Clinical Leadership

A North Carolina dentist is still practicing even after several patients filed complaints against him and a dental tool was found embedded in one patient's gum, ABC and Telemundo affiliate WSOC-TV reports.

A former patient is demanding a refund from Franklin, Tenn.-based Taylor Made Smiles after an independent dentist hired by Delta Dental deemed the dental work "unacceptable," local NBC affiliate WSMV reports. 

Knoxville, Tenn.-based Clarence "Buzz" Nabers, DDS, mailed letters to patients informing them that they should get tested for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, according to Knox News.

The American Dental Association announced a new interim policy on vaping, calling for a complete ban of vaping products that aren't approved by the FDA, according to a Dec. 16 news release.

Sutherlin, Ore.-based Umpqua Community Health did not properly sterilize equipment when treating six patients in November, according to local ABC affiliate KEZI.

A fourth-year University of Missouri-Kansas City dental student was prepping a patient's tooth Oct. 21 when the patient's water broke and the student helped deliver her baby, according to the American Dental Association.

A Texas dentist discovered two of her patients had human papillomavirus through her participation in a national study, according to ABC affiliate KSAT. 

Four Nebraska dental organizations are concerned Medicaid pediatric dental audits in the state are inhibiting children's access to oral care, the organizations wrote in a Nov. 6 letter to the state's Medicaid agency, according to the American Dental Association. 

Multiple dental organizations are working with researchers and medical professionals to reduce cases of nonventilator-associated hospital-acquired pneumonia, an effort initiated by the Dental Quality Alliance, according to the American Dental Association. 

The American Dental Association urged the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions to pass legislation that would change the FDA's regulation of over-the-counter drugs in an Oct. 30 letter.