Dental Tribune U.S. Edition

www.dental-tribune.com PRSRTSTD U.S.Postage PAID SanAntonio,TX Permit#1396 DentalTribuneAmerica 116West23rdStreet Suite#500 NewYork,N.Y.10011 DENTAL TRIBUNE The World’s Dental Newspaper · U.S. Edition March 2012 — Vol. 7, No. 3 news a1–a3 • Dental care near top as expense • Smokers avoid dental checkups • Smoking kills helpful oral bacteria • Tooth Fairy cuts back in tough times Practice Matters a4 • Celebrate blunders; retain patients clinical a5-a6 • Facial esthetics treatment for all Meetings a7–a11 • Yankee Dental Congress highlights • Next up: Hinman’s 100th birthday • AACD event an ‘awesome thing’ • JDIQ expects big turnout • New York meeting honors key figure industry news a13–a20 • Save big with DIY handpiece repair • Handheld X-ray device even safer • Keystone mouthguards ‘go for gold’ • NSK expands North American focus • Financing dental care made easier • CAD/CAM systems get top support www.dental-tribune.com PRSRTSTD U.S.Postage PAID SanAntonio,TX Permit#1396 DentalTribuneAmerica 116West23rdStreet Suite#500 NewYork,N.Y.10011 DENTAL TRIBUNE The World’s Dental Newspaper · U.S. Edition HinM an dental M eeting Ad A s the country strives to im- prove its overall health-care delivery system, there is a push to make the oral health- care delivery system similarly account- able for quality and access. A new report funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the DentaQuest Institute outlines an approach to expand the oral health quality improvement effort through data collection, accountability and new ways of delivering oral health care. The report contends that quality im- provement in oral health lags behind similar efforts for overall health, but efforts are intensifying. Titled "Oral Health Quality Improvement in the Era of Accountability," the report provides an overview of current efforts and cites elements that are critical for advancing this agenda: increased use of electronic dental records and integrated health records; better measurement of oral health outcomes; new payment and incentive mechanisms; and expanded delivery of care by non-dental profes- sionals, as well as new types of allied professionals. The report — the latest in a growing number of analyses of the oral health- care system — was released in Febru- ary at a national meeting of oral health professionals, government leaders, con- sumer advocates and others convened by the Kellogg Foundation and Denta- Quest Institute. The meeting was in- tended to launch a national dialogue on quality improvement and increased ac- cess to dental care. The Institute of Med- icine and U.S. Government Accounting Office released reports on dental access and quality in 2011. “The focus on quality improvement for overall health care is an important opportunity to improve the quality of oral health care,” said study author Second highest out-of-pocket cost: Dental Study says prescription drugs are only higher health-care cost ” See REPORT, page A2 ” See page A8 At least 23,000 dental professionals are expected at the 100th Thomas P. Hinman Dental Meeting, March 22–24, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. Photo/Provided by Georgia World Congress Center Hinman Dental Meeting: ‘Century of Excellence’ sMokers: Fewer dental visits, More oral-HealtH risks Two recent studies show that smoking kills helpful oral bacteria, and smokers are avoiding the dentists. ” page A2 Endo TribunE negotiating around iMPediMents ” page B1 implanT TribunE ao Hosts annual Meeting in PHoenix ” page C2 Facial estHetics treatMent For every dental Practice Consider this: The next big thing in dentistry might be the ‘oral-systemic esthetic perspective.’ ” page A5