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The COVID-19 pandemic forced the closures of dental offices for months, some completely while others were only open for emergency procedures. While reopening meant a return to work, human resources leaders in the dental industry have been inundated with a slew of questions. What role is HR playing in handling the pandemic and guiding the industry forward?

AGD is working to address the most pressing issues faced by our members as we advocate to government entities for general dentists.

As the pandemic continues and practices reopen, many dentists are facing additional difficult questions regarding their teams: “How should I deal with a valuable team member who refuses to be vaccinated? What do I do after discussions and even incentives fail to persuade this team member to be vaccinated?”

“By recruiting colleagues to join AGD, I’ve not only lowered my membership renewal cost, I’m also helping my fellow dentists,” says AGD member Filippo Marchello, DDS, MAGD. Let colleagues know they can join for half off headquarters dues until Sept. 30.

The issue includes a review of several formulations of topical anesthetics, an analysis of growth factors and cell differentiation in PRF membranes and an assessment of the diagnostic accuracy of digital periapical radiography.

AGD signed on to an Organized Dentistry Coalition (ODC) letter that was sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in support of H.R.1550, the Promoting Resources to Expand Vaccination, Education and New Treatments for (PREVENT) HPV Cancers Act. The letter called for the PREVENT HPV Cancers Act to be brought to the House floor for a vote and communicated the ODC’s strong support for the legislation.

On August 30, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that Dr. Natalia Chalmers, D.D.S., would be its first-ever Chief Dental Officer (CDO) in the Office of the Administrator.

On September 1, a group of 11 allied dental organizations, including AGD, ADA, and AAOMS, sent a letter to the leadership of the U.S. House and Senate, as well as relevant Congressional Committees, urging them to reconsider legislative proposals that would expand Medicare to include a dental benefit.

AGD’s President, Dr. Bruce Cassis, D.D.S., MAGD, sent a letter to every member of the U.S. House and Senate on September 7, asking them to consider the unforeseen and significant consequences of expanding Medicare to include dental benefits.

It is critical for you to register your opposition NOW with your elected officials. Urge them to consider the unforeseen and significant consequences for patients and providers that enacting an unsound policy to expand Medicare to include dental benefits may yield.

Issue covers topics on human resources quandaries, tactics to increase value of your practice and considering obesity in patients.

The AGD Foundation is excited to announce that applications for its 2022 grant funding cycle are now open. The Foundation’s grant program offers support to AGD constituencies and nonprofit community-based outreach programs in the United States and Canada that provide free oral cancer screenings and education to the public.

This month, AGD Impact examines human resources quandaries in the post-COVID age. Feature stories in this issue cover tactics to increase the value of your practice and ways dentists should consider obesity in patients. The issue contains one Self-Instruction exercise worth 1 CE credit.

This month's podcast features John Molinari, PhD, professor emeritus at the University of Detroit Mercy and an expert on infection control in dentistry. Molinari and AGD Podcast Series host Wes Blakeslee, DMD, FAGD, discuss vaccine properties, required standards for testing and follow-up, COVID-19 vaccinations, booster shots and more.

Are you planning to attend the 2021 Fall Fellowship Review Course at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C., Oct. 1–2? With the recently reduced AGD special hotel rate ending this Friday, Sept. 10, this is one of your last chances to take advantage of the discounted pricing.

Check out the latest issue, now available online. Highlights include a review of several formulations of topical anesthetics, an analysis of growth factors and cell differentiation in PRF membranes and an assessment of the diagnostic accuracy of digital periapical radiography, just to name a few.

AGD is working to address the most pressing issues faced by our members as we advocate to government entities for general dentists.

Dentists seeking information about the COVID-19 vaccination status of their patients may be able to access that data through their state’s immunization information systems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website offers links to help you access this information.

No matter where you are in your career, you can always benefit from the advice of experts in particular fields. We hope you have financial advisers, and many of you may also have personal advisers. We’re fairly certain, however, that neither of these two types of advisers considers the vantage point of the other. So, when it comes to balancing the relationship between your personal and financial well-being, the responsibility is yours.

The AGD Foundation distributed grants in 2021 to Team Maureen. The organization is responsible for the Oral HPV Prevention Toolkit for Dental Professionals, distributed both electronically and in print. It includes relevant, medically sound cancer prevention information and resources for dental professionals in order to reduce oropharyngeal cancer.