Ariz. saves kids' Medicaid program; more dentists making house calls

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Facing a $2.6 billion budget deficit, Arizona lawmakers in March opted to shut down the KidsCare program and eliminate Medicaid services for more than 300,000 adults as part of the state's 2010 budget. But on May 6, Gov. Jan Brewer signed new legislation that authorizes funds for both programs, restoring medical and dental services to nearly 400,000 low-income adults and children. Click here to read what changed the governor's mind.

In other news, dentists across the U.S. have begun adding house calls to the list of services they offer, motivated by the growing number of calls they get from the elderly and infirm and from patients whose parents are unable to get to their offices due to physical or cognitive disabilities or lack of transportation. Some dentists have even gone completely mobile, closing their offices for good. Read more.

And with the incidence of oral cancer on the rise worldwide, there is a growing need to develop better methods for detecting it at an earlier stage. The situation is even more critical in developing countries, where money and resources are limited. Now researchers from Rice University and the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center are testing a low-cost, battery-powered optical imaging device they say demonstrates good sensitivity and specificity. Read more about their latest clinical study by clicking here or visiting the Imaging & CAD/CAM Community.