Will anesthesiology be next ADA specialty? And, orofacial pain tops headache, backache

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Advocates for dental anesthesiology have embarked on the difficult process of getting it approved as the 10th ADA-recognized specialty.

On May 4 the Council on Dental Education and Licensure voted in support of the American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists' application for specialty recognition; in October the ADA House of Delegates will decide whether to approve it during the ADA Annual Session in San Francisco.

Proponents contend that making dental anesthesiology a specialty will be good for dentistry overall. But others, including the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, say it could change the dynamics of the dental profession and tilt the balance toward a model where only anesthesiologists can perform anesthesia. Read more in this latest Restoratives Community feature.

Meanwhile, in Imaging & CAD/CAM Community news, numerous studies have considered the advantages of using radiographs and laser fluorescence in addition to visual exams to detect caries, and there has been ongoing debate over the effectiveness of these devices compared with the International Caries Detection and Assessment System.

Now a new study in Caries Research is sure to stir the pot again, with the authors concluding that these adjunct methods offer no benefits in the detection of caries in primary teeth in comparison to visual inspection alone.

Finally, people afflicted with chronic orofacial pain are much more likely to be debilitated by their condition than those with chronic backaches or chronic headaches, according to a study being presented this week at the 2012 World Congress on Pain in Milan, Italy.