Dear DrBicuspid.com member:
Halloween's over, but there's scary stuff still out there. Consider this molar-rattling fact: 100 million Americans lack anything resembling dental insurance. And there are millions more who have modest dental coverage at best.
The plight of the underserved was recently highlighted in the New York Times, and quickly thereafter, in our pages and everywhere else in dentaldom. The solution that got dentists all hot and bothered? Serving the poor with "dental health aide therapists." As proposed, dental therapists would be the rough equivalent of nurse practitioners; field dentists, if you will, who serve the poor, provide basic dental care, advice, and yes--perform some surgical procedures, such as filling cavities and extractions.
As you can imagine, the ADA and a legion of dentists shot down the idea. But that didn't stop the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, which has been training dental therapists since 2005. As you can imagine, the ADA sued. The surprise? The ADA lost, and dental therapists in Alaska can provide limited dental care--at least to the Native Alaskan community. But will the practice spread to other states and to the general population? Read Part I of Senior Editor Laird Harrison's take on the subject.
Practice management blowout
You may not recognize Vanessa Richardson's name (give it time, give it time), but chances are you've read some of her features for DrB. Like a skilled pearl diver, Vanessa plunges into the practice management waters and comes up with valuable goodies. Two new notables to check out: her take on beating the malpractice rap, and dentists vs. insurers.
Finally, don't miss Assistant Editor Rabia Mughal's investigation into the paperless dental office...and why it still ain't here.
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