Program aims to increase early diagnosis, treatment of dental decay

HARTFORD, Conn.--Aetna has announced that it is offering a continuing education course to participating dentists that will help them identify individuals who are at greatest risk for dental decay, or caries, with the goal of improving early intervention and prevention.

The course, titled "Cariology Update for the Dental Practitioner," offers dental practitioners three continuing education credits free of charge.

"Offering this course is one way that Aetna Dental is showing the value of evidence-based dentistry to help doctors and members utilize tools and services which promote the importance of prevention and improved overall health," said Dr. Mary Lee Conicella, Aetna's National Director of Clinical Operations.

"We believe that network dentists who adopt evidence-based guidelines like these contribute to our goal of enhancing quality of care for our members."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that from 1999 to 2004, 41 percent of children aged two to 11 years had dental caries in their primary teeth.

The presence of this decay is a predictor of decay in adulthood. It is therefore crucial that children being identified at the greatest risk for the disease receive preventive dental treatment and intervention at the early stages of caries.

This continuing education program is another milestone in Aetna Dental's philosophy of evidence-based dentistry. Through its relationship with Columbia College of Dental Medicine, Aetna has introduced four continuing education courses in as many years that have focused on radiology, dental sealant application, and fluoride, as well as provided to dentists' offices its work on tobacco cessation and dental/medical integration.

Columbia also provides the content for Aetna's dental education Web site, Simple Steps to Better Dental Health.

In support of this evidence-based dentistry philosophy, Aetna will provide a special designation to dentists in certain markets who complete the course. The course will become a cornerstone in establishing an evidence-based network. Aetna hopes to use this special designation as a trigger to offer enhanced benefits for eligible members who seek care from these providers.

"In the United States we are entering a new era of practice," said David A. Albert, DDS, MPH, Associate Professor of Clinical Dentistry and Public Health, Columbia College of Dental Medicine and Mailman School of Public Health.

"The new era features a paradigm shift for the dental practice with emphasis on clinical parameters and guidelines. Expert panels of dentists from research, academia and professional organizations are using the evidence base to develop the guidelines and influence practice. Better patient treatment outcomes will result from adoption of evidence-based guidelines by the profession."

Doctors participating in an Aetna dental network can access the course by visiting www.aetnadental.com and clicking on "Continuing Education" (registration required). Aetna also enables patients to use an interactive risk assessment tool to determine their risk for caries, which can be found on Aetna's InteliHealth Web site.