News

The ODA Ad-Interim Committee passed an Interim Policy on Opioid Prescribing at its meeting in March. The policy supports Continuing Education for dentists in prescribing opioids and other controlled substances. The policy also supports statutory limits on opioid dosage and duration of no more than seven days for the treatment of acute pain, while ... [continue reading]

The American Dental Association's consumer website, mouthhealthy.org, features a Find a Dentist section. The tool allows patients to search by geography, dental benefit plans and specialty. Last year, more than 1.7 million patients visited the Find a Dentist site. “One of the complaints from dentists that the ADA took into consideration was ... [continue reading]

Ohio Dental Association member dentists created the ODA Wellness Trust several years ago to meet the needs of dentists and their staffs amid rising health insurance costs.  As the health insurance marketplace has become more and more restricted and continues to have a shortage of quality products, the ODA Services Corp. (ODASC) has made it a ... [continue reading]

Annual Session attendees will have the opportunity to share dental practice information and earn continuing education (CE) credit, as well as prizes, by presenting a Table Clinic at the 2018 ODA Annual Session. “Come share your knowledge and experience with dentists and specialists alike at the 2018 Table Clinics at the ODA Annual Session,” ... [continue reading]

Editor’s Note: Dr. Elizabeth Mueller, a pediatric dentist in Cincinnati, is the ODA Annual Session 2018 general chairman. Throughout the year, she will be sharing details on some of her favorite CE programs being offered during the ODA’s 152nd Annual Session, Sept. 13-16, 2018 in Columbus. Here is her fifth installment. One of the ... [continue reading]

At the 2017 ODA House of Delegates I formed a Task Force to investigate how the ODA could benefit our members by offering products and services to improve our dental practices. The DSO Task Force is chaired by Dr. Tom Paumier, a past president of the ODA. Other members include Dr. Dale Ann Featheringham, Dr. John Kramer and myself. We also receive ... [continue reading]

During the ODA's Leadership Institute in March, ADA President Dr. Joe Crowley and ADA Director of Practice Management Resources and Strategy Dr. Betsy Shapiro gave a well-received presentation on the ADA's Center for Professional Success. The Center is designed to provide practice support to help member dentists succeed. Attendees of the ... [continue reading]

The ADA's Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct (Code) require dentists to respect the patient's rights to self-determination and confidentiality. Section 1 – Principle: Patient Autonomy of the Code “expresses the concept that professionals have a duty to treat the patient according to the patient’s desires, within the bounds ... [continue reading]

Every month, a dedicated group of Ohio Dental Association member dentists volunteer their time to serve during conference call meetings of the ODA Dental Insurance Working Group (DIWG).  These dentists determine the ODA’s role in addressing dental insurance related questions, concerns and complaints involving third-party payers that are ... [continue reading]

This is the season of graduation. All across the country, high school and college students (and their families) are celebrating the end of their academic careers and awaiting what comes next. We call these Commencement Exercises. But, “a ceremony in which degrees or diplomas are conferred on graduating students” is only the second ... [continue reading]