LSU students charged with fraud; 10 reasons dental claims are rejected

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Two big stories out of Louisiana this week:

• Federal authorities have indicted two Louisiana State University dental students on charges of submitting fraudulent transcripts and test results to gain admission to the school and receive more than $75,000 in financial aid. Read more.

• The debate over whether Louisiana will outlaw dentistry in schools continues, as state legislators wrangle over safety concerns versus access to care for underserved children. Read more.

In other state news, the Los Angeles Times this week revealed that the president of the Dental Board of California agreed to a $95,000 malpractice settlement before she was appointed to her post -- something those who appointed her say they did not know. Read this and other News in Brief here.

In clinical news, research presented at the recent Pediatric Academic Societies meeting found that children with chronic acid reflux are much more likely to have dental erosion than those without it, while studies presented at the International Association for Dental Research meeting provide evidence that herbal toothpastes based on traditional Indian and Chinese medicine show promise.

In our Imaging Community, a team of Korean researchers put three imaging devices to the test and came to a surprising conclusion: cell phone cameras top the list in emergency dental situations when a practitioner is not readily available.

And on the practice management front, a veteran dentist and former director of a major insurance carrier shares the top 10 reasons why dental insurance claims are rejected.

Also, be sure to check out the DrBicuspid Forums, especially the thread related to our story about Minnesota passing the midlevel provider law. The comments are insightful and illuminating.

And welcome to our newest Second Opinion columnist, Sheri Doniger, D.D.S. Her column, Dental Diaries, will explore the challenges of being a woman dentist and finding a balance between our personal and professional lives.