Doctors

Five Benefits of a regular dental visit

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There’s nothing better in this world than a healthy body, yet many people overlook medical checkups which are important. There are many medical checkups which an individual must undergo every year, and a dental checkup is one of them. Teeth are a prominent part of the face and have a direct impact on the personality of an individual. There are many benefits of a regular dental checkup, however in this article you will be guided through some of them. In most countries, doctors recommend patients visit a dentist at least once every 6 months. Some benefits of a regular dental visit are: 1.      Early detection of problems Most people are unaware of their dental problems for a long time. A regular visit to the dentist can help a person getting to know about any chronic issues present. The doctor will … Read more

Quality Data Registry in Dentistry

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Recently on this site there was a discussion of using an outcomes data registry for dentistry to help assess surgical outcomes, complications, and possible gaps in treatment.  The goal with such a data registry is to better monitor what is going on in clinical practice to help improve the quality of care that patients receive. Such efforts have been limited in dentistry although present in other aspects of healthcare for many years. According to the “Quality Measurement in Dentistry A Guidebook” produced by the Dental Quality Alliance in June 2019, retrospective claims data are the only data currently collected in dentistry. In an article titled “Swedish Quality Registry for Caries and Periodontal Diseases – a framework for quality development in dentistry,” by Bultzingslowen et al. appearing in the International Dental Journal in 2019, the authors discuss an automatic data retrieval … Read more

5 Tips to Maximize Your Dental Insurance Coverage

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While it is a somewhat common fear for people, going to the dentist is one of the most important things you can do for your health and well-being. Not getting your teeth cleaned and checked up on frequently can lead to plenty of unsightly, harmful and painful symptoms or issues. Unfortunately, many Americans see a dentist much less frequently than they would like. A big reason for this is cost. Paying for dental visits out of pocket can be expensive. As a result, most people will have some type of dental insurance coverage to save them money on these important visits.  However, simply having coverage isn’t always good enough. In order to truly get the most out of your plan, you need to be sure to maximize your coverage. If you are curious about how you can go about doing … Read more

Outcomes Data Registry for Dentistry

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Using large amounts of data from many different dentists or surgeons is a way to improve the quality of healthcare. From such clinical data registries in healthcare many things can be gleaned regarding information about individual surgeries or medical devices. The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) has recently launched OMS Quality Outcomes Registry or OMSQOR for short which is discussed on pages 7-12 of the March/April 2019 issue of AAOMS Today. The groundwork for OMSQOR actually began in 2014 and OMSQOR officially launched in January 2019. The way OMSQOR works is that treatment data from all members who participate will be collected in a national registry that will be used to help improve the quality of care and patient outcomes. Such quality data will allow for tracking surgical outcomes, complications, and possible gaps in treatment. OMSQOR will … Read more

Difference between Cosmetic Surgeon and Plastic Surgeon for Facial Procedures

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Many patients are interested in having procedures done to improve the functional and aesthetic aspects of the face. However many may not know that there is a difference between a cosmetic surgeon and a plastic surgeon. Nowadays many practitioners from plastic surgery backgrounds and non–plastic surgery backgrounds alike are offering cosmetic services to patients. In a 2013 study only 8 of the 96 study participants were aware that any physician with a medical degree was legally qualified to perform cosmetic surgery. This study was conducted in an article titled “Factors Influencing Patient Interest in Plastic Surgery and the Process of Selecting a Surgeon” written by Galanis et al. appearing in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal (vol. 33, no. 4, May 2013, pp. 585–590). Therefore many surgeons that perform cosmetic surgery may be board certified but not by the American Board of … Read more