New coverage for periodontal medicament carrier D5994

Two Dental Benefits providers, Companion Life (also doing business under Total Dental Administrators) and Kansas City Life, have both recently announced coverage for dental procedure code D5994 documenting a periodontal medicament carrier, a custom-fabricated tray used to deliver medication into periodontal pockets.

Initial reviews of insurance claim data for patients who have received Perio Trays^® indicate that this benefit translates into better treatment outcomes for patients and a reduction in longer-term health costs. For companies that provide both dental and medical insurance, the savings in health care costs are expected to multiply given that treatment for periodontal disease has been shown to reduce overall healthcare costs for patients with diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and pregnancy.

The most common periodontal medicament delivery device available to patients is the Perio Tray. Perio Trays have an internal peripheral seal and are proven to deliver medication deep into periodontal pockets to fight infections between office visits. Patients can only obtain a prescription Perio Tray through a licensed dentist who will develop and monitor a treatment plan for individual patients.

Perio Trays are used adjunctively to provide the best homecare. Toothbrush, rinse and floss can’t reach deep enough into periodontal pockets to help the 46 percent of Americans adults with chronic periodontitis. The Perio Tray has been shown to place medication into shallow and deep pockets to reduce inflammation and pocket depths when used in 15-minute daily applications.

“The key with prescription tray therapy” says Dr. Duane Keller, the inventor of the Perio Tray, “is to use a low concentration of peroxide to oxygenate the pockets, kill anaerobic bacteria, and change the microenvironment to create conditions for healthy bacterial regrowth. We used to provide antibiotics, but their benefits were largely temporary. Peroxide delivered deep with the tray overcomes these antibiotic limitations for long-term gingival health.”