By Nate Kunzman, D.M.D., CDA President From the Summer 2021 Journal of the Colorado Dental Association It seems like yesterday that I moved to Colorado from my residency in Philadelphia. In reality, it has been nearly a decade. I was born in Greeley, CO, but my mother moved back to her home state of Massachusetts when I was just 8 months …
Dental Practices “largely exempt” from OSHA Rule
The OSHA emergency standard, released June 10, provides additional guidance for healthcare settings, including hospitals and nursing homes, where all employees may not be screened for COVID-19, and non-employees and patients with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 are allowed to enter and may be treated. Dental offices most likely to be affected by the new standard include hospital-based oral …
The Legislative Session That Keeps Going
It has been a long legislative session in Colorado for 2021. In a “normal” year, the session would end in early May. This year, Colorado’s session will end this week (prior to June 12). Throughout the session the CDA has actively monitored more than 50 bills that have an impact on the dental profession or oral health. The CDA’s initial …
CODA Nominations Open
The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) requests nominations to fill vacancies on Review Committees. This call for nominations is for 2021 vacancies: 6 General Dentists 2 General Dentist Predoctoral Educators* – Predoc RC 1 General Dentist AEGD/GPR Graduate – AGDOO RC 3 General Dentists; Anesthesiology, Oral Medicine & Orofacial Pain RCs (one each) 1 Dental Assisting Educator* – DA RC 1 Dental …
Masks and Changing Mandates
In the past week both the CDC and the State of Colorado have updated mask wearing guidelines. On Friday, Gov. Jared Polis relaxed mask wearing requirements for those who are fully vaccinated with Executive Order D 2021 103. The amended executive order states that fully vaccinated people can go without masks in public indoor spaces unless the setting requires otherwise. …
Uniting to Overcome Barriers, Contributing to the Next New Normal
By Leah Schulz, D.D.S. From the Spring 2021 Journal of the Colorado Dental Association Like many of you, I’m a general dentist. Up until recently, most days I provided full-scope dental care to patients of all ages and precepted dental students and residents at Salud Family Health Centers (Salud). Salud is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that offers co-located, integrated medical, …
Colorado’s Opioid Solution: Clinicians United to Resolve the Epidemic
By Susan Somerset, D.M.D., Pharm.D. From the Spring 2021 Journal of the Colorado Dental Association In January 2016, the Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) surveyed several health systems across Colorado to better understand the interventions being used to address the state’s opioid epidemic. This survey identified that, for the majority of organizations, opioid safety was an active area of interest. Based on …
Building a Culture of Wellness in Your Office
By Myriah Shimatsu From the Spring 2021 Journal of the Colorado Dental Association A positive wellness culture can play a fundamental role in the physical, emotional and mental wellbeing of your staff. When your employees’ health is a priority, your workplace becomes more efficient and productive. The office becomes a place that is respectful of the employees’ time, talents, families and …
Preventing Opioid Misuse: A Proactive Approach
By Kevin Patterson, D.D.S., M.D. From the Spring 2021 Journal of the Colorado Dental Association Oral health is the primary focus of dentists and oral surgeons, but we know that quality care means treating the whole person and making every effort to ensure our patients are well-informed about the treatments, medications and aftercare instructions they receive from us. The importance of …
Pitfalls—The “Non-Dental” Type
By H. Candace DeLapp, D.D.S., Executive Director, Dentists Professional Liability Trust of Colorado From the Spring 2021 Journal of the Colorado Dental Association Anger by a patient is often the nidus for a patient leaving a practice, making a demand, filing a Colorado Dental Board Complaint or even litigation. Interestingly, it is not always because of the quality of care provided …
