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DENTAL TRIBUNE The World’s Dental Newspaper · US Edition Crayfish found to have substance on teeth similar to human enamel A team of Israeli and German scientists from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and the Max Planck Institute of Col- loids and Interfaces have found an enamel- like layer in the mandibles of freshwater crayfish, according to an article in Nature Communications, “Enamel-like Apatite Crown Covering Amorphous Mineral in a Crayfish Mandible.” Dr. Shmuel Bentov from BGU’s Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren department of biotechnologyengineeringdiscoveredthat this species of crayfish protect their teeth against wear in a very specific and surpris- ing manner: They produce a highly miner- alized protective coating based on calcium phosphate, which is strikingly similar to the enamel of vertebrates. “Enamel is the best solution for coating masticatory (chewing) organs,” Bentov ex- plains. “We assume that in the course of evolution, both vertebrates and this cray- fish independently developed enamel-like tissues to address similar needs. Crusta- ceans discard their old teeth during the molting events several times throughout their life, and grow new exoskeletons and teeth regularly and rapidly.” Dr. Amir Berman, also from the depart- ment of biotechnology engineering, and Prof. Amir Sagi, from BGU’s department of life sciences and National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, investigated the mandibles of the Australian freshwater crayfish cherax quadricarinatus in cooper- ation with Dr. Barbara Aichmayer and her colleaguesfromtheMaxPlanckInstitutein Potsdam, Germany. The team is investigat- ing the formation process of this material and its ramifications. About American Associates, Ben- Gurion University of the Negev American Associates, Ben-Gurion Universi- ty of the Negev (AABGU) helps sustain Da- vid Ben-Gurion's vision of creating a world- class institution of education and research in the Israeli desert, nurturing the Negev community and sharing the University's expertise locally and around the globe. With some 20,000 students on campus- es in Beer-Sheva, Sede Boqer and Eilat in Israel's southern desert, BGU is a university committed to the highest academic stan- dards, community involvement and sus- tainable development of the Negev. (Source: American Associates, Ben- Gurion University of the Negev) “ RESPOND, page A1 political will to do something about it.” Also from the ADA statement: “We must not let a few bad actors tarnish the work of thousands of honest, caring dentists who treat Medicaid patients, often for break- even or even negative revenues. They do so because they feel a responsibility to provide care to people whose economic circumstances would otherwise prevent them from receiving it. Further, many dentists who cannot afford to participate in Medicaid or wrestle with its often oner- ous paperwork instead treat needy pa- tients for free. One estimate has U.S. den- tists providing some $2.6 billion in free or discounted care in a single year. “There are right ways and wrong ways to improve access to dental care in America. The right way is to understand that while oral health care is essential, the ultimate goal is oral health. The right way is to rec- ognize that there are multiple barriers that impede tens of millions of Ameri- cans from attaining optimal oral health, including geography, culture, language, poverty and, in the larger sense, a societal failure to value oral health. Taking on just one of them won’t work; we must contin- ue to approach the problems holistically.” According to the PBS piece, more than 100 million Americans do not have den- tal insurance and cannot afford treat- ment. Some of the sources interviewed in “Dollars and Dentists” attributed this lack of patient care to the Medicaid system, stating that it did not provide enough of a profit margin to dentists treating chil- dren at Medicaid rates. But the program also examined practices that specifically target Medicaid and low-income patients. “I am concerned by business models that emphasize production quotas and do not individualize treatment for every patient,” said Academy of General Den- tistry President Jeffrey M. Cole, DDS, MBA, FAGD, in a written statement after the program aired. “The focus becomes the company’s revenue rather than personal- ized care. Each patient deserves the type of time and attention provided by the traditional dental team business model, which promotes better oral health.” InitsBarriersandSolutionstoAccessing Care white paper, the AGD renewed its call for proven dental care solutions and qual- ity care, which were originally outlined in its 2008 White Paper on Increasing Access to and Utilization of Oral Health Services. The AGD has long called for an increase in Medicaid reimbursement rates, greater efforts to improve oral health literacy and education, expansion of water fluorida- tion and the creation of loan forgiveness programs for dentists working in under- served areas, among numerous other so- lutions that preserve the focus of provid- ingqualitycaretoeachindividualpatient. “Although complex in nature, this is- sue is not so complex that it cannot be solved,” Cole said. “The dental community needs the cooperation of key decision- makers to help organized dentistry move forward and implement the solutions that will lead to better oral health for all Amer- icans. That is what any dentist — and any AGD member — would want.” Also responding was the American Den- tal Hygienists’ Association (ADHA), which represents the professional interests of more than 150,000 dental hygienists. “The access to care crisis in America is complex and requires a myriad of solu- tion strategies to create a true system of quality oral health care that is lacking today," the ADHA said in a written state- ment. “ADHA believes that part of the solution to this multifaceted access prob- lem, which addresses both cost and access to care, is the utilization of mid-level den- tal providers. ADHA advocates for a blend- ed, dental hygiene-dental therapy-based model that builds upon the prevention knowledge base of a dental hygienist and the restorative skills of a dental therapist.” Both the ADA and AGD have consistent- ly opposed licensing of dental hygienists as mid-level dental providers and dental therapists. (Sources: PBS.org, ADA, AGD, ADHA) Dental Tribune U.S. Edition | July 2012A2 NEWS A June 26 PBS Frontline documentary on dental care continues to generate discussion on access-to-affordable-care issues among patients and providers. Photo/PBS.org Photo/Provided by Aaca, www.dreamstime.com