The DMD Check-Up: Dentist May Have Infected 592 Veterans with HIV, Hepatitis

This week's list of must-read news stories for dentists includes:

• Dentist Infected Hundreds of Veterans (Epoch Times)

“Nearly 600 veterans who received care at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Tomah, Wisconsin, may have been infected. One dentist put the hundreds of veterans at risk of hepatitis B and C, or HIV, after failing to follow proper sanitation procedures.”

• Chronic Gum Disease Linked to ED (Fox News)

“Erectile dysfunction is more common in men with gum disease, according to a new review of existing studies. Scientists in China state that ‘chronic periodontitis treatment can control or eliminate inflammation and may reduce the risk of ED.’”

• Dentist Sees Damage From Sugar (The Observer)

A very troubling report on oral health in America. “As a dentist, Dr. Eli Mayes said he’s seen the impact of drugs or lack of care on teeth. However, it pales in comparison to what he witnessed practicing dentistry in Alaska. ‘I haven’t seen anything compared to what I saw up there from just sugar.’”

• Flossing and the Art of Scientific Investigation (New York Times)

More from the paper of record on the recent controversy over the necessity of flossing. “In the case of flossing’s benefits, the supposedly weak evidence cited by the Associated Press was the absence of support in the form of definitive randomized controlled trials, the so-called gold standard for scientific research.”

• Cosmetic Dentist Brings Smiles Into the Spotlight (Daily Bruin)

A profile of celebrated dentist Dr. Bill Dorfman, who has “transformed people’s smiles through dental surgeries when he was featured on the television show ‘Extreme Makeover.’” The ULCA graduate says he has “had one of the most amazing careers a dentist could ever have.”

• Mouth Cancer Soaring in Britain (Cancer Research UK)

“New analysis from Great Britain reveals that rates of oral cancer have jumped by 68% in the UK over the last 20 years. The figures reveal that men and women, young and old are all risk. ‘I thought seeing the dentist was about looking after your teeth—but it can save your life,’ said one patient.”

• Greater New York Dental Meeting ‘16 (gnydm.com)

The Greater New York Dental Meeting held its 92^nd annual gathering in Manhattan last week. It’s billed as “one of the largest Dental Congresses in the world and host to 54,000 dentists and 1,500 exhibitors.” Take a look at some of the details, highlights, and perhaps plan a trip for next year. More coverage from the meeting can be found here on Dentist’s Money Digest.

• Dental Care Access Improving for American Children (DrBicuspid.com)

“The number of US children receiving dental care significantly increased from 2000 to 2014, according to a new study in Pediatrics. Even more positively, the researchers found a steep narrowing of coverage disparities in race/ethnicity and income.”

• Many Doctors Unsure of Medical Costs (Albany Herald)

A worthwhile report about medicine American style: “’The conventional wisdom is that many doctors are clueless about medical costs. That’s largely true because lots of doctors never see the bills and reimbursement transactions that are processed by their office staffs,’ says a seasoned family doctor.”

• Dentures: In or Out? (Springer Plus)

A new study from France shows that “renewing removable dentures only moderately improved the oral health related quality of life and removable dentures related satisfaction of patients, regardless of age, gender or type of rehabilitation.”

• Doctors Parking Only! (News.com.au)

“The nation’s sickest patients and their families are paying up to 32 times more to park at public hospitals than the high-earning doctors who work there,” according to this peculiar news report from Australia. “I concede it fails to pass the fairness test,” says the president of the Australian Medical Association.