ODA Journal: November/December 2022

BE A PART OF THE LEGACY

TURN TO PAGE 16 TO LEARN MORE

Thank

THE OKLAHOMA DENTAL ASSOCIATION

JOURNAL (ISSN 0164-9442) is the official publication of the Oklahoma Dental Association and is published bimonthly by the Oklahoma Dental Association, 317 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, Phone: (405) 848-8873; (800) 876-8890. Fax: (405) 848-8875. Email: information@ okda.org. Annual subscription rate of $39 for ODA members is included in their annual membership dues.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to OKLAHOMA DENTAL ASSOCIATION JOURNAL, 317 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104.

Periodical postage paid at Oklahoma City, OK and additional mailing offices.

Subscriptions: Rates for non-members are $56. Single copy rate is $18, payable in advance.

Reprints: of the Journal are available by contacting the ODA at (405) 848-8873, (800) 876-8890, editor@okda.org.

Opinions and statements expressed in the OKLAHOMA DENTAL ASSOCIATION JOURNAL are those of the author and are not necessarily those of the Oklahoma Dental Association. Neither the Editors nor the Oklahoma Dental Association are in any way responsible for the articles or views published in the OKLAHOMA DENTAL ASSOCIATION JOURNAL.

Copyright © 2022 Oklahoma Dental Association.

Dr. Reiger WoodChampions of Health Winner

Cover Photo: 2020 OkMOM Clinic Floor. Turn to page 16 and join the Legacy!

Is your information correct? Help the ODA keep you informed. Contact Kylie Faherty, ODA Membership Director, at kfaherty@okda.org or 800.876.8890 to provide the ODA with all of your current contact information.

ODA JOURNAL STAFF

EDITOR

Mary Hamburg, DDS, MS

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Roberta A. Wright, DMD, MDSc, FACP

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS

M. Edmund Braly, DDS, FACS, FAACS Daryn Lu, DDS Phoebe Vaughan, DDS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR F. Lynn Means

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS & EDUCATION

Stacy Yates

OFFICERS 2022-2023

PRESIDENT

Robert Herman, DDS, MS president@okda.org

PRESIDENT-ELECT

Paul Wood, DDS presidentelect@okda.org

VICE PRESIDENT Daryn Lu, DDS vicepresident@okda.org

SECRETARY/TREASURER

Nicole Nellis, DDS treasurer@okda.org

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE Mitch Kramer, DDS speaker@okda.org

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Chris Fagan, DDS pastpresident@okda.org

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

F. Lynn Means

DIRECTOR OF GOVERNANCE & FINANCE

Shelly Frantz

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS & EDUCATION

Stacy Yates

DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP Kylie Faherty

SPECIAL PROJECTS & COMMUNICATIONS

MANAGER

Apryl Awbrey

MEMBERSHP ENGAGMENT MANAGER

Ansley Jinkins

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Visit the ODA’s online calendar at OKDA.ORG/CALENDAR for all upcoming meetings and events.

November 1

New Dentist Webinar 6:00 p.m -7:00 p.m.

November 2

Council on Budget and Finance Zoom 5:30 p.m.

November 3 Norman Happy Hour Benvenatis Ristorante 6:30 p.m.

November 4

Council on Governmental Affairs ODA Building 9:00 a.m.

Annual Meeting Planning Committee ODA Building 11:00 a.m.

November 6 Board of Trustees Zoom 6:00 p.m.

November 7

Council on Dental Care and Standing Committe on OHCA Zoom 5:30 p.m. November 8 ERC Specialists Webinar Zoom 11:00 a.m.

November 8 Tulsa Happy Hour In the Raw Vu 6:30 p.m.

November 10 OCDS Meeting Renaissance Waterford 5:30 p.m.

November 11 OkMOM Steering Committee ODA Building 8:00 a.m.

Oklahoma County Dental Society CE Renaissance Waterford 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

November 12 Veterans Day Dental Clinic OUCOD

November 15 OUCOD Faculty Happy Hour

November 24 & 25 ODA Closed December 2 Risk Management Webinar Zoom 11:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. December 9 RDGP Zoom 11:00 a.m.

December 23 & 26

ODA Office Closed

DON'T FORGET

All Dental licenses and permits expire December 31, 2022. Visit www.ok.gov/dentistry TODAY for instructions on how to renew online or by mail.

January 20

Council on Nominations ODA Building 8:30 a.m.

ODA Rewards Committee ODA Building 9:30 a.m

Council on Membership & Membership Services

ODA Building 11:00 a.m.

Stay connected with the ODA!

Council on Dental Care ODA Building 1:00 p.m.

Council on Dental Education & Public Information ODA Building 2:30 p.m

January 22

OkMOM Registration Closes

The ODA Journal Editorial Board is interested in your ideas and original articles. Do you have a unique case study you wish to share with your colleagues? Do you have a concern or particular interest in dentistry that you want to know more about?

Visit www.okda.org/members-only to complete a simple form and the Journal Editorial Board will take it from there.

ODA EDITORIAL

Your Membership

and state meetings provide havens where we can have these nerdy conversations, provide and receive mentorship, and gives us opportunities to geek out on composite restorations. I honestly can say this is one of my favorite benefits of membership, GEEKING

OUT WITH ALL OF YOU!

The practice of dentistry is lifelong. Lifelong in that individuals know it extends the entire duration of their life and seeps into every aspect of their life. This understanding by those who have chosen the profession or that the profession chose them, also comes with knowing that the growth of their career will require learning different skills and gaining new knowledge throughout their life. A tripartite membership is fine-tuned to provide opportunities for gaining these skills and knowledge while supporting us, dental practitioners, in every aspect of our lifelong journeys.

If you’re reading this, you are more than likely a member of this wonderful tripartite, and I hope you have experienced this support wherever you are in your lifelong commitment. The most obvious benefit of membership is that it ensures a community of dental nerds is there for us. I am sure all our families appreciate this benefit, too, and feel it is a gift for them, as it provides us with opportunities to discuss the latest research on adhesives with someone who cares instead of with our families over dinner. Additionally, local

I must mention that another benefit of membership is the opportunity to showcase your latest cases in this journal! Instead of trying to find the pictures on your phone, you can have them right there in print within the state’s only dental journal. Plus, membership supplies a wealth of continuing education opportunities throughout the year and non-dentalrelated events. Take an event like “Bikes and Brews,” for example: while yes, this is an opportunity to come together and relax with your peers, it is also a great chance to explore retirement options, such as starting your own brewing or trying your legs as a professional bicyclist. There is also yoga if you’re looking for a more calming event. Between seeing patients, collaborating with team members, and reading all the dental magazines piling up on your desk, it’s nice to escape into a Downward Facing Dog. A tripartite membership also means that a community has your back on the national, state, and local levels. Your membership dues enable the ADA and ODA to advocate for good dental practices nationally, statewide, and locally - laws that benefit you, your practice, and your patients. Ever want to stick it to the man? Being a member and paying dues is one of the easiest ways to join the fight! While we need you to be active in the fight, your membership gives us an even louder voice.

Also, the ODA Rewards Partners Program provides the best cost for products and services saves and you from having to buy from eBay to keep overhead down. You can sleep well knowing the products are good and the prices are better. Your ODA community does the work for you.

As your dental career grows or maybe as you approach retirement, membership in this exclusive community of dental clinicians is ready to support you wherever you are in your unique lifelong journey. This includes help with contracts at the start of your career, mediation support for practice disputes, and access to the Relief and Disaster Grant Program if your practice is ever destroyed. Membership also grants you access to experts who can help navigate third-party payer questions and access to online classifieds on which to post a job or sell your practice on the ODA website for FREE, not to mention access to this ODA journal, the only magazine in your pile that is read from cover to cover.

Finally, because I am running out of print space, membership in the local, state, and national organizations is achieved by paying one membership fee. It’s a 3-for-1 deal that only the ODA Rewards program can match, so renew or join today! It is that time of year, so just add it to the To-Do list and receive all the perks for 2023! While you’re at it, encourage that colleague of yours who may have been on the fence about joining to become a member and help grow our community of dental nerds.

It's Time to Renew Your ODA and ADA Membership!

It's Time to Renew Your ODA and ADA Membership!

The 2023 membership renewal period begins at the end of November. Make sure you renew by January 1, 2023 to maintain all of the great benefits membership provides. Our strength in Washington, D.C., at our State Capitol, and in your community is reliant on our united dental front, so renew for 2023 and help us continue the fight! We even offer convenient installment plans to fit your budget. Renew right away to keep your profession strong and help save the ODA money on renewal notice mailings.

The 2023 membership renewal period begins at the end of November. Make sure you renew by January 1, 2023 to maintain all of the great benefits membership provides. Our strength in Washington, D.C., at our State Capitol, and in your community is reliant on our united dental front, so renew for 2023 and help us continue the fight! We even offer convenient installment plans to fit your budget. Renew right away to keep your profession strong and help save the ODA money on renewal notice mailings.

Convenient Dues Installment Payment Plans

Convenient Dues Installment Payment Plans

You don’t have to pay your 2023 ODA/ADA/Component (Tripartite) dues all at once.

You don’t have to pay your 2023 ODA/ADA/Component (Tripartite) dues all at once.

Your ODA understands that it may work better for you to remit your membership dues over multiple payments instead of all at once. We are excited to provide you with the opportunity to pay your 2023 membership with one of the following convenient payment plans*:

Your ODA understands that it may work better for you to remit your membership dues over multiple payments instead of all at once. We are excited to provide you with the opportunity to pay your 2023 membership with one of the following convenient payment plans*:

• 2 monthly payments

• 2 monthly payments

• 4 monthly payments

• 4 monthly payments

• 6 monthly payments

• 6 monthly payments

• 12 monthly payments

• 12 monthly payments

To take advantage of an ODA dues installment plan, please contact Kylie Faherty, ODA Director of Membership, at kfaherty@okda.org or 405.848.8873.

To take advantage of an ODA dues installment plan, please contact Kylie Faherty, ODA Director of Membership, at kfaherty@okda.org or 405.848.8873.

*There is a nominal $6.00 installment fee for each payment. This plan allows your dues to be renewed automatically and paid with your credit card or an ACH payment each year. The auto renew plan will give the option of a one-time payment or a 6-month or 12-month payment plan that the ODA will process continuously from year to year until you ask the auto renew/payment to stop. You will be allowed to update/ change your credit card, recognizing it will expire at some point, or if you wish to change to a different card for future charges. However, to cancel any automated credit card charge, please contact the ODA.

Auto Renew Plans

Auto Renew Plans

*There is a nominal $6.00 installment fee for each payment. This plan allows your dues to be renewed automatically and paid with your credit card or an ACH payment each year. The auto renew plan will give the option of a one-time payment or a 6-month or 12-month payment plan that the ODA will process continuously from year to year until you ask the auto renew/payment to stop. You will be allowed to update/ change your credit card, recognizing it will expire at some point, or if you wish to change to a different card for future charges. However, to cancel any automated credit card charge, please contact the ODA.

Related to voluntary contributions, the auto renew will continue to include the previous year’s amounts given (e.g., if you give $170 to DENPAC in one year, the auto renew option would continue to charge that same voluntary contribution in subsequent years). If you want to change a voluntary contribution for any subsequent membership year, simply contact the ODA.

Related to voluntary contributions, the auto renew will continue to include the previous year’s amounts given (e.g., if you give $170 to DENPAC in one year, the auto renew option would continue to charge that same voluntary contribution in subsequent years). you want to change a voluntary contribution for any subsequent membership year, simply contact the ODA.

The ODA will process auto renew payments on the 15th of each month.

The ODA will process auto renew payments on the 15th of each month.

If the 6- or 12-month plan is selected, any monthly past-due payments will be automatically processed in order to catch up to the current month.

If the 6- or 12-month plan is selected, any monthly past-due payments will be automatically processed in order to catch up to the current month.

MESSAGE FROM THE ODA PRESIDENT

to see paid premium dollars spent on dental care. Ultimately, our bill was not heard by the legislature after some significant opposition from the dental insurance industry. Although our bill was not heard this time around, our efforts were not in vain, as many legislators are now more aware of our priority: to see more of the dollars paid by patients and employers for dental care actually spent on dental care. We remain focused on this goal and will continue to endeavor to see it come to light.

WOW! 2022 has been an incredible year for your Oklahoma Dental Association, and 2023 promises to offer another year filled with great opportunities. As we reflect on the pandemic and its effect on every aspect of life, I am proud of the job our profession has done continuing to serve our patients’ needs and the job our organization has done serving our members. Our ODA is resilient and renewed with energy, passion, and mission as we enter the next year and focus on the many ways we will strive to SERVE our patients and our members.

Like many of you, I am very proud of the hard work our ODA did over the last year in pulling off myriad events, happy hours, member functions, strategic planning, meetings, and an in-person annual meeting, all while continuing to navigate the complex and ever-changing environment of the past year. Zoom meetings continue, and COVID even forced a postponement of the 2022 OkMOM. Despite those challenges, 2022 will be remembered as a very successful year with a great number of wins!

Our legislative efforts at the State Capitol were intense as we sought a change in laws regarding insurance downcoding, bundling, and non-covered services. As a profession AND an association, we recognize our role to advocate for our patients and their right

We have continued our involvement in the state’s managed care initiative, and after some high-level assurances that the managedcare proposal would indeed become law, we worked diligently to ensure that dental patients’ needs were at the forefront of any new dental managed-care entity. We have continued meeting with the leadership of the Oklahoma Healthcare Authority and others and are actively involved in the development of the new proposed contracts with managed care coordination companies. We expect there to be multiple companies, specific to dentistry, coordinating dental care for the SoonerCare population beginning in 2023, and we have been advised that a number of measures are in place to avoid the access to care problems that many of these patients previously experienced under managed care.

Our councils and committees are quite active in carrying a great deal of business and in creating even more value for our members. Our relationship with the students at the OUCOD remains vibrant, and we continue to develop an appreciation for the value of organized dentistry with dental students. Continuing with our theme that “our tent is big enough for all,” we are actively learning from a wide variety of dentists about the ways that organized dentistry, and particularly your ODA, can best serve all in our profession.

We are fully expecting to finally celebrate OkMOM in Shawnee on February 3 and 4, 2023. Our community partners in Shawnee have been great in working through the pandemic with a clear mission to serve that community, and we are eager to get our OkMOM volunteer community together.

Concerning OkMOM, there are some changes on the horizon. Beginning in 2025, your ODA, along with the Oklahoma Dental Foundation (ODF), will assume exclusive responsibility for producing and underwriting the event. This is a change from the previous years and will present an entirely new opportunity and challenge for the association and the foundation. To underwrite the mission, we will strive to create an endowment. Some of the BEST news I have to share is that we have kicked off this campaign with a remarkably generous pledge of $448,000 from a member dentist and their spouse! This game-changing pledge is in the form of a matching funds donation. Every dollar pledged until June 30, 2023, will be matched up to $448,000. This significant campaign is the cornerstone of the future of OkMOM and will ensure that the magnificent work of the OkMOM Legacy will live on. I ask each of you to consider a pledge to the OkMOM Legacy Fund. Your gift will be matched, multiplying its benefit.

I am excited as Dr. Nicole Nellis and the 2023 Annual Meeting Planning Committee continue to put together an extraordinary meeting for your ODA in Tulsa, April 2729. There are some exciting and fun ideas coming to light, and the CE lineup that Dr. Richard Brown has assembled features some of the most sought-after speakers, covering a variety of topics, and will even feature FOUR hands-on courses! I am particularly excited to bring Mrs. Kate Germano to our opening session. I served with this marine while on active duty, and I must tell you, she is a SHOW-STOPPER! I assure you that you will be captivated and motivated after her presentation. I invite each of you to join us in Tulsa for what will be a terrific annual meeting; and don’t miss Friday night’s ODA Party.

As you prepare to celebrate the holiday season with your families and teams, I offer you my best wishes for a vibrant 2023!

Considering a Dental Benefit Contract?

Wish you had more information on

• dental/preferred provider organization?

• dental health maintenance organization?

• discount dental plan?

A clear understanding of contractual obligations is essential in a relationship between a dentist and a carrier. The ADA’s Contract Analysis Service (CAS) can help provide you with information concerning your contract so you can better analyze its terms. The service analyzes:

• dental provider contracts with third party payers

• dental management service organizations contracts

• contracts that offer dental school students scholarships or loans in exchange for a commitment for future employment

ADA members can utilize this service at no charge by submitting a copy of your unsigned contract and an analysis request through your state dental society. Members that submit requests directly to the service will be charged a $50 fee per contract analyzed. Contact your state society or call 312-440-7479 for more information.

Other Free Resources for ADA Members

What Every Dentist Should Know Before Signing a Dental Provider Contract

What Every Dentist Should Know Before Affiliating With a DMSO: A Legal Perspective

What Every Dental Student Should Know Before Signing an Agreement Offering a Scholarship or Loan in Exchange for a Work Commitment

Visit ADA.org at www.ada.org/members/law/issues_business.asp

or call the ADA at 312.440.7479 to request your complimentary copies.

Please be aware that CAS provides only general information about the terms of agreements, which is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for legal advice. CAS never provides advice on the merits of a contract and never recommends whether a contract should be signed. A dentist should consult his or her own attorney for legal advice pertaining to the agreement submitted for analysis and should exercise independent judgment when deciding whether to sign a contract.

Contact your state society or call 312.440.7479 for more information.

ODA Annual Awards Nominations

Do you know of an ODA member colleague who should be recognized for his/her contributions to dentistry or someone who has gone above and beyond the call of duty with charitable and community work?

The ODA looks forward to recognizing members for outstanding achievement in the following areas:

Richard Haught Dentist of the Year Award

(Formerly known as Dentist of the Year)

The dentist selected as having made the greatest contribution to the advancement of dentistry in Oklahoma.

Young Dentist of the Year

A new member dentist who exhibits an active interest in organized dentistry and has enhanced the image of the dental profession. Eligible candidates for this nomination must have been in practice for 10 years or less.

Thomas Jefferson Citizenship

A member dentist who has made significant contributions to community service and philanthropic works in the area of dentistry.

Robert K. Wynne Public Information

A member dentist who has worked to advance the knowledge of dentistry and dental health through public education and public relations efforts.

Dan

Professionalism & Ethics

The member dentist selected as having made significant contributions to the advancement of the principles and practice of ethics and professionalism in dentistry.

Richard T. Oliver Legislative

A member dentist who has given outstanding effort and leadership in the Oklahoma legislative process on behalf of the Oklahoma Dental Association.

Nomination Form

The nomination form can be found on the ODA website at www.okda.org/members-only/member-awards/. Nominations must be made by an ODA Member Dentist.

The deadline to submit nominations is December 31, 2022.

CONTINUING EDUCATION ODA ANNUAL MEETING

FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 2023

KATE GERMANO

More Than Just Tears or CupcakesUsing brain science to unlock your potential and strengthen your relationships.

1 CE Hour 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

DAVID CLARK, DDS

The Epidemic of Cracked Teeth: New Science of Strong Teeth

3 CE Hours 9:30 AM -12:30 PM

21st Century Composites: Stop Layering and Start Injection Molding!

3 CE Hours 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

KATHLEEN

HIGGINS, DDS

Course Presented by ODAA

2 CE Hours 9:30 AM -11:30 AM

NANCY MILLER, RDH

Power Off Biofilm

3 CE Hours 9:30 AM -12:30 PM

Calculated Hygiene: The Business Side

3 CE Hours 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

SUSAN MCMAHON, DMD

White Right Now: Current Tooth Whitening Techniques... Why it’s more important than ever to offer our patients professional tooth whitening options

3 CE Hours 9:30 AM -12:30 PM

Undetectable Anterior Composites with the 5 Minute Finish

3 CE Hours 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (HANDS-ON)

ANTHONY “RICK” CARDOZA, DDS, D-ABFO

Dispelling the “CSI Effect” Myth: An Overview of Contemporary Forensic Dentistry

3.5 CE Hours 9:30 AM -1:00 PM

Dentistry’s Role in a Mass Disaster Scenario

3 CE Hours 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

INFECTION CONTROL

Course Presented by ODAA

3 CE Hours 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2023

KRISTA

JONES, DDS

Ethics and Professionalism in Oklahoma in 2023 [Breakfast & Learn]

2 CE Hours 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM

J. WILLIAM ROBBINS, DDS, MA

Global Diagnosis in the 21st Century

2.5 CE Hours 9:15 AM - 11:45 AM

Global Diagnosis and Digital Smile Design–A New Synergy

3 CE Hours 2:00 PM- 5:00 PM

TOM VIOLA, RPh, CCP

I Have Become…Comfortably Numb!

2.5 CE Hours 9:15 AM -11:45 AM

Waiting to Inhale?

3 CE Hours 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

DAVID CLARK, DDS

Modern Monolithic Injection Molded Composite Dentistry: Concepts-Materials-Instruments-Techniques

2.5 CE Hours 9:15 AM -11:45 AM (HANDS-ON)

3 CE Hours 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (HANDS-ON)

ED BRALY, DDS, FACD, FACS

Update on Opioids: Uses, Options, PMP, Best Practices, and Misadventures + Data on Oklahoma Dentists [Lunch & Learn]

2 CE Hours 11:45 AM -1:45 PM

HYGIENE LUNCH & LEARN

Course Presented by ODAA

2 CE Hours 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

ANTHONY “RICK” CARDOZA, DDS, D-ABFO

Twenty- First Century Laser-Assisted Dentistry

2.5 CE Hours 9:15 AM -11:45 AM

Twenty-First Century Laser-Assisted Dentistry: A Participation Workshop (HANDS-ON)

3 CE Hours 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Ticketed courses. Space is limited.

The ODA reserves the right to change/cancel courses prior to the Annual Meeting.

HELP ENSURE ESSENTIAL DENTAL CARE CONTINUES IN 2025 & BEYOND!

The OkMOM Legacy Fund was established in July 2022 to ensure essential dental care is provided to patients in need during the 2025 OkMOM event and beyond. Please join us by making a pledge or onetime gift and help us secure the future of this life-changing event!

Since its inception in 2010, the Oklahoma Mission of Mercy (OkMOM) has been the most significant dental outreach event in our state. Thousands of dental professionals have come together over the years to provide essential dental care to Oklahomans. Volunteer dentists, specialists, hygienists, assistants, and students have treated 17,381 patients and provided more than $14.2 million in donated dental care. While the treatment is donated, there is still a substantial cost of $150,000 -$200,000 to operate the event each year.

The

The Oklahoma Dental Association/Oklahoma Dental Foundation has received an incredibly generous gift from an anonymous ODA member and spouse who are committed to ensuring OkMOM continues well into the future. The $448,000 donation is being made as a dollar-for-dollar matching challenge, to be completed by June 30, 2023. This matching gift campaign will be the foundation for the new OkMOM Legacy Fund and will be the funding source for the 2025 OkMOM event and beyond.

One hundred percent of the ODA Board of Trustees have already made their pledge to the campaign, and we are asking you to please join them by making your monthly, quarterly, or annual pledge—or your one-time gift—to the OkMOM Legacy Fund. Every dollar you give will be doubled by the matching gift, helping us reach our initial goal of $896,000 and laying a solid foundation for the future of OkMOM.

Again, we ask you to join the legacy now by making your monthly, quarterly, annual, or one-time gift. Please help ensure essential dental care continues to be provided each year during the Oklahoma Mission of Mercy!

If you are paying by check, please make the payable to Oklahoma Mission of Mercy Legacy Fund and mail to:

Oklahoma Dental Association Attn: OkMOM Legacy Fund 317 NE 13th St. | Oklahoma City, OK 73104

THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO HAVE JOINED THE LEGACY

Dr. Jeffery Ahlert

Dr. Tabitha Arias

Dr. Douglas Auld

Dr. Victoria Ball

Dr. Rishu Batta

Dr. William Beasley

Dr. Justin Beasley

Dr. Kay Beavers

Dr. Tamara Berg Dr. David Birdwell (Orthodontic Arts)

Dr. Edmund and Cindy Braly

Dr. Matthew Bridges Dr. Todd and Lori Bridges

Dr. Nathan Buckner Dr. Kristen Campbell Dr. Wuse Cara Dr. Steven Carson

Dr. Mary Casey Kelly

Dr. Conrad Casler

Dr. Matthew Cohlmia

Dr. Raymond Cohlmia

Dr. Trung Tran Dr. Brent Dobson

Dr. Gene Drake Dr. Brian Drew Dr. Colin Eliot Dr. Heath Evans Dr. Chris & Heather Fagan

Dr. Tim & Pamela Fagan Dr. Ronald Faram

Dr. Joseph Feng

Dr. Mark Folks Shelly & Travis Frantz

Dr. Rick Freeman

Dr. Mark Goodman

Dr. Shannon Griffin

Dr. Daniel Griffiths

Dr. Mark Hanstein

Dr. Richard Haught

Dr. Erin Heathcock

Dr. Robert Herman Dr. Steven Hogg Dr. Mathew Hookom

Dr. Edward Harroz III

Dr. Courtney Johnson

Dr. Krista Jones

Dr. Janet Julian Dr. Carolyn Keyes Dr. Jandra Korb Dr. Mitchell & Janice Kramer

Dr. Priyanka Kulkarni

Dr. Larry Lavelett

Dr. Shannon Lewis Dr. Daryn Lu Dr. David Marks Dr. Janna McIntosh

Dr. Glenn Mead Lynn and Andy Means Dr. Clint Metcalf Dr. Frank Miranda Miller-Mott Collegeon behalf of Stephanie Crawford Dr. Sonya Nabors

Dr. Nicole Nellis Dr. Bob & Lisa Nowlin Dr. Chris Ray Dr. Karen Reed

Salem Lutheran Church

Dr. Jeff Shadid Dr. Jack Sheets

Dr. Matt Shelton Dr. Steffan Sigler

Dr. Gregg Smith

Dr. Donald Smith

Dr. Lindsay Smith

Dr. Adelaide Steed Dr. Greg Stewart Dr. Dan Storm Dr. Steven Sullivan

Dr. Mary Temple-Goins

Dr. Leslie Tevebaugh

Bootsey Torchia

Dr. Shyler Vincent Dr. Walter Scott Waugh

Dr. Jay Lynn White Dr. Susan Whiteneck

John Wilguess

Dr. Dan & Shannon Wilguess

Dr. Karen Willhoite

Dr. Noel Williams

Dr. Brian Wilson (Orthodontic Arts) Dr. Paul Wood

Dr. Rieger & WoodDonna

Dr. Donal Woodward Dr. Craig Wooten

Dr. Trent Yadon

Endodontic Practice Associates

Norman, Oklahoma

Serving the OKC Metro for 43 years - since 1977

Your patient’s experience is top priority

3D CBCT scanning for improved diagnosis

Complex endodontic cases welcomed

Complex and “heroic” teeth salvage Build-up and post & core placement available

Cutting edge instrumentation and disinfection

Zeiss microscopes used on every case

Specializing in finding 4+ canals in molars

Surgical and nonsurgical retreatment

General anesthesia and oral sedation

Open during pandemic shut-down

We pride ourselves in a trusted referral pattern that ensures your patient returns to you holding you in high regard - regardless of the reason for referral. We speak highly of you to your patient and reassure them they are in good hands in your care.

We value communication between you and our office. Give us a call to talk about anything. We are even happy to help you navigate through a difficult case in your chair.

Phone: 405.329.7936 1.800.238.5215 Fax: 405.329.1722

www.endodonticpracticeassociates.com

Thank You to the 2022 OkMOM Contributors

(Those who made a contribuion when paying 2022 dues.)

Your OkMOM contribution goes directly to offset the costs associated with the Oklahoma Mission of Mercy which provides life-changing dental care to Oklahomans in need. Please consider making this small, additional contribution when renewing your 2023 membership.

Dr. Jeffrey Ahlert

Dr. John Ainsworth

Dr. Ross Allen

Dr. Addie Allen-Steed Dr. Errol Allison

Dr. Clay Anderson Dr. Jamie Ariana Dr. Bonnie Arnould Dr. Forrest Arnould Dr. Douglas Auld Dr. Michael Auld

Dr. Barret Austin

Dr. Lauren Avery Dr. Jeffrey Baggett

Dr. Victoria Ball Dr. Jeannie Bath

Dr. Bryce Baumann Dr. Justin Beasley Dr. William Beasley Dr. Ray Beddoe Dr. Kari Bender Dr. Kenneth Bezan Dr. Bryan Blankenship Dr. Carol Blossfeld Dr. Fred Blythe Dr. Elizabeth Bohanon Dr. Richard Bohlander Dr. Blaire Bowers Ersteniuk Dr. Leon Bragg Dr. Michael Breland Dr. Allison Brewer Dr. C Todd Bridges Dr. Matthew Bridges Dr. Trace Bridges

Dr. Perry Brooks Dr. Nathan Brown Dr. S. Kelly Brown

Dr. Ronald Bulard

Dr. Adam Bulleigh Dr. William Burchard

Dr. Graham Busby Dr. Jamie Cameron

Dr. Kristen Campbell Dr. Sarah Campbell Dr. Tricia Cannon Dr. Wuse Cara Dr. Scott Carel

Dr. John Carletti Dr. Peter Carlson Dr. Bobby Carmen Dr. Steven Carson Dr. William Carter Dr. Mary Casey Kelly Dr. Conrad Casler Dr. Jennifer Chambers Dr. Brian Chastain Dr. Carrie Chastain Dr. Don Cheatham Dr. Jae Choi

Dr. Russell Coatney Dr. Jeff Cohlmia Dr. Matthew Cohlmia Dr. Raymond Cohlmia Dr. Cama Cord Dr. Debbie Corwin Dr. James Corwin Dr. Joshua Crossley Dr. Russell Danner Dr. Darrell Daugherty Dr. David Deason Dr. Steven Deem Dr. Kathy DeHart Dr. Tara Denton Dr. William Deprater Dr. Jeremy Dewbre Dr. Calvin Doan Dr. Bryce Dorrough Dr. Ana Dotson Dr. Stacia Dowell Dr. Brian Drew Dr. David Drummond Dr. Kevin Duffy Dr. Benjamin Edwards Dr. Renalla Ellis Dr. Heath Evans Dr. Christopher Fagan Dr. Barry Farmer Dr. Joseph Feng Dr. Casey Fishburn Dr. Keifer Fisher Dr. John Folks Dr. Richard Freeman Dr. LaMont Gee Dr. Michael Gliddon

Dr. Mark Goodman Dr. Sandra Grace Dr. Ronald Graves Dr. Matthew Gray Dr. Thomas Griffin Dr. Daniel Griffiths Dr. Robert Gruenberg Dr. Matthew Guffey Dr. Andrew Guthrie Dr. Jacob Hager Dr. Mark Hanstein Dr. Leslie Hardy Dr. James Harlan Dr. Jay Harlan Dr. Aaron Harman Dr. Edward Harroz Dr. Edward Harroz Dr. Darrell Hazle Dr. Drew Hendrix Dr. Jeffrey Hermen Dr. Marilyn Hiebert Dr. Myron Hilton Dr. Mark Hodge Dr. Matthew Hodgson Dr. Mathew Hookom Dr. James Hooper Dr. Brad Hoopes Dr. Mitchell Hoopes Dr. Eric Hopkins Dr. Terry Hopkins Dr. James Hulsey Dr. Benjamin Humphrey Dr. W. Robert Hunter Dr. Jennifer Jenkins Dr. Donald Johnson Dr. Eugenia Johnson Dr. Janet Julian Dr. Mohammad Karami Dr. Stephanie Kendrick Dr. Carolyn Keyes

Dr. Michael Kierl Dr. Michael Kirk Dr. Jandra Korb Dr. Mitchell Kramer Dr. Jay Kruska Dr. Ronald Lamb Dr. Ashley Lanman

Dr. Sally Le

Dr. Grady Lembke

Dr. Cloyce Littlefield

Dr. Dustin Lively

Dr. Robert Livingston

Dr. Karey Low

Dr. Pamela Low

Dr. Steve Lusk

Dr. David Marks

Dr. Mary Martin Dr. Alan Mauldin Dr. Janna McIntosh Dr. Daniel McNair Dr. Glenn Mead Dr. Joseph Meador Dr. Jamie Means Dr. David Merrell Dr. Clay Michels Dr. Robert Miracle

Dr. Andrea Montgomery Dr. Mohsen Moosavi Dr. Jack Morrison Dr. James Murtaugh

Dr. Aaron Neale

Dr. Nicole Nellis

Dr. David Nittler

Dr. Jana Oister

Dr. Samuel Owens

Dr. Rajesh Patel Dr. Adam Pfeifer

Dr. Garrett Phipps Dr. Christopher Ray Dr. Karen Reed Dr. William Reeves Dr. Chad Reid Dr. Scott Renfrow Dr. Roger Richter Dr. Doug Riggs Dr. Andrea Rios Dr. Zackery Ritter Dr. Erin Roberts-Svob Dr. Alejandro RomeroDelmastro

Dr. Brant Rouse Dr. Mack Rudd Dr. Miranda Ruleford Dr. Ryan Scott Dr. Shawn Scott Dr. Scott Searcey Dr. Gregory Segraves Dr. Mickey Sehorn Dr. Drake Sellmeyer Dr. Meghan Sellmeyer Dr. Jeff Shadid Dr. Paul Shadid Dr. Kyle Shannon

Dr. Steffan Sigler

Dr. Elizabeth Silver Dr. Floyd Simon Dr. Erin Smart Dr. Donald Smith Dr. Mark Smith Dr. Michael Smith Dr. Aaron Southerland Dr. Geoffrey Sparks Dr. James Sparks Dr. Chad Spiva Dr. David Stapleton Dr. Clinton Stevens Dr. Amy Stone Dr. Dan Storm Dr. Julie Storm Dr. Patrick Stover Dr. James Strand Dr. Steven Strange Dr. Marc Susman Dr. Jamie Talley Dr. Jim Taylor Dr. Stephen Taylor Dr. Shane Tewis Dr. Ryan Theobald Dr. John Thomas Dr. Kara Tims Dr. Lindsay Towler

Dr. Steve Truong

Dr. Mark Unruh Dr. Jonah Vandiver Dr. Nathan Villines Dr. Shyler Vincent Dr. Matthew Walls

Dr. Christopher Ward Dr. Gregory Watkins Dr. Scott Waugh Dr. Robert Webb Dr. Dennis Weibel Dr. Robert Wells

Dr. Stephanie Wendt

Dr. Steven White Dr. Theresa White Dr. Daniel Wilguess Dr. Ralph Willcox

Dr. Vincent Willcox

Dr. M Karen Willhoite Dr. Brian Wilson

Dr. Ronald Winder Dr. Paul Wood

Dr. Craig Wooten Dr. William Wynn Dr. Trent Yadon Dr. Kendra Yandell

Newly Elected ADA Officers

Dr. George R. Shepley Installed as ADA President

“Boldness is how we’ve built resilience,” Dr. Shepley said. “It’s how we’ve navigated every modern public health crisis from HIV to COVID-19. It’s how we’ve survived times of peak inflation — the days when a glut of dental school graduates entered the market, bought homes and opened practices when interest rates were 18% and 19%. I was one of those dentists.”

Dr. Shepley received his dental degree from West Virginia University School of Dentistry in 1977 and has practiced dentistry in Baltimore since 1978. Dr. Shepley and his wife, Ellen, live in Baltimore and have three children and two grandchildren.

George R. Shepley, D.D.S., of Baltimore, was installed Oct. 18 as the 159th president of the American Dental Association.

Dr. Shepley and the new and returning officers of the Association were installed at the ADA House of Delegates meeting in Houston.

“They say that fortune favors the bold — our ADA is proof of that,” Dr. Shepley said in his address to delegates. “We have known the great fortunes of trust, influence and respect as an organization and profession. Because when it mattered most, we adapted and we made bold moves.”

Quoting President Theodore Roosevelt, he encouraged his fellow officers and delegates to commit to “daring greatly” to continue to enhance the profession through legislative advocacy, clinical practice guidelines, standards, coding, testing, dental research and thought leadership on the dental economy.

“The ADA has evolved through it all — learning more, knowing better, doing better and simply going from strength to strength … all because we have simply dared to try.”

A life member of the ADA, Dr. Shepley has served the ADA as president-elect, 4th District trustee, alternate or delegate to the House of Delegates, chair of the Council on Communications, chair of the Budget and Finance Committee and chair of the Committee on Annual Meetings. He also served two terms on the State Public Affairs Oversight Committee. He has been a Board liaison to the Council on Members Insurance and Retirement Programs, the American Student Dental Association, the Council on Government Affairs and the American Dental Political Action Committee. He is a past president of the Maryland State Dental Association and a member of the Academy of General Dentistry. He is a fellow of the American College of Dentists, International College of Dentists, and Pierre Fauchard Academy.

Dr. Linda J. Edgar elected ADA President-elect

In his address to the House, Dr. Shepley called for the ADA to act boldly in three priority areas: as champions of optimal health; as individual educators and collective advocates; and in embracing cultural changes in business and community.

He challenged the ADA to set the global standard for defining oral health within the profession, and to take a strong stand to address the harmful effects of dietary sugar and work collaboratively with other medical organizations to educate and advocate for optimal health. He called for the Association to welcome and mentor dentists of all backgrounds, races, ethnicities, genders, and practice modalities.

“Our strategic plan certainly didn’t account for a global pandemic,” Dr. Shepley said. “And yet, the ADA has rallied into a place of recovery and renewal. Our current moment is not one for resignation, timidity or defeat. It’s a chance to be what we have always been — intentional, diligent, and willing to do the work. We are repositioning ourselves for success in dentistry’s new day. How else should we move forward if not daringly?”

Dr. Edgar, a general dentist in Federal Way, Washington, is the immediate past trustee for the 11th District. She has also served as a delegate to the ADA House and as a member of the ADA Council on Dental Practice. She is a past president and past secretary of the Academy of General Dentistry, past president of the Seattle King County Dental Society, and fellow of the American College of Dentists, International College of Dentists, and Academy of Dentistry International. She was chair of the University of Washington School of Dentistry’s $22 million fundraising campaign for more than 10 years. Finally, she has competed in 45 marathons and two Ironman Triathlon competitions.

Second Vice President, Dr. David J. Manzanares

Dr. Manzanares, a general dentist in Albuquerque, New Mexico, received his dental degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry. He has served in leadership positions throughout the tripartite, including secretary/treasurer of the New Mexico Dental Association, member of the ADA Council on Communications, chair of the ADA Volunteer Engagement Program, director of the NMDA Foundation board of directors and conference chair for Fiesta NMDA, the NMDA annual meeting. He is also a member of the Academy of General Dentistry and American Equilibration Society, and a fellow of the American College of Dentists and International College of Dentists.

Copyright © 2022 American Dental Association. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission. Visit ada.org/publications/ada-news for a complete recap of the ADA meeting and information on all the new and returning officers.

William J. Hardin

07/25/2021 Northern District Dental Society

Thomas H. Williams 08/10/2021 Central District Dental Society

Karen T. Pate 09/20/2021 Tulsa County Dental Society

Robert Boyd Morford 10/01/2021 Southwest District Dental Society

William Mack Croom 12/25/2021 Oklahoma County Dental Society

Charles Robert Tucker 01/05/2022 Northwest District Dental Society

Donald August Welk 01/05/2022 Oklahoma County Dental Society

Mark Edward Wilson 01/28/2022 Southwest District Dental Society

Albert Carter Tipton 02/05/2022 Oklahoma County Dental Society

J. Andrew McKamie 02/11/2022 Oklahoma County Dental Society

Christopher Ryan Mastin 03/19/2022 Tulsa County Dental Society

Richard Amal Safi 05/14/2022 Oklahoma County Dental Society

Jack Wilburn Hudspeth 09/20/2021 Tulsa County Dental Society

Jeffrey Trent McCormick 05/26/2022 Oklahoma County Dental Society

William L Carruth 09/29/2022 Oklahoma County Dental Society

MEET THE NEW ODA STAFF MEMBERS

Apryl Awbrey

Special Projects & Communications Manager

Apryl Awbrey provides association support through program/event management, social media, and website management, along with writing and graphic design. She serves as the primary staff liaison to the annual Oklahoma Mission of Mercy (OkMOM) and is responsible for the management, organization, and communication of the event. Apryl graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma where she received her degree in Interpersonal Communication. Prior to joining the ODA team, she served as the Manager and Community Outreach Coordinator at Trader Joe’s in Littleton, Colorado. Apryl grew up in Oklahoma and is glad to be back home and closer to family.

Ansley Jinkins Membership Engagement Manager

Ansley Jinkins is responsible for program and event planning as it pertains to the recruitment and retention of Association membership. She serves as staff liaison to the OU College of Dentistry and the seven component societies of the ODA, along with providing support in all membership processes. She graduated from Oklahoma State University in May of 2022 with dual-degrees in Marketing and Management. While in school, she served as a New Member Educator for her sorority where she planned events and maintained retention of members. She grew up in the Oklahoma City area and is excited to be working direcly with ODA members. In her free time, she loves to spend time with friends, family, and play with her mini-Aussie puppy, Ruby!

The ODA extends our deepest sympathy for our colleagues and friends who have passed this year.

Get Involved with the ODA

Print Name: Component (District) Dental Society: Email Address: Phone Number: Select the area(s) in which you are interested in serving:

Board of Trustees

Are you interested in becoming more active with the ODA through participation in a Council or Committee? What about a position of leadership within your local dental society? There are many ways to participate. The ODA Council on Nominations is accepting nominations for election at the April 2023 House of Delegates meeting. Contact the ODA at 800.876.8890 for more information about any of the volunteer opportunities. Nominations may be submitted to Dr. Paul Wood, Council Chair, at presidentelect@okda.org, your component dental society’s president-elect, or the ODA office by January 8, 2023. q Vice President q Speaker of the House of Delegates

ADA Delegate

ADA Alternate Delegate

Council on Budget and Finance

Council on Bylaws, Policy and Ethics

Council on Dental Care

Council on Dental Education and Public Information

Council on Governmental Affairs

Council on Membership and Membership Services

House of Delegates

DENPAC Board of Directors

Component (District) Office

Standing Committee on OHCA and DHS

Annual Meeting Planning Committee

Oklahoma Mission of Mercy (OkMOM) Planning Committee

Rewards Partners Committee

Investments Committee

OK Dental Relief and Disaster Grant Program Board of Trustees

Thank You to the 2022 Smile Contributors

Smile is a voluntary section of membership that helps the ODA shine a light on the importance of dentistry and all of the great things dentists are doing throughout Oklahoma. Your $25 Smile membership enables the ODA to promote a positive oral health message around the state through multiple public relations tools and also supports your ODA helping patients find a dental home. Please consider supporting this important effort when renewing your 2023 membership!

Dr. Jeffrey Ahlert

Dr. Ross Allen

Dr. Addie Allen-Steed Dr. Clay Anderson

Dr. Jamie Ariana

Dr. Bonnie Arnould

Dr. Forrest Arnould Dr. Douglas Auld

Dr. Michael Auld

Dr. Lauren Avery

Dr. Jeffrey Baggett

Dr. Victoria Ball

Dr. Jeannie Bath

Dr. Bryce Baumann

Dr. Robert Baumann Dr. Justin Beasley Dr. William Beasley Dr. Bryan Blankenship

Dr. Elizabeth Bohanon Dr. Richard Bohlander Dr. Leon Bragg Dr. Michael Breland Dr. C Todd Bridges Dr. Matthew Bridges Dr. Trace Bridges Dr. Nathan Brown Dr. S. Kelly Brown Dr. Ronald Bulard Dr. Adam Bulleigh Dr. Jamie Cameron

Dr. Kristen Campbell Dr. Tricia Cannon

Dr. Wuse Cara

Dr. John Carletti

Dr. Bobby Carmen

Dr. Mary Casey Kelly

Dr. Conrad Casler

Dr. Jennifer Chambers Dr. Jeff Cohlmia

Dr. Matthew Cohlmia Dr. Raymond Cohlmia Dr. Debbie Corwin Dr. James Corwin Dr. G Frans Currier Dr. Russell Danner Dr. David Deason Dr. Steven Deaton Dr. Kathy DeHart Dr. William Deprater Dr. Ana Dotson Dr. Stacia Dowell Dr. Brian Drew Dr. Kevin Duffy Dr. Renalla Ellis

Dr. Heath Evans Dr. Christopher Fagan Dr. Barry Farmer Dr. Casey Fishburn Dr. Keifer Fisher Dr. John Folks Dr. Richard Freeman Dr. Emily Frye Dr. Mark Goodman Dr. Sandra Grace Dr. Matthew Gray Dr. Jacob Hager Dr. H. Douglas Hall Dr. Michael Hansen Dr. Leslie Hardy Dr. Aaron Harman Dr. Edward Harroz Dr. Edward Harroz III

Dr. Jeffrey Hermen Dr. Marilyn Hiebert Dr. Myron Hilton Dr. James Hooper Dr. Eric Hopkins Dr. Terry Hopkins Dr. James Hulsey Dr. Donald Johnson Dr. Eugenia Johnson Dr. Janet Julian Dr. Mohammad Karami Dr. Michael Kierl Dr. Michael Kirk Dr. Jandra Korb Dr. Jay Kruska Dr. Dustin Lively Dr. Steve Lusk Dr. Raymond Lyle Dr. Kevin Mailot Dr. David Marks Dr. Mark Massaro Dr. Alan Mauldin Dr. Janna McIntosh Dr. Glenn Mead Dr. Jamie Means Dr. Robert Miracle Dr. Andrea Montgomery Dr. Mohsen Moosavi Dr. James Murtaugh Dr. Aaron Neale Dr. Nicole Nellis Dr. Jana Oister Dr. Alan Owen Dr. Karen Reed Dr. William Reeves Dr. Doug Riggs

Dr. Erin Roberts-Svob Dr. Brant Rouse Dr. Mack Rudd Dr. Miranda Ruleford Dr. Scott Searcey Dr. Mickey Sehorn Dr. Drake Sellmeyer Dr. Meghan Sellmeyer Dr. Jeff Shadid Dr. Paul Shadid Dr. Steffan Sigler Dr. Floyd Simon Dr. Lori Smith Dr. James Sparks Dr. Chad Spiva Dr. Braden Stoltenberg Dr. James Strand Dr. Steven Strange Dr. Marc Susman Dr. Jim Taylor Dr. Stephen Taylor Dr. John Thomas Dr. Kara Tims Dr. Jonah Vandiver Dr. Nathan Villines Dr. Robert Webb Dr. Robert Wells Dr. Stephanie Wendt Dr. Steven White Dr. Ralph Willcox Dr. Vincent Willcox Dr. Jana Winfree Dr. Paul Wood Dr. Kendra Yandell

Thank You to the 2022 Pride Contributors

Pride is a voluntary section of membership that shows how much you care about the future of organized dentistry. Your Pride membership dues go directly to offset some of the costs of lobbying at the State Capitol. It is imperative that we continue to maintain a positive and powerful presence at the Capitol and your annual $25 ODA Pride membership continues to make that possible. Please consider making this small, additional contribution when renewing your 2023 membership.

Dr. Jeffrey Ahlert

Dr. Ross Allen

Dr. Addie Allen-Steed

Dr. Clay Anderson

Dr. Jamie Ariana

Dr. Marc Arledge

Dr. Bonnie Arnould

Dr. Forrest Arnould

Dr. Douglas Auld

Dr. Michael Auld

Dr. Lauren Avery

Dr. Jeffrey Baggett

Dr. Bryce Baumann

Dr. Robert Baumann

Dr. Justin Beasley

Dr. William Beasley

Dr. Bryan Blankenship

Dr. Fred Blythe

Dr. Elizabeth Bohanon

Dr. Richard Bohlander

Dr. Blaire Bowers Ersteniuk

Dr. Michael Breland

Dr. C Todd Bridges

Dr. Matthew Bridges

Dr. Trace Bridges Dr. Nathan Brown Dr. S. Kelly Brown

Dr. Ronald Bulard

Dr. Adam Bulleigh

Dr. William Burchard

Dr. Jamie Cameron

Dr. Kristen Campbell

Dr. Tricia Cannon

Dr. Wuse Cara

Dr. Scott Carel

Dr. John Carletti

Dr. Bobby Carmen

Dr. Steven Carson

Dr. Mary Casey Kelly

Dr. Conrad Casler

Dr. Jennifer Chambers Dr. Don Cheatham

Dr. Jeff Cohlmia

Dr. Matthew Cohlmia

Dr. Raymond Cohlmia Dr. Debbie Corwin Dr. James Corwin Dr. G Frans Currier Dr. Russell Danner Dr. Darrell Daugherty Dr. David Deason Dr. Steven Deaton Dr. Steven Deem Dr. Kathy DeHart Dr. Tara Denton

Dr. William Deprater Dr. Ana Dotson Dr. Stacia Dowell Dr. Brian Drew Dr. Kevin Duffy Dr. Renalla Ellis Dr. Heath Evans Dr. Christopher Fagan Dr. Barry Farmer Dr. Robert Flint Dr. John Folks Dr. Emily Frye Dr. Mark Goodman Dr. Sandra Grace Dr. Ronald Graves Dr. Matthew Gray Dr. Robert Gruenberg Dr. Jacob Hager Dr. H. Douglas Hall Dr. Michael Hansen Dr. Leslie Hardy Dr. Aaron Harman Dr. Edward Harroz Dr. Edward Harroz III Dr. Mark Harwood Dr. Jeffrey Hermen Dr. Marilyn Hiebert Dr. Myron Hilton Dr. Matthew Hodgson Dr. James Hooper Dr. Brad Hoopes

Dr. Eric Hopkins Dr. Terry Hopkins Dr. James Hulsey Dr. Donald Johnson Dr. Eugenia Johnson Dr. Krista Jones Dr. Janet Julian Dr. Mohammad Karami Dr. Carolyn Keyes Dr. Michael Kirk Dr. Jandra Korb Dr. Jay Kruska Dr. April Lai Dr. Ashley Lanman Dr. Grady Lembke Dr. Dustin Lively Dr. Robert Livingston Dr. Pamela Low Dr. Steve Lusk Dr. Raymond Lyle Dr. Kevin Mailot Dr. David Marks Dr. Mary Martin Dr. Mark Massaro Dr. Alan Mauldin Dr. Jonas McCall Dr. Janna McIntosh Dr. Glenn Mead Dr. Joseph Meador Dr. Jamie Means Dr. David Merrell Dr. Robert Miracle Dr. Mohsen Moosavi Dr. James Murtaugh Dr. Aaron Neale Dr. Nicole Nellis Dr. David Nittler Dr. Jana Oister Dr. Alan Owen Dr. Karen Reed Dr. William Reeves Dr. Roger Richter Dr. Erin Roberts-Svob

Dr. Brant Rouse

Dr. Mack Rudd

Dr. Miranda Ruleford

Dr. Scott Searcey Dr. Mickey Sehorn Dr. Drake Sellmeyer

Dr. Meghan Sellmeyer

Dr. Paul Shadid

Dr. Gregory Shanbour

Dr. Gregory F. Shanbour

Dr. Kyle Shannon

Dr. John Sheets

Dr. Steffan Sigler

Dr. Floyd Simon Dr. Charles Sims Dr. Mark Smith Dr. James Sparks Dr. Chad Spiva Dr. Braden Stoltenberg Dr. Julie Storm

Dr. James Strand Dr. Steven Strange Dr. Marc Susman Dr. Jim Taylor

Dr. Stephen Taylor Dr. John Thomas

Dr. Kara Tims

Dr. Steve Truong Dr. Jonah Vandiver Dr. Nathan Villines

Dr. Robert Webb

Dr. Robert Wells

Dr. Stephanie Wendt Dr. Steven White

Dr. Theresa White

Dr. Susan Whiteneck

Dr. Vincent Willcox

Dr. Paul Wood Dr. Craig Wooten Dr. William Wynn

LEGISLATIVE LOOP

Your Team at the State Capitol

Scott Adkins has been the ODA’s contract lobbyist for more than 15 years and has helped the ODA through many legislative battles. He is the President of Scott Adkins Consulting, Inc., an Oklahoma-based lobbying, government affairs, and political consulting firm specializing in energy, technology, health care, and appropriations and budget issues, as well as grassroots and strategic political advocacy. Among the many clients Adkins has represented are Ardent Health, Google, Tulsa Health Department, Oklahoma Dental Association, CoreCivic, Marathon Oil Company, the Coalition of Tulsa Area Governments, and Windstream Oklahoma.

Prior to founding his own company, Scott Adkins served for six years in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. As one of the youngest members of the legislature, Adkins was appointed to the House Appropriations and Budget Committee, as well as the Energy, Banking, Insurance, and Public Health Committees. While serving as a State Representative, Scott was named to the Energy Council, an international organization of energy producing states, Canada, and Venezuela. Representative Adkins is best known as the author of Oklahoma’s “Internet Predator Law,” and the landmark “Brandy Thurmond Law,” that requires mandatory prison sentences for those convicted of using a weapon in the commission of a crime of violence.

While in the legislature, Representative Adkins traveled to Poland and Hungary and met with many of the region’s political leaders as a member of a delegation chosen by the American Council of Young Political Leaders. In 2001, Scott was one of three Americans chosen by ACYPL and the East-West Center to meet in Singapore and Malaysia on emerging Asian environmental issues. In 2003, Adkins led a delegation of young American leaders to the Kingdom of Morocco to discuss the history and future of US relations. In 2005, Scott traveled again to Morocco on behalf of the International Republican Institute to assist many of the Moroccan political parties with campaign training and grassroots political organization.

Before entering public service, Adkins was a Vice President with the Arvest Bank Group, an executive with Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, and the national marketing manager of LaBarge Electronics, an aerospace technology and defense systems firm.

Scott Adkins graduated from The University of the Ozarks

in Clarksville, Arkansas, with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He completed his undergraduate work while married and managing a full-time business in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Adkins also holds a Master of Business Administration from the Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business in Dallas, Texas. Scott attended SMU on scholarship and also worked as a graduate assistant.

Mark Yates joined the ODA contract lobby team in January 2022 after we recieved a State Public Affairs grant from the ADA. His work and partnership during the last legislative session was instramental in moving things forward, and while we did not get a “W” , we were able to cover more ground and are excited to have recieved another State Public Affairs grant to ensure he is on our team again for the 2023 session.

Mark is a principal at Cornerstone Public Affairs. His experience in public policy includes working with various industries through statewide campaigns, legislative engagement, media relations, and public speaking. Mark has been successful navigating complex and challenging initiatives on behalf of the clean energy and agriculture industries.

Mark previously served as vice president at Advanced Power Alliance (APA) where he represented leading domestic and international companies in the renewable energy sector. While in this role, he managed the association’s regional public policy strategy, communications strategy, and membership recruitment efforts. Mark served a major role in shaping legislative and regulatory policy within the most important energy region in the country.

Prior to APA, Mark worked at the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, where he led membership recruitment initiatives, mobilized a statewide grassroots campaign, and lobbied for rural issues on behalf of the nearly 90,000 farmers and ranchers.

Before his time with the Farm Bureau, Mark was a professional educator in the Oklahoma public school system for 11 years. Along with his teaching experience, Mark also had administrative experience serving as a federal programs director for Plainview Public Schools in Ardmore, OK.

Mark is a graduate of East Central University in Ada, OK and holds a bachelor’s degree in History and master’s in Secondary Administration. Mark and his wife, Stacy, reside in Edmond, OK where they are active in their community and have two children, Londyn and Steele.

WHY JOIN DENPAC

DENPAC is the political action committee of your Oklahoma Dental Association. DENPAC works hard to make political contributions to dentistry-friendly, state-level legislators. $50 of your DENPAC dues also goes towards ADPAC to support national campaigns. Currently, 20% of the ODA membership funds 99% of the ODA’s legislative and advocacy efforts. HOW TO JOIN

Thank you 2022 DENPAC Members!

DENPAC contributors provide the funding that fuels the ODA’s legislative engine. Keep up the good work and please remember to support DENPAC when renewing your 2023 dues!

OKCapitol Club Members | Grand Members | *Current DENPAC Board Member

Dr. Jeffrey Ahlert

Dr. Ross Allen

Dr. Addie Allen-Steed

Dr. Clay Anderson

Dr. Jamie Ariana

Dr. Bonnie Arnould

Dr. Forrest Arnould

Dr. Glenn Ashmore

Dr. Michael Auld

Dr. Douglas Auld*

Dr. Lauren Avery

Dr. Jeffrey Baggett

Dr. Victoria Ball

Dr. Robert Baumann

Dr. William Beasley

Dr. Kari Bender

Dr. Tamara Berg*

Dr. Bryan Blankenship

Dr. Fred Blythe

Dr. Elizabeth Bohanon

Dr. Richard Bohlander

Dr. Blaire Bowers

Ersteniuk

Dr. M. Edmund Braly*

Dr. Michael Breland

Dr. C Todd Bridges* Dr. Trace Bridges Dr. Matthew Bridges Dr. Nathan Brown

Dr. Steven Brown Dr. Ronald Bulard

Dr. Adam Bulleigh Dr. Craig Buntemeyer Dr. William Burchard

Dr. George Bussman

Dr. Jamie Cameron

Dr. Kristen Campbell

Dr. Tricia Cannon

Dr. Wuse Cara

Dr. John Carletti

Dr. Bobby Carmen

Dr. Steven Carson

Dr. William Carter

Dr. Mary Casey Kelly

Dr. Conrad Casler

Dr. Jennifer Chambers

Dr. Brian Chastain

Dr. Tennille CheekCovey Dr. Raymond Cohlmia Dr. Matthew Cohlmia*

Dr. Debbie Corwin Dr. James Corwin Dr. Jeffrey Danner Dr. Russell Danner Dr. Darrell Daugherty

Dr. Mark Davis Dr. Susan Davis Dr. David Deason Dr. Steven Deaton Dr. Steven Deem Dr. Tara Denton Dr. William Deprater Dr. Myrna Domoney Dr. Ana Dotson Dr. Stacia Dowell Dr. Brian Drew Dr. Zane Dubberstein Dr. Kevin Duffy Dr. Twana Duncan Dr. Renalla Ellis Dr. Heath Evans Dr. Christopher Fagan* Dr. Tim Fagan* Dr. Barry Farmer Dr. Robert Flint Dr. John Folks Dr. Emily Frye Dr. Kenneth Garner Dr. Martha Garzon Dr. Mark Goodman Dr. Sandra Grace Dr. Ronald Graves Dr. Matthew Gray Dr. Stephen Gray Dr. Evangeline Greer Dr. Thomas Griffin

Dr. Shannon Griffin* Dr. Robert Gruenberg Dr. Jacob Hager Dr. H. Douglas Hall

Dr. Michael Hampton Dr. Kevin Haney Dr. Michael Hansen Dr. Mark Hanstein Dr. Leslie Hardy Dr. Aaron Harman Dr. Jennifer Harreld Dr. Edward Harroz Dr. Richard Haught Dr. Richard Henry Dr. Robert Herman* Dr. Jeffrey Hermen Dr. Marilyn Hiebert Dr. Randi Hobbs Dr. Mathew Hookom Dr. James Hooper Dr. Mitchell Hoopes Dr. Brad Hoopes Dr. Terry Hopkins Dr. James Hulsey Dr. Jennifer Jenkins Dr. Donald Johnson Dr. Eugenia Johnson Dr. Krista Jones* Dr. Mohammad Karami Dr. Michael Kierl Dr. Michael Kirk Dr. Jandra Korb Dr. Mitchell Kramer Dr. Jay Kruska Dr. April Lai Dr. Robert Lamb Dr. Ashley Lanman Dr. Grady Lembke Dr. Marti Levinson Dr. Robert Livingston Dr. Eric Loper Dr. Juan Lopez Dr. Daryn Lu Dr. Jeff Lunday Dr. Steve Lusk Dr. Kevin Mailot Dr. David Marks Dr. Mary Martin Dr. Stephen Martin

Dr. Mark Massaro Dr. Alan Mauldin Dr. Stephen Mayer* Dr. Glenn Mead* Dr. David Merrell Dr. John Miller Dr. Robert Miracle Dr. Kenner Misner Dr. Andrea Montgomery Dr. Mohsen Moosavi Dr. Paul Mullasseril Dr. James Murtaugh Dr. Aaron Neale Dr. Nicole Nellis Dr. Robert Nowlin Dr. Jana Oister Dr. Alan Owen Dr. Garrett Phipps Dr. Karen Reed Dr. William Reeves Dr. Roger Richter Dr. Ryan Roberts Dr. Erin Roberts-Svob Dr. Thomas Rogers Dr. Brant Rouse Dr. Mack Rudd Dr. Miranda Ruleford Dr. Robert Schick Dr. Lance Schmidt Dr. Troy Schmitz Dr. Scott Searcey Dr. Gregory Segraves Dr. Drake Sellmeyer Dr. Meghan Sellmeyer Dr. Kyle Serfoss Dr. Jeff Shadid Dr. Paul Shadid Dr. John Sheets Dr. Steffan Sigler Dr. Floyd Simon Dr. Lindsay Smith* Dr. James Sparks Dr. Sara Spurlock Dr. David Stapleton Dr. Braden Stoltenberg

Dr. Julie Storm Dr. Patrick Stover Dr. James Strand Dr. Steven Strange Dr. Carla Sullivan Dr. Marc Susman Dr. Jim Taylor Dr. Stephen Taylor Dr. Mary TempleGoins Dr. Ryan Theobald Dr. John Thomas Dr. Paul Thomas Dr. Kara Tims Dr. Steve Truong Dr. JayCee Van Horn Dr. Jonah Vandiver Dr. Nathan Villines Dr. Jayson Voto Dr. Patrick Wallace Dr. W. Scott Waugh Dr. Robert Webb Dr. Mark Weems Dr. Robert Wells Dr. Stephanie Wendt Dr. Jay White Dr. Steven White Dr. Theresa White Dr. W. Scott White Dr. Susan Whiteneck Dr. DanWilguess* Dr. Vincent Willcox Dr. Brian Wilson

Dr. C. Rieger Wood* Dr. Paul Wood

Dr. William Wynn Dr. Trent Yadon Dr. Kendra Yandell

A Gift that Helps Your Colleagues

Thank you to the following individuals who donated in 2022 to the Oklahoma Dental Relief and Disaster Grant Program!

The RDGP is a charitable entity that offers aid to dental professionals and their dependents who, because of misfortune, natural disaster, chemical dependence, physical disability, or other hindering conditions, are not wholly self-sustaining. This program exists to award financial aid to dental professionals, yet relies solely on contributions.

Dr. Jeffrey Ahlert

Dr. Ross Allen

Dr. Addie Allen-Steed Dr. Errol Allison

Dr. Clay Anderson

Dr. Jamie Ariana

Dr. Bonnie Arnould

Dr. Forrest Arnould

Dr. Douglas Auld

Dr. Michael Auld

Dr. Lauren Avery

Dr. Jeannie Bath

Dr. Bryce Baumann

Dr. Justin Beasley

Dr. William Beasley Dr. William Beasley Dr. Fred Benenati

Dr. Tamara Berg

Dr. Bryan Blankenship Dr. Elizabeth Bohanon

Dr. Richard Bohlander Dr. Blaire Bowers Ersteniuk

Dr. Michael Breland

Dr. C. Todd Bridges

Dr. Matthew Bridges

Dr. Trace Bridges

Dr. Nathan Brown

Dr. S. Kelly Brown

Dr. Ronald Bulard

Dr. Adam Bulleigh

Dr. Jamie Cameron

Dr. Kristen Campbell

Dr. Sarah Campbell

Dr. Tricia Cannon

Dr. Wuse Cara

Dr. Scott Carel

Dr. John Carletti

Dr. Bobby Carmen

Dr. Mary Casey Kelly

Dr. Conrad Casler

Dr. Jennifer Chambers

Dr. Brian Chastain

Dr. Matthew Cohlmia

Dr. Raymond Cohlmia

Dr. Debbie Corwin

Dr. James Corwin Dr. Russell Danner Dr. David Deason Dr. Steven Deem Dr. Kathy DeHart Dr. William Deprater Dr. Bryce Dorrough Dr. Ana Dotson Dr. Stacia Dowell Dr. Brian Drew Dr. Neill Dubberstein

Dr. Kevin Duffy Dr. Patrick Dukes Dr. Renalla Ellis Dr. Heath Evans Dr. Christopher Fagan Dr. Barry Farmer Dr. Joseph Feng Dr. John Folks Dr. LaMont Gee Dr. Mark Goodman Dr. Sandra Grace Dr. Ronald Graves Dr. Matthew Gray Dr. Thomas Griffin Dr. Robert Gruenberg Dr. Stefan Hacker Dr. Jacob Hager Dr. Leslie Hardy Dr. Aaron Harman Dr. Edward Harroz Dr. John Henry Dr. Jeffrey Hermen Dr. Marilyn Hiebert Dr. Myron Hilton Dr. James Hooper Dr. Brad Hoopes Dr. Eric Hopkins Dr. Terry Hopkins Dr. James Hulsey Dr. Donald Johnson

Dr. Eugenia Johnson Dr. Krista Jones Dr. Mohammad Karami Dr. Michael Kirk Dr. Jandra Korb Dr. Ronald Lamb Dr. Ashley Lanman Dr. Marti Levinson Dr. Dustin Lively Dr. Robert Livingston Dr. Eric Loper Dr. Steve Lusk Dr. David Marks Dr. Alan Mauldin Dr. Jonas McCall Dr. Janna McIntosh Dr. Daniel McNair Dr. Glenn Mead Dr. Jamie Means Dr. Robert Miracle Dr. Andrea Montgomery Dr. Mohsen Moosavi Dr. Jack Morrison Dr. James Murtaugh Dr. Aaron Neale Dr. Nicole Nellis Dr. David Nittler Dr. Jana Oister Dr. Samuel Owens Dr. Karen Reed Dr. William Reeves Dr. Roger Richter Dr. James Roane Dr. Don Roberts Dr. Erin Roberts-Svob Dr. Brant Rouse Dr. Mack Rudd Dr. Scott Searcey Dr. Mickey Sehorn Dr. Drake Sellmeyer Dr. Meghan Sellmeyer Dr. Jeff Shadid Dr. Paul Shadid

Dr. Gregory Shanbour

Dr. Gregory Shanbour

Dr. Steffan Sigler

Dr. Floyd Simon

Dr. Donald Smith

Dr. Lori Smith

Dr. Michael Smith Dr. James Sparks Dr. Chad Spiva

Dr. Clinton Stevens Dr. Braden Stoltenberg

Dr. Dan Storm Dr. Patrick Stover Dr. James Strand Dr. Steven Strange Dr. Guy Strunk Dr. Carla Sullivan Dr. Marc Susman Dr. Jim Taylor Dr. Stephen Taylor Dr. John Thomas Dr. Kara Tims Dr. JayCee Van Horn Dr. Jonah Vandiver Dr. Nathan Villines Dr. Robert Webb

Dr. Mark Weems

Dr. Robert Wells Dr. Steven White Dr. Theresa White Dr. Vincent Willcox

Dr. M Karen Willhoite Dr. Brian Wilson Dr. Paul Wood

Dr. William Wynn Dr. Kendra Yandell

Additional donations are needed!

You can make a donation to RDGP at okda.org/programs.

MEMBER SHOUTOUT

CHAMPIONS OF HEALTH AWARD

During the 2022 Champions of Health Awards, ODA member and past president, Dr. Rieger Wood, was recognized for his determination to change the landscape of dentistry for those in need and for being the driving force behind the Oklahoma Mission of Mercy. He pioneered the committee that planned and executed the first OkMOM by bringing the dental community together to provide essential oral health care to the uninsured, under-insured, or those who lack traditional access to dental care. Since its inception in 2010, he has been and continues to be generous with his time and expertise. Dr. Wood remains as passionate about OkMOM today as he was that first mission in Tulsa, OK.

AMERICAN COLLEGE OF DENTISTS

During the 2022 American College of Dentists 10 new Fellows from Oklahoma were inducted during the meeting in Houston, Texas on October 13.

Pictured left to right: Drs. Brian Sorgen, Paul Wood, Melanie Emerson, Kristen Campbell, Troy Schmitz, Mary Hamburg, Whitney Yeates, Bobby Carmen, Shannon Lewis, and Eugenia Johnson.

Palatal swelling, pain, and central ulcer after final exam week

A 25-year-old female student who had recently completed a stressful final exams week noticed a localized, red spot on her palate while brushing her teeth. She reported no pain at first, by the next day the area had become more erythematous and uncomfortable. She presented to Oral Pathology at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry as recommended by ENT. She reported the lesion was “fairly painful.” Her dental evaluation was excellent, negative for caries and periodontal disease. She had no recollection of trauma and no signs or symptoms of infection or recent illness. She was healthy with a non-contributory medical history. She was not taking any medications and had no reported illicit drug use.

The clinical photos reveal a quickly progressing, erythematous, slightly swollen nodular area in the midline of the hard palate. The patient had taken a picture on the first day of discomfort and then presented the following day with a slightly larger erythematous area. The central portion of the lesion was even a darker red. (See photos 1 and 2)

The next important clinical questions were:

What is the differential diagnosis for the lesion?

What will the working diagnosis be? What is the next step in treatment management for this patient?

Potential differential diagnoses:

Palatal abscess

Recurrent herpes simplex infection

Salivary gland tumor

Median palatal (palatine) cyst

Squamous cell carcinoma

Necrotizing sialometaplasia

The palatal abscess is a relatively common condition in the oral cavity compared to the other diagnoses listed in the differential. However, abscesses are usually associated with a non-vital tooth in which an acute or chronic apical periodontitis progresses

to an abscess or an acute inflammatory response in the region. Although most abscesses drain to the thinner buccal cortical plate (1). The maxillary molar’s palatal roots can provide a channel for infection and abscess formation on the palatal surface. The fact that the patient had no source of infection: no decay, vital teeth, excellent dental health, and no periodontal disease significantly reduced suspicion of this common acutely painful abscess.

Recurrent herpes simplex virus infection is a common condition that usually presents with a prodrome leading to “crops” of vesicles (numerous and small) that quickly rupture and form coalescing ulcers on the mucocutaneous junction of the lip. However, when the recurrent infection presents intraorally in an immunocompetent patient, the vesicles and ulcers appear on the keratinized mucosa (palate and attached alveolar gingiva). The most common triggers include sun exposure, trauma, and physical or emotional stress. The patient did report a stressful finals week concluding just four days before the onset of the acute painful lesion. The evidence against this being recurrent herpes infection is the appearance of a solitary erythematous nodule in the midline. There is a lack of viral appearance to the patient’s lesion presented. There are no crops of vesicles or coalescing ulcers. Additionally, recurrent herpes infection follows the neural pathway and, therefore would favor a location lateral to the midline of the palate.

Salivary gland tumors are uncommon and mostly occur in the parotid gland. The most common intraoral location for a parotid tumor is the palate. The palate harbors hundreds of minor salivary glands, and 42-51% of intraoral (excluding the major glands) minor salivary gland tumors occur in the palate (1,3). The most common benign salivary gland tumor is the pleomorphic adenoma, and the most common malignant salivary gland tumor is the mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Clinically,

a salivary gland tumor will likely present as a painless, slow-growing mass. When the swelling is on the palate, the location of the tumor tends to favor the posterior lateral aspect (1). The typical clinical findings of a salivary gland tumor are inconsistent with our symptomatic, erythematous, acute swelling on the palate.

The median palatal cyst is a developmental fissural cyst that occurs along the plane of fusion between the lateral palatal shelves of the maxilla. As the shelves fuse in an anterior-posterior direction, epithelium may get entrapped and form a cyst. The cyst often presents in adults aged 20-50 years old with an average age of 37. A median palatal cyst occurs as a midline swelling posterior to the palatine papilla (2). Most frequently, the lesion is asymptomatic, but occasionally, mild symptoms of pain or expansion are reported (1). The average size of the cyst is 2 x 2 cm, and it appears ovoid or concentric on an occlusal radiograph (1). The quick onset, pain, and erythema of the palatal lesion presented is not suggestive of a median palatal cyst. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common malignancy of the oral cavity representing over 90% of intraoral cancers. The most common location for the development of intraoral SCC is the posterior lateral and ventral tongue, followed by th floor of mouth. The palate would represent one of the least common sites for intraoral cancer (1). Clinically, SCC can present as an exophytic or endophytic lesion. SCC can also be a leukoplakia, erythroplakia, or erythroleukoplakia. SCC usually begins as an asymptomatic lesion that becomes symptomatic over time if untreated.

Necrotizing sialometaplasia (NS) is an uncommon condition that is thought to arise from ischemia to the salivary glands. Potential risk factors leading to ischemia include traumatic injuries, dental infections, ill-fitting dentures, upper respiratory infections, adjacent tumors,

previous surgery, and eating disorders (1). The ischemia leads to tissue necrosis of the regional mucous gland lobules and a destructive inflammatory response to local tissue. More than 75% of NS cases occur on the palate, making it by far the most common location, but they can also be found in other oral locations with minor salivary glands or major salivary glands (1). The lesion begins as a nonulcerated, swelling often with pain or paresthesia, and then after 1-3 weeks the necrotic tissue can slough or “fall out”, and complete healing occurs over the 4-10 weeks. The lesions can range in size from 1 – 5 cm. Larger lesions require a longer healing duration (4). About two-thirds of palatal lesions are unilateral; however, bilateral synchronous and metachronous lesions can occur, as can midline lesions (4).

There was a high index of suspicion for necrotizing sialometaplasia from the clinical presentation and progression. Therefore, the treatment recommended was over-the-counter analgesics and close monitoring of the area over the next several days. The patient was given a thorough explanation thathe area may worsen in appearance by becoming a larger ulcer and tissue necrosis may result in exfoliation of tissue before eventually healing. If concern over the appropriate working diagnosis arises, then biopsy would be warranted.

On day 5, after initially becoming aware of the lesion while brushing her teeth, the area was less painful and showed a small central ulcer covered with fibrin surrounded by an erythematous swelling. The lesion had become asymptomatic and almost completely healed over the ensuing 5 days (see photos 3 and 4).

This case represents idiopathic necrotizing sialometaplasia (NS) because no traumatic etiologic factor could be identified. This case is also a quickly resolving example because many lesions take 4-10 weeks to heal (4). The clinical presentation can be quite concerning for a malignancy, and often these lesions are biopsied. Histopathologically, NS mimics squamous cell carcinoma because of the squamous metaplasia of salivary ducts and regional mucous gland acinar necrosis. Furthermore, an area of pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia of overlying epithelium may occur over the area, mimicking the

appearance of squamous cell carcinoma.

The young age of the patient, location, acute symptoms, and lack of any other contributing medical or social history elevated the likelihood of NS to the top of the differential. Therefore, a wait-andwatch approach over several days was appropriate for patient management. The diagnosis was confirmed by the clinical course, and biopsy was able to be avoided.

REFERENCES

1)NEVILLE B.W., DAMM D.D., ALLEN C.M., CHI A.C. SALIVARY GLAND PATHOLOGY. IN: NEVILLE B.W., DAMM D.D., ALLEN C.M., CHI A.C., EDITORS. ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL PATHOLOGY. 4TH ED. ELSEVIER; ST LOUIS: 2016. PP. 28;123-124;439–445.

2) MANZON, S., GRAFFEO, M., & PHILBERT, R. (2009). MEDIAN PALATAL CYST: CASE REPORT AND REVIEW OF LITERATURE. JOURNAL OF ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY, 67(4), 926–930.

3) JONES, A. V., CRAIG, G. T., SPEIGHT, P. M., & FRANKLIN, C. D. (2008). THE RANGE AND DEMOGRAPHICS OF SALIVARY GLAND TUMOURS DIAGNOSED IN A UK POPULATION. ORAL ONCOLOGY, 44(4), 407–417.

4) KRISHNA S, BK R. NECROTIZING SIALOMETAPLASIA OF PALATE: A CASE REPORT. IMAGING SCI DENT. 2011;41(1):35-38. DOI:10.5624/ISD.2011.41.1.35

5) BEN-IZHAK, O., & BEN-ARIEH, Y. (1993). NECROTIZING SQUAMOUS METAPLASIA IN HERPETIC TRACHEITIS FOLLOWING PROLONGED INTUBATION: A LESION SIMILAR TO NECROTIZING SIALOMETAPLASIA. HISTOPATHOLOGY, 22(3), 265–270. DOI:10.1111/J.1365-2559.1993. TB00117.X

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Faram is an Oklahoma native and a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. He completed his undergraduate studies at Oklahoma City University and is a graduate of OU College of Dentistry. Dr. Faram has a special interest in public health and community dentistry and worked for the Cherokee Nation as a general dentist for five years in Tahlequah, OK. He completed a residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology at New York Presbyterian, Queens, and is thankful to return home to provide care for patients at OU Health. In his free time he enjoys visiting local lakes, vacationing with his family, and cheering on the Sooners.

NEW DENTIST CORNER:

Sensory Processing Disorder and Dentistry

Dental visits can be stressful for any patient but can be especially stressful for children. As a pediatric dentist, I am always trying to find ways to help my little patients combat a range of emotions throughout their dental visits that can include anxiety, distress, and pain.

One addition to my office that has helped children cope with their dental visits has been the introduction of our four-legged furry friend, Teddy. Teddy is a mini golden doodle who has been undergoing training to add the element of animal-assisted intervention to our dental office.

The use of animals to help combat distress, pain, or anxiety has been shown to be beneficial in many settings, including the dental office (1,2). Studies have shown the use of therapy dogs as part of animal-assisted intervention can provide not only mental health benefits, but also physical health benefits. These benefits can range from improving neurohormone levels, lowering blood pressure, and even helping decrease overall perceived physical pain (3) The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry has recognized research showing therapy dogs can enhance interactions between the patient and dental team and can help ease fear and anxiety by providing a distraction from potentially stressful situations (1) .

While various studies have shown many benefits of using therapy dogs in various healthcare settings, my own personal observance and love for the use of dogs in the medical realm evolved through my cousin’s relationship with his best friend and service dog, Berlin. I got to see first-hand the love between a child and his service dog, as well as the benefits Berlin provided to my cousin,Teague, as he battled Batten Disease. Teague passed away at the age of 16, but his beloved canine companion has now become a certified therapy dog that continues to comfort patients at various facilities, including the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital and the Oklahoma Stevenson Cancer Center.

Teague’s mom, Joey, stated “Berlin was the single best thing we did as parents to impact Teague’s life.” That statement spoke volumes to me, and it was through my family’s experience that the seed was planted to provide a form of animal-assisted intervention in my own dental office.

In addition to opening my own pediatric dental office in Shawnee, Oklahoma, in February of 2022, I poured many extra hours into planning and training for the implementation of an on-site therapy dog service for patients. Our office design even includes Teddy’s own “home” that serves as a retreat when children may have allergies or be fearful of dogs. We follow strict protocols and policies that help maintain a safe and clean environment for our patients while continuing to let Teddy provide lots of companionship to our little patients who request his presence.

Teddy has quickly become the most beloved four-legged employee at our pediatric dental office and continues to be a daily reminder that our job is to help provide not only safety, but also comfort and empathy to those kiddos who walk through our door. We strive to provide a “paw-sitive” environment and will continue to utilize various methods, including the employment of a therapy dog, to help make children’s trips to the dentist fun!

Follow our office and Teddy’s therapy dog journey through social media on Instagram and Facebook at “Shawnee Pediatric Dentistry.” We also encourage you to visit the social media page, “Berlin’s Buddies,” to learn more about a scholarship program that honors Berlin’s best friend, Teague. This program helps enrich children’s lives through a match with a service dog.

REFERENCES

1. AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY. BEHAVIOR GUIDANCE FOR THE PEDIATRIC DENTAL PATIENT. THE REFERENCE MANUAL OF PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY. CHICAGO, ILL.: AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY; 2021:306-24. AVAILABLE AT “HTTPS://WWW.AAPD.ORG/GLOBALASSETS/MEDIA/POLICIES_GUIDELINES/BP_ BEHAVGUIDE.PDF”.

2. CAJARES CM, RUTLEDGE CM, HANEY TS. ANIMAL ASSISTED THERAPY IN A SPECIAL NEEDS DENTAL PRACTICE: AN INTERPROFESSIONAL MODEL FOR ANXIETY REDUCTION. J OF INTELL DISABL 2016;4(1):25-8

3. CRUZ-FIERRO N, VANEGAS-FARFANO M, GONZÁLEZ-RAMÍREZ MT. DOG-ASSISTED THERAPY AND DENTAL ANXIETY: A PILOT STUDY. ANIMALS 2019;9(8):512. AVAILABLE AT: “HTTPS:// WWW.MDPI.COM/2076-2615/9/8/512”.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Sarah Karnish grew up in Ardmore, Oklahoma, and obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from Oklahoma State University. She practiced as a registered dental hygienist for several years before returning to dental school and obtaining her doctoral degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry. After dental school, Dr. Karnish (affectionately known as Dr. Sarah to her patients) completed a residency in Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry in Memphis, Tennessee. During her time there, Dr. Karnish served as the Chief Resident of the program and received a Master of Dental Science degree. She not only treated children at the UT pediatric dental clinic, but was also afforded the opportunity to provide care at LeBonheur Children’s Medical Center and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Dr. Karnish remains committed to education and her community. She is an assistant clinical professor in the pediatric dentistry department at the OU Dental School, a faculty volunteer at the Good Shepherd Clinic and enjoys participating in community service events such as the Oklahoma Mission of Mercy. She and her husband, Kyle, enjoy spending time with family (including their daughter, Elizabeth, and three fur babies) traveling, and cheering on their favorite sports teams.

The Key to Employee Retention: Flexibility

I cannot pretend to be an expert on employee retention—or really any management topic—only working in private practice for four years now. I do know, however, that finding and retaining dental staff has been a challenge for all of us recently. The nationwide labor shortage is multifaceted, including issues with government unemployment benefits, COVID-19 protocols, and workers needing increased flexibility for family care (Why Is Hiring Hard Right Now, New York Times). Mothers account for a disproportionate number of job losses since the pandemic started because school and daycare closures have made their family and work schedules impossible to predict. Women who are not currently mothers still tend to be tasked with taking care of aging parents or grandkids. With over 90% of dental staff positions filled by females (US Bureau of Labor Statistics), this is the most significant challenge we as owners face. Dental staff obviously cannot work from home, so how do we as business owners cultivate a flexible environment for our employees? First, I want to examine what I believe employees are looking for in a long-term job. I will then review the ideas I have implemented so far in my practice.

I was lucky to join a practice where employee happiness was already a priority, but I have really enjoyed introducing some new systems. Upon asking my employees and other dental colleagues, I truly believe the key to employee satisfaction and retention is flexibility. Of course, paying well helps; however, if an employee knows she can run to pick up a sick kid at daycare and someone at the office can cover for her, that gives the employee a sense of peace. To increase flexibility, we as owners can try a multitude of ideas. For now, I will review job sharing, performing prophys ourselves, and altering office hours.

“Job sharing” technically means two or more people share one job. Our employees tell us which days they can work, and we fit all the pieces together like a puzzle. For instance, my office employees three women who work at the front desk, but there are only one or two in the office at a given time. Monday mornings are particularly busy at the front desk, so we know we want two of them then. Otherwise, we ask them when they would like to come in. Some of them have other part-time jobs, so we work around their schedules. They have mentioned that they like

knowing they can take time off, have someone else cover for them, and come back without a pile of catch-up work to do.

After we were closed for a week in 2021 for snow days, I saw many hygiene patients in my column since our hygiene columns were booked out several months ahead. Patients were happy to be seen so soon, and I loved getting to brush up on my scaling skills! It worked so well for our practice that I now perform one or two hygiene procedures a day. Lots of these are new patients, which has the added benefit of getting to know them better than if I just popped in at the end of the appointment.

O KLAHOMA H EALTH P ROFESSIONALS P ROGRAM

Last year, I selfishly wanted to change our office hours to work better for my family’s schedule. Before I implemented this change, I asked each of my employees individually if they were on board. Luckily, the new hours not only benefited my family schedule, but also theirs.

Since 1983, the Oklahoma Health Professionals Program (OHPP) has provided services to over 1,000 physicians and health care providers with alcohol and chemical dependence. OHPP is an outreach program designed to support and monitor medical and allied health professionals throughout Oklahoma who are experiencing difficulty with substance abuse.

The OHPP continues to be a leader nationally in identifying problems, assisting in treatment, and returning to practice health care professionals who have suffered from substance abuse or dependency.

All these small changes have helped my practice greatly, but the main takeaway is to ask employees what works for them. I need to continue re-evaluating and communicating with my employees to meet their needs as their situations change. Here’s the thing: I love my job. When I am surrounded by happy coworkers, I cannot help but enjoy my day. As far as employee satisfaction, we are all the same: we want autonomy. Under that umbrella are things like higher wages, flexible hours, paid leave, and benefits. While it is hard to accomplish all of these as a small business owner, our goal should always be to improve the lives of our employees. When they enjoy coming to work, we do, too!

OHPP services are confidential and include expert consultation and intervention designed to encourage health care professionals to seek help for substance abuse and behavioral concerns.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

When an individual contacts the OHPP about a health care professional or about himself or herself, the director or designated associate director assesses the situation and assists in guiding the health care professional.

Marni Russell is a general dentist and owner of Scissortail Dental in Edmond. She graduated from the OU College of Dentistry in 2017 and completed her AEGD residency at OU in 2018. She and her husband, Jacob, enjoy reading books and having tea parties with their rambunctious one-year-old daughter, Caroline.

Participation with OHPP is voluntary and confidential. OHPP will strongly urge a professional who is ill to get help, and although OHPP does not provide direct treatment, we will suggest specific treatment options. We respond to the concerns of families, colleagues, and hospitals by providing coordinated interventions and referrals to treatment.

In addition, OHPP hosts a number of support group meetings open to all health care professionals, students, residents in recovery as well as those seeking peer support.

OHPP recognizes the difficulty of reporting a colleague who may be impaired. Because of the potential risk to patient care, OHPP encourages medical professionals to make referrals if a problem exists, no matter how long there has been a problem.

Direct Line: (405) 601-2536

Confidential Fax: (405) 605-0394

Robert Westcott, MD - Director

HYGIENE HOTSPOT

“Find Joy in the Journey”

While hiking the 211-mile John Muir Trail in 2017, wearing my royal blue “Find Joy in the Journey” t-shirt, I realized that my life is a journey much like my trek in the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. Many a mountain, valley, rushing water crossing, or rocky path has challenged my critical thinking, mental or physical strength, and perseverance. Along the way, I’ve learned a few things I apply to my personal and professional life. For example, while hiking Duck Pass on the way to the town of Mammoth, my husband and I encountered an incredibly steep and icy stretch of the trail only a few hikers had attempted ahead of us. We had about 25 feet to walk along a narrow precipice above an icy lake. Each step I took was a victory I would celebrate at the finish, while also being part of the scariest experience of my life. Each step took courage, determination, and letting go of self-doubt. The moment my feet hit the solid ground on a much wider and safer section of the trail, I realized focusing on a positive finish helped me maintain courage and determination and distracted me from self-doubt. Fast forward a few years, and there I sat as the OKDHA Legislative Chair in 2020, quarantined at home like the rest of the world, trying to make sense of what was the current reality. My thoughts went back to the icy precipice and the lesson I learned, so I began to search for a positive finish.

Since that time, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some amazing dental professionals across the state of Oklahoma while serving on various committees. Most recently, I had the honor of being installed as the 2022-2023 President of the Oklahoma Dental Hygienists Association. The Executive Board I serve is eager to provide community service, share experiences with other oral healthcare providers, and improve the overall health of Oklahomans. Over the past few years, we have enjoyed working with the ODA to provide a lunch-and-learn course at the ODA meeting. We look forward to working alongside ODA and other members of the dental community at the Oklahoma Mission of Mercy in February 2023, and we have had members participate in conversations with dentists to determine how we can help increase employee retention rates and the return of employees to dental offices after what Dentistry IQ magazine labeled as “The BIG Quit” in the September 2022 issue. We want to help and are ready to roll up our sleeves and do the work necessary to keep dentistry in Oklahoma strong. We are focusing on a positive finish to the post-pandemic issues we’ve all faced.

On October 1, 2022, the new OKDHA Executive Board officially took office, but the work began long ago. We have some exciting events already scheduled to begin our journey, some of which we will have accomplished before this article is published. We hope to share experiences with you, the

Oklahoma dental community, as we all focus on the positive impact we can make on oral health in Oklahoma this year.

• March Madness 1-day event Saturday, March 25, 2023: “CBCT Use in Dentistry” by Dr. Eddie Lorents “Patient Case Acceptance” by Dr. Cameron Clifford “Diversity and Inclusion in the Dental Office” by Dr. Lena Crouso “Thanantology in Dental Offices” by Marla Mercer-Cole, Fellow Thanantologist

•

OKDHA Annual Session September 15-16, 2023

We are also excited to be participating in the 2023 ODA Annual Meeting again this year. We will be presenting a Lunch and Learn with Speaker Donna Wood during the meeting on Saturday, Apil 28.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tina Tuck is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry in the Dental Hygiene Department where she serves at the Site Coordinator for the Weatherford campus. She teaches Community Health Issues and Practice Management to the second-year dental hygiene students.

Tina completed an Associate of Science in Dental Hygiene at Rose State College in 1992 and provided dental hygiene care 4-6 days a week until 2005 when she began teaching. In 2006, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene at the University of Oklahoma and went on to complete a Master of Human Relations with an Emphasis on Community Service in 2010 at the University of Oklahoma.

Community involvement has been a lifelong passion for Tina. She is an American Lung Association Freedom From Smoking Facilitator, is a member of the Association of Career and Technical Education, the American Dental Education Association, has served as a member of the Weatherford Food & Resource Center (now called Connections) where she served as the Board Chairman, and is a member of the American Dental Hygienists Association. She has served in several component and state officer positions over the years including OKDHA President from 1997 to 1999 and was installed as President again this past September. Other community service activities include being a Tar Wars presenter at elementary schools, volunteering with the ODF mobile unit, served on the Western Oklahoma Tobacco Control Coalition, and founded the Seal-A-Smile program with Weatherford public schools and the Western Technology Center in 2010. She has continued to coordinate the project for the past 11 years with grant funding from the Oklahoma Delta Dental Foundation.

When she is not involved in oral health initiatives, Tina enjoys time in the great outdoors. She and her husband hike, camp, kayak, and enjoys traveling. She has a son, a daughter, and a son-in-law she also enjoys spending time with.

Office Showcase

OUCOD- Tulsa Campus

On August 23, 2022 the OU College of Dentistry officially cut the ribbon and opened the doors to its new 5,000-square-foot, stateof-the-art facility constructed within the OU Health Physicians Schusterman Center Clinic building on the OU-Tulsa campus. Third- and fourth-year students from the OU College of Dentistry will provide care under the supervision of licensed dental faculty members. The clinic is under the direction of Chalmers Rieger Wood III, DDS, an OU College of Dentistry graduate and faculty member who also has his own private dental practice in Tulsa.The expansion of OU College of Dentistry patient care to Tulsa is important for increasing access to dental services in Tulsa and northeastern Oklahoma. The clinic will provide comprehensive dental care to both adults and children beginning at age one.

PRACTICE MANAGEMENT

Insurance: A Necessary Evil (Part III)

Capturing and Retaining Employees with Employee Benefits

Insurance has always been part of protecting your assets. As a small business owner, your greatest assets are your employees. Attracting and retaining employees is key to a successful business. Outside of salary, the greatest way to attract and retain employees is by providing employee benefits.

When it comes to Employee Benefits (insurance) employees look at the following (in this order):

• Health

• Dental (obviously most ODA members can supply these benefits outside of insurance)

• Vision

• Life

• Disability

Let’s talk health insurance since it is the most expensive and most desired. As an employer, you can offer health insurance to your employees in a couple of ways. The most common is an employer sponsored plan which is commonly referred to as group health insurance.

What does an employee value in their group health insurance?

(common rules are below)

• Zero or low cost to them

• Co-pays for office visits and Rx

• Lower out of pocket expense

• Network of providers

*Employer HSA contributions fall somewhere in the middle if the employer offers this.

What are some of the main criteria for offering small “Group” Health Insurance (common rules are below)?

• 1-50 employees based in Oklahoma

• Participation - 75% of eligible employees must enroll in the plan. (Eligible employees are full time and don’t have insurance elsewhere.)

• Example – A dental practice has six full-time employees. One is insured on her spouse’s insurance. One has Indian health insurance. That leaves four eligible employees. At least three of them must enroll in the group health insurance, which makes the participation at least 75%.

• Contribution – Employer must pay at least 50% of the lowest cost plan offered. Usually, a dental practice will offer 1-3 plans. The employer must pay at least 50% of the least expensive plan.

What is a Special Enrollment Period (SEP)? Since the Affordable Care Act was fully enacted in 2014, there has been a Special Enrollment Period effective each January 1st. This Special Enrollment Period must be approved by Blue Cross & Blue Shield each year. It

allows a small employer to offer group health insurance effective January 1st WITHOUT the participation and contribution requirements shown earlier. However, the employers that want to offer group health insurance under the SEP must apply between 11/15 and 12/15 for a 1/1 effective date. If you apply after 12/15 you will not be able to apply under the SEP.

Life/Vision/Disability – These benefits are often inexpensive and sometimes VERY valued by employees. The enrollment requirements are very similar to the group health insurance. However, sometimes these products can be offered on a voluntary basis which does not cost the dental practice any money BUT provides a valuable benefit to the employees.

Practice Tip:

• Consider offering group benefits to your employees: They cost less than constantly hiring and training new employees. The less turnover a dental practice has, the more successful the practice will be.

• Offer 2-3 plans. Choose plan(s) with a low-cost network since that is the least important benefit to the employee. Choose at least one plan with Office and Rx Co-pays. An additional plan might be a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), commonly referred to as a Health Savings Account (HSA) plan.

• If this is your first time to offer group insurance, consider applying during the SEP (11/15 – 12/15) for a 1/1/23 effective date. This way you will not have to worry as much about participation and employer contribution.

Do not miss the next article, Insurance: A Necessary Evil Part IV, where we will discuss “Professional tips on all types of insurance”.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Joe Strunk, owner/CEO of 3000 Insurance Group, started in insurance in 1997. He has an engineering degree from Oklahoma State University and an MBA from the University of Oklahoma. Joe has served as the President of the Independent Insurance Association of Oklahoma and holds designations as a Certified Insurance Counselor, Certified Advisor of Personal Insurance, and Certified Risk Manager. With over 25 years of experience, Joe specializes in working with professional associations and small businesses to satisfy their Property, Casualty, Life, and Health insurance needs.

3000 Insurance Group, an ODA Rewards Partner, is independently owned and locally operated to handle your insurance needs. We offer affordable and reliable insurance choices across Oklahoma. We help you find the right combination of tailored, personalized insurance coverage at just the right price to fit your needs.

HOW BIG IS THE TARGET ON YOUR DATA?

In the spring of 2021, US-based Colonial Pipeline was the victim of a devastating ransomware attack. This attack was launched against our infrastructure by a group based in Russia (named “Dark Side”) forcing Colonial to shut down over 5,500 miles of pipeline in the US. Two days prior to Colonial being hacked, Black Talon Security was called in to spearhead a breach response for an orthodontic group that had also been successfully targeted by Dark Side. Drawing the correlation between these two events is important -- it is critical for dental practice owners to understand who and what they are up against. The criminal enterprises that target entities like the US government, US military, US infrastructure, and more are often the same groups that are targeting you as business owners. There is no such thing as a happy ending following a ransomware attack; however, the Colonial event ended up being the catalyst for an international collaborative effort between government agencies that managed to track and crash the cryptocurrency accounts owned by Dark Side. Great fanfare was made about this collaborative effort, but the celebration didn’t last long.

In January 2022, Black Talon received a call from a small, 6-location ortho/pediatric group, asking for assistance with a suspected ransomware event that had just been discovered in all 6 of their locations (Note: they were not an existing Black Talon client). It didn’t take long for our forensic investigators to recognize the fingerprints of another Dark Side attack. How could this have happened if Dark Side had been shut down and “on the run”? As it turned out, in the 6 months that they went “silent” they simply rebranded themselves as a new group called Black Cat and released an even more dangerous and sophisticated attack. The ransom demand for this new attack was much higher than what Dark Side historically demanded. It seems that their plan is to recoup every dollar that they lost after investigative agencies successfully tracked and wiped their crypto accounts. Prior to the release of Black Cat, a typical ransom demand for a 6-location practice would have been in the $200,000 - $600,000 range. We were shocked to discover that Black Cat was demanding $2.4 million to release the decryption key in order for this practice to recover their data. The ransom demand was only a portion of the cost of this attack. All 6 locations had to rebuild/replace their office networks and all 6 had to lock their doors for 10 business days. You may be asking yourselves questions like, “Didn’t they have backups? Didn’t they have firewalls and anti-virus software running?” The answer is yes to both questions. They had redundancy in place with their backup solution and every location had a firewall and anti-virus software running. They also worked with a large and reputable IT provider.

Black Talon Security has been involved in a high number of breach response cases in the dental industry and, in almost every case, the targeted practices had firewalls, anti-virus software, and worked with an IT provider. Anti-virus software has been a powerful and effective tool for decades, but it is not designed to fend off a modern-day ransomware attack. Firewalls are still very important and necessary, but only if they are configured properly and NO vulnerabilities exist. Great IT providers or Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are worth their weight in gold, but they are not

cybersecurity specialists. Advanced cybersecurity is not their area of responsibility.

How Do Dental Practices Better Protect Themselves Going Forward?

Continued threats and debilitating new attacks require more sophisticated preventative measures. One new and powerful change that an organization can make is to consider upgrading its anti-virus solution to Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR). There are multiple options available on the market. An even better solution would be upgrading to Extended Detection and Response (XDR). It won’t be long before insurance companies will require that this new technology is installed on a network before determining the insurability of a new or existing client.

It is more important than ever before to engage with a dedicated cybersecurity company. Any company that you engage in should have credentialed, board-certified security experts on staff. A vCISO or CISSP has years of training and experience in the cybersecurity field, and credentialing only happens after a rigorous board-certification process is completed. Most of the hacking groups that exist today, and who are targeting dental practices, have people on their staff who have achieved this level of knowledge. Not relying on specialists is like “bringing a knife to a gunfight.” Even if you have an IT provider who insists that they have you protected, it never hurts to test your systems and the processes that you currently have in place.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Gary Salman is Chief Executive Officer of Black Talon Security. He has over 30 years of experience in software development and computer IT in the dental industry. As a leader in cybersecurity, the company offers a complete suite of compliance and cybersecurity solutions that are custom engineered for your practice. To learn more about Black Talon Security and the company’s services, visit their website at www. blacktalonsecurity.com. Gary can be reached at (800) 683-3797 or via email at gary@ blacktalonsecurity.com.

BlackTalon is an ODA Rewards Partner, focused on helping small and medium business with securing their data and infrastructure from Cyberattacks. Contact us at 800-683-3797 or visit us at www.blacktalonsecurity.com to learn how we can help protect your practice.

The Top Five Reasons to Use ePrescribing Software and How It Can Improve Care

While many Americans know how essential dental care is to their overall health, nearly 40 million avoid the dentist. One way dentists and dental practices can help their patients overcome their fears and concerns is by providing high quality patient care. Quality patient care is about two things: ensuring patients receive the service they want and the treatment they need. That means having all of the tools and resources you need at your disposal, including ePrescribing software.

What Is ePrescribing Software? Gone are the days of messy handwriting, lost or damaged prescriptions, pharmacy callbacks to clarify prescription issues, or other prescription errors. ePrescribing software allows dentists to write a prescription on any computer or device and securely send that prescription directly to the patient’s pharmacy. Patients can then skip multiple steps and have their prescriptions quickly and accurately filled, improving the patient care experience.

What Are the Benefits of ePrescribing Software? One of the primary benefits of ePrescribing software is the ability to improve the accuracy of prescriptions. When nearly a quarter of all prescription errors can be attributed to illegible handwriting, electronic prescriptions are already changing the prescription world.

• While different software solutions will provide different features, the right ePrescription software will not only send the prescription to your patient’s pharmacy, but it will also:

• Check the state’s PMP database to ensure you’re safely prescribing controlled medications

• Autofill patient information

• Offer “favorites” for both prescription combos and pharmacies

• Provide alerts and warnings for interactions and contraindications

• Fully integrate with existing dental practice management software

In short, ePrescribing software can and should be doing more than simply digitally transmitting prescriptions, though that clearly has immense value on its own.

How ePrescribing Software Can Improve Patient Care

Given the robust features of a fully-developed ePrescription software solution, the benefits are significant, especially when it comes to improving patient care and the overall patient experience. In fact, recent research in Europe revealed that nearly 72% of patients preferred ePrescriptions based on the convenience alone. That same convenience is afforded to all patients. However, convenience isn’t the only benefit. ePrescribing software can also:

• Improve prescription accuracy

• Ensure patient prescription safety

• Increase adherence to prescriptions

• Improve perception of care

While those are immediate patient care benefits, your patients will also have a better patient experience because your team will have more time to focus on patient care. Additionally, your practice will:

• Have a more efficient workflow

• Free up staff time to focus on patient care

• Realize significant cost savings

Patient care and practice growth are top priorities for most dentists and dental practice managers. Finding the right technology tools that can achieve both is essential, but IT and technology needs often sit on a back burner.

That’s why the right technology tools and healthcare software platforms offer a seamless integration with your existing practice management system. ePrescribing integration allows patient information to auto populate your ePrescription, saving time and reducing errors. Advanced ePrescribing tools are an essential and easy way to let technology streamline your clinical workflow.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Robert McDermott is President and Chief Executive Officer of iCoreConnect, an awardwinning provider of secure cloud-based communications and productivity software for high compliance industries, most notably in dentistry.

During McDermott’s first six months on the job, he met with more than 2,000 dental and medical professionals around the country. Every one of iCoreConnect’s cloud-based services, from our practice management software and HIPAA-compliant email to our ePrescription tool, are designed on the input of those practicing doctors.

Because of McDermott's commitment to the customer and product excellence, iCoreConnect was named one of the United States’ Top 10 Encryption Providers by Enterprise Security Magazine. iCoreExchange, the company’s HIPAA-compliant email, was named one of Dental Products Report’s Top 50 Products. Additionally, iCoreConnect was honored as a Top 10 Dental Solution by Healthcare Tech Outlook.

iCoreConnect, an ODA Rewards Partner, develops cloudbased technologies to improve and protect your practice, including iCoreRx e-Prescribing software. ODA members receive a 43% special discount on iCoreRx. e-Prescribe all meds faster from any device with iCoreRx. Book a demo at land.icoreconnect.com/OK3 or call 888.810.7706.

Oklahomans know all too well that you can never be too prepared for severe weather, but where do you turn when you need immediate relief in the aftermath of a devastating storm?

Help is available! The Oklahoma Dental Relief and Disaster Grant Program (RDGP) is a charitable trust established to provide aid to dental professionals affected by natural disasters, physical disability, chemical dependence, or other hindering conditions. Over the last three years, the RDGP awarded $28,000 in disaster assistance to individuals and dental organizations affected by severe weather. Aid is provided confidentially and without remuneration. Whether you are affected at home or office, contact the RDGP to apply for immediate assistance 800-876-8890.

The RDGP accepts tax-deductible donations from individuals and dental organizations from around the country to provide aid after devastating destruction caused by tornadoes and other natural disasters across the state. Funds are awarded to dental professionals who are victimized by the storms. Additionally, the funds are used for programs like the Oklahoma Dental Foundation MobileSmiles Program to aid in relief efforts in several Oklahoma communities.

The RDGP relies solely on contributions from individuals and dental foundations . The donations received help prepare & provide for those Oklahoma dentists and dental foundations in need of resources after destructive storms.

DO YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW STRUGGLE WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE?

The RDGP also contributes to the Oklahoma Health Professionals Program which is an outreach program designed to support and monitor medical and allied health professionals throughout Oklahoma who are experiencing difficulty with substance abuse. The services provided by the OHPP are confidential and at no cost. Services include expert consultation and intervention designed to encourage healthcare professionals to seek help for substance abuse and behavioral concerns. If you or someone you know needs help, please call the 24-hour confidential direct line (405-601-2536). The RDGP voluntary section on the ODA dues statement funds the ODA’s contribution to the Health Professionals Program.

Whether you need help or want to provide help, don’t wait! Contact the RDGP manager today at sfrantz@okda.org or call 800-876-8890

Tax-deductible donations to the program can be mailed to: OK Dental Relief and Disaster Grant Program 317 NE 13th Street Oklahoma City, OK 73104

For grant application and program guidelines, visit okda.org/programs/member-support/

CLASSIFIEDS

Looking to fill an open position in your office, need to sell dental equipment or a practice? Check out the latest listings below and visit okda.org/classifieds for additional listings.

PRACTICE FOR SALE

Rural Practice For Sale : Rural Practice for sale. Alva, Oklahoma. The dentist is retiring after 50 years of a very successful practice. Dr. is ready to spend time with his Grandkids and cows. The building is in beautiful downtown Alva, Oklahoma. Looking for a highly motivated Dentist ready to walk in and work. A very large and committed patient base, in a great and caring community who are very supportive. A committed and highly trained and committed clinical and administrative staff. For more information, please contact Dr. Lott at 580.327.3212 or at garylottdds@gmail.com.

Rural Practice For Sale: Rural dental practice for sale; motivated seller. Growing patient population, very low overhead. Good opportunity for new dentist or satellite office. Contact: Elizabeth Silver 405.831.0938 elizabethksilver@gmail.com

General Practice Available for sale: Available for sale is a profitable General Practice located in central Oklahoma. 2021 Collections were approx $800k with the doctor seeing patients 4 days per week. There are 4 ops in 1,600 sq. ft.. Excellent staff in place. Real Estate is available for sale. The area has a rural feel with big city access, providing easy access to both Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Contact mattk@mcgillhillgroup.com for more information. Matt Kosciewicz 704-424-5626 mattk@mcgillhillgroup.com

Dentist wanting to Purchase Practice and Building: I am a an experienced dentist who has been practicing for 12 years and I’m looking to buy a practice along with the real estate in Oklahoma. If you are near retirement or just want to or need to sell, please contact me asap! Looking to purchase a practice along with the real estate. Prefer the current owner stays on at least a few months for transition. Eric Stanley 503.816.5950 estanley01@gmail.com

General Practice for Sale by Tulsa: Busy practice for sale in Chelsea, Ok, which is 45 min. Northeast of Tulsa.; Collected $653,000 in 2021, with 4 Ops open M-Th. Most specialty work is referred out.  Hygiene is booked out 6 months with 5 days per week. Modern building 2 years old approx. 2,100 sq. ft. with a fifth Op possible. Fully computerized with Newton, Nomad and Open Dental. All new equipment in the Fall of 2019.Staff is experienced and there is a great office culture. Contact: Ronda Westfall 918.810.4341 drbradwestfall@yahoo.com

Place a Classified Ad

Placing an ad with the ODA allows you to target your ad to a specific audience. Unlike other classified ad sources (local newspaper, other online classified sites, etc.), a listing with the ODA gives you exposure to the people who would be most interested in your ad. The online version of the ODA Journal contains active hyperlinks within the advertisement, ensuring you get maximum exposure for your ad.

SUBMIT A LISTING

Submitting a classified ad is easy with our online form. Find the form and more information at www.okda.org/classifieds.

PRICING

ODA Members

Online - Free ODA Journal - $40 for first 50 words (additional words $0.15 each)

Non-ODA Members

Online or ODA Journal - $83 (>50 words) (additional words $0.32 each)

Bundle (online & Journal) $149 (>50 words) (additional words $0.32 each)

QUESTIONS?

Visit: www.okda.org/classifieds Email: advertising@okda.org Call: 800.876.8890

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND CIRCULATION

1. Publication Title: Oklahoma Dental Association Journal 2. Publication Number: 284-980 3. Filing Date: October 31,2023 4. Issue Frequency: Bimonthly 5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 6 6. Annual Subscription Price: $56

7. Complete Mailing Address of Office of Publication: Oklahoma Dental Association, 317 NE 13th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73104

Contact Name: Stacy Yates, (405) 848.8873

Editor Name: Mary Hamburg, DDS Managing Editor: F. Lynn Means

8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business: Oklahoma Dental Association, 317 NE 13th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73104

9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor and Managing Editor: Oklahoma Dental Association, 317 NE 13th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73104

Editor Name: Mary Hamburg, DDS, Managing Editor: F. Lynn Means

10. Owner: Oklahoma Dental Association, 317 NE 13th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73104

11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding I Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None

12. Tax Status: Has Not Changed

13. Publication Title: Oklahoma Dental Association Journal

14. Issue Date for Circulation Data: September/October 2022

15. Extent and Nature of Circulation

a. Total Number of Copies (Net press run) b. Paid Circulation

1. Mail Outside-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541

2. Mail In-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541

3. Paid Distribution Outside the Mails Including Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid Distribution

4. Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail Through the USPS c. Total Paid Distribution [Sum of 15b] d. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution

1. Outside-County included on PS Form 3541 2. In-County included on PS Form 3541 3. Other Classes Through the USPS 4. Free Distribution Outside the Mail (Carriers or Other Means) e. Total Free Distribution (Sum of 15d) f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15e) g. Copies Not Distributed h. Total (Sum of 15f and g) i. Percent Paid (15c divided by 15f times 100) 16. Electronic Copy Circulation

17. Publication of Statement of Ownership required. Will be printed in the Nov/Dec 2022 issue of this publication

17. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner F. Lynn Means, Managing Editor, Sept 30, 2022

Average No. Copies Each Issue During Proceeding 12 Months

No. Copies of Single Issue Published to Filing Date

OKLAHOMA DENTAL FOUNDATION

The Oklahoma Dental Foundation is the recipient of $5.1 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The Oklahoma Legislature passed the bill in late September 2022, and it was signed by Governor Kevin Stitt on October 4, 2022. The ARPA project is the largest in the 63-year history of the ODF and will dramatically impact access-to-care challenges across the state.

“This has been an amazing process,” said Dr. Michael McKinney, ODF Board President. “We initially submitted the idea to the state of Oklahoma in November 2021. We thought it was a great proposal, adding mobile clinics that are based in each part of the state. We thought we had a good chance at getting support because, after all, the state was awarding $1.8 billion. We didn’t understand at the time that thousands of requests had gone into the portal. More than $18 billion in projects!”

The ODF proposal asked for funding for additional mobile dental facilities that will be based in each quadrant of the state, one in Oklahoma City, and one in Tulsa, to provide both charitable care and act as an extension to SoonerCare for those who have coverage but no dentist in their area yet.

“We hear from 100% of our site partners throughout the state that they would like more days of treatment,” noted ODF Executive Director John Wilguess. “We used that knowledge of statewide demand to build our proposal to the state. Since SoonerCare opened dental coverage to 200,000 adults in 2021, we knew that the demand for existing practices was overwhelming.

for 200,000 new patients was too great to solve by traditional methods. We believe the mobile facility offers the best option for creating a ‘circuit-rider’ model of dental delivery. The mobile facility will travel in predictable patterns consistently to care for those in areas without a dentist nearby. We can keep doing that until a permanent solution can be developed.”

Dr. McKinney went on to note another critical factor of this success. “The ODA committed itself to assist in having our proposal heard by the legislature. Lynn Means did a great job getting the appointments with key legislators and give John a chance to tell the story. It was a perfect example of the ODF and ODA working together to benefit those in need, improve access to Oklahoma dentists, and demonstrate to the state of Oklahoma that oral health care is vital health care.”

“With their acceptance of our proposal,” said Wilguess, “the Governor and Legislature have agreed that oral health is critical to the overall health of Oklahomans, that the ODF is uniquely positioned to deliver treatment to all parts of the state, and that Oklahoma dentistry has the recognition as being a vital partner in improving the health outcomes in our state. Overall, it has been a process that potentially helps all Oklahomans through the ODF and ODA.

Funding for the project will become available in late 2022, and the program will begin to build by early 2023.

Thank You to the 2022 ODF Contributors

Your ODF contribution goes directly to offset some of the costs associated with providing life-changing dental treatment and oral health education to Oklahomans in need. Please consider making this small, additional contribution when renewing your 2023 membership.

Dr. Jeffrey Ahlert

Dr. John Ainsworth

Dr. Ross Allen

Dr. Errol Allison

Dr. Clay Anderson Dr. Jamie Ariana

Dr. Bonnie Arnould Dr. Forrest Arnould Dr. Douglas Auld Dr. Michael Auld Dr. Lauren Avery Dr. Jeannie Bath

Dr. Bryce Baumann

Dr. Robert Baumann Dr. Justin Beasley Dr. William Beasley Dr. Bryan Blankenship

Dr. Elizabeth Bohanon

Dr. Richard Bohlander

Dr. Blaire Bowers Ersteniuk

Dr. Leon Bragg

Dr. Michael Breland

Dr. C Todd Bridges Dr. Matthew Bridges

Dr. Trace Bridges Dr. Seth Brooks

Dr. Nathan Brown Dr. S. Kelly Brown Dr. Ronald Bulard Dr. Adam Bulleigh Dr. Jamie Cameron Dr. Kristen Campbell Dr. Sarah Campbell Dr. Tricia Cannon Dr. Wuse Cara

Dr. John Carletti Dr. Bobby Carmen Dr. William Carter Dr. Mary Casey Kelly Dr. Conrad Casler Dr. Jennifer Chambers Dr. Sarah Chancey

Dr. Brian Chastain Dr. Carrie Chastain Dr. Don Cheatham Dr. Jae Choi Dr. Matthew Cohlmia

Dr. Raymond Cohlmia Dr. Debbie Corwin Dr. James Corwin Dr. Russell Danner Dr. David Deason Dr. Steven Deem Dr. Kathy DeHart Dr. William Deprater Dr. Bryce Dorrough Dr. Ana Dotson Dr. Stacia Dowell Dr. Brian Drew Dr. Kevin Duffy Dr. Renalla Ellis Dr. Heath Evans Dr. Christopher Fagan Dr. Barry Farmer Dr. Joseph Feng Dr. Keifer Fisher Dr. John Folks Dr. Emily Frye Dr. LaMont Gee Dr. Mark Goodman Dr. Sandra Grace Dr. Matthew Guffey Dr. Jacob Hager Dr. Michael Hansen Dr. Mark Hanstein Dr. Leslie Hardy Dr. Aaron Harman Dr. Edward Harroz Dr. John Henry Dr. Jeffrey Hermen Dr. Marilyn Hiebert Dr. Myron Hilton Dr. James Hooper Dr. Brad Hoopes Dr. Eric Hopkins Dr. Terry Hopkins Dr. Scott Hubbard Dr. James Hulsey Dr. Benjamin Humphrey Dr. W. Robert Hunter Dr. Donald Johnson Dr. Eugenia Johnson Dr. Mohammad Karami Dr. Michael Kirk

Dr. Jandra Korb Dr. Jay Kruska Dr. Robert Lamb Dr. Dustin Lively Dr. Robert Livingston Dr. Eric Loper Dr. Karey Low Dr. Pamela Low Dr. Steve Lusk Dr. Raymond Lyle Dr. David Marks Dr. Alan Mauldin Dr. Stephen Mayer Dr. Janna McIntosh Dr. Daniel McNair Dr. Glenn Mead Dr. Joseph Meador Dr. Jamie Means Dr. Robert Miracle Dr. Andrea Montgomery Dr. Mohsen Moosavi Dr. James Murtaugh Dr. Aaron Neale Dr. Nicole Nellis Dr. David Nittler Dr. Jana Oister Dr. Alan Owen Dr. Garrett Phipps Dr. Jillian Prather Dr. Christopher Ray Dr. Karen Reed Dr. William Reeves Dr. Chad Reid Dr. Roger Richter Dr. Doug Riggs Dr. James Roane Dr. Don Roberts Dr. Erin Roberts-Svob Dr. Brant Rouse Dr. Mack Rudd Dr. Miranda Ruleford Dr. Robert Schick Dr. Scott Searcey Dr. Mickey Sehorn Dr. Drake Sellmeyer Dr. Meghan Sellmeyer Dr. Jeff Shadid

Dr. Paul Shadid

Dr. Kyle Shannon Dr. Steffan Sigler

Dr. Elizabeth Silver

Dr. Floyd Simon

Dr. Michael Smith Dr. Aaron Southerland Dr. James Sparks Dr. Chad Spiva

Dr. Clinton Stevens

Dr. Gregory Stewart

Dr. Braden Stoltenberg

Dr. Julie Storm

Dr. Patrick Stover

Dr. James Strand

Dr. Steven Strange Dr. Marc Susman

Dr. Jamie Talley Dr. Jim Taylor Dr. Stephen Taylor Dr. Ryan Theobald Dr. Kara Tims

Dr. Steve Truong Dr. Jonah Vandiver

Dr. Nathan Villines Dr. Gregory Watkins Dr. Scott Waugh

Dr. Robert Webb Dr. William Weber Dr. Robert Wells Dr. Steven White Dr. Theresa White Dr. Ralph Willcox Dr. Vincent Willcox Dr. Brian Wilson Dr. Paul Wood

Dr. William Wynn Dr. Trent Yadon

Dr. Kendra Yandell