The DMD Check-Up: Big Gender Pay Gap Persists

A new survey finds a significant gap in pay between male and female dentists. That story tops this week’s DMD Check-Up. Also making the list: A new technique to calm “dental anxiety” and a look at how fathers could be setting a bad example when it comes to dental health.

• Big Gender Pay Gap for Dentists (Network World)

A “deep dive into salary data” by Glassdoor shows that the gender pay gap is very real in some august professions. Although the lead here is that male computer programmers make far more than their female counterparts, a big split also exists among dentists—a 28% adjusted gender pay gap.

• Get Over Your Dentist Phobia (The Washington Post)

An interesting report from the American Psychological Association about patient fear of dentists. It’s about a new technique called “Dental Anxiety Intervention.” To prepare a frightened person for a certain procedure the dentist shows the patient three videos.

• HIPAA Compliance Audits for Dentists (ADA.org)

According to an American Dental Association report, “the federal government has begun auditing some dental practices to ensure they are complying with patient privacy laws and healthcare information security laws.” Steep consequences for those practices not in compliance.

• Dentists Cash in on St. Patrick's Day (Irish Central)

Dentists might want to start prepping for next year? Here’s a humorous Irish spin about a media report on how American dentists had a 77% leap in emergency dental visits in the few days immediately after the holiday. “Teeth take the brunt of March 17 revelry.”

• The Smearing of Corporate Dentistry (Forbes)

In response to criticism, a top official from the Americans for Tax Reform makes the case for Dental Support Organizations. “The DSO model has been beneficial to both consumers and caregivers, yet recent years have seen legislative attempts to impede or take away dentists’ ability to contract with them.”

• Dental Care Access for Adults on Medicare (Kaiser Family Foundation)

Some interesting and alarming information about the state of government dental care for poor adults in the US. The prevalence of dental disease and tooth loss is disproportionately high for them. Will “new models of care present potential for increasing access to dental care”?

• Fathers Forget to Brush Their Teeth (Finnish Broadcasting Co.)

A survey of fathers in Finland by toothpaste manufacturer Pepsodent finds they “don’t take dental health seriously enough, with some 43% with children under 12 brushing only once a day or even less often.” And single parents are more diligent about their child’s dental hygiene.

• Doctors More Likely to Misdiagnose “Difficult Patients” (Independent)

Most dentists have at least one. A British Medical Journal study “has found that the likelihood of being misdiagnosed dramatically increases when a doctor is presented with a “difficult” patient who obstructs the clinician’s efforts by being aggressive or questioning their competence.”

• 2016 Hinman Dental Meeting (hinman.org)

The respected (22,000+ dental professionals attend) and venerable (the first meeting was held in 1912) Thomas P. Hinman Dental Meeting was held last week in Atlanta. Have a look at some background info, meeting highlights, and perhaps plan to attend in ’17.