DHAT amendment withdrawn in Senate

Washington—Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) withdrew an amendment to extend the Alaska dental health therapist model to other states as the Senate Indian Affairs Committee took testimony from the American Dental Association and other witnesses on "expanding dental health care in Indian country." Go to full story.

ADA, ADAF join with AAP to train pediatricians as oral health advocates

Elk Grove Village, Ill.—In an effort to decrease childhood caries, the ADA, ADA Foundation and American Academy of Pediatrics once again teamed up for oral health advocate training for pediatricians. Go to full story.

Florida dental groups support Medicaid lawsuit

Miami—Children's access to dental care and Medicaid reimbursement issues went to trial Dec. 7 in U.S. District Court here. The Florida Academy of Pediatric Dentists, with Florida Dental Association support, the Florida Pediatric Society and a group of parents/guardians on behalf of their children sued the state over Medicaid issues dividing the federal judiciary and attracting media attention, issues at play as well in the national health care reform debate. Go to full story.

ViewPoint
Yet another ADA salute

During the American Dental Association sesquicentennial celebrations in Hawaii, the Association's delegates were responsible for electing officers who would guide the organization's destiny during the upcoming year. Dr. Ronald Tankersley (Newport News, Va.) is the new ADA president, and for ADA president-elect, delegates chose Dr. Raymond F. Gist (Flint, Mich.). Go to full editorial.

Association presses Medicaid, access issues in Senate health reform debate

Washington—The Association offered dental Medicaid and other "suggestions, support and concerns" as Senate leaders prepared for historic health care reform debate. The Association has not endorsed any of the health care reform bills in the House of Representatives or Senate but has advocated for an oral health agenda as Congress debates health policy. Go to full story.

ADA launches Community Dental Health Coordinator Pilot Program at Temple University

Philadelphia—The ADA has signed an agreement that makes Temple University the urban pilot program training site for the Community Dental Health Coordinator. Temple will recruit and train CDHCs from urban locations in Philadelphia over the next two years, returning them to their communities to work as dental team members under the remote supervision of dentists. Go to full story.

Donors step up to fund ADA Foundation scholarships

For 15 years the ADA Foundation has provided scholarships to second-year dental students. Then the recession came last year and the ADA Foundation faced a loss of assets value and the possibility that some grant programs might have to be temporarily suspended, including the 2009 scholarship program. Go to full story.

ADA seeks FDA classification of whitening agents

Rockville, Md.—The ADA has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to review and classify chemically-based tooth whitening agents. Concerned that the application of unregulated dental products administered by unlicensed technicians or nonprofessionals may be harmful to consumers, the Association urged the FDA to "establish an appropriate regulatory classification for tooth whitening preparations that act by chemical means" to lighten tooth color. Go to full story.

ADA/NADP share views on a single claim form

Paper processing issues are among the most frequent claims problems the dental benefits industry reports to the ADA Council on Dental Benefit Programs. Go to full story.

Dental Quality Alliance: ADA leads on quality measures

As part of an ongoing Dental Quality Alliance effort that will develop programmatic performance measures to assess oral health care quality for Medicaid patients, the first meeting of the DQA steering committee convened at ADA Headquarters in Chicago Dec. 3 and 4. Go to full story.

Student team presents winning table clinic
ADA's revamped Education Exchange Competition debuts in Honolulu

Honolulu—Two fourth-year dental students from the University of Texas Health Science Center-San Antonio Dental School were the winners of the ADA's Education Exchange Competition at annual session Oct. 3. Go to full story.

House resolutions address CDEL matters

Honolulu—In addition to House of Delegates actions on dental education and related matters reported in the Nov. 2 and Nov. 16 issues of the ADA News, the House addressed two other issues affecting the Council on Dental Education and Licensure. Go to full story.