BITES&BRIEFS
s we move into the “new normal” for dental practices, we are asked to consider procedures that reduce aerosols. We know that anytime we place a handpiece on a tooth, we are going to generate an aerosol and place our patients, our staff and ourselves at risk. We should be considering ways to avoid cutting tooth structure. Dental sealants reduce caries by 76 percent. Placing sealants may be part of the answer to reducing the aerosol problem. Placing sealants can be done without generating an aerosol, especially if glass ionomer sealants are used. Dental Sealants will prevent caries where teeth are most susceptible for dental caries to occur. Studies have shown that sealant material stays in the groove of the occlusal surface1
Dental Sealants in the COVID-19 Era A
by JOHN DANE, DDS even if they appear to be lost. In 2016, the ADA/
AAPD published Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for the use of pit and fissure sealants.² Their final recommendation: “Sealants are effective in preventing and arresting caries in primary and permanent molars, and could minimize the progression of non-cavitated occlusal carious lesions.” This was a strong recommendation, meaning that in most situations, clinicians should follow the course of action suggested by the panel and only in a selected few circumstance they may need to devi- ate from it. Dental sealants are procedures that are safe, non-aerosol producing, effective way to combat caries. Because most dental plans and MO HealthNet pay for sealants, it is another way to generate revenue during these times. With dental sealants as an option, maybe the bur is not the cutting edge in the “new normal”?
References: 1) Beruiti N etal, Caries-Preventive Effect of a One Time Application of Composite Resin and Glass Ionomer Sealants After 5 Years, Caries Research 2006:40:52-59 and 2) Wright JT etal, Evidence Based Clinical Practice Guideline for the Use of Pit and Fissure Sealants, JADA 2016 :147(8):672-682. Contact Dr. Dane, Sate Dental Director, at
john.dane@health.mo.gov.
#SmileForSteve Tribute I
n the last issue we announced the passing of one of our member dentists, Dr. Steven Huber, a Jefferson City orthodontist, who died April 3 from complications due to the coronavirus. As a result of some MDA staff connections to the national magazine Women’s Day, the Facebook memorial campaign #SmileForSteve is a part of a 5-page collection of “Love, Laughter & Light” stories appearing in the magazine’s Summer 2020 issue, on sale now. The feature told of ways special events were celebrated during the pandemic.
Dr. Lum Young Passes B
eloved and well- known MDA
member, Dr. Kwai Lum Young (Lum) of Ballwin, Mo, died July 1, 2020. He was 93. Born in Honolulu, he was the oldest of seven children and fourth generation Chinese in Hawaii. He received his DDS degree from UMKC in 1954 and his MPH from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1983.
Dr. Young served as a U.S. Air Force dentist attaining the rank of Captain. He practiced dentistry in Honolulu, Kansas City and Albany, Mo., where he retired. Follow- ing retirement, he was appointed Deputy Director, Missouri Bureau of Dental Health, where he served from 1979-85 and then served as the Nebraska Director for the Division of Dental Health. He attempted a full retirement in 1993 but resumed practice in 2006 when he and his wife, Mary Lou, opened a free dental clinic with the Medical Mission for Christ Community Health Center, in Camdenton, Mo. until full retirement in 2013. During his long career, Dr. Young designed and imple- mented various dental health programs and frequently traveled between Jefferson City and Washington D.C., promoting dentistry and dental health, including working with the CDC to develop fluoridation programs for several small Missouri and Nebraska communities. He volunteered with many programs in the promotion of dental health and lectured at several dental schools.
Dr. Young received numerous honors, including the 1988 MDA Distinguished Service Award. He was engaged in many professional, civic and social organizations, and was an avid fisherman who always participated in the MDA Bass Tournament with his son, Randy. Lum was known for his kindness and generosity. He will be interred at Jefferson Barracks Cemetery in St. Louis, Mo. after a private Masonic and military service. In lieu of flowers, dona- tions may be made in his name to Shiner’s Children’s Hospital in St. Louis or the Be- nevolent Fund for Lutheran Senior Services, Meramec Bluffs in Ballwin.
10 focus | JUL/AUG 2020 | ISSUE 4
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