Dear DrBicuspid Member,
The number of poor, elderly, and working Americans struggling to find and pay for dental care has reached epidemic proportions, according to testimony during a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing last week in Washington, D.C.
More than 47 million people live in areas where adequate access to care is nearly impossible, Senator Barry Sanders (D-VT) told his colleagues -- a situation that is costing many states tens of millions of misspent healthcare dollars. Read more.
In other news, we interviewed Dr. Joel Berg of the University of Washington -- and incoming president of the American Academy for Pediatric Dentistry -- for our Leaders in Dentistry series. Click here to read what he had to say about the evolution of pediatric dentistry, new techniques for arresting early childhood caries, and the need for dental practitioners to educate parents about the importance of oral health in very young children.
Meanwhile, over in the Cosmetics Community, preliminary data from a new study to be presented at the upcoming American Association for Dental Research annual meeting shows that periodontitis and oral hygiene are not associated with risk of developing bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw. Read more.
And in her latest Dental Diaries entry, Dr. Sheri Doniger divulges one of her biggest pet peeves: the negative portrayal of dentists in the media.
Finally, in response to a reader query, Dr. Marty Jablow shares his recommendations for backing up digital data in the dental office. Ask Marty.
