*CDT Codes: 2016 updates for the Code on Dental
Procedures and Nomenclature (CDT) numbered 19 additions, 12 deletions, and
eight deletions. The Code Maintenance
Committee (CMC) comprised of 21 voting members operates under the auspices of
the American Dental Association which schedules and chairs the annual update
meetings.
The CMC operates in a transparent manner in an open
annual meeting attended by Committee members plus a number of observers. There is full discussion and debate before
the vote on each suggested code change.
This year’s CMC met in March at ADA headquarters in Chicago, IL to
examine and vote on 74 proposals for modification, inclusion, or deletion of
specific codes.
Until November 1, 2015, the CMC is taking proposals for
inclusion in CDT 2017. To suggest an
additional code, a modification to an existing code, or the deletion of an
existing code, visit ADA.org/publication/cdt.
*Serve Edentulous
Patients: About 38 million people in
the U.S. are fully edentulous or edentulous in one arch according to
professional studies. The aging
population plus growth in population forecasts a significant increase in this
number in the next five to ten years. Is
your practice prepared to deliver prosthodontic treatment whether
implant-supported or conventional? If
not, have you decided on the method of referral to a specialist or thought
about ways these services can become part of the treatment mix in your
practice?
*What is a
CDHC? Would such a role help your
practice?: 35 years ago I began
working in a dental office to develop a program for which the dentist had no
name. He could only describe what he
wanted---an advocate for patients, a staff member who would educate patients
about the prevention of dental disease, the necessity of regular oral
examinations, the value of completing diagnosed treatment, and the vital
connection between oral health and total body health. We decided on the term “Dental Health Educator”
to describe my role. As the word spread,
we began receiving community-wide requests for educational sessions in schools,
civic group, patents’ organizations, other health care facilities, businesses, industries,
and so on. We also received many
inquiries from other dental offices around the country about how they too could
add such a staff role. The effects of
offering an oral health education program were surprising and rewarding, a
unique opportunity to serve our community through health education and also an unexpected
and unparalleled marketing tool for our dental practice.
Imagine my delight when I recently read about a new
position that has been developed to serve Native American and Alaska Native
communities, the role of Community Dental Health Coordinator
(CDHC). The pilot project
combines efforts of the ADA working with the Navajo Nation to “recruit Nation
members to train as CDHCs.” Currently,
there are 11 American Indian CDHCs providing services in 17 Native American
communities across the country. Further,
the curriculum to train CDHCs is being adopted by community colleges
nationwide. Community-wide educational
efforts by CDHCs are similar in practice and in purpose to the Dental Health
Educator role I filled and highly valued so for many years.
The CDHC program operates under the auspices of the
Indian Health Service (IHS), a federal agency.
Continued funding for the CDHC program will come through budgetary
recommendations of the U.S. House
Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies.
We applaud the CDHC program and hope Congress appropriates money for its
continued implementation by limiting or eliminating other less-necessary
programs. We can certainly attest to the
effectiveness of such a program.
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