This week,
we hear from DentaQuest’s CEO about the need for adult dental plans on the
exchanges, learn about a new teledentistry program and find out why mouthwash
may be detrimental to your oral health.Join the conversation on Twitter using
#FridayDentalDL.
Fay Donohue, CEO
and president of DentaQuest, spoke with Inside
Health Policy about the need for adult dental plans on health exchanges.
Here’s an excerpt:
“Fay Donohue, president and CEO of DentaQuest, which is
offering dental plans in Florida, Virginia, Texas and Maryland, was also happy
to see so many adults buying family and individual coverage. "There has
been a lot of focus on pediatrics, which is great, but the SADPs are able to
offer adult coverage through exchanges as well and we're seeing a lot of
interest in those products. DentaQuest would love it if adults who already have
a medical plan could go to the federal or state-based exchange and purchase a
dental plan," Donohue says. "We hope to see it happen sooner rather
than later," she adds.
To learn more about
dental plans on the marketplaces, visit http://www.dentaquest.com/marketplace/.
A
new “teledentistry” program in California allows low-income patients to be treated
by hygienists and dental assistants in classrooms, nursing homes and other
community centers to perform basic preventive procedures on patients.If
necessary, the patient is then referred to a dental office for further care. The
program, called the “Virtual Dental Home Demonstration Project,” has launched
in 50 locations throughout the state and is currently funded by grants and
non-profits, but a bill pending before the state Legislature would expand the
program statewide and require Medi-Cal to pay for procedures. This aligns with
DentaQuest Foundation’s Oral Health 2020 initiative to
eradicate dental disease in children by incorporating oral health into the
primary education system by the year 2020. Learn more about how DentaQuest
Foundation is working to achieve its goal here.
A recent study found that poor
dental hygiene and excessive use of mouthwash containing alcohol could increase
the risk of oral cancer. The article reports that 40,000 Americans are
diagnosed with oral cancer each year, which resulted in 7,890 deaths last year
alone. To learn more about how to recognize symptoms of oral cancer, check out
our Oral Health Library.
A new charting system
for dentists called the “Ideal Charting for General Dentists” (ICGD) system has been
launched to minimize confusion in diagnoses and processes, as well as diminish
malpractice in the industry. According to the article, the new system will
update charts and progress notes without any additional effort on the dental
practitioner’s part.
Dr. Michael Zuk, a Canadian dentist who bought one of John’s teeth at an auction for over
$30,000 in 2011, recently stated on the British television show “Dead Famous DNA” that he’d like to use the DNA in Lennon’s tooth to
clone the late musician and raise him as his own son. Whether this is actually
a possibility remains to be seen, but Dr. Zuk seems pretty adamant about it, stating
that he’d try cloning Lennon multiple times if necessary.