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News Record
Review of recent events in dentistry
News Record
National ■ DENTAL RECORDS PROVIDED THE KEY FACTS IN IDENTIFYING the victim s of the May 25 crash of A m erican A irlines DC-10 Flig h t 191 after takeoff from O ’Hare International Airport. Dr. Low ell Levine, a dentist who serves as consultant to A m erican A irlines and also is a consultant to the New York City m edical exam in er’s office, said that about 90% of the bodies were identified solely w ith dental records. Although officials had identified 224 of the 273 people killed in the crash, forensic odontologists said they faced m ajor obstacles in identifying the victim s because of the severe con d i tions of the bodies. (6-25) ■ ADA PRESIDENT JOSEPH P. CAPPUCCIO TOLD A HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE that present M edicare law presents “ serious consequences for p atients” and “ seriously discrim inates against d en tists.” In testim ony before the health subcom m ittee of the Ways and M eans Com m ittee, Dr. C appuccio said that M edicare law— as interpreted by the Social Security A dm inistration— discrim inates betw een dentists and physicians in reim bursem ent policy and that “no logical reason exists to support this unfair treatm ent. ” (6-25) ■ AN ADA SUIT AGAINST THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION seeks release of docum ents that could shed light on w hether the C om m ission’s staff—w hile investigating the appropriateness of nondentists providing denture care d irectly to the public— is fully exploring the health risk to the public, particularly to the elderly. A ccording to the com plaint, the FTC is im properly w ithholding docum ents requested in January by the ADA under the Freedom of Inform ation Act. In com m enting on the suit, Dr. Cappuccio said that “the profession shares w ith the FTC a m utual concern that econom ical denture care services that are consistent w ith standards of good oral health care are w idely available to the A m erican consum er. T h a t’s why we believe the public has a right to know w hether the investigators gave proper w eight to health hazards that m ight be involved in nondentist d elivery.” (6-ii) ■ TWENTY-FOUR STATES DO NOT PROVIDE DENTURES TO ADULT recipients, w ith M ississippi becom ing the latest state to end denture care coverage under M edicaid. In an effort to save about $ 9 8 0 ,0 0 0 , the M ississippi M edicaid Com m ission decided to discontinue the denture program. The state M edicaid program has an estim ated $14 m illion deficit. The 26 states providing denture care for adults are C alifornia, C onnecticut, Hawaii, Illin ois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, M assachusetts, M ichigan, M innesota, M issouri, M ontana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New M exico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, O hio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, W ashington, and W isconsin. (6-25)
T he number in parentheses at the end of each item indicates the date of issue of the ADA NEWS in w hich more extensive coverage is presented. JADA, Vol. 99, August 1979 ■ 411
■ THE MORATORIUM FOR REGULATION OF SACCHARIN RECENTLY EXPIRED, and in the absence of Congress’s 18-m onth m oratorium , current law would require the Food and Drug A dm inistration to begin again the process to restrict saccharin. W hile the FDA waits for some indication of what Congress intends to do, expiration of the m oratorium has no im m ediate effect on the marketing of saccharin, and it continues to be available as a food ingredient and table-top sweetener. (6 -11 ) ■ THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF MODERN-DAY PREPAID DENTAL PLANS was celebrated recently by the dental profession and labor unions. On June 15, 1954, the International Longshorem en’s and W arehousem en’s U nion-P acific M aritim e A ssociation W elfare Fund approved a modest program w h ich seeded today’s dental prepaym ent industry em bracing 60 m illion beneficiaries. (6 -1 1 )
States ■ A VERMONT STATE DENTAL SOCIETY PILOT STUDY is being conducted to find ways to deliver and finance dental health care for special population groups. Speaking as part of an ADA-sponsored panel on “access to dental care,” at the 32nd National Conference on Rural Health in St. Paul, Mr. Peter Taylor, V SD S executive director, pointed out that the Verm ont study seeks to identify and reduce barriers preventing certain segm ents of society— prim arily, the elderly, the indigent, and those who are institutionalized or hom ebound— from obtaining dental care. He said the program has been organized into four phases to approach independent goals separately. (6 -1 1 ) ■ FLOODING IN JACKSON HEAVILY DAMAGED the M ississippi Dental A ssociation headquarters and about ten d entists’ offices, with damage to the MDA headquarters estim ated at $ 2 0,000. Before it m oved back into its offices recently, the MDA had been operating out of the hom e of Mrs. Carolyn Sim m ons, executive secretary. (6 -1 1 ) ■ DENTURISM BILLS HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED IN FLORIDA AND MAINE, bringing the total number of bills introduced this year to 22 in 16 states. Of those 22 b ills, 13 have “died” or have been defeated, and nine bills still are pending in six states. (6 -11 )
Association ■ AMONG CHALLENGES CONFRONTING THE PROFESSION are increasing the p u b lic’s awareness of the need for dental care, developing access programs to provide care to the disadvantaged, promoting water fluoridation, and working for the inclu sion of dentistry under M edicare Part B, ADA President Joseph P. C appuccio told the 30th Annual M anagem ent Conference m eeting in Chicago. He said that institutional advertising by dental societies may help promote dentistry to the A m erican people and get them into the dental office, and that the ADA Board of Trustees would be considering such an advertising effort this summer. ( 6 - 2 5 ) ■ THE AMERICAN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION WILL SUPPORT ADA EFFORTS for corporate m em bership on the Joint Com m ission on A ccreditation of Hospitals (JCAHJ. The decision by the AHA Board of Trustees cam e several weeks after a sim ilar vote by the A m erican M edical A ssociation board. Approvals by the AHA and AMA m ean that two of the JCAH’s four corporate members are now on record as supporting dental association m em bership. (6 -1 1 )
4 12 ■ JADA, Vol. 99, August 1979
News Record
National ■ DENTAL RECORDS PROVIDED THE KEY FACTS IN IDENTIFYING the victim s of the May 25 crash of A m erican A irlines DC-10 Flig h t 191 after takeoff from O ’Hare International Airport. Dr. Low ell Levine, a dentist who serves as consultant to A m erican A irlines and also is a consultant to the New York City m edical exam in er’s office, said that about 90% of the bodies were identified solely w ith dental records. Although officials had identified 224 of the 273 people killed in the crash, forensic odontologists said they faced m ajor obstacles in identifying the victim s because of the severe con d i tions of the bodies. (6-25) ■ ADA PRESIDENT JOSEPH P. CAPPUCCIO TOLD A HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE that present M edicare law presents “ serious consequences for p atients” and “ seriously discrim inates against d en tists.” In testim ony before the health subcom m ittee of the Ways and M eans Com m ittee, Dr. C appuccio said that M edicare law— as interpreted by the Social Security A dm inistration— discrim inates betw een dentists and physicians in reim bursem ent policy and that “no logical reason exists to support this unfair treatm ent. ” (6-25) ■ AN ADA SUIT AGAINST THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION seeks release of docum ents that could shed light on w hether the C om m ission’s staff—w hile investigating the appropriateness of nondentists providing denture care d irectly to the public— is fully exploring the health risk to the public, particularly to the elderly. A ccording to the com plaint, the FTC is im properly w ithholding docum ents requested in January by the ADA under the Freedom of Inform ation Act. In com m enting on the suit, Dr. Cappuccio said that “the profession shares w ith the FTC a m utual concern that econom ical denture care services that are consistent w ith standards of good oral health care are w idely available to the A m erican consum er. T h a t’s why we believe the public has a right to know w hether the investigators gave proper w eight to health hazards that m ight be involved in nondentist d elivery.” (6-ii) ■ TWENTY-FOUR STATES DO NOT PROVIDE DENTURES TO ADULT recipients, w ith M ississippi becom ing the latest state to end denture care coverage under M edicaid. In an effort to save about $ 9 8 0 ,0 0 0 , the M ississippi M edicaid Com m ission decided to discontinue the denture program. The state M edicaid program has an estim ated $14 m illion deficit. The 26 states providing denture care for adults are C alifornia, C onnecticut, Hawaii, Illin ois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, M assachusetts, M ichigan, M innesota, M issouri, M ontana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New M exico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, O hio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, W ashington, and W isconsin. (6-25)
T he number in parentheses at the end of each item indicates the date of issue of the ADA NEWS in w hich more extensive coverage is presented. JADA, Vol. 99, August 1979 ■ 411
■ THE MORATORIUM FOR REGULATION OF SACCHARIN RECENTLY EXPIRED, and in the absence of Congress’s 18-m onth m oratorium , current law would require the Food and Drug A dm inistration to begin again the process to restrict saccharin. W hile the FDA waits for some indication of what Congress intends to do, expiration of the m oratorium has no im m ediate effect on the marketing of saccharin, and it continues to be available as a food ingredient and table-top sweetener. (6 -11 ) ■ THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF MODERN-DAY PREPAID DENTAL PLANS was celebrated recently by the dental profession and labor unions. On June 15, 1954, the International Longshorem en’s and W arehousem en’s U nion-P acific M aritim e A ssociation W elfare Fund approved a modest program w h ich seeded today’s dental prepaym ent industry em bracing 60 m illion beneficiaries. (6 -1 1 )
States ■ A VERMONT STATE DENTAL SOCIETY PILOT STUDY is being conducted to find ways to deliver and finance dental health care for special population groups. Speaking as part of an ADA-sponsored panel on “access to dental care,” at the 32nd National Conference on Rural Health in St. Paul, Mr. Peter Taylor, V SD S executive director, pointed out that the Verm ont study seeks to identify and reduce barriers preventing certain segm ents of society— prim arily, the elderly, the indigent, and those who are institutionalized or hom ebound— from obtaining dental care. He said the program has been organized into four phases to approach independent goals separately. (6 -1 1 ) ■ FLOODING IN JACKSON HEAVILY DAMAGED the M ississippi Dental A ssociation headquarters and about ten d entists’ offices, with damage to the MDA headquarters estim ated at $ 2 0,000. Before it m oved back into its offices recently, the MDA had been operating out of the hom e of Mrs. Carolyn Sim m ons, executive secretary. (6 -1 1 ) ■ DENTURISM BILLS HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED IN FLORIDA AND MAINE, bringing the total number of bills introduced this year to 22 in 16 states. Of those 22 b ills, 13 have “died” or have been defeated, and nine bills still are pending in six states. (6 -11 )
Association ■ AMONG CHALLENGES CONFRONTING THE PROFESSION are increasing the p u b lic’s awareness of the need for dental care, developing access programs to provide care to the disadvantaged, promoting water fluoridation, and working for the inclu sion of dentistry under M edicare Part B, ADA President Joseph P. C appuccio told the 30th Annual M anagem ent Conference m eeting in Chicago. He said that institutional advertising by dental societies may help promote dentistry to the A m erican people and get them into the dental office, and that the ADA Board of Trustees would be considering such an advertising effort this summer. ( 6 - 2 5 ) ■ THE AMERICAN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION WILL SUPPORT ADA EFFORTS for corporate m em bership on the Joint Com m ission on A ccreditation of Hospitals (JCAHJ. The decision by the AHA Board of Trustees cam e several weeks after a sim ilar vote by the A m erican M edical A ssociation board. Approvals by the AHA and AMA m ean that two of the JCAH’s four corporate members are now on record as supporting dental association m em bership. (6 -1 1 )
4 12 ■ JADA, Vol. 99, August 1979