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Publisher & Chairman Torsten Oemus t.oemus@dental-tribune.com Vice President Global Sales Peter Witteczek p.witteczek@dental-tribune.com Chief Operating Officer Eric Seid e.seid@dental-tribune.com Group Editor & Designer Robin Goodman r.goodman@dental-tribune.com Editor in Chief Dental Tribune Dr. David L. Hoexter d.hoexter@dental-tribune.com Managing Editor/Designer Implant Tribune & Endo Tribune Sierra Rendon s.rendon@dental-tribune.com Managing Editor/Designer Ortho Tribune & Show Dailies Kristine Colker k.colker@dental-tribune.com Online Editor Fred Michmershuizen f.michmershuizen@dental-tribune.com Product & Account Manager Mark Eisen m.eisen@dental-tribune.com Marketing Manager Anna Wlodarczyk a.wlodarczyk@dental-tribune.com Sales & Marketing Assistant Lorrie Young l.young@dental-tribune.com C.E. Manager Julia E. Wehkamp j.wehkamp@dental-tribune.com Dental Tribune America, LLC 213 West 35th Street, Suite 801 New York, NY 10001 Tel.: (212) 244-7181 Fax: (212) 244-7185 Published by Dental Tribune America © 2010 Dental Tribune America, LLC All rights reserved. Dental Tribune strives to maintain the utmost accuracy in its news and clini- cal reports. If you find a factual error or content that requires clarification, please contact Group Editor Robin Goodman at r.goodman@dental-tribune.com. Dental Tribune cannot assume respon- sibility for the validity of product claims or for typographical errors. The pub- lisher also does not assume responsibility for product names or statements made by advertisers. Opinions expressed by authors are their own and may not reflect those of Dental Tribune America. Dr. Joel Berg Dr. L. Stephen Buchanan Dr. Arnaldo Castellucci Dr. Gorden Christensen Dr. Rella Christensen Dr. William Dickerson Hugh Doherty Dr. James Doundoulakis Dr. David Garber Dr. Fay Goldstep Dr. Howard Glazer Dr. Harold Heymann Dr. Karl Leinfelder Dr. Roger Levin Dr. Carl E. Misch Dr. Dan Nathanson Dr. Chester Redhead Dr. Irwin Smigel Dr. Jon Suzuki Dr. Dennis Tartakow Dr. Dan Ward Editorial Board DENTAL TRIBUNE The World’s Dental Newspaper · US Edition Dental infomatics? (Photo/FloridaState University) f DT page 1A, ‘Health care …’ connective tissue structure that binds and supports all other tis- sues. It can be also found in protein bubbles that help to form enamel. In the study, the researchers compared the number of proline repeats in amphibian and mam- mal models, such as mice, cows and frogs, and discovered that when the repeats are short, teeth lack the enamel prisms that are responsible for the strength of human enamel. In contrast, when the proline repeats are long, they contract groups of molecules that help enamel crystals grow. According to the researchers, the findings could aid other impor- tant areas of scientific research in addition to dentistry, including the treatment of neurodegenera- tive diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease or Creutzfeldt-Jakob dis- ease. DT dollars during the next 10 years, but not spend a dime on improving access to Medicaid dental services for those most in need, somebody has to raise an objection. If we didn’t do that now, how could we expect lawmakers to take our concerns seriously in the future? That was the basis for our decision. You have also rejected the idea of workforce pilot programs; can you tell us why? The ADA’s opposition to the alter- native dental models pilot program was limited and based upon our long-held belief that certain surgi- cal procedures must be performed only by licensed dentists. What effects do you think the reform will have on the dental profession itself? Although the ADA could not sup- port the final legislation, we did recognize that it contained many worthwhile provisions pertaining to oral health. These included increased fund- ing for public health infrastruc- ture including Centers for Disease Control and prevention programs, additional funding for school-based health center facilities and feder- ally qualified health centers. We also recognized increased Title VII grant program opportuni- ties for general, pediatric or pub- lic health dentists and funding for the National Health Services Corps. loan repayment programs. These provisions, which the ADA supported and lobbied for, will have a measurable beneficial effect on dentistry and dental patients. In your opinion, what should be changed in the reform bill to make it feasible for dentists and move patient care forward? When it comes to improving access to oral health care, our message remains: Fund Medicaid, the Chil- dren’s Health Insurance Program and other dental public health pro- grams properly. These programs are only capa- ble of fulfilling their roles if they receive adequate funding. Many states spend less than 0.5 percent of their Medicaid dollars on dental care — an astonishingly low rate, considering the importance of oral health to overall health. Further, poor dental reimburse- ment rates paid to dentists mean that many of them can’t participate in Medicaid, which is one of the reasons many states fail to provide oral health care for even half of their eligible children. The federal government can and must do more to ensure states are able to come up with their share of these benefits. Republicans and other inter- est groups have announced to further oppose the reform bill. Where will you position yourself once the law has become effec- tive? The ADA will continue to lobby for improvements to Medicaid dental benefits and will be watching close- ly as federal agencies implement provisions of the law. We want to ensure that the pro- visions we support are carried out correctly and will work to change the provisions we oppose. DT Tell us what you think! Do you have general comments or criticism you would like to share? Is there a particular topic you would like to see more articles about? Let us know by e-mailing us at feedback@dental-tribune.com. If you would like to make any change to your subscription (name, address or to opt out) please send us an e-mail at database@dental-tribune.com and be sure to include which publication you are referring to. Also, please note that subscription changes can take up to 6 weeks to process. News DENTAL TRIBUNE | April 20102A AD ‘certain surgical procedures must be performed only by licensed dentists’ f DT page 1A, ‘Breakthrough …’ Repeated simple amino acids, or prolines (shown above), are responsible for making teeth stronger and more resistant. Dental informatics is about acquiring, managing and dis- playing information in order to support dental practice, research and education. Informatics attempts to answer the question of how we can use information in order to deliver better patient care; be more successful in understanding health and disease through research; and educate students, prac- titioners and patients more effectively and efficiently. Through the end of April, the Center for Dental Infor- matics, School of Dental Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh is currently recruiting for their training program in dental infomat- ics (MS, PhD, postdoc). Find more details at di.dental.pitt. edu/cdipr102309.php. Interested in dental info- matics? Join the worldwide dental infomatics community at www.dentalinformatics. org for free! DT