Dental News

Prevention of Infective Endocarditis: Guidelines from the American Heart Association
The American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs has approved these guidelines as they relate to dentistry. These guidelines have been endorsed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and by the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.

Excerpt:
"The committee concluded that only an extremely small number of cases of IE might be prevented by antibiotic prophylaxis for dental procedures even if such prophylactic therapy were 100 percent effective..."
Source: The Journal of the American Dental Association

A Histologic and Histomorphometric Evaluation of Anorganic Bovine Bone Retrieved 9 Years After a Sinus Augmentation Procedure
After 9 years, the tissue pattern appeared composed by residual ABB particles in close contact to the newly formed bone. The bone mineralized matrix around the ABB had collagen fibers randomly oriented and more osteocytes embedded. The results demonstrate both a high level of osteoconductivity and a “biomimetic” behavior over the long term.
Source: Journal of Periodontology Online

Scientists Discover Protein Receptor for Carbonation Taste
Researchers at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), part of the National Institutes of Health, and their colleagues from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) report that they have discovered the answer in mice, whose sense of taste closely resembles that of humans. They found that the taste of carbonation is initiated by an enzyme tethered like a small flag from the surface of sour-sensing cells in taste buds. The enzyme, called carbonic anhydrase 4, interacts with the carbon dioxide in the soda, activating the sour cells in the taste bud and prompting it to send a sensory message to the brain, where carbonation is perceived as a familiar sensation.
Source: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

Patient Resources

The Ins and Outs of Dental Tourism
At present, the most popular destinations include Mexico, Hungary, India, Thailand, Poland and Singapore. Depending on the circumstances, you may save thousands of dollars with dental tourism. But there are some things to think about before you go.
Source: WAOW

Drinking Tap Water May Help You Avoid Dentist's Drill
Tooth decay affects children in the United States more than any other chronic infectious disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Source: Medical News Today

Low B Vitamins May Up Risk for Canker Sores
Researchers at the University of Connecticut collected diet information on 100 people who had a history of canker sores. They compared this group of people to a national survey of more than 9,000 people. These people had completed a diet history, but did not have canker sores.
Source: Simple Steps To Better Dental Health

ADA and Other Groups Petition Against FTC "Red Flags" Rule

Following a recent federal court decision, the American Dental Association (ADA) has joined with three other national organizations representing professional health care providers calling on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to exclude health professionals from controversial new regulation intended to combat identity theft.

Excerpt:
According to the associations, the FTC’s interpretation of the regulation imposes an unjustified, unfunded mandate on health professionals for detecting and responding to identity theft.
Read more...

Practice Management Tips

Complying with “Red Flag” Rule and Reducing Risk of Identity Theft with Fields of Code Dental 2.0

The FTC in the US has determined that health care providers could join the ranks of businesses that must comply with the “Red Flag” rule. The purpose is to ensure the protection of patient private information. Interest is driven by the massive number of identity thefts that occur in the US, close to 9 million cases yearly. While for the time being the FTC has delayed¹ the enforcement deadline to June 1, 2010, it is a good time to take a look at how you might be affected.

The Federal Trade Commission has many articles on its website aimed to help determine if the new rule could apply to your particular practice. This determination so far is not precise; it relies on establishing if the practice is acting in a “creditor” capacity, and revolves around billing and payment procedures². The FTC also suggests on its website that an “Identity Theft Prevention Program” should be set up by applicable clinics, with focus on reacting to, and recognizing suspicious activities that may lead to identity theft.

Navigating the legal labyrinth will be daunting; the rules are changing frequently and are complicated. If you are in the US, you may be required to act in the next several months. This is best accomplished by discussing the status of your clinic on the “Red Flag” rule with a lawyer who specializing in health care. You may have to implement a prevention program in the future that is solid and guarantees your compliance. But once that is realized, Fields of Code Dental has several features that may assist in some regards. Here are a few simple workflows for what you can do to prevent identity theft in your clinic:

• If someone provides a photo ID that appears forged or altered², besides obviously requesting additional documentation, if the person is already logged as an existing patient, you can compare suspicious documents against previously digitalized material stored in the extended 'Data' page. The photo can be compared to the personal image on file to check this is without a doubt the intended person. The image container appears on the Personal page of Patient documents in the Fields of Code Dental software. Our team has prepared a new video tutorial that explores the use of the personal image, and in general the collection of personal information for the initial questionnaire when patients join the clinic. To see this video, log on to the free Fields of Code Library, and scroll to the Patient File section. Look for the following video ID: R3F9.
  
  
• If you must keep sensitive documents around that reveal personal information, whether about patients or employees, the best way to handle these is to scan them, and insert the digitalized versions into the Data page of the Patient/Employee document it belongs to in Fields of Code Dental. This is especially the case for documents that are frequently accessed and tend to be physically moved around. Consequently, these documents will remain safe and always encrypted within the database, together with all other related information. The encryption happens automatically, without you having to train or ask your staff to remember. Given that all users connecting to the data in Fields of Code Dental have secure profiles, and must use passwords to log on to the data, this significantly reduces exposure by unauthorized access, loss and theft.
  
  
• When using Fields of Code Dental you can radically reduce the financial burden and make compliance easier. Take advantage of your practice management system to provide you with the necessary secure built-in features. If do not own a Fields of Code license, we have a wide range of feature-rich solutions at reasonable prices, including a new low-fee monthly option that allows you to rent a database without having to pay any license fees. This offers a utility-type-of-cost solution that provides all future upgrades for free, and are completely under your control. You won’t need to purchase third party encryption tools, nor train your staff to use additional software. You don’t have to rely on your staff to remember to encrypt the data or any long complicated workflows. You get an all-in-one easy to use application, and your staff can come up to speed by using our free online video tutorial library³ and free technical support. No more costly training sessions and seminars, just one single application that ensures it all works for you from the get-go.

References:

1. FTC Extends Enforcement Deadline for Identity Theft Red Flags Rule
    The Federal Trade Commission, Business Articles
    http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/redflags.shtm

2. The "Red Flags" Rule:
    What Health Care Providers Need to Know About Complying with New Requirements for Fighting Identity Theft
    The Federal Trade Commission, Business Articles
    http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/articles/art11.shtm

3. The Fields of Code Library
    The FFC Library provides you with free access to all our video tutorials and download-material.
    If you are not registered yet, use our free one-time quick registration to create a new free account.
    http://www.ffclibrary.com/requestNewAcc.html