Category: News

ODA Vice President Dr. Sharon Parsons with her son Sean Herman who died from an overdose in 2016. More than 170 people die each day from drug addiction in the United States. One of those is Sean Herman, the son of Ohio Dental Association Vice President Dr. Sharon Parsons. He died from an overdose in 2016. Since then, Parsons has ... [continue reading]

Ohio Gov. John Kasich recently announced new proposed regulations for prescription opiates for the treatment of long-term pain (lasting 12 weeks or more) and sub-acute pain (lasting between six and 12 weeks). According to the proposed regulations, only dentists with specific training and those treating long-term conditions such as chronic ... [continue reading]

When Dr. David Kimberly, an oral surgeon in Akron, heard about the overdose of ODA Vice President Dr. Sharon Parsons’ son, it affected him personally. “It was a slap in my face when I saw that a young person who is a family member of someone I care about was injured as a direct result of the types of medications that I am responsible ... [continue reading]

House Bill 367 - legislation that would prohibit dental insurance companies from setting fees for services that they do not cover - has passed the House Insurance Committee with a 7-4 vote! The legislation now goes to the full house for consideration. House Bill 367 was introduced in the Ohio House by Rep. Anthony DeVitis along with 11 ... [continue reading]

Tobacco cessation can be a difficult topic to discuss with patients. But as health care providers, dentists and dental team members can be at the front line of helping patients quit smoking and improving their oral health and overall health, according to tobacco cessation experts. “We know as health care providers, not just as dentists, that ... [continue reading]

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]

This year's ODA Annual Session will feature an event to help dentists, dental residents and dental students who are looking for a job match up with dentists who are preparing for a practice transition or looking to expand their practice. MATCH @ ODA Annual Session is a free event hosted by the ODA Subcouncil on New Dentists and will take place ... [continue reading]

Dentists should be aware that sending emails that are not encrypted and include a patient’s protected health information may be a violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Regular emails are an insecure way of sharing information, and complex tools allow hackers to easily intercept unencrypted emails. ... [continue reading]

The Ohio State University College of Dentistry is launching a new program with the incoming freshman class this fall to help improve access to dental care in Ohio. Through the Commitment to Access, Resources and Education (CARE) program, the college has committed to recruiting dental students from federally-designated dental health professional ... [continue reading]