Student debt and career choice; access to dental care; CDA Presents highlights

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Dental students' characteristics, rather than educational debt, have a greater influence on their employment choices, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA). Despite concerns about growing debt for dental graduates, the study's somewhat surprising conclusion cited race and ethnicity as prime factors in job choice. Read Features Editor Donna Domino's article here.

Is this a case where conventional wisdom, when talking about dental students and the debt they carry after leaving school, happens to be wrong? It's tempting to read the JADA study as favorable to one side or the other of the private or group practice debate, but it's really not. What it does suggest is that student debt is only one factor in the decision-making process. Share your thoughts in our Forums.

While the U.S. healthcare debate has focused on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, other issues such as access to dental care were pushed aside. In response, the ADA created the Action for Dental Health movement to address barriers to dental healthcare. Now, after a year, the efforts and solutions offered by the action were gathered in a report to the U.S. Congress. Read more here.

Last week, the California Dental Association (CDA) hosted the Southern California edition of CDA Presents in Anaheim. With dozens of speakers, hundreds of exhibitors, and thousands of attendees, there was something for everyone, including clinical presentations, continuing education, and new product launches. View our slideshow of some highlights here.

Finally, spouses and long-term partners of patients with human papillomavirous (HPV)-related oral cancers appear to have no increased risk of oral HPV infections, according to a new study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Read Features Editor Donna Domino's story here.