Suzanne Newkirk, RDH[email protected]Dental PracticeSecond Opinion: Do Georgia dentists have an ethics problem?A proposal for Georgia dental hygienists to administer local anesthesia has drawn concern from the Georgia Dental Association, but not because hygienists lack the skills. Suzanne Newkirk, RDH, writes that the real issue is ethics -- and that's a problem.October 5, 2022Dental HygieneSecond Opinion: Hygienist rebuffs Ill. dental lobbyistWhen asked about hygienists providing preventive dental care in nursing homes, one dental lobbyist said, "I just don't feel anybody with a two-year associate's degree is medically qualified to correct your health." Suzanne Newkirk, RDH, gives a scathing response in this Second Opinion piece.November 16, 2021Federally Qualified Health CenterSecond Opinion: Georgia bill addresses preventive care needsDuring the last hours of the 2017 Georgia General Assembly session in March, legislators passed a bill allowing dental hygienists to work under the general supervision of a dentist. In this Second Opinion, Suzanne Newkirk, RDH, details the intent of the legislation and how it will aid low-income children in Georgia.April 24, 2017Dental HygieneSecond Opinion: Georgia's battle for accessIn this Second Opinion, Suzanne Newkirk, RDH, urges the Georgia Legislature and the Georgia Dental Association to consider the needs of the children of Georgia when a bill allowing dental hygienists to provide preventive services is reintroduced.September 19, 2016Dental PracticeSecond Opinion: Georgians need more than new campaignIn this Second Opinion, Suzanne Newkirk, RDH, advocates for better oral healthcare for all Georgians. She points out the difficulties many rural and poor Georgians face in trying to access oral healthcare and urges the Georgia Dental Association to work to increase access to care.April 24, 2016Dental PracticeSecond Opinion: Ga. bill defeat is a loss for patientsIn this Second Opinion, Suzanne Newkirk, RDH, focuses on the advantages that a recently defeated bill in Georgia would have offered to the state's rural and underserved population, and she hopes that the 2017 legislative session brings opportunity.March 9, 2016Page 1 of 1Top StoriesLegal IssuesTroubled dentist arrested in trafficking stingAn oral surgeon who surrendered his dental license following a patient's death was one of more than a dozen people arrested in a trafficking sting.Legal Issues2 patients sue dentist for inappropriate contactPeriodonticsThis may reduce adverse birth outcomes in patients with gum diseaseDental Assistant3 lessons that dental assistants can learn from 'Wicked'Industry UpdatesNo more water fluoridation may boost dental business