Historical evidence, as recently as ten years ago, has shown that dentists have been among the leading prescribers of opioid analgesics in the United States, most often for surgical tooth extractions. However, withinthe last few years, leading dental organizations have…
Tobacco use and dependence is one of the most important public health issues in the United States. Last month, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on both positive and concerning results regarding tobacco use in the…
When hiring new unlicensed dental assistants (DAs) in California, employer must provide proper and effective occupational safety and health training to ensure employee and patient safety. The following Dental Board of California (DBC) and Cal/OSHA training courses must be provided…
On March 28, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced four new enforcement actions against healthcare providers for violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule. Three of…
In the wake of the Russian attacks against Ukraine, the American Dental Association (ADA) published an article in ADA News advising dentists to be on alert for cyberattacks. This article follows a joint warning issued by the US Cybersecurity and…
Note that following information about the updated CDPH requirement regarding face coverings does not apply to healthcare settings, including dental offices. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced last week that the universal indoor masking requirement will expire after…
While we are STILL in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are also in the midst of flu (influenza) season. The flu and COVID-19 are both contagious respiratory illnesses, with similar symptoms, and it can be difficult to tell…
On January 3, 2022, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent out a News Release, announcing amendments to its Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. The updated guidelines call for: Expanding the use of a single…
Our blog post from December 20, 2021, details Cal/OSHA’s updates to the COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS). One of the revisions to take effect on January 14 concerns the return-to-work criteria, which automatically updates in real-time to reflect current…
On December 27, 2021, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated guidance on isolation and quarantine period for the general population. The update is due to data demonstrating that the majority of COVID-19 transmission occurs early in…
