FTC questions Maine IPDH proposal; Colo. dental firm snags nonprofit loophole

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has told the Maine Board of Dental Examiners that proposed rules limiting what types of x-rays the state's independent practice dental hygienists (IPDHs) can take in an upcoming pilot project are too restrictive and could undermine the project's purpose.

The board's concern is that allowing IPDHs to take certain x-rays could pose potential harm to the public. But the FTC and the Maine Dental Hygienists' Association say there is no evidence to support this, noting that IPDHs in Maine are already allowed to take x-rays. Read more.

In other news, a Colorado business that provides dental care for nursing home residents was shut down last year by the dental board because the owner wasn't a dentist. But after filing as a nonprofit, the company has reopened under a new name, raising questions about state laws that guard against nondentists operating dental practices. Click here to read more in this latest Practice Management Community feature.

Meanwhile, over in the Restoratives Community, what types of noncarious lesions do dental practitioners most often choose to restore, and why? Researchers from the University of Florida College of Dentistry analyzed 30 months' worth of data collected by a dental practice-based research network to quantitatively answer that question in a new study in the Journal of the American Dental Association.

Also, be sure to check out our latest Products in Practice review: Dentsply's SureFil SDR Flow.

Finally, today's the last day to vote in the 2012 DrBicuspid Dental Excellence Awards semifinal round. Click here to be sure and cast your votes! You have until midnight tonight.