⬆️ Nebraska urges increase in doctor recruitment

10 best and worst oral health states, tooth gems, and more!

Author

Dental Dispatch
27 Jun

In this edition:

  • ⬆️ Nebraska urges increase in doctor recruitment

  • 💎 Tooth gems - the latest trend

  • 🇺🇸 10 best and worst states for oral health

  • 🚔 Houston dentist. sentenced 10 years

  • And more!

Nebraska Governor wants more dentists

Governor Jim Pillen is calling on the Nebraska Board of Dentistry to change its licensing standards to help recruit more qualified dentists to the state.

In a letter sent to each member of the Board this week, Gov. Pillen said Nebraska is currently facing a shortage of dentists. The number of practicing dentists in the state has reportedly decreased significantly since 2019, and he said residency programs are struggling to recruit applicants.

Gov. Pillen is requesting the Board to vote to approve an additional examination pathway for initial licensure in Nebraska during their next scheduled meeting on July 12.

Dental gems - the latest trend

While this trend may seem harmless, we must ask if there’s cause for concern. Tooth gems are not applied only by dental professionals in the dental operatory. I found during a quick online search that anyone can purchase tooth gems or apply for a tooth gem application certification course.

The tooth gems purchased online come with retention mechanisms designed by an individual manufacturing company.

The public does not necessarily know what kind of glue they’re using to apply the tooth gem to the enamel surface.

In addition, some people may not realize that their tooth has demineralized or weakened enamel, and by applying the tooth gem they may be altering the enamel further.

10 best and worst states for oral health

Connecticut was recently ranked as having the best dental health, according to a new ranking from Dentaly.

Dentaly, an oral health information site, evaluated each state based on 12 metrics to create the ranking. These metrics relied on data from various sources, including the CDC and the U.S. Census Bureau, and included alcohol and sugar consumption, fluoride usage, dentist supply and oral health conditions. 

10 Best States

1. Connecticut

2. Washington D.C.

3. Massachusetts

4. Washington

5. Illinois

6. New York

7. New Jersey

8. Maryland

9. Hawaii

10. Minnesota

10 Worst States

1. Arkansas

2. Louisiana

3. West Virginia

4. Mississippi

5, Alabama

6. Kentucky

7. Oklahoma

8. Texas

9. Montana

10. Tennessee

Houston dentist sentenced 10 years

The manager and operator of a Houston-area dental clinic will spend time in federal prison for orchestrating a $6.8 million Medicaid fraud scheme. He's also accused of allowing his unlicensed son to perform services on patients.

Rene Fernandez Gaviola, 68, pleaded guilty on Jan. 26 to the alleged scheme. Federal prosecutors said he operated three Floss Family Dental Care locations from 2018 until April 2021.

According to court documents, Gaviola paid patient recruiters kickbacks for Medicaid client referrals. The recruiters, in turn, gave a portion of those kickbacks to the parents who brought their children to Floss for dental services.

The children were seen at Floss for exams and cleanings by various employees but rarely ever by their only licensed dentist. Gaviola would then submit fraudulent claims to Medicaid for pediatric dental services, including hundreds of cavity fillings that were never done.