Philips splits; Davis on DMF index studies; Butler on managing stress before it hurts

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

At a meeting yesterday with investors and analysts in London, Netherlands-based Philips announced the company would split into two, with one company combining its healthcare and consumer lifestyle divisions (to be called HealthTech) and the other focusing on lighting solutions. Read more here.

In his latest column, Dr. Michael W. Davis examines how the rapid change in dental technology is influencing DMF index studies and the implications for dentists and dentistry as a whole. Read his thoughts here.

Stress management expert Jen Butler draws a parallel between patients' mindset about accepting necessary treatment and some of her previous clients' initial reaction to the importance of stress management. Read her thoughts in her latest column.

In research presented at the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) 100th Annual Meeting, researchers from the U.K. found that patients who are obese or overweight are more likely to have periodontitis. They presented their findings from a case-control study of nearly 300 patients. Read more here.

One of the themes that was repeated in conversations at the AAP meeting by periodontologists and manufacturers was "How do we build bridges to the general practitioner?" and "How do we build common ground and serve our patients better?" Moving forward, seeing how the relationship between specialists and general practitioners evolves is going to be fascinating. What are your thoughts as to how specialists and specialty societies can build bridges to you?