January 1, 2023 C.O.D.N.

Happy New Year

CONTENTS OF NEWSLETTER:

• Upcoming Central Oregon Meetings & Events
• Central Oregon Dental News
• Volunteer Opportunities
• Classified Ads
• Regional CE Calendar
• More Info.
• Editorials / Commentary
• Dear Dr. Rupert

UPCOMING  CENTRAL  OREGON  MEETINGS  &   EVENTS

(Please email or send any dental related events or courses that you would like posted on this calendar.)

January 19, 2023 (Thurs.) Central Oregon Dental Society Business / Dinner Meeting

• 6:00 pm Social Hour
• 7:00 pm Dinner and Meeting / CE
• The Riverhouse — Currents Building (3075 US-97 BUS, Bend, OR)
• Speaker: TBD

Feburary 9, 2023 Dental Day at the Capital

Join your ODA colleagues on Thursday, February 9th for a day of advocacy at the state capitol in Salem. You’ll have the opportunity to educate legislators and their staff on critical issues impacting dentistry, tour the capitol, and network with colleagues. No previous training or experience is required, ODA will provide you with the tools you need to advocate for dentistry! Register here: https://bit.ly/2023dentalday

April 13-15, 2023 Oregon Dental Conference

The 2023 Oregon Dental Conference will be 100% in-person! Join the ODA at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, OR April 13-15, 2023 for exceptional CE courses, the chance to shop the exhibit hall, and to catch up with your fellow dental professionals! Please check our Oregon Dental Conference website regularly for new developments and updates. http://www.oregondentalconference.org

April 22, 2023 Long-Term Practice Transition Planning Course

• Consani Associates Seminar Opportunity:
• Long-Term Practice Transition Planning
• Cutting edge transition trends for both practice owners and future owners
• 9:00 am – 3:30 pm
• Oxford Hotel (10 NW Minnesota Ave., Bend)
• To register or for more info., email: info@mydentalbroker.com

May 18, 2023 (Thurs.) Central Oregon Dental Society Business / Dinner Meeting

• 6:00 pm Social Hour
• 7:00 pm Dinner and Meeting / CE
• The Riverhouse — Currents Building (3075 US-97 BUS, Bend, OR)
• Speaker: TBD

September 21, 2023 (Thurs.) Central Oregon Dental Society Business / Dinner Meeting

• 6:00 pm Social Hour
• 7:00 pm Dinner and Meeting / CE
• The Riverhouse — Currents Building (3075 US-97 BUS, Bend, OR)
• Speaker: TBD

CENTRAL  OREGON  DENTAL NEWS

Steps for Radiation Health & Safety (RHS) Certificate for On-The-Job Trained Dental Assistants

Lynn Murray, the COCC Dental Assisting Program Director has been kind enough to offer the following summary and update for Dentists who might be doing some on-the-job training with their Dental Assistants.

Steps to RHS Certification for On the Job Trained DAs

Oregon Clinical Radiologic Proficiency Certificate – Pathway I

To earn the RHS in Oregon the student must:

1) Pass the written RHS Exam through DANB,

2) Show verification from a dentist that they are proficient in taking radiographs.

Here are the steps to be done to obtain the Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) Certificate in Oregon:

1. Complete a course approved by the Oregon Board of Dentistry (OBD).

Purchase the DALE Foundation’s DANB RHS Review course found here: https://www.dalefoundation.org/Courses-And-Study-Aids/Product-Catalog-Search/DANB-RHS-Review  and obtain proof of completing the course, and

2. Apply for the written Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) exam through DANB. The application packet can be found here under Oregon Clinical Radiologic Proficiency Certificate: Pathway I (PDF) here: https://www.danb.org/en/Meet-State-Requirements/State-Exam-Applications.aspx

3.  Take and Pass that written national DANB Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) exam (mentioned above),

(Study before the RHS). Here is a link to how to prepare for the exam: https://www.danb.org/Become-Certified/Prepare-for-DANB-Exams.aspx), and

4. After passing the RHS, have an Oregon licensed dentist complete the verification form (included in the packet linked below) that attests that the assistant is proficient in taking radiographs.

5. Apply to DANB with documentation of the above, for a state certificate of radiologic proficiency by completing this application below and sending it in to DANB.

Oregon Radiologic Proficiency Packet: https://danbsfprodassets.azureedge.net/assets/docs/default-source/state-application-packets/orcr1.pdf?sfvrsn=96179f41_6

DANB said there will be no exam questions about film or film processing on the DANB RHS Exam beginning in 2023. Here is the outline for the exam below.

RHS Exam

Weighting by Domain
I. Purpose and Technique (50%)
II. Radiation Safety (25%)
III. Infection Prevention and Control (25%)

For a detailed outline of what is on the RHS DANB Exam go to this link:

https://danbsfprodassets.azureedge.net/assets/docs/default-source/exam-outlines/rhs-exam-outline.pdf?sfvrsn=1749ebf2_10

We hope this is helpful to our dental community!

Lynn Murray, COCC DA Program Director

Do You Have a Dental Assistant That Wants to Earn Their EFDA Certification?

The Oregon Dental Assistants Association (ODAA) supports all dental assistants without regard to the method in which they were educated. Graduates from Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) programs are awarded EFDA (Expanded Function Dental Assistant) Certification because they complete the skill sets within the program. However, assistants trained by other means earn the EFDA through an Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) examination and a check off sheet of skills.

The ODAA, in response to dental assistants who stated that they found it difficult to pass the DANB Oregon EFDA exam, has located content experts to create a course to help assistants prepare for this exam. The course will be presented as part of the Oregon Dental Conference in April.

This course entitled, Oregon DANB EFDA Exam Preparation will be held on Friday, April 14^th from 1:00-4:00 pm. The course will be presented by Ginny Jorgensen and Christina Becker who are both highly regarded dental assisting educators. It should prove to be a unique and excellent opportunity for your interested dental assistants!

Lynn Murray, M.Ed., CDA, EFDA, RFC, CPFDA, MADAA

Central Oregon Community College

Dental Assisting Program Director / Dental Clinic Manager

lmurray@cocc.edu or 541 383-7574

COCC Dental Assistant Clinic Needs a Few More Volunteers

Thank you to those of you who signed up to staff a Dental Clinic! A sincere “thank you” to all who have offered their time and expertise to provide dental services to low-income community members, and practice for the new group of COCC dental assisting students. Your efforts are invaluable to students and patients alike!

Hello Amazing Dentists!

Please help us train dental assistants for Central Oregon. COCC is in real need of volunteer dentists to staff the Dental Clinic and provide fillings or extractions for low-income patients. We have several dates that need dentists.

The Clinic runs from 8:00 am to about 2:00 pm with a debriefing of students. This is such a valuable experience for the dental assisting students! It provides them with an opportunity to work with patients and assist dentists while in their Dental Clinic.

Please check your schedules and let me know if you would at all be available to help us out on one of these dates. We truly appreciate you all! Feel free to let me know if you would like to team up with a collegue for one of the dates. It is a nice time to connect too.

DATE	Dentist #1	Dentist #2	Hygienist
November 4	Dr. Paul Kim	Dr. Richard Fixott	Taylor Lee
November 18	Dr. Brandon Turley	Dr. Jay Gronemyer	Tiffany Foy
January 20	Dr. Paul Kim	Dr. Haider Aljewari	Lynn Paladijczuk
February 3			Sierra Schipper
February 17	Dr. Julie Lezotte		Nicole Hansack
March 3
March 10
April 7			Tiffany Foy
April 28	Dr. Tom Rheuben
May 5	Dr. Tom Rheuben	Dr. Mehdi Salari	Amber Kirkendall
May 19	Dr. Hallie McNaughton		Jen Lyman
June 2	Dr. Sam Holcroft	Dr. Amberena Fairlee	Amber Kirkendall

My contact information is Lynn Murray at 541-383-7574, or you can e-mail me at lmurray@cocc.edu, to schedule your best date! Feel free to leave a phone message with the date or dates you like and I will return your call.  I look forward to working with you all! 

News From the ODA

• Paid Leave Oregon Program Begins January 1st: The Paid Family & Medical Leave program launch is just around the corner- employers will start collecting contributions January 1, 2023. Employees will be able to access benefits starting September 1, 2023. Read more about the program here.
• Pain Management in Dental Settings Free Training: Dentists and dental professionals have an opportunity to access free video training on pain management in dental settings through OHSU’s School of Dentistry. The training, which begins on Jan. 4, 2023, covers pain management as well as substance abuse disorders to help dental care providers prescribe responsibly amid the ongoing opioid epidemic. OHSU provides the training for free thanks to support from the Oregon Health Authority and U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. It includes seven live, interactive video sessions taught by experts, including ODA’s own Executive Director, Dr. Barry Taylor. Sessions are one hour each and qualify participants for up to seven continuing education credits. Sign up or learn more here.
• CDC Health Alert Highlights Importance of Maintaining, Monitoring Safe Dental Waterlines: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory regarding dental waterlines because of recent outbreaks of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria. In addition to the recommendations listed in the CDC HAN notification, Oregon health care providers and clinical laboratories are required by law to report all cases and test results indicative of and specific for extrapulmonary NTM within one working day to their local public health authority.
• Oregon Board of Dentistry: Dental Implant Rules Updates: The Oregon Board of Dentistry voted to delay the implementation of the new CE requirements for providers placing implants until January 1, 2024. Providers are encouraged to use this time to take any additional training to ensure compliancy beginning on that date. Read the original rules and FAQ here, and watch more additional information forthcoming soon.
• It’s Time to Renew – Set It and Forget It – Auto-Renew Incentive! It’s that time of year to renew your membership for 2023! We encourage you to set it and forget it to experience uninterrupted membership! Pay your membership online, here. We’re grateful for your membership as we’re stronger together!

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

• Please go to the ‘VOLUNTEER‘ page on the menu bar for contact and additional information about the following Central Oregon organizations seeking dental volunteers:
  • Central Oregon Community College Friday Clinic
  • Medical Teams International Mobile Dental Van
  • Donated Dental Service (DDS) Program
  • Healthy Beginnings  
  • Smile Central Oregon
  • Central Oregon Community College Dental Assisting Program
  • Volunteers in Medicine Clinic

 REGIONAL  CE  CALENDAR

CLASSIFIED ADS

For Sale:  Sirona InLab MCXL in good condition with Inlab and unlimited license.

I inherited this unit with a lab purchase a few years ago and have not been using it.  It has 2018 Inlab software with an unlimited license on a computer with a monitor, the mill, and a little bench top scanner. 

It would be a great option to extend milling capacity and eliminate potential bottlenecks in daily practice, or use as a primary mill if just starting out.

Asking price:  $10,500 OBO

(Call or Text) 541-772-7729

MORE    INFO

Searching for a Dental Hygienist?

You might want to email the High Desert Dental Hygienists’ Association (CODHAinfo@gmail.com) and tell them about your need. They are very helpful and have a great database of Central Oregon Dental Hygienists and will email information about your opening to their members.

Announcements, Articles or Classifieds for the Newsletter

Article submissions for the Central Oregon Dental Community are encouraged and welcomed.  You can email your content to Dr. Mehdi Salari (bendsalari@gmail.com). The deadline to contribute articles or request the posting of information in the Newsletter is 5:00 pm PST on the last day of each month.  The Newsletter is typically sent out on the first or second day of each month. 

Advertising or Content for Future Newsletters

Please contact Dr. Mehdi Salari (bendsalari@gmail.com) if you would like to post a classified or advertisement in future issues of the Central Oregon Dental Newsletter.  The Central Oregon Dental Newsletter is available & sent to all practicing and retired Dentists, Specialists in Bend, Redmond, Prineville, Madras, Sisters, La Pine, Sunriver, Warm Springs & Powell Butte & Mitchell. The deadline to update or post an advertisement in the Newsletter is 5:00 pm PST on the last day of the each month.

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Everything above the Red Line is put together as a service to the Central Oregon Dental Community and is the nonpartisan news and events of this Newsletter.

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The Red Line

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The Red Line

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Everything below the Red Line is either for entertainment purposes or to stimulate conversation or debate. It’s personal, opinion based, has a conservative slant and is not meant to offend or upset … only to stimulate discussion. Reader discretion is advised.

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EDITORIALS / COMMENTARY

DISCLAIMER / WARNING: The opinions or comments expressed ARE NOT those of the Central Oregon Dental Society, Oregon Dental Association, American Dental Association or any of the Advertisers or Business Partners. Editorials and commentaries are OPINIONS ONLY and are simply meant to encourage discussion or dialogue. Readers are welcome and encouraged to contribute editorials or comments for inclusion in future issues.

Please Consider Contributing an Editorial or Column For Future Newsletters

This Newsletter is a forum for the Central Oregon Dental Community to stay in touch and connected and a place to have your voice heard. Your opinion columns, thoughts and feedback are encouraged and welcome.

Top 5 News Stories of 2022 Mehdi Salari

I’m not CNN, the AP, NBC News, ABC News, CBS News, Reuters, NPR, the White House Press Secretary or any of the other fabricated news outlets or sources in America; but I felt the urge to put together my own Top 5 News Stories of 2022 … since the other fabricated news sources all have the same stories that they want us to believe are the most important stories of the year.

Frankly, I’m tired and have little interest in how little Trump paid in taxes or what he tweeted on January 6th. I think every Accountant works hard to minimize their client’s tax burden. Besides, I’m more interested in what Biden, Obama, Clinton, Pelosi, Schumer are hiding in their foreign bank accounts and so-called charitable organizations … but the media doesn’t cover any of their sneaky financial doings and so it’s just another example of feeding the people the same lie over and over again, until they start thinking that it’s the truth.

Since none of the fabricated and fake news sources covered or mentioned the stories that I felt deserved some attention and coverage … I felt obligated to put together my own Top 5 News Stories of 2022. I wish there was daily coverage of these important news stories by the mainstream press, so Americans could be properly informed and educated on what’s taking place, but sadly … all we’re going to continue getting is the same left leaning talking points.

The Real Top 5 Stories of 2022

5. Retirement Savings Continue to Shrink: Our hard earned money evaporated out of our retirement accounts for yet another year. Thank you Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and Democrat controlled House and Senate for how your new economic policies are impacting businesses, the economy and impacting hard working Americans’ savings.

4. More Boosters & Vaccinations: Apparently, we need to continually vaccinate ourselves against viruses and their ever evolving mutant forms, every few months for the rest of our lives. Nobody really knows what the long term effects of all these boosters will be to our natural immunity or those of our children. I’m kind of ‘old school’ and believe in the “everything in moderation, nothing in excess rule”. I’m not convinced more boosters will stop people from getting sick. I don’t really trust any of the government appointed Health Authorities more than my own Doctor or my own common sense.

3. Another Questionable Election: I still don’t really trust our Election Officials or the results they present to the people. I don’t even know if my vote really counted, since there are countless instances of people voting who are either dead or have moved out of the area, or don’t really exist. Those votes negate my vote … which is un-American! The weird thing also is how mysteriously or miraculously, the preponderance of absentee ballots are all heavily Democratic leaning. I find it questionable and a farce that on Election eve, Republican candidates are leading and that two weeks later … when they supposedly ‘certify’ the election in a secret facility and count all those absentee ballots … that there are always just enough ballots to somehow find ourselves another Democratic winner. There are never boxes and boxes of absentee or last minute mailed ballots that come in which favor the non-democratic candidates. Nobody in the newsrooms of America can talk about Election Discrepancies, or they would find themselves cancelled or taken off the air. It really is a top news story if there was one honest reporter out there who dared to cover it on a daily and regular basis.

2. Continued Separation of Kids from their Parents’ Values by the Public Schools: All you need to know is that the School Board knows what’s best for your kids. You also need to acknowledge that most parents are morons, bigots, racists and religious zealots. The schools will teach what the kids should know and believe and the parents should simply keep their mouths shut and continue to support and fund the public schools. We can also show that our kids are learning more by lowering our standards, testing less or simply not measuring or comparing our kids to other modern countries. Nobody in the newsrooms really wants to tackle our education crisis or the indoctrination of our children.

1. Joe Biden is Still the President? So how can a person be the so-called most powerful person on earth, and not be able to articulate or put together three consecutive rational thoughts or sentences on his own? I’m not trying to disrespect the man or his age, but the office of the President requires the individual to hold a Press Conference regularly, to talk to the people of the country, to engage foreign leaders, to answer some questions and to show some competence and understanding of what’s happening in our country and world. Unfortunately, the person that the Election Officials told us won the election, can’t hold a regular News Conference without first seeing all the questions and then having his staff give him written answers to the questions which he then tries to read. Unfortunately, he has difficulty reading the teleprompter or paper, even when it’s spelled out in front of him! Unfortunately, someone tells this President when nap time is over, when to get dressed and what he should read or say. This President has lost or lacks the ability to speak on his own behalf, let alone on behalf of an entire nation. I wish we had a President who actually knew he was President and used the office to help the children and hard working families of this country, instead of simply reading from a script that somebody else wrote for him.

The Top News Story of 2022 has to be that we don’t really know who is pulling the strings and putting the words in Biden’s mouth; but the media and internet are going to continue beating up on Trump and distracting everyone from the incompetence of the current administration, the loss of our savings, the decline of our morals and standards and the loss of our liberties and freedoms. The more they can divide the people (over stuff like abortion, political correctness, guns, racism, COVID, etc.) the easier we’ll be to hold down and conquer.

January 2023

Dear Dr. Rupert,

One of my new staff members loves to bake.  She has been bringing in treats that she has made at home for the rest of us to enjoy.  After eating her first batch of brownies, I had a stomach ache for two days!  Her carrot cake left me with orange stools for a week!  Her chocolate chip cookies chipped one of my front teeth! 

These are tough times and it’s taken me a long time to find help and I don’t want to lose this new staff member.  How do I handle this situation with a new staff member who is good at her job, but is a terrible and awful baker?  How do I tell her to stop bringing in her baked goods and not hurt her feelings?

Signed, What Do I Do?

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Dear What Do I Do?

As you know, the number one rule of running a good dental practice is to put the patients first.  If this new staff member is good at her job and great with the patients, you have to bend over backwards to keep her happy and employed at your office.  That’s what is best for your patients and practice.

You cannot afford to alienate, isolate or make her feel self-conscience about her terrible baking skills.  You are obligated to lie and tell her how wonderful her baked goods are and how much you appreciate her thoughtfulness.  You may one day go to hell for your repeated lies, but that’s better than being short-staffed and having to interview and hire a whole new staff member.

You also need to remember that your colon is very much like an athlete.  The more you train and condition your colon to take some tough foods, the tougher your colon will get over time.  You look at people who live in some remote places on earth and the food and water that their stomach can handle!  You would of course have problems if you started eating their foods if you simply visited their country, but after a couple of weeks of eating their food and drinking their water, your colon always toughens up and things will normalize.  

I would suggest you toughen up your colon and continue eating the baked goods this new staff member graciously takes the time to prepare and bring into the office.  It might not be a bad idea to run down to the Pharmacy and buy some Ipecac Syrup which you can drink after having her baked goods.  In the ideal setting, you would:

1)  Eat the baked goods in front of the new Staff member,

2)  Lie and complement the new Staff member about how good her treats are,

3)  Walk away and drink the Ipecac syrup afterwards and expectorate the stuff you consumed,

4)  Continue steps 1-3,

5)  Toughen up your colon and hold onto your good staff members.

That’s how I would proceed in this situation.  You cannot hurt the feelings of any of your Staff members, even if it means you end up with an ulcer or hole in your gut.  Time, dedication, concentration, devotion and some Ipecac syrup will strengthen your insides and eventually … this too shall pass.

Glad I could help,

Dr. Rupert