Week in Review: Proposed anesthesia requirements | Ortho spending climbs | Perfect celebrity smiles

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Delegates of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) may adopt new rules for in-office anesthesia to ensure patient safety. Our top story of the week details what you need to know about the resolutions.

The proposed anesthesia changes include requiring members to participate in simulation training, complete surveys, conduct mock emergency drills, and provide certification for anesthesia assistants. The AAOMS developed the resolutions in response to long-term criticism of the oral-maxillofacial surgery model.

Orthodontic spending climbs

Orthodontic spending by patients has surged in the past two decades. In 2016, patients in the U.S. spent about $20 billion on orthodontic treatments, one recent study found. This was the most spent on orthodontic care in the past 20 years and represents approximately 70% growth in orthodontic spending from 1996.

Patients weren't the only ones shelling out more cash for dental specialty care. The Medicare program has more than doubled the amount it spends annually supporting graduate medical education for dentists and podiatrists, according to a JAMA Network Open paper. At the same time, the number of dental and podiatry residents has doubled since 1998.

Oral health in the global spotlight

Oral health is in the spotlight at the World Health Organization's 74th World Health Assembly meeting. On May 27, a committee of health ministries around the world approved a resolution to put achieving better oral health on the global agenda.

The resolution acknowledges the importance of oral health and creates a framework for governments to include oral diseases in larger health plans. It also urges member states to address risk factors for poor oral health, shift to a prevention-first treatment model, and strengthen the provision of oral healthcare services as part of universal healthcare coverage.

Getting a superstar smile

Last but not least, celebrities really are different than the rest of us -- at least when it comes to their smiles. Researchers from Spain quantified the difference in the smiles of celebrities versus ordinary dental students. Celebrity smiles had numerous, statistically significant differences, including showing more teeth and having no tilting of the maxillary midline.

Don't forget that Memorial Day is coming up. We're taking time to rest and recharge on Monday, but we'll be back with new content -- and a new video series -- later next week.