Dental benefits would become effective immediately for children of new subscribers or subscribers who change plans in Maine under a state bill. Dental plans would be barred from imposing a waiting period on children, but waiting periods for adults would be allowed, and orthodontic care would be excluded from the law.

A bill passed by the Ohio House would require that mobile dental clinics and the dentists who run them be registered with the state dental board and make patient records available through a state database. Medicaid beneficiaries are among those who have been unable to retrieve their dental records from mobile clinics and have been unable to file claims, says Rep. Scott Lipps, R-Miamisburg, who co-sponsored the bill.

The latest figures from the CMS show that nearly 2.4 million people selected Affordable Care Act plans through the federal exchange in the first four weeks of open enrollment this year, down about 2% from the same period last year. The number of people who chose ACA plans in the fourth week reached 703,556, compared with 500,437 the year before, helping narrow the year-over-year gap in enrollment.

No pediatric dentists in Kootenai County, Idaho, are accepting new Medicaid patients, but some in neighboring Spokane, Wash., do take new Medicaid patients and accept Idaho Medicaid. Idaho is expanding its Medicaid program, potentially opening access to care for 91,000 residents, and Your Health Idaho administrators believe an estimated 18,000 people enrolled in exchange plans will be eligible for Medicaid coverage in January.

Oral surgeon Joseph Best says he was dismayed to learn that a teenage patient to whom he had prescribed an opioid later overdosed on heroin, and he now works to educate dentists and oral surgeons on opioid risks and non-addictive alternatives. Studies showing that adolescents are the most susceptible to opioid addiction have changed the way Best teaches pain control, he says.

Dentifrice makers began adding mint oils to their products early in the twentieth century, and toothpaste now contains a combination of flavorings to cover the taste of fluoride, tetra-sodium pyrophosphate and other compounds. Flavorists precisely blend ingredients and must be familiar with the different flavors of mint, which vary by plant type and growing region.

Treatments for oral cancer change the patient's saliva and sense of taste, demineralize teeth, cause pain and may be toxic, and the effects can persist after treatment ends. Dentists should thoroughly examine the mouths of patients undergoing oral cancer treatment, be aware of subtle abnormalities, and consider prescribing fluoride treatments, chlorhexidine rinses and photobiomodulation therapy, dentists Joel Epstein and Mark Lingen said at the World Dental Congress.

A study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, based on data from 161,286 individuals, found that people who brushed their teeth at least three times each day had a lower risk for heart failure and atrial fibrillation. The researchers said more study is needed.

What are professionally administered membership plans and how are DSOs utilizing them to better service and retain patients? Find answers to this question and more with the Dec. 12 NADP Webinar, "DSO Membership Plans - an Emerging Industry Trend," presented by Membersy CEO Eric Johnson and In-House Counsel Seth Bills. Visit the NADP Knowledge Center for more information and registration.

Have an idea for a great NADP educational presentation? Are there subjects you'd like to see covered by NADP? Select Submit A Topic in the "Events" section of NADP.org to propose your idea. The NADP Education Commission reviews these submissions to develop content for the coming year.