Dental establishment business activity in New York State counties at start of the millennium.

Bureau of the Census reports for 2002 were used to develop business data for "average" dental establishments in each of the counties in New York State. On average, between 1997 and 2002, when compared to national information, the number of New York State dental establishments increased at a slower rate, had a smaller resident population per establishment, reported lower gross receipts, had fewer employees and paid lower salaries to employees.

Slipping through the cracks. Dental care for older persons with intellectual disabilities.

An increasing population of men and women with intellectual disabilities and other developmental disabilities is reaching older ages. As our country continues the process of deinstitutionalization, these individuals will require treatment in communities. Dental practitioners increasingly will be involved in the needs of this population, many of whom are members of families being treated in private dental practices.

Hospital dentistry and GPRs. A relationship with a past.

Dental programs have evolved from an occasional component of hospitals to fully recognized departments within the structure of most institutions. A review is presented of some of these developments, including the initiation of general practice residency (GPR) programs and training in a residency program as a substitute for the standard licensing examination.

We're just about average. Putting New York State residents' health and social conditions in perspective.

A series of reports on health and social standards place New York State residents at a mid position in comparison to national statistics and data for other states. The question is raised, should we be satisfied with being "just average"?

Community-based dental services for patients with special needs.

Deinstitutionalization of individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities has increased the demand for dental services for these patients by community practitioners. There are numerous difficulties associated with the delivery of care to this population with special needs. Nevertheless, a county-by-county review for New York State indicates that in most instances, if all dentists are willing to help, there would be a relatively small number of these patients per dental practitioner.

NYSDA Membership Survey. How the components stack up.

There are many similarities and differences between the demographic characteristics of dentists, their practice arrangements, business activities, income and other factors, which do not follow the purported "downstate-upstate" dichotomy. In each district society, most respondents are sole proprietors, and 26+ years is the most frequently reported period of time in practice. A great majority of dentists in most component societies work 32+ hours per week, and average 50 to 56 scheduled and six to nine emergency visits per week.

Why not Medicaid dentistry?

Charitable dental services and Medicaid dentistry are two components of services provided to patients with limited financial resources. An approach to making the case for improvements in Medicaid dentistry may best be made by increasing the public's awareness of the charitable services provided by individual dentists.

Current periodontal plastic procedures around teeth and dental implants.

Periodontal plastic procedures are performed to prevent or correct anatomical, developmental, traumatic or plaque-induced defects of the gingiva, alveolar mucosa or bone. The majority of these procedures are performed in combination with restorative and/or orthodontic therapy, with the primary goal of enhancing esthetics. In this review, some of the more prominent techniques currently available to address mucogingival deficiencies, including pedicle grafts, free soft tissue grafts and combination grafts, are illustrated.

Applications for guided bone regeneration in endodontic surgery.

Regeneration of apical bony defects remains a significant problem in endodontic surgery. When a resorbable membrane is placed over a defect, it acts as a barrier between the defect and the overlying gingival tissue. This barrier membrane provides sufficient time for bone to regenerate while preventing the faster growing connective tissue from invaginating into the area.