Closing the U.S.-Mexico border and cutting off aid to Central America would only feed the crisis unfolding at key points along the U.S.-Mexico border. This commentary outlines a range of immediate and long-term policy responses that would more effectively address the complex mix of factors fueling rising Central American migration to the United States.

Over recent months, the number of Central American migrants apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border has surged, presenting a critical challenge in the relationship between the two neighboring countries. Experts from a Study Group on U.S.-Mexico Migration convened by El Colegio de México and MPI discuss current trends, policies, and politics surrounding migration from the Northern Triangle of Central America and the U.S.-Mexico relationship, ways to improve U.S. and Mexican asylum systems, possible new approaches to labor migration, ways to address smuggling networks, and modernize border management.

Amid surging migration from Central America, the United States and Mexico in June 2019 agreed to a series of enforcement measures. Yet these near-term efforts will be difficult to maintain given chronic institutional weaknesses and poorly thought-out policy structures in both countries. This commentary, by the presidents of MPI and El Colegio de México, offers a set of long-term, collaborative solutions to dissuade illegal migration while ensuring fairness to those seeking protection.

Dado el incremento de los flujos migratorios provenientes de Centroamérica, el pasado mes de junio de 2019, los Estados Unidos y México acordaron tomar una serie de medidas para reducir los flujos irregulares. Sin embargo, será muy difícil mantener estos esfuerzos de corto plazo, debido a una debilidad institucional crónica y a estructuras de política pública poco planificadas en ambos países. Este comentario ofrece cinco recomendaciones a ambos países considerando soluciones de mediano y largo plazo para disuadir la migración irregular y, al mismo tiempo, garantizar que aquellos que busquen protección tengan un proceso justo.

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.

The ADA’s Continuing Education Recognition Program, or ADA CERP, announced in December that it is collaborating with Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education, in an effort to offer dentists more opportunities to participate in interprofessional education.

Dentists leaped up to No. 2 in U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings of the 100 Best Jobs, the magazine revealed on its website Jan. 7.

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.

Dr. Theressa Eliscar-Hewett began volunteering at the Nassau County Give Kids A Smile event in Long Island, New York, as a high school student. More than 10 years later, she continues to volunteer, only now as a dentist.

The ADA Publishing unveiled in December new webpages for four award-winning and well-respected publications — ADA News, The Journal of the American Dental Association, Dental Practice Success and the New Dentist News, giving the journal and magazines a greater presence online.

Dr. Loree Bolin’s humanitarian work has drawn accolades from the dental community in her home state of Washington, and now Dr. Bolin is being recognized nationally by being named the recipient of the ADA’s 2020 Humanitarian Award, bestowed by the ADA Board of Trustees.

The U.S.-based International Medical Relief is sponsoring outreach trips to Puerto Rico in response to the earthquakes that have devastated the region.

Average educational indebtedness of graduating students from U.S. dental schools has increased an average of 3.5% annually between 2000 and 2018 after adjusting for inflation.

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.

The Central Arizona Dental Society hosted a Mission of Mercy event Dec. 13-14 at the Arizona State Fairgrounds in Phoenix, providing treatment to 1,785 patients totaling just over $2 million in free dental service.

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.

“Our nation’s veterans deserve the best.” Those were the words of ADA President Chad P. Gehani following his Jan. 7 visit to the Orlando VA Healthcare System’s dental clinic.

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.

International dental school graduates in U.S. dental schools

Thanks to the advocacy efforts of the Missouri Dental Association, a managed care organization has agreed to remove an authorization tool it was requiring dentists to use prior to using sedation.

Dental service leaders met with the ADA Council on Government Affairs Jan. 25 in Washington to discuss legislative and regulatory issues.

In light of the “emerging, rapidly evolving” outbreak of the novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reminding clinicians to use standard precautions consistently and advising they isolate patients who show signs and symptoms of the virus.

The ADA Council on Dental Practice is encouraging dentists to acknowledge the dedication and contributions of their dental assistants during Dental Assistants Recognition Week.

Of the more than 3 million profile views, the program found that 17% resulted in action, which include potential patients visiting a dentist’s website, calling or emailing the practice and sharing their profile. Industry average for similar sites is only 1-4%, so patients are nearly six times more likely to contact an ADA dentist through Find-a-Dentist.

Circulating levels of perfluorodecanoic acid, a type of perfluoroalkyl acid, may be associated with dental caries in children, according to a study published in the fall 2019 issue of the Journal of Public Health Dentistry.

Dr. Emily Mattingly, chair, New Dentist Committee, 6th District, shares her experience as a new dentist in a rural Missouri town. Three other NDC members also shared new dentist perspectives.

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 American Dental Association is weighing in on two pieces of legislation aimed at streamlining billing procedures for patients.

Advanced dental education program enrollment by gender

The Association is calling for nominations of qualified individuals to serve as the ADA appointee to the Joint Commission Board of Commissioners.

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.

Formerly incarcerated people in the U.S. have worse oral health outcomes than those who have never been in prison, according to a study published in the March issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association.

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.

Dr. David P. Cappelli, Ph.D., acknowledges that as providers, we don’t often understand difficulties that some patients face to receive needed dental care.

When Dr. Gil Rivera became a dentist, he had no idea his career would take him to the bloodied and bruised front lines of the NHL, but nearly 18 years later, he continues to treat the ravaged mouths of professional hockey players as the team dentist of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

ADA Practice Transitions, a service offered by the ADA focused on helping dentists make the process of joining or leaving a practice successful, is offering a free three-month trial.

The ADA Standards Committee on Dental Informatics has approved the technical report for circulation and comment.

At least one American Dental Association member has reported receiving a phishing email appearing to come from an address containing ADA President Chad P. Gehani's name and including a link to "view member's details."

The Organized Dentistry Coalition is applauding Congress for introducing legislation aimed at improving oral health literacy.

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.

Results from a University of Iowa College of Dentistry study suggest that mild and moderate dental fluorosis is generally less noticeable over time, validating the beliefs of some supporters of community water fluoridation that there have been overestimates of fluorosis prevalence made by anti-fluoridation activists.

The ADA and the Wisconsin Dental Association are partnering up with other fluoridated water proponents to address February anti-fluoridation movements in three Wisconsin municipalities: Lake Delton, Berlin and Hayward.

An Illinois orthodontist won the American Dental Association's 2019 John W. Stanford New Investigator Award for her research paper evaluating the effects of eight cleaning methods on copolyester polymer, a material commonly used in clear thermoplastic retainers.

The ADA’s Council on Dental Practice, in collaboration with the New Dentist Committee and several external dental consultants, has developed the new Guidelines for Practice Success module on Managing Pregnancy, a resource that combines best practices with practical information to guide new dentists through the process of managing a new chapter in the lives and careers.

The question surfaces at the beginning of dental school, maybe even sooner, when the dream first takes hold. What kind of dentist do I want to be? Do I want to be a general dentist? An oral surgeon? A pediatric dentist? Every student’s path to becoming a dentist is unique. Choosing whether to specialize is no different.

The Connecticut Foundation for Dental Outreach has postponed the Connecticut Mission of Mercy Free Dental Clinic scheduled for March 20-21 in Danbury, Connecticut, "out of abundant caution" amid the coronavirus disease outbreak.