School of Dental Medicine

Dental Students and Professionals Head to the State House

Tue, 26 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

On May 20, the Massachusetts Dental Society held its annual Beacon Hill Day, where dentists from across Massachusetts gathered at the State House to meet with their elected representatives. In February, the MDS released their Call to Action, a five-year plan that aims to improve oral health across the Commonwealth. Beacon Hill Day coincides with the beginning of the 2009-2010 session at the State House and this event provided participants with an opportunity to emphasize the importance of the Call to Action plan to the appropriate legislators along with other bills on the MDS legislative agenda.

ASDA Students Lobby For Dental Issues

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EST

Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine (BUGSDM) members of the American Student Dental Association (ASDA) traveled to Washington, DC in February to participate in National Dental Student Lobby Day, an event co-sponsored by the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) and ASDA. Trip participants included ASDA Co-Legislative Liaisons Brian Nelson DMD 10 and Derrick Call DMD 12, as well as ASDA members Courtney Brady DMD 11, Mike Visser DMD 10, Gary Nord DMD 10, and Heather Parsons DMD 11.

Science News Seeks Opinion of Dr. Dana Graves

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Dr. Dana T. Graves, professor of periodontology and oral biology, discusses recent discoveries regarding the influence of bone cells on energy metabolism leading to type 2 diabetes in this week's issue of Science News.

"The fact that bone cells regulate energy metabolism, and that they do it through osteocalcin, is a major finding," he says in the article. "This could also have important ramifications for cardiovascular disease because of the effect on metabolic syndrome."

Graves' recent research has focused on how diabetes interferes with bone formation and enhances periodontal disease. Osteocalcin, a protein found in bone and dentin, is now thought to play a hormonal role in increasing insulin production.

Dean Frankl Speaks at Third Annual Beacon Hill Day

Fri, 24 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EDT

Dr. Spencer N. Frankl, dean of BUSDM and chair of the Oral Health Collaborative of Massachusetts, spoke June 8 to lawmakers and oral health professionals at the Third Annual Beacon Hill Day sponsored by the Massachusetts Dental Society.

Frankl discussed the 2005 Massachusetts Oral Health Report, which summarizes the oral health status of Massachusetts residents. This year’s report, focusing on children's oral health, was the second such report for the state.

“Unfortunately,” said Dean Frankl, the "report's disappointing findings underscore the fact that we need to do more to ensure the overall health and well-being of our children.”

Citing the 2004 Massachusetts Head Start Oral Health Survey, Dean Frankl said 37% of the three- to five-year-old children surveyed had dental disease, and an equal percentage showed signs of early dental decay. He also noted that in one in four of these children the dental disease was untreated, 8% had urgent dental needs that required immediate care. A separate survey, said Dean Frankl, showed 9% of children from birth to age three seeking care at Boston hospitals already had early childhood caries. This percentage is twice the national average.

“I challenge us all to become vested in this problem, and be part of the solution, so future surveys document marked improvements in the oral health of our children,” he said.

How the 2006 fiscal year budget for Massachusetts addresses these concerns is now up to Governor Mitt Romney. The House-Senate Conference Committee on Thursday gave the governor a version that included language restoring MassHealth dental benefits for pregnant women and mothers with children under age three. Legislators also retained the Outside Section allowing dentists participating in MassHealth to limit their enrollment. Governor Romney has nine more days to review and act on the proposed budget.

Dean Frankl Speaks at State House on MassHealth

Fri, 20 May 2005 00:00:00 EDT

Dean Spencer N. Frankl spoke at the State House Monday as part of a campaign organized by Health Care for All's Oral Health Advocacy Task Force to restore dental benefits under MassHealth, the state's Medicaid program. Dental benefits were cut from the state budget in spring 2002 by then-Governor Jane Swift.

Budget negotiations in the House closed April 29 without restoring the benefits; as a result of Health Care for All's lobbying, the Senate Ways and Means Committee restored dental benefits May 17 for pregnant women and mothers with children under age three. In addition, the committee included language allowing MassHealth dentists to cap their caseloads.

"We maintain separate insurance systems for medical versus dental care, and dental care benefits are the first cut when money is scarce," said Dean Frankl Monday. "This is fiscally irresponsible because the cost of treating advanced dental disease and providing emergency care are far greater than the cost of preventing disease to begin with. Almost all oral diseases are preventable and manageable if caught early."

When the state eliminated most adult dental MassHealth benefits in 2002, BUSDM instituted the BUMP-UP ("Boston University MassHealth Patient Upgrade") Program to help cover MassHealth patients. The program enables MassHealth members afford basic dental care.

In the coming weeks Health Care for All will work with the legislature to maintain restoration of funding for pregnant women and children under three and to restore dental care for all adults.