
The second was a series of references I came across while
preparing a presentation to the American Association of Dental Consultants
recently. My subject was an explanation
of those skill sets that need to be developed for a Dental Director to be
effective in improving efficiencies in healthcare delivery. One that caught my attention was what has
happened recently to improve evaluation and delivery of needed services in
geographically underserved areas.


But aren’t preventive services cost saving in the long
run? In today’s world of “if you can’t measure it, it doesn’t count”,
the answer is essentially “No”.
It turns out that the savings come from a ten-year study
that tracked literally thousands of teeth that were intentionally filled with a
bonded composite material over active carious lesions. This is termed Interim Therapeutic
Restoration or sometimes Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART). The acceptance of the science and wisdom of
treating both primary and permanent teeth in this manner and following the
restored teeth over time to evaluate the need for further treatment allows
successful intervention for much larger populations.
As the dental codes for the 2015 Current Dental Terminology
are being discussed a code for this treatment is a strong contender and is
likely to be a reimbursable procedure.
I hope that Dr. Glassman is successful in spreading the word
of how his model allows for full control of the patient by the dentist and
limiting the need for patients in remote areas to travel for their needed treatment. Perhaps then we can move this “mid-level
provider” conversation from rhetoric to reason.
Having found my dental footing, I believe I’ll address another dental
issue in my next post: going to the dentist twice a year. Please join me as there is a recent study
that has the dental world buzzing.
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