Author: Todd Odenweller

Occasionally, I get calls from dentists who have been approached about providing expert testimony in a malpractice case or a dental board hearing. Generally, they are seeking guidance on the ethics of providing such testimony. When a patient’s dissatisfaction with treatment leads to litigation or the filing of a complaint with the state ... [continue reading]

This fall, dentists and dental hygienists will receive licensure renewal information from the Ohio State Dental Board. The board will direct licensees to renew licenses and report continuing education compliance online. The information and payment of the renewal fee is due by Dec. 31, 2013. Dentists will need 40 CE credits to renew their licenses ... [continue reading]

What should you tell a new patient who has come to you after receiving treatment from another dentist with which the patient is dissatisfied? All too often, I hear stories about needless conflict and occasionally litigation because a dentist makes disparaging comments about the previous treatment a patient received. The “ADA Principles of ... [continue reading]

A call for nominations is now extended for the position of dentist board member for the Ohio State Dental Board. The Ohio Dental Association has the opportunity to recommend nominees to the Governor of Ohio for three possible dentist board member openings on the Ohio State Dental Board (OSDB), which may be vacant in April 2014. Two of these board ... [continue reading]

The Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention has made several resources available to dental professionals to help support compliance efforts for safe infection prevention practices. Because of last month’s announcement of the first documented patient-to-patient transmission of hepatitis C virus in a dental practice in Tulsa, Okla., ... [continue reading]

Sept. 17 is “Constitution Day” in recognition of the fact that on Sept. 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention, after meeting all summer long, met in Philadelphia one the last time to sign the document they had created. That document – the U.S. Constitution – created the system of government that still ... [continue reading]

New International Classification of Disease (ICD) codes will take effect beginning Oct. 1, 2014. The ICD-10 code sets will replace the ICD-9 codes currently in use to report diagnoses and procedures. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires all providers and payers that are currently using the ICD-9 to transition to ... [continue reading]

We all apply different definitions to the term “restoration.” Some people restore classic automobiles and classic boats. Others restore old houses and antique furniture. Dentists restore teeth, proper occlusion and even broken jaws. We are experts at completely dismantling a human being’s ability to chew and then restoring it to ... [continue reading]

Student debt is an issue that has become par for the course for recent dental school graduates, particularly those graduates who have been out 10 years or less.  According to the American Dental Education Association, in 2012 dental students graduated with an average student loan debt of $221,000. This is an increase of over 66 percent in the ... [continue reading]

The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently issued a decision in a case involving the North Carolina Board of Dental Examiner’s attempt to regulate tooth bleaching by non-dentists. Some commentators suggest that the case could call into question the current manner in which states regulate dentistry in America. A close ... [continue reading]