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ao annual meeting Implant Tribune U.S. Edition | February 2016 C2 Publisher & Chairman Torsten Oemus t.oemus@dental-tribune.com President/Chief executive Officer Eric Seid e.seid@dental-tribune.com Group Editor Kristine Colker k.colker@dental-tribune.com Managing Editor Implant Tribune Sierra Rendon s.rendon@dental-tribune.com Managing Editor Fred Michmershuizen f.michmershuizen@dental-tribune.com Managing Editor Robert Selleck, r.selleck@dental-tribune.com Product/Account Manager Humberto Estrada h.estrada@dental-tribune.com Product/Account Manager Will Kenyon w.kenyon@dental-tribune.com Product/Account Manager Maria Kaiser m.kaiser@dental-tribune.com Business development manager Travis Gittens t.gittens@dental-tribune.com Education Director Christiane Ferret c.ferret@dtstudyclub.com Tribune America, LLC 116 West 23rd Street, Suite 500 New York, NY 10011 Phone (212) 244-7181 Fax (212) 244-7185 Published by Tribune America © 2016 Tribune America, LLC All rights reserved. Tribune America strives to maintain the utmost accuracy in its news and clinical reports. If you find a factual error or content that requires clari- fication, please contact Managing Editor Sierra Rendon at s.rendon@dental-tribune.com. Tribune America cannot assume responsibility for the validity of product claims or for typographical errors. The publisher also does not assume respon- sibility for product names or statements made by advertisers. Opinions expressed by authors are their own and may not reflect those of Tribune America. Editorial Board Dr. Pankaj Singh Dr. Bernard Touati Dr. Jack T. Krauser Dr. Andre Saadoun Dr. Gary Henkel Dr. Doug Deporter Dr. Michael Norton Dr. Ken Serota Dr. Axel Zoellner Dr. Glen Liddelow Dr. Marius Steigmann Tell us what you think! Do you have general comments or critique you would like to share? Is there a particular topic you would like to see featured in Implant Tribune? Let us know by e-mailing feedback@dental-tribune.com. We look for- ward to hearing from you! If you would like to make any change to your subscription (name, address or to opt out), please send an e-mail to c.maragh@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. Corrections Implant Tribune strives to maintain the utmost accuracy in its news and clinical reports. If you find a factual error or content that requires clarification, please report the details to Managing Editor Sierra Rendon at s.rendon@ dental-tribune.com. IMPLANT TRIBUNE AO session: Protecting young clinicians By AO Staff M embers of the dental pro- fession are an increasing target for professional neg- ligence lawsuits, and dental implant professionals are no exception. At February’s Academy of Osseointegration (AO) Annual Meeting, Dr. Michael Ragan will address this and more in the Young Clinicians’ Lecture Series: “Reducing the Young Clinicians’ Legal Exposure and Pro- tecting Your License to Practice.” One important and fundamental action can protect dentists from lawsuits and actions against their license to practice: practitioner-patient communication in the form of informed consent. Ragan — a dentist who has practiced law for more than 25 years, exclusively defending health care professionals — states that nearly 100 percent of lawsuit complaints include a count alleging that the doctor didn’t secure sufficient in- formed consent. His presentation will address how com- prehensive informed consent can help preventexposuretoamalpracticelawsuit, and also the possible revocation of a clini- cian’s state license. Additionally, Ragan will address other areas of concern that impact the young clinician, including: • Employment contracts and office leases • HIPAA, HITECH and breach of confidentiality • Cyber liability and social media • Practice due diligence • Fraud and abuse, deceptive trade practices • Corporate practice of dentistry and fee splitting • Delegation of personnel duties Most importantly, he wants attend- ees to understand that patients need to know — with no conflict in their mind — what their alternatives are and what “bad things” can happen as a result of their im- plant procedure. “A great percentage of claims may not reflect a specific act of negligence,” he said. “Most derive from a breakdown of com- munication.” One common communication prob- lem occurs when the patient is not made aware of possible side effects for the pro- cedure or complications that could have long-term effects. Other times the break- down can occur when the patients don’t understand their responsibility to the success of the implant. This responsibility can be as simple as oral hygiene requirements or as compli- cated as the management of a systemic health condition that has consequences for the success of the implant. The responsibility for communication of this vital information to the patient is the clinician’s, and without documenta- tion of its occurrence, the doctor is at risk of a malpractice claim and a possible ac- tion against his or her license. “When you increase the scope of clini- cal dental practice, there is a concomitant increase in practitioner responsibility,” he said. “Informed consent is more than a piece of paper. It’s a process.” In addition to his defense law practice based in Miami, Ragan is on the faculty in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Nova Southeastern College of Dental Medicine, as well as teaching at a number of other schools of dental medi- cine. Ragan also sits on the board of direc- tors of the Fortress Insurance Company, a subsidiary of OMSNIC (the Oral and Max- illofacial Surgeons National Insurance Company). The board members review thousands of claims every year to evaluate potential defensibility and exposure. While some of the claims they review are frivolous, some have merit. The 31st AO Annual Meeting is set for Feb. 17-20 in San Diego. You can register to attend at www.osseo.org. Follow AO on Facebook and Twitter using #AO2016 to stay up-to-date. Young clinicians will be able to take part in a lecture series aimed specifically at them at the AO Annual Meeting in February in San Diego. Photo/Provided by AO Dr. Dale Miles wants fewer dental implant professionals to get sued By AO Staff Dr. Dale Miles cautions dentists not to miss important clues revealed about the patient’s overall health on the cone- beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans. Doing so can result in serious problems for the patient — and a lawsuit for the dentist. “I have been involved in at least four lawsuits in which cone-beam data was vital to either the plaintiff’s or the defen- dant’s case. The defendant is most often the dentist,” he said. Miles is presenting at the Academy of Osseointegration’s (AO) Annual Meeting in San Diego as part of the “Morning with the Masters” sessions on the program. Miles’ session will address, “Appropri- ate Interpretations of CBCT Scanning in Implant Dentistry: How to Avoid Missing Vital Information and Anatomy.” “Morning with the Masters” sessions are designed to provide a more personal interaction with world-renowned ex- perts. The attendance is limited in each session to keep them small. Many dentists may be at risk for miss- ing important changes in their patient’s scans. Miles hopes to eliminate these risks by sharing information he feels has been lacking. He said cone-beam ” See MILES, page C6