Jared Kaltwasser

The American Dental Association this week said it will launch a new centralized web portal to allow payers to obtain complete provider information from a single source.

The new dental provider credentialing database will mean dentists no longer have to respond individually to each payer request for such information. Instead, they’ll soon be able to log into a secure web portal on ADA’s website.

“Through conversations with our dentist members, the ADA determined that responding to multiple requests for the same credentialing information from different dental payers is a time-consuming and costly administrative burden that takes away from time spent on patient care,” said ADA Executive Director Kathleen O’Loughlin, DMD, MPH, in a press release. “Building a centralized, comprehensive database as we are executing solves that issue.”

The database is a partnership with Wonderbox Technologies, part of Skygen USA. O’Loughlin said Wonderbox was chosen for its technology and its long history working with both the provider and payer sides of the dental industry.

Once the database is operational, it will be free to ADA members. Dentists who are not ADA members can also use the service for free, however they will have to pay a fee for the data verification service. Payers will use a separate ADA portal to access the information as raw or verified files for a “nominal fee,” the ADA said.

The securely designed database will be maintained by Wonderbox on ADA’s behalf and will interface directly with the ADA’s website. The data input form will be comprehensive and include all the requirements of each state, guaranteeing that any payer will be able to obtain complete and provider information instantly.

“No dentist gets into the profession with the desire to get bogged down in administrative paperwork,” said Craig Kasten, board chairman and founder of Skygen USA, in the press release. “…Our whole business is focused on solving problems for providers and payers in all areas of healthcare, and with our long legacy of work in the dental industry we thought it was an important solution to be shared with everyone.”

The new database will initially launch this month as a pilot program in three states — New Jersey, Nevada, and Kansas. The full 50-state rollout is expected to be completed later in the summer.

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A new initiative by the American Dental Association aims to cut down on the amount of time dentists spend providing credentialing information to payers.

ADA to Launch Centralized Dental Provider Credentialing Site

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The DMD Top 5 for the Week Ending May 27

Convergent Dental Inc. has unveiled new software for its all-tissue dental laser that allows dentists to cut any tissue without changing settings.

The software enhances Convergent’s Solea anesthesia-free and blood-free laser. Dentists who use “Solea 3.0,” as the software is dubbed, can use a single setting for any tissue type, and control the laser with a variable speed foot pedal. For soft tissue, press more softly on the foot pedal; for tougher tissue, press more firmly on the pedal.

The manufacturer says the software works for tooth structure, bone and soft tissue.

The software was unveiled at the California Dental Association’s Anaheim meeting earlier this month.

“Solea 3.0 is like a care with automatic transmission — you simply turn it on, step on the pedal and go,” said Michael Cataldo, CEO of Convergent Dental.

Cataldo said the new system cuts 2.5 times faster and 5 times more smoothly than the previous software version.

The software update is being delivered wireless to Solea customers as part of its service plan.

Solea is the only computer-aided, CO2 laser system cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration for all tissue indications. Convergent said its tool can be a powerful growth driver for dentists, allowing dentists to perform more procedures in-house rather than referring those patients outside the practice.

A new software update for the Solea laser system will allow dentists to cut any tissue using a single setting.

Convergent Unveils Single-Setting Laser

Nearly 8% of patients lose at least one implant within 10 years, according to a new study from the University of Gothenburg, in Sweden.

The study looked at a portion of the 30,000 Swedes who receive dental implants each year. Sweden has one of the highest rates of dental implants per capita in the world.

The good news is that of the 4,716 randomly selected patients who were given an initial satisfaction survey, overall satisfaction was quite high, according to Jan Derks, a researcher at Sahlgrenska Academy.

However, when researchers examined 596 patients nine years following their implants, they found a relatively high rate of complications: 7.6% of patients had lost at least one implant, Derks said, and 14.5% had developed peri-implantitis pronounced bone loss. Patients who had periodontitis were at a higher risk of severe peri-implantitis. Patients with periodontitis and those who smoked had high risks of early implant loss, the study found.

Derks said the study shows it’s important for dentists to take a proactive approach to prevent complications from implants.

“Peri-implantitis appears to develop within a few years and then progresses quickly at an accelerating pace,” he said.

According to the American Academy of Implant Dentistry

, some 3 million Americans have dental implants, a number increasing by about 500,000 per year. However, the academy also reports that 30 million Americans are missing all of their teeth on one or both jaw bones. They say the US dental implant and prosthetic market could reach $6.4 billion by 2018.

A Swedish study finds that approximately 1 in 12 patients who receives a dental implant will lose at least one implant within 10 years. It also finds relatively high rates of peri-implantitis.

Nearly 8% of Patients Lose At Least One Implant Within a Decade

Scientists may have found a new way to treat severe cases of periodontitis.

 a journal of the American Chemical Society, found that silicon nitride can have a lethal effect on the bacteria that commonly cause periodontitis.

Silicon nitride is a ceramic material used in spinal implants.

The study was conducted by researchers at the Kyoto Institute of Technology in Japan. According to the ACS, the study showed that the ceramic material changes the metabolism of Porphyromonas gigivalis, the bacteria that’s primarily responsible for periodontitis.

Surface chemical reactions at the surface caused the bacteria’s nucleic acids to degrade, drastically reducing the amounts of certain proteins and fats, the ACA said. Though it’s not yet known how the insights can be applied directly to dentistry, some speculate that the incorporation of silicon nitride into prosthetics might limit subsequent cases of periodontitis. The researchers say their study makes clear that silicon nitride holds promise as a treatment aid for patients with severe gum disease.

That could be a huge deal for the nation’s oral health. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 

that half of Americans age 30 and older have periodontitis

, amounting to roughly 65 million people. 

A recent study found that a ceramic material used in spinal implants can kill the bacteria that cause periodontitis.

Study Suggests Bioceramics Could Fight Periodontitis

“Everyone gets a car for graduation, Mom and Dad! 

If you’ve been hearing that claim from your soon-to-be graduate, you can now offer a scientifically backed retort.

In fact, only about one-third (34%) of teens expect to get a car, truck, or money toward a vehicle as a graduation present, according to a new survey of teens from Junior Achievement USA and American Honda Finance Corp. (AHFC).

Of course, dentists may be in a better position than most when it comes to shelling out the money needed to buy their teen a car. But sticker price is only one portion of the cost of getting a car.

As for ongoing maintenance costs? The survey also found most teens are clueless.

AAA estimates that on average, Americans pay $725 per month in car loan payments, fuel, insurance, and maintenance. Not surprisingly, Junior Achievement and AHFC found most teens were blissfully unaware of that hard truth.

Only 14% of the 1,000 teens surveyed correctly identified the cost of ownership in the survey, despite the fact that 54% said they have spoken to their parents about the cost of owning a car.

“Most young drivers really don’t understand the ongoing costs of vehicle ownership, and this can result in decisions that have future financial implications,” said Jack Kosakowski, president and CEO of Junior Achievement USA. “It’s important that parents have these conversations with their teens so that they can avoid putting their credit in harm’s way.”

Of course, whether or not it’s a good idea to buy a teen a car 

. Some parents prefer to encourage their children to save up to buy their own car, on the theory that it will make the teenager more financially independent. Others are more concerned with ensuring their child has a safe and reliable mode of transportation, which many interpret as a new or gently used car.

If you’re considering buying a car for your teen, Junior Achievement and AHFC have set up a website intended to educate teens about the costs of having a car. It’s available at 

A new study asked teenagers about the costs of owning and maintaining a car. The researchers found teens have a lot to learn.

Study: Teens Clueless About Costs of Car Ownership

Planning to sell your home? You may want to do so before the November election.

, the real estate listing and research site, says the election could have a major impact on the housing market. Their finding is based on a survey of more than 100 economists.

If presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump wins the presidency, the economists expect a downturn in the housing market, as well as the overall economy. If leading Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton wins, the economists believe housing prices will rise, though the overall economic impact will be neutral.

“As the presidential election nears, candidates’ individual plans for the economy are increasingly under scrutiny,” said Svenja Gudell, PhD, Zillow’s chief economist. “Many of the candidates’ proposals sound appealing to voters, but a closer look through the panelists’ economic lens reveals the potential impact of those proposed policies on our economy.”

Gudell said the economists surveyed tended to favor candidates with more centrist approaches. Economists were asked to predict whether a given candidate’s election would have a positive, neutral, or negative impact on three economic factors: home values, housing finance reform, and overall economic outlook.

The survey was conducted in late April and early May, prior to the winnowing of the GOP field, so the survey questions also included former Republican contenders Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. John Kasich, as well as Democratic candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Kasich was the only one of the five candidates whose election was expected to have positive impacts in all three areas. Trump, Cruz, and Sanders were expected to have negative impacts in all three categories.

Regardless of who wins, the survey panel voiced underlying concerns about the strength of the housing market and overall economy. Half of the respondents cited low inventory as the chief cause of recent increases in housing prices, rather than wage growth or low mortgage interest rates. Zillow also reported that nearly two-thirds of those surveyed disagreed with the Fed’s recent decisions to keep interest rates near historic lows.

The survey was sponsored by Zillow and carried out by Pulsenomics LLC, an independent research and consulting firm.

Pulsenomics Founder Terry Loebs said overall the experts expect home values to trend slightly downward in the longer-term.

“After adjusting for expected inflation, the expert panel’s forecast for national home value appreciation averages 1.7% annually through 2020,” Loebs said.

That’s about half the rate experienced since the economic recovery started in 2012, Zillow noted. However, Loebs pointed out that 1.7% annual growth would still outpace the “relatively normal” period prior to the pre-recession bubble. During that pre-recession period, home values lagged behind the rate of inflation.

If Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders wins the presidency, economists say housing prices could be headed in a negative direction.

Economists Say Presidential Election Could Have Big Impact on Home Prices

Unless you live in Hawaii, Alaska, or South Carolina, you and your fellow residents have got some catching up to do when it comes to retirement savings.

, which compared the finances of seniors to those of working-age adults to determine whether the average senior in a given state has enough money in retirement to continue living the kind of lifestyle they had during their working years.

The study is based on the premise that retirees need at least 70% of the income they made when they worked in order to live a comfortable retirement. So, a dentist who earns $200,000 per year during the final stretch of her working life ought to have the equivalent of $140,000 per year in retirement savings, Social Security, and other income upon retirement.

Bankrate used US Census data to look at the median annual earnings of working-age adults versus the median earnings of retirement-aged individuals. In 47 of the 50 states, seniors were making less than 70% of what working-age adults were, a good indication that the state’s average resident didn’t save enough for retirement.

Only in Hawaii, Alaska, and South Carolina did seniors meet the 70% benchmark, on average. Nationally, seniors were earning about 60% of what the overall working adult earned, well below the benchmark.

However, the states at the bottom of the list were well below the national average. Seniors in Massachusetts and North Dakota replaced less than half what they earned during their working years. Four more states — New Hampshire, Connecticut, Minnesota, and New Jersey – had a median senior income at less than 55% of the median worker income.

The data in the Bankrate report may be a contributing factor to a trend noticed by researchers at the Employee Benefit Research Institute, which 

last month announced study results finding

 fewer retirees report being satisfied with their retirement lives.

Fewer than half of Americans (48.6%) said they found retirement to be “very satisfying” in 2012, down from 60.5% in 2008. Meanwhile, a similarly sized increase was reported in those who said they were merely “somewhat satisfied” in retirement.

A new study from Bankrate looked at how much seniors are living on versus how much working-age adults earn. The data suggest most Americans will face financial hurdles in retirement.

47 of 50 States Have a Major Retirement Problem, Study Finds

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