BOFA Americas will be showcasing its filtration technology at LMT LAB DAY in Chicago on February 24-25 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chicago.

The company’s filtration technology is used by dental laboratories to manage fume and particulate generated by CAD/CAM manufacturing, monomer mixing and the hand finishing of dental implants.

“We are really looking forward to meeting up with dental professionals at LMT LAB DAY to talk about our range of under bench and bench top systems,” says Dawn Hartung, Strategic Account Manager, BOFA Americas, Inc. “The value of atmosphere management has really come to the fore over the last couple of years, with a growing focus on the need to remove potentially harmful dust and particulate.”

BOFA Americas’ products play an important part in the workplace environmental programs of organizations in a wide range of industrial sectors and applications,while at the same time are designed to help improve industrial process performance by minimizing disruption to production.

“Our systems, with multi-stage filtration, digital speed control and volatile organic compound (VOC) sensors, can make an important contribution to workplace occupational health in lab environments, and we’ll have a knowledgeable team on our stand at the event to offer advice and assistance,” Hartung adds. 

LMT LAB DAY 2023 takes place February 24-25, and BOFA representatives will be available at booth J-34 in the East Exhibit Hall.

Articles

Company’s technology will be showcased at dental laboratories conference Feb. 24-25 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chicago.

BOFA Americas’ Dental Filtration Technology Will Be On Display at LMT LAB DAY in Chicago

Laura Dorr is the former executive editor of DPR's Modern Dental Network and a regular contributing author.

It’s no secret that artificial intelligence (AI) permeates all aspects of the dental practice, from diagnostics and clinical approaches to marketing and practice management software and support. Although the concept isn’t foreign, understanding how AI works—and the science and technology that make it possible—is something many individuals don’t fully comprehend.

Many practitioners question why they need to understand the inner workings of AI. After all, you don’t have to be a mechanic or know what’s under the hood to know a car starts when you turn the key in the ignition. So why is understanding the ins and outs of AI any different?

When it comes to AI, understanding what makes it work matters. Data make it work. AI functions by combining algorithms, iterative processing, and lots of data to allow the software to detect patterns and learn from those data. Ultimately, your AI is only as good as the data it is analyzing.

“AI is very good at doing repetitive tasks, but when it gets hit with something that’s out of the ordinary, it doesn’t know what to do,” says Margaret Scarlett, DMD, chief science and technology officer for Digital Transformation Partners. “If the AI sees data that it hasn’t seen before, it can get confused and will not be able to perform with the outlier data.”

Research backs this up. A 2019 study reported that although many algorithms show incredible diagnostic accuracy with a particular data set, they have worse performance than clinicians on unrelated data sets.

 Because the AI is only as good as the data input, clinicians need to understand what those data are and whether they are relevant to the task at hand or their patient base. And that’s where it becomes complicated.

The first step to evaluating data is understanding how they are measured, and currently, they are not regulated across the board. Language itself is the first barrier the industry is running up against. Some companies have statistics for the efficacy of their AI that does caries detection—but on what level?

For example, within the tooth are 3 layers. Dentists talk a lot about dentin but not so much about pulp or enamel. So when data are released about caries detection, they often focus on dentin. If the data being fed into the AI program are focused on cavitation in dentin, the technology isn’t going to properly detect issues on enamel. This can present problems if dentists don’t understand exactly what is being measured and evaluated by the AI.

“We have to decide what system of measurement we are using to define things,” Dr Scarlett says. “Take the metric system as an analogy. Are we going to use metric or measure in inches? Which system are we going to use? I’m already seeing some problems with nomenclature when it comes to AI capabilities.”

But who decides how the definitions are determined? Currently, no one decides. This leaves a hole in AI efficacy and makes it impossible to compare software accurately. You may be comparing apples to bananas and never know it.

“AI is only programmed to do what it’s programmed to do, and it can’t take into account other factors,” Dr Scarlett says. “It doesn’t take into account real-world data, and unless we have a standard data set that everyone can use, maintained by an independent body or group, it won’t be uniform. That’s what we need, and we don’t have that.”

This standard data set needs to be accompanied by greater transparency about what it entails. In the context of AI-assisted medical devices, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently defined transparency as the degree to which appropriate information about the device—intended use, development, performance, and logic when available—is clearly communicated to stakeholders.

 This raises the important question of transparency: How is this important information being conveyed, and is it readily available to dentists at all?

Without an independent body monitoring the data, samples for AI input are often skewed, unbeknownst to the clinician. Many companies pull images and data from a small group of dentists or practitioners outside the United States or use insurance claims data. This limits the pool of information for the AI to process to a specific demographic, which may not be transparent to a potential user.

“It’s easier and cheaper to get claims data,” Dr Scarlett says. “But claims data [are] skewed data sets, because you’re talking about a certain demographic, [patients who] have a job and access to dental care regularly. If we have only claims data, then we only have a certain demographic, and we’re going to be repeating mistakes of the current data: errors or judgements we’ve made because we’ve seen those patients again and again. And we’re not going to have algorithms that include data from those other populations.”

This makes it critical to maintain human oversight and to include other demographics for data sets. If an AI data set doesn’t include certain populations, dentists need to know. This leaves it to the dentist to determine whether this software will work for them. For example, if there aren’t any Native American patients in a data set but a dentist’s patient base is primarily Native American, it might not be the best technology for that particular practice. But dentists need to have this information, and it needs to be provided transparently.

“As clinicians, we need to be constantly mindful of the information presented to us to determine [whether], when, and which AI application suits our needs best,” says Lea Al Matny, DDS, MS, clinical education specialist at Carestream Dental and oral maxillofacial radiologist for SeeThru Reports. “Dentists can use the published findings to decide the appropriate treatment and help their patients achieve better outcomes. Increased transparency regarding AI data and training should be widely available for clinicians to evaluate processes.”

Currently, transparency could use a lot of work. Although many manufacturers provide resources to determine where data came from, there’s no easy way to dissect and digest them.

“Dentists are busy, and we don’t have time to dive into data all the time,” Dr Scarlett says. “We want things that work for our patients and provide good preventive care, but sometimes scientific things seem like a research project, and understanding and translating this science can be a complicated thing. So we need transparency from the companies.”

How could companies be more transparent? Dr Scarlett would love to see a simple labeling system similar to the one used on food. When you pick up a can of soup, you can easily see the amount of carbohydrates, sodium, or protein, taking the guesswork out of the process.

“I’d like to see this labeling applied to AI,” Dr Scarlett says. “If you had a label like this, something simple to read, you could compare one product [with] another. And labels could have a link to the data to determine where the data came from and when [they were] last updated to give you the full picture of what you’re getting.” Although labels seem like a simple step toward greater transparency, the dental industry still seems unsure of how to measure and regulate transparency.

As it stands, the FDA is stymied by the transparency issue as well. “We need transparency, but we aren’t sure how that can be federally regulated,” Dr Scarlett says. “Even the FDA regulators are grappling with this issue. The guidelines that [are] set up for medical devices aren’t there. So they’re still working on the guardrails and the guidance that we usually have and even what the accepted standards are.”

To determine what needs to be done to develop these guidelines and ensure transparency, the FDA hosted a virtual workshop in October 2021 on the transparency of AI and machine learning–enabled medical devices and its role in enhancing safe and effective use. The purpose of the workshop was to determine methods of achieving transparency for users of AI-enabled medical devices, establish how transparency could improve the efficacy of these devices, and identify the types of information that manufacturers should include on labels or other public-facing information-sharing mechanisms.

“This FDA transparency workshop brought up many questions, [such as] how you notify [individuals] when the software is updated,” Dr Scarlett says. “That should be part of transparency. When you have your Norton program for antivirus, it tells you when it’s updated. But there’s no requirement right now for an update of an AI program, which muddies where the data [are] coming from or how [they’re] refreshed.”

The FDA doesn’t have answers to this yet, but some information about AI-assisted devices (such as other medical devices) seeking FDA approval is available on its website for dentists to read. Although not all companies are required to share their data or where they came from, companies that want approval and clearance for a Class II or Class III device must identify exactly where those data came from, which is something the FDA posts publicly on its website.

 Clinicians can also check this FDA database to validate company claims on clearance of its software as a medical device AI.

“The FDA releases publicly available information on approved devices in the form of a summary document that contains the performance data of the evaluation study,” Dr Al Matny says. “However, companies can also receive FDA clearance by providing information that their device is substantially equivalent to another FDA-cleared product.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) also has a say in transparency. It states that transparency should start before the design or deployment of AI technology with publication or documentation of sufficient information to facilitate meaningful conversation on the design of the AI and how it should be implemented. According to the WHO, such information “should continue to be published and documented regularly and in a timely manner after an AI technology is approved for use.”

Dr Al Matny agrees. “I believe this information should be publicly shared with users so they can make an informed decision on what AI application suits their needs,” she says. “This is also why postmarket surveillance and monitoring of algorithmic performance in multiple sites [are] important to ensure that the algorithms perform well and are helpful to understand unintended outcomes and biases that may go undetected in trials.”

It goes without saying that transparency goes hand in hand with ethics. Although the positives of AI are promising, they can’t outweigh medical ethical decision-making. The WHO puts it succinctly, stating that although “new technologies that use artificial intelligence hold great promise to improve diagnosis, treatment, health research, and drug development, and to support governments carrying out public health functions, including surveillance and outbreak response, such technologies, must put ethics and human rights at the heart of its design, deployment, and use.”

“The primary issue is balancing the ethics and human side of the technology with the speed and efficiency of AI,” Dr Scarlett says. “We have to balance the tension between those pushes and pulls. In addition, transparency is critical so that the [individuals] who are making decisions in dental practices on whether to buy AI know how the company collected the data, where they collected the data, and what populations are in [those] data. And if I can’t easily access [those data] and compare one product [with] another, it becomes very difficult to make the right decisions. And I do think it’s an ethical concern.”

Although approximately 100 sets of ethical guidelines exist for the use of AI across differing industries, one does not yet exist specifically for dentistry, and little investigation of AI issues that could arise in a practice setting has been done. Although ethical concerns have been acknowledged in the industry, results from a recent study found that after evaluating the ratio of studies encompassing AI-related ethical issues, there has been no increasing interest on this topic in dentistry. The study authors wrote this “confirm[s] the growing presence of AI in dentistry and highlights a current lack of information on the ethical challenges surrounding its use. In addition, the scarcity of studies sharing their code could prevent future replications.”

This opens the door for an unknown number of risks regarding not only lack of transparency but also ethical issues about patient confidentiality and how data are collected. “There are ethical issues around informed consent. Companies should get that before they use data from a [patient],” Dr Scarlett says. “There should be some way to deidentify that [patient] with that particular x-ray, or the patient should have some way of saying, ‘Yes, I’d like to be included in the study’ or ‘No, I wouldn’t want to be in the study.’ And I have some concerns about that and how that’s being managed.”

Other ethical concerns arise when it comes to the sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing dental caries because these results are both low compared with results from other scientific industries. Is AI accurate enough to be relied upon for quality dental patient care, or is AI positioning itself to be a crutch that creates a reliance on the technology and reduces clinician investment or attention?

“[Results from] studies show that dentists make mistakes [approximately] half the time,” Dr Scarlett says. “The machines are maybe at 67% or 70% [accuracy], but is that good enough? In other parts of science, such as HIV testing, we say it needs to be 90%, 95% or even 99% accurate for an HIV test [result] in sensitivity and specificity. We should be using the same data points we use in other scientific publications, [such as] sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and the number of [patients] in your data set. That’s important.”

To the point about accuracy and what constitutes an AI success, dentistry can take a lesson from medicine, especially the Epic Sepsis Model (ESM) and the importance of external validation. ESM was an AI-based prediction tool developed to generate automated alerts when a patient was developing sepsis.

Although study results were positive, once implemented in the real world, ESM failed to detect sepsis, a life-threatening condition, 67% of the time. According to an editorial written by authors affiliated with the University of California, Kaiser Permanente, and 

, this monumental failure was due in part to lack of research into real-world scenarios. “The increase and growth in deployment of proprietary models has led to an underbelly of confidential, non–peer-reviewed model performance documents that may not accurately reflect real-world model performance,” the authors said, emphasizing the need for external validation to ensure high-level performance of potentially life-saving AI.

As AI technology continues to develop, the dental industry needs to consider transparency, standardization, and ethical data collection for AI to be successful. “It’d be great and beneficial for care if all companies came together and shared data, but it might be best to develop some sort of independent group that has the key themselves and has data that would allow different programs to compare [with] one another,” Dr Scarlett says. “Because unless we get the transparency issues correct and notifications correct, we’re going to continue to have problems down the line.”

Solutions such as labeling and an independent body to collect data sets are a great step. The industry also needs to establish standards for areas such as data collection and sharing. When it comes to data collection in particular, the industry needs to evaluate AI across a number of demographics to get real-world data that accurately encompass all populations. These data should not be limited to race or location but also represent conditions such as medical issues. These changes could allow AI to become a diagnostic tool with endless benefits for patient care.

“I heard some AI companies and dentists saying that AI is going to help dental public health,” Dr Scarlett says. “But what needs to happen is [that] oral health needs to be made a public health priority in itself. And if AI helps us to reach this goal and deliver more and better care to more [patients], then it’s done its job.”

1.Deyer T, Doshi A. Application of artificial intelligence to radiology. 

. 2019;7(11):230. doi:10.21037/atm.2019.05.79

2.Virtual public workshop - transparency of artificial intelligence/machine learning-enabled medical devices. FDA. October 14, 2021. Accessed December 21, 2022. https://www.fda.gov/media/154423/download

3.Medical device databases. FDA. Updated April 6, 2022.

 https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/device-advice-comprehensive-regulatory-assistance/medical-device-databases

4.Ethics and governance of artificial intelligence for health. World Health Organization. June 28, 2021. Accessed December 21, 2022. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240029200

5.Mörch CM, Atsu S, Cai W, et al. Artificial intelligence and ethics in dentistry: a scoping review. 

. 2021;100(13):1452-1460. doi:10.1177/00220345211013808

6.Habib AR, Lin AL, Grant RW. The Epic Sepsis Model falls short-the importance of external validation. 

. 2021;181(8):1040-1041. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.3333

The dental industry needs to find solutions for transparency, standardization, and ethical data collection for AI to reach its full potential.

Artificial Intelligence: Data Matter

Aspen Dental has launched a nationwide membership plan to help make dental office visits more affordable for patients without insurance. The Aspen Dental Savings Plan® is a new dental membership program powered by Membersy, a digital health company that provides dental organizations with membership programs with the aim of making dentistry more approachable.

Plans are available at select Aspen Dental offices nationwide. A primary plan membership costs $39 per year and $20 per year for each additional family member. Members will have access to exclusive savings including free exams and x-rays, plus up to 30% off most other dental services, according to a press release from Aspen Dental.

“One of our missions at Aspen Dental is to continue to find ways and create programs to expand access to care. With the new Aspen Dental Savings Plan, we can do just that,” Dr Arwinder Judge, chief clinical officer at Aspen Dental, said, according to the press release. “The membership plan is an alternative to dental insurance that empowers self-pay patients to get the treatment they need and benefit from discounts on the preventative dental care they need.”

Instant enrollment: enroll in-office, online, by phone, or via mail.

No claims to process: all discounts are built-in, with no extra paperwork.

Pay less, get more: make your budget go even further with no deductible.

“At Membersy, our mission is to create a world where the quality of care people receive isn’t determined by their insurance companies,” Membersy CEO, Michael Shuman, according to the press release. “We are proud to launch the Aspen Dental Savings Plan, which is an important step towards ensuring that everyone has access to the dental care they need, regardless of their financial situation. We believe this collaboration will make a real difference in the lives of many people and look forward to seeing the positive impact that we will have on communities across the country.”

 The Aspen Dental Savings Plan is powered by Membersy, and its goal is to make dentistry more accessible.

Aspen Dental Launches New Membership Program

Premier Dental Company is celebrating its 110th anniversary. Founded in 1913 by Julies Charlestein, 4 generations of family leadership have guided the company.

The company’s headquarters are based in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, and its manufacturing facilities are in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to a press release, Premier’s commitment to excellence and integrity continues to be exhibited by providing the products and customer service health professionals appreciate so they can offer more efficient care to their patients.

“The achievement of Premier’s 110th anniversary is absolutely monumental. 110 years is actually difficult to fathom—to put that into perspective in terms of other businesses, Premier Dental is older than Boeing, Kikoman, and Lincoln,” said Premier CEO Julie Charlestein, according to the press release. “This milestone has been reached through 4 generations of the Charlestein family, and the countless Premier members whose vision, dedication, and passion drove the business forward through many evolutionary phases. It continues to be our mission and honor to serve the dental community with integrity, through Inspired Solutions for Daily Dentistry. We thank you all for your partnership, trust, and success.”

Founded in 1913, Premier has been led by 4 generations of the Charlestein family.

Premier Dental Marks 110th Anniversary

Congratulations, you’ve graduated from dental school! You’re ready to practice, ready to provide exemplary patient care, and ready to make some money doing it. But looming over all of this ambition is an ugly specter: The hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans you’ve accrued to achieve these dreams. Suddenly, all of that excitement is overwhelmed by anxiety about debt—anxiety that may continue well beyond the first months or years after graduation.

“Many prospective dental students have simply never had to assume the level of debt they may have to assume in order to pay for dental school, and some may come from families where borrowing is not a common practice,” says Paul Garrard, American Dental Education Association (ADEA) senior financial aid consultant. “These perspectives can be daunting.”

And who can blame dentists for being overwhelmed, when many have accrued $250,000 to half a million dollars in debt?

“It seems overwhelming in the beginning, because new dentists don’t know what to do; even if they get a job as an associate earning $150,000 when they get out of school, after taxes, after living expenses, how much will they have left over to pay down the loan,” says Bruce Bryen, CPA, CVA, a dental practice valuation analyst at Baratz & Associates, P.A. “It’s not like being a social worker or an accountant or any other profession; they aren’t going to have that kind of dept when they get out of school. Dentists will.”

Managing any debt, especially such a significant amount, can be intimidating, and there are a lot of areas where things could go wrong. Properly navigating these pitfalls can make repaying student loans a much more streamlined—and less painful—experience.

The challenges of dental-school loans begin before future dentists ever even leave school. Garrard says the following are major issues that can plague borrowers:

Borrowers are often not familiar with the details of the loans in their student loan portfolio (such as interest rates and repayment options), even though the majority of borrowing is directly from the government. Additionally, interest rates change each year on new loans (even though the actual source of most borrowing—again, the federal government—has remained the same for years)

Dental student loans are unsubsidized, meaning interest accrues or builds up during school

Students often do not know who their loan servicer (the third party under contract with their lender to work with them in repayment) is. Additionally, these servicers could change during the time the student is in school

There is endless misinformation or incomplete information about student loans and repayment on the internet, social media, and other sources who purport to know the student-lending landscape. Plus, much of this information isn’t applicable to dental student loans

“All of this can lead to challenges in understanding the basic terms and conditions of their student loan portfolio and their repayment options after graduation,” Garrard explains. “We advocate that understanding your student loan portfolio is the first step in responsible borrowing and responsible repayment.”

A lack of understanding is a big roadblock for many dental students and recent graduates, as many go into debt without a plan for the future. Many graduates are dealing with decision making around which loan repayments plans to use, while also trying to decide where to work, along with other stressors around entering the workforce. On top of this stress most student loan exit counseling is done online, often through boilerplate programs geared more towards undergraduates than graduate or professional students. This leaves many students floundering, and in need of more assistance.

Because of this, Garrard says, “It is so important for prospective, current, and graduating dental students to look to their financial aid office for guidance and to use the multiple resources available and designed specifically for them that are available online from ADEA.”

This lack of assistance hasn’t gone unnoticed by professionals in the industry, either. “In dental schools, there needs to be an increase in education in the areas of interest rates, credit scores, and repaying debt,” says Kevin Walker, DDS, founder of Dental Debt Solutions, a student debt refinance platform. Dr Walker, a dentist himself, founded his company after seeing the need to help fellow dentists. “This is a small field, and there are many colleagues that are willing to help guide along the way. We simply want to help dentists as much as possible at the beginning of their careers, as we were once in their position as well.”

Knowing that you’re going to exit school with exorbitant loans means that dentists should begin planning early for future success in their careers that can offset the cost of their dental education.

“Since dental students graduate with the highest amount of debt of any graduate school, naturally the debt-to-income ratio will be higher versus any other graduate profession,” Dr Walker says. “Dentists, especially specialists, can graduate after residency with over half a million dollars of debt. In order to get the monthly debt payment lower, dentists are likely to make the refinance payment terms 15-20 years. This also increases the interest rates.”

So, how can dentists get ahead? It all starts with making early responsible decisions, such as not taking out loans when you don’t have to.

“When in dental school, it’s easy to take more loans than you need,” Dr Walker says. “This can amount to over an extra $100,000 if you choose to live lavishly while in school.”

This lavish living can have big effects down the road, particularly when it comes time to take out a different sort of loan. While accruing even more debt may seem counterproductive, Bryen says it can really pay off.

“Associates start to see what the dentist is earning, and they think maybe I can pay this off, but I've got to buy practice to do it,” Bryen says. “That way, instead of earning $150,000, I'm going to earn $350,000, and I'm going to be able to pay this loan off much quicker.”

Purchasing a practice can be a great way to pay down loans more rapidly, since the dentist will be making more money and have more disposable income to put towards the loans. To buy a practice though, you’re facing another lender—a lender that wants to see good credit. Even though a dentist exits school with significant debt, lenders with experience lending to dentists expect that, and it won’t really bother them as long as the credit rating is good. They know that bankruptcy filings by dentists are rare and it’s unlikely that the dentist is going to go broke, making this one of the safest loans a lender has. However, it will only be appealing to the lender if the dentist has made wise financial decisions elsewhere.

“You need to have good credit to buy a practice,” Bryen says. “Even though you’re borrowing all this money for school, what you can’t do is accumulate a lot of credit-card debt. Maybe you think it’s necessary while you’re at school, but from a lending standpoint, it’s going to hurt their chances to get the big loan they can use to buy the dental practice.”

Essentially, Bryen says, the most important thing is to be very careful about borrowing excessively on a credit card that might show a lender a pattern of nonpayment or excessive borrowing. “The lender wants to see a good, clean credit rating,” he reemphasizes. “It almost doesn’t matter how high the dental school loans are; that’s accepted. But anything else is really going to hurt them. You’ve got to stay away from accumulating other kinds of debt other than school loans.”

It may take associates 2 to 3 years to learn what they need to become an owner of a practice (such as the skills they’ll require in the industry, learning from the dentist that hired them, talking to their peers, etc.) but while they may be struggling with student loans during their period, there will be an end in sight. “Plus,” Bryen says, “for 2 or 3 years as an associate you may be struggling, but you’re going to be struggling making over $100,000 a year, so that’s not so bad.”

For dentists that aren’t interested in being business owners, joining a dental service organization (DSO) can also be a lucrative decision. Working at a DSO lets new dentists be dentists instead of dentists/administrators/accountants, allowing them to concentrate on helping patients and learning clinical skills that could ultimately earn them more money down the road.

“Use that knowledge to keep earning more and more money, that you can use to pay down loans,” Bryen says. “The tradeoff of not having the administrative headaches of an owner is double the money, because you won’t make as much as a practice owner. But working as an associate is not a bad living or comfort level. And you may not be able to pay down the loan as fast as you could, but you’re going to able to focus on dentistry.”

Whether or not a dentist has big plans to boost income by buying a practice, choosing an ideal repayment plan can make a big difference in how easy it is to pay down a loan.

“One of the main things graduates need to remember is that between time-driven repayment plans (where the loan servicer simply spreads out their balance evenly over 10 or 25 years) or income-driven repayment plans (where the calculated payment is based solely on income and family size and not debt level), they should be able to secure a repayment plan with a minimum required payment they can comfortably manage,” Garrard recommends. “This puts them in a position to either be aggressive in repayment by paying more than the required amount or simply making the minimum payment.”

Many students go the aggressive route, to try to chip away at debt as soon as possible. Recent ADEA Senior Surveys found that the most common initial repayment strategy for graduates is to be aggressive in repayment. Student interest in repayment plans to help manage cash flow by minimizing payments was also high. The surveys found that a smaller percentage of students were interested in loan repayment assistance programs, such as service commitment programs and public service loan forgiveness.

Whichever route you go, keeping abreast of market trends during repayment is always a good idea.

“A big repayment mistake is not refinancing multiple times as interest rates go down from time to time,” Dr Walker says. “Interest rates typically go in cycles and it is extremely important to take advantage of those times when interest rates are lower. If you have all of your paperwork organized, you would be able to complete a refinance application within 1 hour. This can save you thousands of dollars over the life of your loan.”

Dr Walker recommends refinancing whenever you can find a lower interest rate for your loans, particularly because the large amount of debt accrued from dental school generally cannot be paid off quickly. He likens it to a mortgage; when interest rates get lower, many people refinance to lower monthly payments since it can take up to 30 years to repay the loan.

Navigating this refinancing landscape may seem challenging, but there are resources out there to help dentists find the best interest rates and most ideal repayment plans. Dr Walker’s Dental Debt Solutions works with various companies to connect dentists with the best refinance partner. By simply clicking on links on the website, borrowers are redirected to partners to get quotes and apply for loan refinance and lower interest rates—with the added perk of being eligible for promotions and cashback bonuses.

“When it comes to finding the lowest interest rate, our company partners with all of the refinance companies that will service the high dental school debt loan refinance,” Dr Walker says. “Our website allows you to find the best options to refinance your dental school debt in one place.”

The ADEA also has resources that can help students and recent graduates. The AAMC/ADEA Dental Loan Organizer and Calculator (AAMC/ADEA DLOC) is the only repayment calculator designed specifically for dental students, and can help support borrowers make good choices about future borrowing.

“Borrowers can use the calculator while in school to anticipate different repayment scenarios upon graduation, and can house all their student loans (undergraduate and graduate, federal, campus-based, and private) on the calculator,” Garrard explains. “Federal loans can be uploaded directly into the Organizer section of DLOC each time they borrow.”

The calculator is also unique in that it customizes repayment information based on a dental student’s plans after dental school, whether the borrower chooses to go directly into practice or pursues advanced dental education (either in an academic setting or a hospital-based residency). Whether you are a recent graduate, in residency, or further along in your career, it never hurts to stop and assess repayment plans and refinancing, as there are many options available to help.

“There are amazing companies that even allow you to refinance your debt while in specialty residency (orthodontics, endodontist, periodontist, oral surgery, pediatric dentistry, etc.),” Dr Walker says. “Since loans are typically deferred and not being paid back until you graduate, this allows us to refinance to a lower interest rate for the multiple years you might be in residency, which ultimately saves you a lot of money over the life of your loan.”

Saving money on the loan also allows dentists to think about saving money for the future. While overcoming the amount of debt may leave dentists thinking they don’t have money left for anything else, it’s important for dentists to think about retirement planning, even at the beginning of their career.

“Thinking about retirement planning early takes somebody who really has vision,” Bryen says. “But it’s the kind of thing they should want to do, and it’s really not that hard to do. If they don’t start now, they’re going to be years behind. The amount you can put in can be minimal so that it won’t change your standard of living. While you’re still focused on managing the debt, you could start with a Roth IRA; it's the kind of thing that if you put away a couple thousand dollars per year, when you divide a couple thousand by 12 months, it's not that much per month. It's not that much per week. The younger person should also definitely take advantage of any retirement plans offered by a dental practice they join, because it basically doesn't really cost that much to do that, and you’re helping yourself down the road.”

While dental student-loan debt is a large burden to shoulder, in the end, the experts say the education is worth the investment.

“While students should consider the potential opportunity cost (lost income) associated with 4 years of dental school, they should also consider the strong return on investment that still is characteristic of dental school graduates who have to borrow,” Garrard says.

Ultimately, debt should not discourage anyone from pursuing dentistry as a career.

“There will always be a need for dentists and you will likely always have a job even if you do not want to be a business owner,” Dr Walker says. “This job will pay very well. If dentistry is your dream, go for it! I would not discourage anyone that is considering dental, despite the amount of debt they graduate with.”

Dental professionals face many challenges in repaying student loans, but there are strategies and programs available to help.

The High Cost of a Dental Education

Fresh Health Unveils Proclaim™ Custom-Jet Oral Irrigator for At-Home Care


Fresh Health has announced its new Proclaim

 Custom-Jet Oral Irrigator, a device that is designed for home care routines to reduce plaque accumulation. Proclaim utilizes intraoral scanning and 3D printing to craft a customized mouthpiece that contains up to 60 pressurized jets. Jets send precision pulsing water between the teeth and gum line, automating the irrigation system for patients at home, according to a press release from Fresh Health.

Along with the unveiling of Proclaim, Fresh Health also released clinical results to prove its efficacy for patients at home. Participants who used Proclaim along with their regular brushing routine demonstrated 12.8 times more inflammation reduction, 8.9 more bleeding reduction, and 9.3 times more reduction in plaque levels, per the press release. The Proclaim group also showed a 5.4 times greater pocket depth reduction and a 1.6 times greater bleeding on probing reduction compared to a brushing and flossing group. Proclaim was also demonstrably effective in difficult to reach interproximal areas, leveraging the irrigator’s unique 360-degree deep cleaning.

Proclaim will help revolutionize at-home irrigation, according to Dr Robert Eber, Clinical Professor and Director of Clinical Research at University of Michigan School of Dentistry, and Diplomate and Past Chair of the American Board of Periodontology.

“For the nearly half of Americans struggling with some form of gum disease, there’s no doubt this first-of-its-kind advancement will be life changing,” Dr Eber says in the press release. “The results of this clinical study prove that technological innovation can truly revolutionize and improve a routine, age-old practice with the push of a button. I predict it will positively impact hygiene behaviors and patient outcomes for generations to come.”

Dental professionals with an intraoral scanner are encouraged to try Proclaim for their patients, and demos will be offered for those looking for a hands-on experience.

This customizable irrigation tool proven to reduce bleeding, plaque, and inflammation will allow patients to improve their home care hygiene routine, improving teeth and gum health 

Fresh Health Unveils Proclaim™ Custom-Jet Oral Irrigator for At-Home Care

Ultradent Products, Inc., has released J-Temp™ Temporary Resin, a premixed, light-cured temporary resin designed for multiple use cases and maximum ease of use—for dentists, by dentists. Engineered for maximum usability—offering 4 solutions in just 1 product syringe, clinicians can utilize J-Temp Temporary Resin for everything from bite ramps and temporary occlusal buildups, to build structure for isolation clamping, for temporary restorations, and for splinting between implant copings.

Ultradent’s latest product is formulated with a consistency that’s viscous enough that it won’t run, but fluid enough to be self-leveling and easy enough to manipulate right in the operatory.

“J-Temp Temporary Resin started because there was always a need for something that didn’t exist. The more I used J-Temp temporary resin for different procedures, the more I found that it is really nice to have 1 product that can cover a gamut of different needs, versus needing 5 or 6 different materials that may expire before you use them next,” says Ultradent’s vice-president of clinical affairs, Jaleena Jessop, DDS, on developing the temporary resin.

The company recommends using J-Temp Temporary Resin with Ultradent’s Black Mini™ tip for simple, precise placement. When it comes to removal, the resin’s light purple color allows for easy identification—making for a seamless experience for patient and dentist, start to finish, according to the manufacturer.

The premixed, light-cured temporary resin is designed for multiple use cases and maximum ease of use.

Ultradent’s New J-Temp™ Temporary Resin Formulated For Maximum Usability

Catapult Launches Investment Platform Catapult Crown


Dental leadership group Catapult has announced a new investment platform comprised of Catapult leaders and experienced investors, titled Catapult Crown. Catapult Crown will leverage Catapult’s continuing education experts as well as its product reviewers to cultivate dental startups for the Catapult Crown platform, according to a press release from Catapult. With the help of Catapult’s experienced leaders, these startups will provide investment opportunities to the dental community, per Founder, Director, and CEO of Catapult, Dr Lou Graham.

“Who better to invest in the future of dentistry than those who operate within it each and every day?” Dr Graham says in the press release. “The decades of experience within the dental industry have provided us with the vantage point to identify, diligence, and present promising startups that aim to solve dentistry’s biggest problems.”

Catapult Crown will combine legal, intellectual property, and business analysis experts to observe dental startups. The group will then take a closer look through a business and leadership lens, and will then meet to determine if the startup is suitable for the Catapult Crown investment platform.

If the startup’s offering meets the necessary criteria set by experts at Catapult and it enters the marketplace, Catapult Education™ will leverage its reach for product/service awareness and sales. This could also lead to potential partnerships with manufacturers and distributors, according to the press release.

There are no fees for signing up with the platform, and community members may choose to invest from $10,000 upwards for these opportunities. Catapult Crown will use Carta for administrative duties.

Dental thought leaders in Catapult will find and observe startups, creating a coalition to invest in new and innovative products and services. 

Catapult Launches Investment Platform Catapult Crown

In this episode, we have Irene Iancu, a restorative dental hygienist who incorporates myofunctional therapy in her adult and child patients. She discusses the steps and challenges involved in making this career transition or incorporating elements of OMT into everyday dentistry and orthodontics. Recorded live at Yankee Dental Congress, we discuss a few essential and often overlooked elements. 

What it entails and its significance in dental and overall health

The role of myofunctional therapists in the treatment of various oral and facial conditions

Irene's Journey to Becoming Myofunctional Therapist

Irene's background and experience in the dental field

The reasons behind her decision to transition to myofunctional Therapy

The process of retraining and becoming a certified myofunctional therapist

kills and Qualifications Required for Myofunctional Therapy

Importance of a thorough understanding of anatomy and physiology

Essential communication and interpersonal skills

The role of ongoing education and professional development

Challenges and Opportunities in Myofunctional Therapy

Common challenges faced by myofunctional therapists and how to overcome them

Opportunities for growth and advancement in the field

Integration of myofunctional Therapy into dental and medical practices

Making a career transition to myofunctional therapy requires a combination of dedication, hard work, and a passion for helping others. Irene's journey serves as an inspiration to all dental professionals who are looking to expand their skills and make a difference in the lives of their patients long-term. Remember, Lips together, teeth slightly apart, breathing through the nose and stick that tongue just behind those front teeth. 




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Floss and Flip-Flops with the Sanders sisters features hosts dental hygienist and speaker Katrina M. Sanders, RDH, and podiatrist Dr Elizabeth Sanders, DPM. Together, the sisters discuss the oral-systemic link and its impact—from your teeth down to your toes. The podcast is produced monthly by 

®, in partnership with The Sanders sisters.

For additional content for dental professionals visit DPR and MH at 

.

Katrina Sanders, RDH, can be reached at:

Nestor, J. (2020). Breath. Penguin Life.


Podcasts

The Sanders Sisters invite Irene Iancu, RDH onto the microphone to discuss Children's Dental Health Month, discussing the importance of prevention, counseling and patient-centered care for our pediatric patient population.

Floss & Flip Flops Episode 14: Children's Dental Health Month with Irene Iancu

A look at the newest product releases in the dental industry.