Dr. Paul Feuerstein Editor in Chief of Dentistry Today discusses with July/August author Dr. Claudia Cotca, her upcoming article in Dentistry Today.

Chad P. Gehani, DDS, is the new president-elect of the ADA. Chosen during a meeting of the ADA House of Delegates in Honolulu at ADA 2018 in October, he will assume the office of the presidency of the 161,000-member organization in September 2019. He recently shared his goals for his office and his perspectives on the profession with Dentistry Today.

DT: Congratulations on the successful election. How does it feel to be named president-elect?  

Dr. Gehani: It feels great! It’s very humbling and gratifying to know my colleagues have the trust and faith in me to lead our great organization.  

DT: In terms of clinical care, what are the biggest challenges facing dentistry? How should clinicians respond? 

Dr. Gehani: Being able to provide cutting-edge treatment on continually shrinking dental benefit reimbursements is a major problem. Clinicians need to be vigilant to make sure treatment is dictated by the doctors’ diagnoses of their patients’ needs and not the company’s bottom line.

The ADA offers members a wonderful benefit in the ADA Third Party Payer Concierge, which connects dentists with ADA staff from the Center for Dental Benefits, Coding and Quality to help resolve dental benefit issues.

DT: Professionally speaking, dentistry is evolving. What are the biggest trends changing the way that dentists practice? 

Dr. Gehani: Certainly technology is changing the way we practice, but basic practice itself is changing as well. As we are seeing from ADA Health Policy Institute analysis, there is an ongoing shift from solo practice to group and corporate practice. From the perspective of organized dentistry, we need to consider how that impacts the profession.  

Demographics are changing as well. Enrollment in dental schools is diversified in terms of gender and ethnicity. Organized dentistry needs to reach out to all dentists and make them feel included. As the first ADA president-elect of Indian origin, I am very passionate about inclusion and diversity in our profession.

Cyber security can also be a major issue since we practice in a digital age. 

DT: Access to care seems to be an ongoing crisis. What strategies do you believe would be most successful in reaching the most patients?  

Dr. Gehani: I believe that the dentist should always be the head of the dental team. Dental students need to be taught how to utilize expanded function dental assistants more efficiently to serve our patients. I think student loan forgiveness programs that allow young dentists to be able to practice in underserved areas in exchange for lowering or eliminating their student debt will continue to have a major impact on access to care. And, the ADA’s Action for Dental Health initiative focuses on programs that strengthen the public health safety net, provide care now to those in need, and provide dental disease prevention and education to communities. I am thrilled that in October the US Senate unanimously passed the Action for Dental Health Act.

Medicaid reform is a key component of ADA’s Action for Dental Health initiative and is part of strengthening the public health safety net. For the first time since we started tracking this data in 2006, more than half of children on Medicaid or CHIP had a dental visit in 2016, thanks in large part to the work of the ADA. In New York, for example, I worked with the New York State Dental Association to ensure continuation and development of the New York state Medicaid program so that the state’s underserved communities can receive dental care.

DT: Student debt is growing. What effect is it having on the next generation of dentists, and what can be done to ease this burden? 

Dr. Gehani: The burden of student loan debt is not limited to the dental profession, but dental student debt in particular is forcing some new graduates with the dream of owning a practice to forgo that dream and instead opt for a corporate dental setting so they can start paying back their student loans right away. Creating a national debt forgiveness program for service in underserved areas will go a long way in correcting not only this problem but access to care as well.

DT: What are your primary goals for the ADA and for the profession as president-elect? 

Dr. Gehani: My primary goal as president-elect of the ADA is to demonstrate that we are the dental authority in the United States and a leader in the global dental community. I want our ADA to be the go-to source for any dental information that dentists and the public are seeking. We must make every effort to make all dentists feel included. Our members must be able to access any dental information instantly.  

For the profession, I want to help protect our members from over-regulation as well as interference in their practice of dentistry by outside entities. We need to educate the public about the potential harm to their oral health caused by do-it-yourself or direct-to-consumer dentistry. The doctor/patient relationship should be sacrosanct. I want our members to succeed and to know the ADA has their back!

DT: What role do ADA members have in helping the profession to achieve those goals?

Dr. Gehani: ADA members need to get involved. Whether on the local, state, or national level, our members need to be engaged, informed, and involved. Our members can help by educating patients about the role of dentistry in their overall health and well-being. For example, our members can educate the public about the harms caused by direct-to-consumer dentistry. As always, members can contact us if they have a problem, but our goal is to enable them to achieve optimal oral health for all.

I would also look to non-members and say that now is the time to get involved in organized dentistry so that our voice on dentistry’s most pressing issues can be as strong as it possibly can be. Issues related to public health, regulation, and third party payers are not going away. We need the strength of the nation’s dentists to help us speak with a unified voice on Capitol Hill as we advocate for our patients and our profession.

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The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) is seeking nominations for its annual Celebration of Excellence Awards, also known as the Evys. Since 1988, the AACD has publicly recognized dental professionals who make a difference to the organization, the profession, and their communities.

Categories include Outstanding Innovation in Cosmetic Dentistry, Excellence in Cosmetic Dentistry Education, AACD Humanitarian, AACD Rising Star, the jCD Award, Outstanding Service to the Academy, and the Lifetime Achievement Awards. Nomination forms are available online.

The Evy Awards will be presented during the Celebration of Excellence closing reception at AACD 2017 in Las Vegas, scheduled for Tuesday, April 18 through Friday, April 21 at the Venetian Resort Hotel & Casino. Nominations should be submitted to awards@aacd.com by Friday, January 13, 2017, at 5 p.m. CT.  

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Dentists who use 3M’s True Definition Scanner now can place a record of their intraoral scans into the patient’s chart in Henry Schein’s Dentrix practice management system. Working with Henry Schein, 3M has certified its True Definition Scanner as Dentrix Connected with Dentrix.

This connection is designed to store a 2-D record of the intraoral scan within the Dentrix patient chart to make the process of recording and saving patient information more efficient, while a link to the 3M Connection Center gives users easy access to clinical records and exclusive 3-D visualization tools.

“This connection furthers our integration within the digital dental ecosystem and strengthens the relationship that Henry Schein, Dentrix, and 3M bring to our joint customers,” said Karen Burquest, global business leader for 3M’s Digital Oral Care Business.

This Dentrix Connected version of the scanning software is available to all subscribers of the Standard Data plan or higher. It requires Dentrix 5.2 or higher and a current subscription to Digital Dental Exchange OS. Some features may require a subscription to the 3M Advanced Data Plan.

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The Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP) held its first board meeting at the organization’s new headquarters in Atlanta, November 13-15. During the meeting, the Board of Directors reviewed the organization’s accomplishments in 2016 and worked on plans for 2017.

The group finalized work on a partnership agreement to advance infection control education, approved a new initiative to develop a global networking community for infection control coordinators, determined editorial schedules, agreed to the development of new white papers on infection control, and approved a new online publication that will be unveiled in 2017.

OSAP’s board includes dental industry executives, infection control educators, clinicians, and government officials. It is chaired by Mike Smurr, director of marketing, merchandise, for Patterson Dental. Kathy Eklund, RDH, MHP, director of occupational health and safety and patient safety advocate at Forsyth Institute in Boston, is the vice chair.

Marguerite Walsh, vice president, product merchandising for Henry Schein Dental, is the treasurer. Karen Gregory, RN, director of compliance and education for Total Medical Compliance, serves as the secretary.

John O’Keefe, BDentSc, MDentSc, MBA, director of Knowledge Networks and editor in chief with the Canadian Dental Association, is the immediate past chair. Therese M. Long, MBA, CAE, is the executive director and serves on the board in an ex-officio capacity.

A pair of Manhattan dentists has launched Afora, a dental care membership plan that connects members with dental professionals. Its network of providers offer services at a flat fee, with the goal of providing the nearly 50% of adults in the United States who don’t have dental insurance as well as the 90% of those who do have insurance and get it through their employers with another option.

“Everyone deserves access to quality dental care at prices they can afford,” said Jeffrey Rappaport, DDS, Afora’s cofounder. “I learned from my years in private practice that patients want to trust their dentist and only be charged for services that are necessary. That’s why we created Afora. It works for everyone.”

Afora’s Basic Plan, which costs $25 per month, includes 2 standard cleanings, plus an annual exam and x-rays. It also provides access to clear and transparent pricing and a fee schedule. Members can search Afora’s network of professionals as well. The Premium Plan, at $45 a month, includes 4 standard cleanings, an annual exam and x-rays, a $1,000 voucher toward comprehensive orthodontics, and unlimited $150 vouchers toward whitening treatments.

Patients who need additional services can turn to Afora’s network of dentists who offer services at an agreed-upon price designed to be reasonable. Each provider in the network charges the same fee for the same service, ensuring predictability. There are no deductibles or maximums either.

Afora representatives meet with every practice that applies to become part of its network for its strengths and weaknesses, examining interactions with patients, the cleanliness of its environment, and the quality of its staff. The company also cross-references each referral with third-party rating systems such as ZocDoc and Yelp. Member feedback plays a role in maintaining the network as well.

“We have taken time to carefully assess and assemble our network of experienced dentists,” said Rappaport. “Most importantly, all providers within our network are dentists I would be comfortable sending my own family to.”

For more information, call (929) 399-5289 or visit aforacare.com.

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Dr. Nimmi Holstein of Charlottenlund, Denmark, made imaging history as the first dentist to use the 3Shape TRIOS intraoral scanner as part of the Invisalign case submission process. Earlier this year, 3Shape announced that TRIOS could be used for Invisalign case submissions upon completion of the final validation process with Align Technology, makers of the Invisalign system. Holstein’s work completed the validation process.

“Having worked with the Invisalign system for a long time, it was important to me that I could continue working with Invisalign products, even after switching from polyvinyl siloxane (PVS) to a TRIOS intraoral scanner,” said Holstein. “There are many doctors out there that will be very glad to know the connection is up and running.”

To use their TRIOS scanner to send scans for Invisalign case submission, doctors must first complete 3Shape’s mandatory online training program, which is open to all Invisalign providers using TRIOS Standard, TRIOS Color, and TRIOS 3 and TRIOS 3 Mono models. Upon completion of the program, TRIOS users can send scans for Invisalign case submission free of charge.

Participants in the training program are being on-boarded in groups based on when they register on a first-come, first-served basis. Registered doctors can expect a personal invite to the program within the next 6 weeks. For more information about TRIOS and Invisalign case submissions, go to 3shape.com/invisalign.

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Two research studies published by Lasers in Surgery and Medicine have demonstrated how the 1064-nm wavelength PerioLase MVP-7 dental laser system from Millennial Dental Technologies selectively destroys Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg). This keystone pathogen directs other gum tissue bacteria to become pathogenically active in the progressive destruction involved in moderate to severe gum disease.

Historically, Pg has been identified as a black pigmented species bacteria based on its visible color in lab cultures. Previous studies have shown that it is destroyed in human treatments following the use of a 1064-nm pulsed Nd:YAG laser. These observations led to conjecture that Pg also was pigmented in the body (in vivo) and that the 1064-nm wavelength kills the bacteria by targeting the visible (black) pigment.

The first study, “The Black Bug Myth, Selective Photodestruction of Pigmented Pathogens,” demonstrated that the PerioLase MVP-7 destroys Pg regardless of the amount of visible pigmentation or complete lack of visible pigmentation in the bacterial. It also suggests that the laser kills Pg by destroying an invisible chromophore. Consequently, periodontal bugs don’t need to be black or even visible to the human eye for the laser to eliminate them.   

The second study, “Selective Photoantisepsis,” focused on selectively eliminating pathogens at different depths within a tissue model by analyzing the differences between the absorption of light energy by pathogens and host tissues. It supports selective destruction of Pg and Prevotella intermedia (Pi) at depths of 3 to 4 mm using a 1064-nm pulsed Nd:YAG laser.

Unlike the 1064-nm laser, the 810-nm diode laser requires visible pigment to destroy the bacteria. The 810-nm laser also was lethal to the healthy tissue at an earlier stage. The model indicates no selectivity for the 2940-nm Er:YAG laser.

“These 2 studies add to our understanding of the reasons and mechanisms for the benefits of the PerioLase MVP-7 1064-nm pulsed Nd:YAG laser in reducing the periodontal pathogens associated with gum disease,” said Robert H. Gregg II, DDS, co-inventor of the PerioLase MVP-7 and inventor of the LANAP protocol.

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Dentsply Sirona has scheduled its next industry showcase, Dentsply Sirona World 2017, for September 14-16 at the Venetian and the Palazzo Hotel in Las Vegas. Sponsorships for the event are now available, with levels including Emerald, Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze with corresponding benefits. More than 4,000 dental professionals attended the company’s SIROWORLD in Orlando last month.

“As the largest company in dentistry hosting what is considered by many to be the most prominent and educationally dynamic meeting in the industry, we feel compelled to deliver the greatest products, services, and technologies to our current attendees,” said Alex Sadusky, vice president of strategy and business development, “and we do that by welcoming exuberant sponsors and exhibitors with a passion for innovation and customer service.”

Current confirmed sponsors for Dentsply Sirona World 2017 include:

• Emerald level: Comprehensive Finance
• Diamond level: Ivoclar Vivadent
• Platinum level: Implant Seminars
• Silver level: VITA North America
• Bronze level: Shofu Dental and Digital Enamel

Not all sponsorship levels are currently available, and sponsorship pricing will increase after January 1, 2017. For more information about sponsorships, email Meggan Polich at meggan.polich@dentsiplysirona.com.

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The American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM), in partnership with the American Sleep Medicine Foundation (ASMF), has unveiled its first research award program. AADSM members are eligible to submit a letter of intent to be considered for the award, which will support and drive new studies in specific areas of dental sleep medicine where research findings are limited.

“This new partnership with the ASMF provides a wonderful opportunity for our members to pursue important research in the field of dental sleep medicine,” said AADSM president Harold A. Smith, DDS. “This initiative gives support and financial assistance to members, empowering them to initiate research projects that will further our understanding of oral appliance therapy for the treatment of sleep-disordered breathing.”

The award program is organized into 2 categories to allow for flexibility and a range of funding opportunities to potential applicants. Category I is for applicants seeking funding for projects up to $100,000. Category II is for applicants seeking funding for projects up to $30,000.

Interested applicants for both categories must be members of the AADSM in good standing with a master’s degree or higher to be eligible for entry. Also, they must have access to the necessary facilities and resources to perform the proposed work. Projects must be performed by investigators and institutions based in the United States or Canada. And, applicants must not have a financial conflict of interest or incur significant financial benefit from the proposed research.

Individuals who are interested in participating must submit a letter of intent before submitting a full application. The letter is due no later than 11:59 p.m. CDT on October 4, 2016. Approved applicants then will be invited to submit a full application for the program, which is due by January 23, 2017. For detailed requirements and more information, visit discoversleep.org/dentalresearchaward.aspx.

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