ORTHO INDUSTRY NEWS Henry Schein To Distribute FEMA-Donated Masks to Dental Schools The American Dental Education Association (ADEA), Henry Schein Inc, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have joined forces for an initiative that will provide dental schools and allied dental educa-tion programs with KN95 masks to be used for patient care. In response to COVID-19, ADEA worked with Henry Schein to coordinate FEMA’s donation of 3M-made KN95 masks to ADEA in support of the resumption of routine dental care and the delivery of oral health education services. The distri-bution of the much-needed masks comes as many dental schools and allied dental programs return to patient care, which has been significantly curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Dental schools and allied dental programs that want masks are only being charged by ADEA for shipping and handling—not the masks them-selves. Neither ADEA nor Henry Schein is profiting financially from this initiative. “We believe this is a great example of how public and private organizations can join together to serve our community of dental educators and oral health professionals,” said ADEA president and CEO Karen West, DMD, MPH. “ADEA is committed to helping our member institutions, and the dental education community at large, successfully navi-gate the rapidly changing landscape before us. Providing these KN95 masks is one crucial step in supporting safe dental care. Working together, we can meet today’s challenges and further strengthen dental education.” In total, ADEA and Henry Schein are distributing close to 3 million masks to 290 U.S. dental schools and allied dental programs. The #Masks4DentEd initiative is ADEA’s latest effort to help its members and other stakeholders in academic dentistry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent Poll Finds Americans Realize Importance of Oral Health During Pandemic New App Makes It Easier and Faster to Share Cases The new Imaging Case and Collaboration (ICC) app from Care-stream Dental is the easy-to-use platform that makes sharing cases more secure and straightforward. From the GP to the specialist to the lab, ICC makes it easier to connect oral health care providers for closer collaboration, getting patients the answers and care they need sooner. ICC lets users upload all their important case images, from CBCT scans (DICOM) and intraoral scans (STL) to JPGS. With one-click, treat-ment plans and images can be shared with colleagues and other oral healthcare professionals, such as third-party partners and labs, for enhanced collaboration. “A GP may be concerned by a periapical lesion on a 3D scan and share it with their endodontist referral with a note on the area of interest,” Ed Shellard, DMD, chief dental officer, said. “The endodontist is then immedi-ately notified and can quickly respond to the doctor’s concern.” When transferring sensitive patient information, knowing who can access and view the files and for how long is of the utmost importance to ensure patient privacy and safety. The ICC app makes granting or revoking access to cases easy with just a single click. So, as an office grows and brings in new doctors or referral relationships change, practices maintain strict control over who sees which cases. ICC is a completely cloud-based platform that brings with it all the benefits of a hosted solution. Prac-tice owners can reduce their reliance on server maintenance and back-up, as it’s all handled offsite by Carestream Dental, thus reduc-ing IT costs. Data encryption and storage meets all local, regional and country policies to ensure compli-ance regarding patient privacy. The Delta Dental Institute recently released new survey data highlighting Americans’ views on oral health during COVID-19. Results show a significant majority of Americans believe that routine dental appointments remain impor-tant during the pandemic: 69% of Americans agree the benefits of a routine dental appointment outweigh the potential risks of delaying preventive care, while 67% of Americans worry about the nega-tive long-term health consequences of delaying a routine dental appointment. “These results underscore the importance of oral health to overall health,” said Vivian Vasallo, execu-tive director of the Delta Dental Institute. “Even in this uncertain environment, Americans know they need to prioritize preventive oral health care. Oral health is health, and routine dental care is critical to preventing and managing chronic health problems.” The strong support for routine dental appointments during COVID-19 reflects broad agreement about oral health’s importance more generally. The Delta Dental Institute’s survey also found that 91% of Americans believe taking care of their oral health now will help prevent other health problems later. These results are consistent across demographics, demonstrat-ing a widespread understanding of the value of oral health care. Clini-cal research has shown links between oral health and social well-being, cardiovascular health, respi-ratory health, and positive preg-nancy outcomes. 6 Fall 2020 JAOS
Journal of the American Orthodontic Society Fall 2020: Page 6
