Minn. Medicaid dental system falls short; more from Marty @ IDS 2013

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Minnesota suffers from some of the lowest Medicaid dental reimbursement rates in the U.S., according to a legislative audit release March 8. As a result, many dentists there have limited or stopped treating medical assistance patients -- creating a situation Michael T. Flynn, DDS, president of the Minnesota Dental Association, calls an "acute crisis."

What can the state do to ensure that underserved populations get the oral healthcare services they need? Click here to read more.

In other Practice Management Community news, routine antibiotic prophylaxis for dental patients who may be at risk of infection from invasive dental procedures costs the U.S. healthcare system about $150 million annually, according to a new study in Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology. Is that cost justified?

Meanwhile, over in the Oral Cancer & Diagnostics Community, although oral leukoplakia is generally considered one of the primary clinical precursors of oral cancer, the role of alcohol and smoking in this disorder has never been thoroughly assessed. A new literature review in Oral Diseases attempts to shed light on the link between alcohol, smoking, oral leukoplakia, and oral cancer.

Finally, Dr. Marty Jablow was busy last week in Cologne, Germany, walking the many halls of the International Dental Show (IDS) and reporting back to us daily with images and details of all the new products he came across. Click here, here, and here for his reports.