As highly industrialized countries ramp up their border controls, human smugglers are playing a central role in moving migrants through key migration corridors around the world. Despite the illicit nature of their work and being cast as villains in the public eye, smugglers have complex, multifaceted relationships with their clients. At times, the relationship can be mutually beneficial or even lifesaving; at others, it can be predatory and dangerous, as this article explores.

The Department of Health and Human Services released Nov. 25 a five-minute video explaining how to search its list of excluded individuals and entities, called LEIE.

Dentists who have had a dental plan payment check lost in the mail could consider a way to receive safe and secure payment through electronic funds transfer payments.

As the American College of Dentists celebrates its 100th anniversary, its leaders are ready to continue their mission of advancing excellence, ethics, professionalism and leadership in dentistry.

As the world gets ready for the Special Olympics Sweden Invitational Games in February, one of the ADA’s member dentists will be watching as the Special Smiles program he founded will be used to screen and attend to the dental needs of the competing athletes.

In an effort to advance the Association’s diversity and inclusion efforts, the ADA House of Delegates voted at its meeting in September to rescind the policy titled “The Dentist’s Prayer,” used by some state and local dental societies during their meetings, and amend its policy on recognition of religious diversity.

Service With A Smile was among 10 programs from nine universities to receive funding this year through the ADA Foundation’s E. “Bud” Tarrson Dental School Student Community Leadership Awards.

Nearly 49% of responding dental practices have experienced employee theft, and nearly 46% of those have experienced theft or embezzlement more than once, according to a survey conducted by the ADA Council on Dental Practice.

The Dental Quality Alliance will help dentists learn more about how quality measure domains can be best used to drive quality improvement at the practice level through a free webinar in March.

The international group SNOMED International honored ADA member dentist Dr. Mark Jurkovich with the Award of Excellence for spearheading the important work the ADA has done on SNODENT, the group announced Jan. 16.

The Duluth Dental Forum in northeastern Minnesota celebrated its 75th anniversary in late 2019, stating that it was the second-oldest study club of its kind in the United States.

The last decade brought 236,658 attendees to the American Dental Association's annual meeting. The ADA will continue to build on that momentum with the ADA FDC Annual Meeting from Oct. 15-18 in Orlando, Florida.

Global Dental Relief, a nonprofit organization that has delivered free dental care to children around the globe since 2001, is seeking clinical volunteers for upcoming humanitarian missions in Nepal and Guatemala.

Indianapolis -- Seven-year-old Jordan Randle made a big promise after visiting Give Kids A Smile for the first time during the national kickoff event Feb. 7 in Indianapolis.

The ADA is hosting a free webinar in March on how to effectively advertise and market services and dental practices on Facebook and Instagram.

The deadline for abstracts for the upcoming National Summit on Smokeless Tobacco Prevention is Feb. 29.

Results from a NYU College of Dentistry study suggest how excess fluoride exposure affects the cells forming tooth enamel — possibly explaining how dental fluorosis arises.

The handout covers strategies for helping prevent the transmission of suspected respiratory disease in the dental health care setting and answers frequently asked questions related to the virus, based on guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Association is launching in March a new online, on-demand program specifically designed to provide information — from parental leave to financial support — that is tailored to the early-career dentist’s unique work-life balance needs.

Titled “Compendium of Innovations in Oral Health Service Delivery,” the 64-page digital booklet features organizations from across the country that have found success through varied measures in expanding oral care to underserved populations.

The Howard University College of Dentistry treated 35 students from Washington’s Raymond Elementary School at a Feb. 7 Give Kids A Smile event.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine announced March 5 that it does not find that the National Toxicology Program adequately supported its conclusion that fluoride is “presumed” to be a cognitive neurodevelopmental hazard to humans.

The American Dental Education Association announced March 9 it has cancelled its annual session due to the coronavirus disease, now named COVID-19.

The International Association for Dental Research and American Association for Dental Research have canceled their general session scheduled for March 18-21 in Washington, D.C., in light of the coronavirus disease outbreak.

The Association is asking member dentists and their dental teams to increase their vigilance over phishing emails as a result of the coronavirus, known as COVID-19.
Attackers often use emergencies as an opportunity to send fake emails tailored to that situation, the association said.

The ADA is recommending that dentists nationwide postpone elective procedures in response to the spread of the coronavirus, COVID-19, across the country.

The ADA provided its members and their patients detailed guidance on March 18 on what to consider dental emergencies and nonemergencies dental care as part of an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease, COVID-19, and alleviate the burden on hospital and emergency departments.

Taxpayers do not need to file or pay their federal income taxes until July 15, after the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service extended both deadlines from April 15.

The ADA, along with a large group of other dental organizations, told the U.S. Department of Labor that they are concerned about provisions in HR 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act as related to family and medical leave and paid sick leave.

As Congress works on a third legislation package in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the ADA is asking lawmakers to include provisions on how to assist dental practices and other small businesses facing economic burdens.

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency announced March 13 that it was adding nearly 200 additional products that have qualified for use against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19.

This year’s FDI World Dental Congress, scheduled for September in Shanghai, China, is canceled due to the global COVID-19 outbreak, according to a March 26 news release.

The U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division released new guidance March 26 to help workers and employers understand provisions included in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

The ADA is calling on third-party payers to support dental practices in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The American Dental Association has released interim guidance for dentists on how to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission before, during and after treating dental emergencies.

On the heels of the ADA’s December interim policy on vaping comes a new CDT code that references counseling services about high-risk substance use including vaping.

Dentists’ comfort levels and perceived roles in discussing and administering the human papillomavirus vaccine appear to vary, according to the results of an American Dental Association Clinical Evaluators Panel survey published in The Journal of the American Dental Association.

The American Dental Association sent a letter to third-party payers urging that administrators of dental benefit plans adjust and adapt reimbursement procedures important to dentists and patients — including coverage for temporary procedures and adjusting fee schedules to account for cost of increasing infection control procedures ¬— in the midst of the “unprecedented and extraordinary circumstances dentists and their patients face” during the pandemic.

As the source of dental procedure codes, the ADA has created a new online training course to ensure that dentists and their team members confidently understand CDT codes and how to use them correctly.

The ADA is streaming a free webinar April 14 intended to help dentists jump-start their recovery process during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued an alert April 8 warning that cybercriminals are increasingly exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic to target individuals, small and medium businesses and large organizations.

A North Carolina oral health coalition, in collaboration with multiple state partners, has developed an interactive map to help guide the public to sites where emergency dental services are available throughout the Tar Heel State both during and after the COVID-19 outbreak.

Despite the ADA Council on Dental Benefits’ efforts, the practice of using automated electronic means for verifying eligibility and benefits, checking claim status or receiving and reconciling payment remains underutilized by many dental providers according to an index, said Dr. Randall Markarian, council chair.

Two of the authors of the American Dental Association's antibiotics guideline will discuss C. diff infections and antibiotic stewardship in dentistry April 21 as part of a free, online conference organized by the Peggy Lillis Foundation.

Oregon Dental Association dentists, volunteers donate more than 600,000 pieces of PPE to help emergency relief efforts

The ADA, Organized Dentistry Coalition, and many state dental associations are asking the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to release funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act Provider Relief Fund to assist dental Medicaid providers.

The American College of Emergency Physicians has endorsed the American Dental Association's clinical practice guideline on the use of antibiotics for the management of pulpal- and periapical-related pain and swelling.

The ADA is asking the Federal Communications Commission to extend the agency’s COVID-19 Telehealth Program to include dental practices regardless of the practice’s size, location or for-profit status.

Two additional Delta Dental member companies announced details April 27-28 of programs that will provide economic assistance and post-COVID-19 pandemic relief for members of its independent provider networks across 16 states and the District of Columbia.