Week in Review: Dental care under Trump; Kaiser opens integrated clinic; implants and smoking

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

It's an understatement to say there's considerable uncertainty as to the future of dental care under U.S. President Donald Trump and the new Congress. Researchers and policy experts, including an architect of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, discussed what dental healthcare might look like during a recent webinar. What are the panelists concerned about? Learn more here.

Also this week on DrBicuspid.com, Kaiser Permanente has opened a pilot integrated medical-dental clinic that is believed to be the first such enterprise that is not publicly funded. Located in Beaverton, OR, the clinic is the first for Kaiser in which both types of care are offered in the same building. What are the advantages and what are Kaiser's future plans? Learn more here.

Smoking may not affect the success rate of dental implants, but it could have an effect on the ideal timing for implant loading, according to a recent study. Researchers found that the survival rate of posterior mandible implants was the same in heavy smokers and nonsmokers, but bone healing around implants was slower in smokers. Read more here.

Dr. Alvin Danenberg notes that recently published research has raised a question about titanium dental implants and possible inflammation. In his latest column, he acknowledges that while the vast majority of procedures using these implants have been successful and free of symptoms, he'd like to see well-designed studies undertaken and published so practitioners can offer their patients more complete information. Read more here.