New BDA Expert in Dental Surgeries of England

On May 20th, at the 2011 British Dental Conference and Exhibition at Manchester's Central Convention Complex, an innovative service that offers peace of mind in practice management was been officially launched.  British Dental Association Expert is a new practice management solution from the association that is said to auto-inform subscribers of changes to regulations as well as protocols, and other practice requirements.

Peter Ward, Chief Executive of the British Dental Association, said, "BDA Expert is a major step forward for the way that busy dentists keep up to date with the latest requirements, supplying them with the protocols and models they need to comply with changing legislation.  It offers a proactive approach that takes away the anxiety of wondering whether you're up to date with the latest developments, by providing regular updates direct from the BDA's trusted experts.  It will be like having a personal visit from the BDA team every time that regulations and requirements change.

Bone Fluoride Levels Not Associated With Osteosarcoma

A recent study performed by Lead Researcher, Chester Douglass, of Harvard University, unveiled that, investigated bone fluoride levels in individuals with osteosarcoma, (which is a rare, primary malignant bone tumor that is more prevalent in males,) found no serious association between bone fluoride levels and the risk for osteosarcoma was detected in this case-control study.

Logistic regression of the incident cases of osteosarcoma (N=137) and tumor controls (N=51;) adjusting for age and sex, as well as potential confounders of osteosarcoma were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI.)  There was no significant difference in bone fluoride levels between cases and controls.  The OR adjusted for age, gender, and a history of broken bones was 1.33 (95% CI: 0.56-3.15.)

Cedars-Sinai's COACH For Kids: $15,000 Grant to Increase Dental Care in Underserved Communities

A mobile medical program, called Cedars-Sinai's "COACH" for Kids and their Families®, is one of 20 school-based programs that have been selected nationwide to get a grant from the National Assembly on School-based Health Care (NASBHC.)  The program of the Maxine Dunitz Children's Health Center offers free health, and social services on a regular basis to schools, shelters, and neighborhood facilities in under served communities in Los Angeles.

"We're delighted to receive this grant, which enables us to add a vital new component to our oral health services in 14 Los Angeles elementary schools," said Michele Rigsby Pauley, RN, MSN, CPNP, and COACH for Kids and Their Families® program director.  "With this new funding, our clinicians will receive additional training, and we'll add a much needed fluoride varnish treatment to our dental services."  In response to "so many kids in desperate need for dental care, we added oral health education and services to the COACH for Kids program in 2003," said Rigsby Pauley.  "Including a dental hygienist going into classrooms educating young students about proper dental care.  Early damage to children's teeth can cause damage to adult teeth."

Study Shows: Treating Periodontal Disease Freshens Breath

A recent study claims that treating periodontal disease not only makes you healthier, but also freshens your breath.
The study, performed by Japanese researchers, involved 102 people with periodontal disease.  Everyone involved in the study had bad breath (halitosis.)

"Dentists used a device that measured their levels of three chemicals that commonly cause bad breath.

There are a lot of reasons for halitosis. Including:

Higher Medicaid Payments Makes More Kids' Visits

A new study came to the conclusion that children on Medicaid visit dentists more frequently, if Medicaid pays the dentists more.

The study considered nationwide data for the years of 2000 and 2008, focusing on Medicaid payment levels to dentists.  The researchers also checked whether or not children had visited a dentist in the last 6 months.  "For each $10.00 increase in Medicaid payments, children on Medicaid were about 4% more likely to have a recent dental visit," the study says.

However, it turns out that children on Medicaid are less likely to visit dentist regularly than those with private insurance.  Only about half of children on Medicaid have regular dental visits.  The difference is tangible, specifically in comparison with the 68% of children who have private insurance.