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Dental Tribune U.S. Edition

Publisher & Chairman Torsten Oemus t.oemus@dental-tribune.com Chief Operating Officer Eric Seid e.seid@dental-tribune.com Group Editor & Designer Robin Goodman r.goodman@dental-tribune.com Editor in Chief Dental Tribune Dr. David L. Hoexter d.hoexter@dental-tribune.com Managing Editor/Designer Dental Tribune U.S. & Canada Robert Selleck r.selleck@dental-tribune.com Managing Editor/Designer Implant, Ortho & Lab Tribunes Sierra Rendon s.rendon@dental-tribune.com Managing Editor/Designer Ortho Tribune & Show Dailies Kristine Colker k.colker@dental-tribune.com Online Editor Fred Michmershuizen f.michmershuizen@dental-tribune.com Product & Account Manager Mark Eisen m.eisen@dental-tribune.com Marketing Manager Anna Kataoka-Wlodarczyk a.wlodarczyk@dental-tribune.com Sales & Marketing Assistant Lorrie Young l.young@dental-tribune.com C.E. Manager Christiane Ferret c.ferret@dtstudyclub.com Dental Tribune America, LLC 116 West 23rd Street, Suite 500 New York, NY 10011 Tel.: (212) 244-7181 Fax: (212) 244-7185 Published by Dental Tribune America © 2011 Dental Tribune America, LLC All rights reserved. Dental Tribune strives to maintain the utmost accuracy in its news and clini- cal reports. If you find a factual error or content that requires clarification, please contact Group Editor Robin Goodman at r.goodman@dental-tribune.com. Dental Tribune cannot assume respon- sibility for the validity of product claims or for typographical errors. The pub- lisher also does not assume responsibility for product names or statements made by advertisers. Opinions expressed by authors are their own and may not reflect those of Dental Tribune America. f DT page 1A Survey Dr. Joel Berg Dr. L. Stephen Buchanan Dr. Arnaldo Castellucci Dr. Gorden Christensen Dr. Rella Christensen Dr. William Dickerson Hugh Doherty Dr. James Doundoulakis Dr. David Garber Dr. Fay Goldstep Dr. Howard Glazer Dr. Harold Heymann Dr. Karl Leinfelder Dr. Roger Levin Dr. Carl E. Misch Dr. Dan Nathanson Dr. Chester Redhead Dr. Irwin Smigel Dr. Jon Suzuki Dr. Dennis Tartakow Dr. Dan Ward Editorial Board DENTAL TRIBUNE The World’s Dental Newspaper · US Edition News DENTAL TRIBUNE | November 20112A AD “Kellogg’s survey question regard- ing dental therapists implied that care by therapists would somehow cost less than care by dentists. We know of no data to support this. If such data exists, Kellogg should release it.” “The manner in which the ques- tions were posed may have caused some confusion among the public responding to the survey,” said AGD President Howard Gamble, DDS, FAGD. “Members of the public may not have been aware that the ques- tion was referring to supporting or opposing ‘non-dentist mid-level pro- viders.’ “Mid-level providers do not have the same level of education as a dentist; they are non-dentists with as little as two years of post-high school training to perform clini- cal dental procedures that may be irreversible, on populations with the most complex health conditions, without the direct supervision of a dentist,” Gamble said. “Therefore, these midlevel providers could be putting the patient’s oral and overall health at risk, and that is a concern to the AGD.” Based on a poll of 1,023 adults, the survey, conducted by Lake Research Partners, found that more than 80 percent of Americans believe it is difficult for people to get free or low-cost dental care in their communities, and think the number of Americans who cannot access dental care is a problem. “This survey clearly shows that people throughout the country are struggling to get dental care,” said Sterling K. Speirn, president and CEO of the W.K. Kellogg Founda- tion. “We know the impact that poor oral health has on overall health and well-being, so we must look at using midlevel providers, such as dental therapists, to ensure that children can get the preventive den- tal care they need.” The survey also found that while most Americans value regular den- tal care, four in 10 lack dental insur- ance. Those most likely to be put- ting off care due to cost are those with annual incomes of less than $30,000 (55 percent), those without dental insurance (54 percent), and those with a high school diploma or less (47 percent). Both the ADA and the AGD support other measures that will increase access to care for all Amer- icans. “The nation will never drill, fill and extract its way out of what Sur- geon General David Satcher, MD, famously called a ‘silent epidemic’ of oral disease,” Gist said. “Oral health education and prevention are the two most important measures that can end that epidemic. Regu- lar care by dentists and their teams will prevent disease from recurring. The ADA believes that everyone deserves a dentist.” “It is unethical and unfair for the underprivileged to be relegated to lesser educated professionals than the rest of the American popula- tion,” Gamble said. “When it comes to their health, organizations should be working together to create work- able and proven solutions needed to improve the health of our fellow Americans.” In November 2010, the W.K. Kel- logg Foundation launched a major initiative to improve access to dental care for vulnerable populations. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation is current- ly working with Ohio, New Mexico, Kansas, Washington and Vermont to establish dental therapists to help expand access to needed dental care. More than a dozen states are considering similar options. DT Do you have general comments or criticism you would like to share? Is there a particular topic you would like to see more articles about? Let us know by e-mailing us at feedback@dental-tribune.com. If you would like to make any change to your subscription (name, address or to opt out) please send us an e-mail at database@dental-tribune.com and be sure to include which publication you are referring to. Also, please note that subscription changes can take up to six weeks to process. Tell us what you think! What is the current situation there? Ella Gudwin: The last time I went to the Miyagi Prefecture was in June and at the time there were mixed feelings about the progress. Now, with the country entering the reconstruction phase, new issues are arising as decisions are made about where the communities will be built and how they will be set up. While it is good news that people in the affected areas are finally being moved from the shelters to temporary housing facilities, the process has been difficult for some survivors, especially many elderly people who are not very fond of the idea of being separated from their old communities. AmeriCares personnel deliver aid to evacuation centers in the early days of the disaster. (Photo/Provided by AmeriCares) f DT page 1A AmeriCares g DT page 3A