ECU dean resigns after audit; lawsuit targets Medicare denials

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

As the first group of students entered the new dental school at East Carolina University (ECU) this week, they were greeted with some unsettling news: The dean of the dental school had resigned. Click here to read what a state audit found that led to the dean's decision to step down.

In other news, while Medicare does not cover routine dental care, it does cover dental services when they are an integral part of eligible medical care -- such as extractions prior to radiation treatment of neoplastic disease. But there are still instances when the agency refuses to cover medically related dental care. Now a federal lawsuit is challenging Medicare's exclusion criteria for patients who need extensive dental treatment stemming from underlying medical conditions. Read more.

And in the latest addition to our Leaders in Dentistry series, Dr. Donald S. Clem, president of the American Academy of Periodontology and a practicing periodontologist, shares his thoughts on a variety of current issues, including midlevel providers, soft-tissue lasers, and the critical link between oral and systemic health.