The Impending Oral Health Crisis.

Last May, the New York State Dental Association and the New York State Dental Foundation convened the first "Oral Health Stakeholders' Summit on the Future of Special Needs Dentistry, Hospital Dentistry and Dental Education." The summit was chaired by David J. Miller, then NYSDA President Elect, and Carl H.

Radiographic Correction Following Reconstruction of Adult Acquired Flat Foot Deformity Using the Cotton Medial Cuneiform Osteotomy.

Background: The Cotton osteotomy has been used to correct residual forefoot supination in flexible flatfoot deformity reconstruction. The purpose of this study was to delineate the radiographic effects of the Cotton osteotomy by controlling for concomitant procedures used for deformity correction.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 67 patients who underwent a Cotton osteotomy as part of a flatfoot reconstructive procedure.

Radiographic Recurrence of Deformity After Hallux Valgus Surgery in Patients With Metatarsus Adductus.

Background: Metatarsus adductus (MA) is a congenital condition that may lead to the development of hallux valgus (HV). The associated anatomic deformities may lead to recurrence of the HV in patients with MA. The goals of the study were to identify radiographic rates of recurrence of HV following surgery for HV in patients with MA.

Prevalence of metatarsus adductus in patients undergoing hallux valgus surgery.

Background: Metatarsus adductus (MA) is a congenital condition in which there is adduction of the metatarsals in conjunction with supination of the hindfoot through the subtalar joint. It is generally believed that MA precedes the development of hallux valgus. Historically, studies have demonstrated that patients with a history of MA were ~3.

Dental licensure reaches a crossroads: the rationale and method for reform.

Following calls to reform the dental licensure process, New York state has adopted an innovative approach that is responsive to the perceived shortcomings of the existing Part III examination. This solution eliminates the legally, psychometrically, and ethically compromised system, replacing it with a requirement that both ensures the public's protection and gives the new dentist additional experience in contemporary procedures in a supervised setting. The best preparation for the practice of dentistry is the practice of dentistry--something so profound and simple; yet it constitutes the core of New York's revolutionary reform.

Banning live patients as test subjects on licensing examinations.

The use of live patients on the licensing examinations was a part of dentistry for almost the entire twentieth century and continues up until today. Considerable new debate about the appropriateness of using live patients as test subjects began in the mid-1990s and culminated in the passage of a resolution in the American Dental Association's year 2000 House of Delegates calling for an end to this practice by the year 2005. The live patient examination tests a narrow range of clinical skills, creates ethical dilemmas for candidates, for the host institution, and for the profession, and is unable to distinguish between those ready to assume independent practice from those who are not yet at that level of competence.

Contracting with third-party payors. A primer for the new practitioner.

The options for billing and receiving dental fees have increased in recent years. The savvy dentist will make sure he or she understands all the options before signing on to a particular plan.