Author: Amy Szmania

Many dentists have contacted the Ohio Dental Association with questions and concerns about recent mailings from some dental insurance companies concerning the insurers' response to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) prescription drug rule. Their questions involve the validity of the information in the carriers’ letters while ... [continue reading]

Jeff Carter, DDS, and his wife Pat Carter, IIDA, will present the course "A New Experience in the Dental Office: Where Your Vision Becomes Your Success" on Friday, Sept. 16 at the ODA Annual Session. When designing a dental office, there are many unique challenges that differ from designing other types of businesses. From efficiency to ... [continue reading]

With the support of the Kellogg Foundation, Universal Health Care Action Network (UHCAN) Ohio and the Ohio Dental Hygiene Association, State Sen. Peggy Lehner recently introduced a bill that would allow midlevel dental providers in Ohio.  Advocates state these dental therapists would help solve the access to care problem in areas of the state ... [continue reading]

Table Clinics have always been a part of dental continuing education meetings, and they continue to adapt with the times. They have been known as poster sessions and essay programs, and were the main focus of the ODA’s first Annual Session in 1866. During the ODA’s 150th ODA Annual Session, attendees will again have the opportunity to ... [continue reading]

Darryl Dever, the ODA’s lobbyist for more than 30 years, speaks at a past ODA Day at the Statehouse event. The ODA Foundation will award the Darryl Dever Advocacy Scholarship to one dental student in Dever’s memory each year. Dever died unexpectedly last Beginning in 2016, the ODA Foundation will award the annual Darryl Dever Advocacy ... [continue reading]

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has again delayed enforcement of its new prescription drug rule to Feb. 1, 2017. The previous deadline was June 1, 2016. This change and outreach efforts to dentists by numerous organizations, including CMS, drug companies and dental suppliers, have sparked many calls to the ODA from member ... [continue reading]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently released new resources on infection control in dental settings. To supplement its 2003 guidelines, the CDC released a document with handy checklists and helpful tools for dental professionals. The resources can be found at ... [continue reading]

The ODA Foundation's 2016 access to care grant application period is now open.  Nonprofit organizations that meet the needs of Ohioans through access to needed dental care or oral health education are encouraged to apply for program funding. The deadline to submit an application for funding consideration is July 1.  Priority consideration will ... [continue reading]

One of the biggest annual events to help Ohio children is Give Kids A Smile (GKAS), a year-round children’s access to care program. Dentists and dental professionals volunteer their time to provide screenings, treatments and oral health education to Ohio children. 1. Southern Ohio Dental Society Give Kids A Smile event at Shawnee State ... [continue reading]

Dentists often volunteer their time delivering free or significantly discounted dental treatment to patients who might otherwise not receive care. While the vast majority of such patients are grateful for the services they receive, charitable intentions do not negate potential liability. Fortunately, the Ohio General Assembly has taken steps to ... [continue reading]