Week in Review: Oral health policy for older adults is a mess; plus patient recall and implants

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Oral health policy for adults in long-term care facilities is a mess, according to a presentation by Elizabeth Mertz, PhD, at the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics 2017 World Congress. Mertz discussed the depth of the policy problem and how four states are trying to solve it. Learn more here.

Also this week on DrBicuspid.com, patient recall is considered one of the lifeblood statistics for every dental practice, but do you know how your practice stacks up against the national average? In her latest data-based column, Alitta Boechler of Sikka Software details national patient recall averages from specific dental codes. Read more here.

How much do your patients know about dental implants? Not as much as you may think. A new study found that 1 in 4 people in the general population has never heard of dental implants and that two-thirds of patients think implants consist of porcelain. Learn more here. You can also get continuing education credits for this article here.

Does Alzheimer's disease have an effect on a patient's oral health? New research suggests that the severity of dementia may well be related to the extent of a patient's oral health issues, according to a presentation at this week's International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics 2017 World Congress. Researchers also presented five key findings of their study to help aid you in treating these patients. Read more here.

It was a pleasure to bring you coverage from the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics 2017 World Congress this week, with more coming next week. And let's be direct, unless you exclusively see pediatric patients, the more you know about your patient's aging processes and how it affects their oral health, the better off your practice will be.