oral mucositis during radiation treatment. Researchers compared two frequently used mouthwashes with a placebo mouthwash to measure the pain relief they provided.