The DMD Check-Up: Michigan Considers Mid-Level Provider Bill

Michigan could soon join the bandwagon of states that allow mid-level practitioners to perform tasks previously restricted to dentists. That story tops this week's DMD Check-Up. Also on the list: a lawsuit in Canada over bad web reviews, and do providers wash their hands more often when patients are watching?

• Michigan Moves to Expand Access to Dental Care (Pew Charitable Trusts)

New legislation in Michigan would authorize midlevel dental providers to perform common procedures, such as filling cavities. The move follows the lead of Alaska, Minnesota, and Maine. The state is one of at least 15 states that are considering adding these types of providers to help address dentist shortages and increase access to care.

• Canadian Dentists Sue Website for Bad Reviews (Cantech Letter)

Vancouver dentists Andrew Seebaran and Kevin Brougher are taking the medical review site RateMDs to court for reviews that they claim are defamatory and hurting their business. The website allows people to rate doctors and dentists and asks users to post truthful and non-libelous posts.

• Celebrities Paid Millions to Endorse Bad Stuff (NPR.org)

A new study in the journal Pediatrics describes the lucrative endorsement deals of 65 music celebrities—including Britney Spears, Maroon 5, Justin Timberlake, and other stars popular with teens. Each gets paid big bucks to promote teeth-rotting brands, ranging from soda to energy drinks to pizza, Pop-Tarts and candy.

• Brexit: The Impact on Dentistry (BDA.org)

A report from the British Dental Association on the dental impact of the June 23 British referendum on whether to stay or leave the European Union. “Whether the UK votes to stay or leave, there will be implications for dentistry and the dental market.”

• Must We Watch Doctors Wash Their Hands? (ABC News)

A new study presented at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology finds that hand hygiene compliance at a California medical center differed dramatically when healthcare professionals knew they were being evaluated, versus when they did not.

• More Federal Funding for Dental Needs in 2017 (ADA.org)

The US Congress has approved bipartisan legislation that would provide increased funding for many key advocacy concerns affecting oral and overall health, according to the American Dental Association. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research got a $17 million increase.

• A Dental Hygiene Perspective on Kissing Diseases (Dentistry iQ)

Whom have you been kissing? Though it comes as no surprise, kissing can spread disease (even caries). Most of these diseases in question are minor, but dental professionals should be aware of a few changes in treatment that may be necessary. Here’s an interesting report.

• New American Dental Hygienists’ Association President (Newswire)

Betty Kabel, of Fort Walton Beach, FL, was installed as the organization’s 2016-17 president during the American Dental Hygienists’ Association’s 2016 Center for Lifelong Learning at the 93rd Annual Session held in Pittsburgh this week. She joins a new slate of officers for the upcoming year.

• Journal of Dental Research Tops in “Impact Factor” (AADR)

The International and American Associations for Dental Research announced the Journal of Dental Research holds its highest Two-Year Impact Factor in the “Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine” category. The Impact Factor is a measure of the frequency with which the average article in a journal has been cited in a particular year.

• Cary Middlecoff: Dentist Was Golf Star (Hattiesburg American)

With the national championship of golf being contested this weekend in Pennsylvania, it might interest readers to know that a dentist won the US Open. Dr. Cary Middlecoff, the famed golfing dentist, won the title in both 1949 and 1956. He learned the game from his dentist-father.