On Jan. 5, the Massachusetts attorney general announced that Aspen Dental agreed to a $3.5 million settlement to end a lawsuit accusing the company of bait-and-switch advertising. Massachusetts asserted that Aspen Dental charged patients for services it advertised as “free” and claimed that it accepted “all” insurance when it does not accept Medicaid.

AGD2023 course registration officially opens this Wednesday! AGD’s scientific session includes some of the industry’s most respected speakers and features over 82 courses (33 of which are hands-on) along with six learning lab courses and much, much more.

Holiday spending may have dug deeper into your bank account than you hoped. With AGD’s Exclusive Benefits program, you can get back on track with the many different discounts and offers available to AGD members.

Oropharyngeal cancer has the highest incidence of any cancer caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). A new study in General Dentistry explores the preferences of dental patients regarding 11 modalities for learning about HPV-related topics from their oral health providers.

On Friday, Dec. 23, 2022, the U.S. Congress passed the Omnibus Appropriation Bill. Included in the Omnibus was an appropriation of $300,000 to fund the oral health awareness and education campaign that is being developed by the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Next Friday, Jan. 27, at 5 p.m. CST, is your last chance to become a speaker at AGD2023! AGD Fellows and Masters can submit abstracts for 10- to 15-minute "Dental Pearls Presentations," and all members can submit abstracts for 50-minute "Emerging Speakers" lectures.

AGD Impact is proud to introduce 10 dentists at the beginning of their careers who represent the newest generation of exemplary oral healthcare providers. These dentists truly stand out among their peers.

“[The pandemic] has been difficult on dentists and, more importantly, dental students with their decreased clinical exposure. They need our help more than ever.”

“Dentistry is very rewarding and can simultaneously be very emotionally, physically and mentally challenging. I’m blessed to have a professional community to help navigate these challenges.”

“I hope to improve my community’s oral health literacy and be an agent of change who improves oral health among future generations.”

“I plan to coordinate a yearly free dental service weekend at my office for the underserved communities of Greater San Antonio.”

“I focus on quality dentistry, not quantity dentistry. This allows me to have much more time and focus for full-patient care.”

“To take the leap of faith and trust myself enough to start my own solo practice has, without a doubt, been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.”

“I’d love to impact the life of a young dentist in the same way that my mentor impacted me.”

“Being connected to specialists who are willing to guide you on difficult cases, classmates you can call to talk about hard days and mentors who can offer advice all make a world of difference.”

“Now, more than ever, dentists are not just men. Dentists are women, people of color and people with nontraditional backgrounds.”

“More patients are able to see someone like me because more oncologists are now aware of the value of having a dentist on their cancer care team.”

AGD2023 provides members with some of the finest dental continuing education around. Distinguished speakers deliver valuable insights in formats ranging from advanced hands-on education to clinical and practice management lectures. AGD2023 will be held in Las Vegas, July 19–22.

Gerard Scannell, DDS, recently published a column that considers what data to use when answering questions about dental work. He explains that patients place a lot of trust in what we do and recommend. That trust deserves accurate representation of what we’re telling them.

Mobile dentistry is the practice of acquiring a van or trailer with permanently installed dental equipment and then driving it to specific locations to deliver care. Dentists who participate in these mobile programs share an exceptional love for people and receive innate satisfaction from the care they’re able to provide.