Ali Arif

ISM- Period 6

Berg, Joel. “Moving Toward a New Kind of Dentistry.” DentistryIQ, DentistryIQ, 1 Mar. 2003,

www.dentistryiq.com/articles/dem/print/volume-8/issue-2/equipment/moving-toward-a-

new-kind-of-dentistry.html.

 Dentistry successfully normalized preventative treatment of caries, or decay, long ago

with the onset of fluoride treatment and toothpaste.
 On the other hand, treatment has progressed significantly less. Caries largely require
surgical treatment of some sort.
 Treatment has progressed at a slower rate because there are few means of monitoring
caries as they occur. As a result, caries are viewed as binary; they are present, or they are
not. This issue is compounded by the lack of a complete understanding of the biological
environments that caries stem from.
 Quantitative Light-Induced Florescence (QLF) is the most promising new possible
treatment to solve this issue.
 QLF uses a combination of blue-light and computer algorithms to monitor florescence
alterations that occur as enamel demineralizes. QLF is being tested globally, particularly
in the U.S at UCSF and Indiana University
 QLF is not currently viable to most dentists due to its prohibitive cost of $45,000.
However, prices are trending downwards, and may be an option for dentists in the future.
 The other new technology that could solve the decay issue comes in the form of a
presently unnamed product by 3M ESPE.
 The product contains a reagent that turns blue when it reacts with lactic acid, a predictor
of possible caries.
 The product’s greatest strength would be its significantly lower cost compared to QLF.
Its issue lies in the science, as the connection between lactic acid and caries is unproven;
more research must be conducted.

The source was detailed on the possible technological innovations that could improve
dentistry and made bold claims on how they could potentially revolutionize the dental
field, but it seems clear that neither of the innovations are truly valid options.
 Ali Arif
ISM- Period 6

Patterson, Jean. “Behind the Fraud Triangle: Understanding the Origins of Embezzlement in

Dental Practices.” DentistryIQ, DentistryIQ, 16 Oct. 2017,

www.dentistryiq.com/articles/apex360/2017/10/behind-the-fraud-triangle-understanding-

the-origins-of-embezzlement-in-dental-practices.html.

 The Fraud Triangle is a theory developed by Donald Cressey, PhD that explains how a
normal person becomes an embezzler.

 The first requirement is financial motive. Typically, though not always, the need for
money is fueled by a taboo cause, such as a gambling habit.

 The second requirement is justification. Embezzlers rarely feel that they are doing
something wrong, often telling themselves they will pay their employer back.

 Other times, embezzlers take money in small increments frequently, justifying the theft
by thinking the missing money is so insignificant is isn’t really a loss for the employer.

 The third requirement is opportunity.

 Dentists are encouraged to focus on this aspect of embezzlement because it is the most
under their control and supersedes the first two.

 Researchers advise dentists to always be careful, as even if all employees are trustworthy,
they may not necessarily remain that way as circumstances change.

 According to the researchers, the best way to prevent opportunity is to rigidly separate
duties to make embezzlement more difficult to conceal.

The source was a detailed analysis of a model by Dr. Cressey that highlight the three
requirements of embezzlement (motive, justification, and opportunity), but it seems the
actual content was mostly common sense presented in an intelligent format.
 Ali Arif
ISM- Period 6
Pride, James R. “To Buy or Not to Buy - Your Move!” Dental Economics, Dental Economics, 1

Oct. 1999, www.dentaleconomics.com/articles/print/volume-89/issue-10/features/to-buy-

or-not-to-buy-your-move.html.

 There are 5 major times when a dentist will buy a practice.

 The first is when graduating from dental school or leaving an associateship.

 The second is when the dentist is moving locations.
 The third is the purchase of a second practice to help makes ends meet due to a failing
first practice.
 The fourth is when the dentist wants to practice a different type of dentistry.
 The fifth is buying a practice solely to remove competition; buying out the enemy.
 In the case of option one and two, buying an existing practice is better.
 Buying an existing practice is better than starting from scratch because the process of
starting a new practice tends to be very tedious and building a patient base often takes
years.
 In the third case, buying at all is not suggested; rather, the dentist should try to fix the
ailing practice instead of using the Band-Aid of another practice. If the first is failing, it’s
very possible it could be due to poor practice management, meaning the second is also
likely to fail.
 In the fourth case, the decision of whether to buy a new practice depends entirely on the
skill of the dentist. The practitioner must be sure he or she can deliver equally high Commented [A1]:
quality of care in the new type of dentistry.
 In the fifth case, buying another practice should only be considered if the dentist is a
specialist in an area where there is a high demand and low supply of dentists of that
specialty. Otherwise, a new practice will usually not be worth the investment.

There are many reasons why a dentist would want to buy a new practice, but generally it
appears that the smartest move is to either not buy at all or to purchase an existing
practice.