Nov. 3, 2009 (Business Wire) -- MetLife, a provider of dental plan administration for over 21 million people, today announced more options for dentists and allied health care professionals seeking to enhance their professional development through its dental continuing education program. Additions to the program, which is recognized by the American Dental Association (ADA) and the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) for continuing education credits, focus on: 1) Evaluation and Treatment of Temporomandibular Disorder Patients, 2) Infection Control and OSHA Update, 3) Introduction to Dental Implant Therapy, and 4) Local Anesthetics. The courses can be accessed at www.metdental.com.
“Education is a key component to keeping dental care professionals informed about topics of importance in the industry and to help provide better patient care,” said Alan Vogel, DMD, national dental director for MetLife. “MetLife is committed to making timely and need based educational resources available to the dental community.”
MetLife continuing education materials are available to MetLife Preferred Dentist Program (PDP) participants as well as non-PDP dentists. PDP participants receive continuing education credits for MetLife’s educational offerings at no charge. Non-PDP dentists and hygienists also have access to the offerings and are charged a nominal fee for educational credits.
The latest Quality Resource Guides include:
Evaluation and Treatment of Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) Patients, written by Edward F. Wright, DDS, MS, associate professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center – San Antonio, presents straightforward guidelines for the examination and treatment of patients with TMD symptoms. A sample initial patient questionnaire is included to help guide the clinician through the evaluation. Guidelines for TMD self-management and discussion of occlusal appliances assist the clinician in two primary areas of initial therapy. Guidelines for referral assist the clinician in managing those patients who do not adequately respond to primary therapy.
Infection Control and OSHA Update – Part 1 and 2, are authored by John A. Molinari, PhD, director of Infection Control for The Dental Advisor. Part one of this two-part guide discusses the history of: 1) infectious diseases and the healthcare worker; 2) the development of guidelines by the Center for Disease Control to protect both the patient and the healthcare worker; and 3) the OSHA regulations that impact the dental office. It discusses standard precautions for use during dental care, as well as vaccine recommendations and management of dental waterlines. The second part highlights specific infection control procedures for the dental office, including aseptic procedures and personal protective barriers.
