From new treatment guidelines to concerns about new legislation, here are six recent clinical leadership updates dentists should know:
1. The American Dental Association reiterated its support for water fluoridation following a new report from the National Toxicology Program linking higher fluoride exposure to lower IQs in children. The American Academy of Pediatrics also expressed its continued support for the use of fluoride in caries prevention after the report was released.
2. The president of the American Association of Orthodontists wrote a letter to Align Technology expressing its concerns about ads for the Invisalign Palatal Expander System.
3. Several dental organizations signed a letter opposing a proposal to restructure the National Institutes of Health.
4. The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons created new guidance for evaluating, diagnosing and treating patients with temporomandibular joint disorders and intra-articular pain and dysfunction.
5. The American Dental Association is concerned about a proposal that would prohibit credit reporting agencies from including medical debt when running credit checks.
6. A new study from the American Dental Association Forsyth Institute identified a possible contributing factor to the spread of hospital-acquired infections.