CALIFORNIA SOCIETY OF PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
HERE WE COME 2021!
Dr. Nancy Hsieh - President
Most people want 2020 to be over. As CSPD President, I confess I have had that dream too; but let me instead leave you with some of my favorite memories of 2020.
Family time. The COVID pandemic forced my family of five to stop running around and actually spend meaningful time with each other. We learned how to face a global challenge as a family and every one of my kids have contributed to our new family habits and health rules. In March it was a shock to our system but by November, we have become a slightly unrecognizable group of Zoom experts. It may take time for me to appreciate how much home cooking and cleaning we have done, but eventually I know I will remember this time fondly.
Pediatric Dentistry. We have a special skillset that is needed in this world. With all the snacking during shelter in place and distance learning, the number of cavities in children has grown significantly. With the reduced capacity in dental offices that some cities are recommending or enforcing, it makes me wonder if we will ever catch up. Whenever I can’t keep up with demand of “COVID Cavities”, I am reminded how critical prevention is with children. 2020 has helped me refocus on what’s important in Pediatric Dentistry.
Community. In these challenging times, we pick each other up and keep each other informed. Pandemic, civic protests, discrimination, wild fires, and political unrest have tried to tear my community apart, but each time we have shown resiliency and compassion for each other. I am always surprised at how much more we all have in common than the differences that are highlighted in the media. Recently, I watched The Social Dilemma with my family and we all wanted to spend more time in our community without our electronic devices.
"Thank you for being you, making a difference in children’s lives, and being a CSPD member."
CSPD. The diverse opinions, the respect everyone has for each other, and the kindness makes our organization unique. I am blessed to be around a CSPD membership that is full of commitment and passion. We are an organization that stays strong to our mission: To serve its membership and the public by advocating optimal oral health of infants, children, and adolescents. Be an active part of this community! (Applications are open through November 30th for 2021 positions.)
The mental health impact of what we are experiencing in 2020 is deep and can be profound. Our minds are very strong and the power of positive thinking and doing has been and will continue to be the driving force of our organization. 2020 was a love hate year. I choose to remember the love.
Thank you for being you, making a difference in children’s lives, and being a CSPD member.
Each and every day with every appointment, every conversation, you make our world a more positive place. You make an impact on every child. You make a difference.
May you be filled with smiles this time of year. May each moment allow you to see all the little joys that surround us everyday. Enjoy the last 2020 edition of the Bulletin!
Goodbye 2020…. Here we come 2021!
ENGAGE
Dr. Gila Dorostkar - President-Elect
As President-Elect, one of my responsibilities includes review of our CSPD committees for the upcoming year. I would personally like to reach out and invite you to engage in the work of one of our many committees. What’s in it for you?
• Your voice will be heard – and it has impact. You’ll hear the impactful voices of others, too.
• You’ll have the opportunity to meet other pediatric dentists across the state. We have such an awesome and fun group of practitioners here in California.
• Do you have a special talent or skill? We’d love to tap into it to do good for our members and the kids we care for.
• Have you ever been disappointed by a decision that CSPD made? Here’s your chance to have a direct role in the decision-making that impacts our members.
• Want to do something with your DDS degree beyond your daily 9-5 job? This is an opportunity to enhance your role as a pediatric dentist in the dental community.
We are looking for a broad range of members in all stages of their careers--- New Dentists, mid-career practitioners and retired members. Everyone is welcome.
I understand that we all have limited time and are balancing many things professionally and personally. I promise to do everything I can to make your CSPD service meaningful and worthwhile. Being involved in organized pediatric dentistry has been incredibly fulfilling for me and a career highlight. I’d love to share my enthusiasm and invite you to join the CSPD committee leadership team.
Please feel free to contact me directly at DrGila@ DrDorostkar.com or contact our CSPD Executive Director, Paul Reggiardo at preggiardo@CSPD.org.
JOIN US IN PALM DESERT, CA TO LEARN AND REJUVENATE, RELAX AND PLAY!
Dr. Oariona Lowe - Annual Meeting Chair
Dr. Thomas Tanbonliong - Annual Meeting Co-Chair & Vice President
March 18-20, 2021, at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort and Spa.
The CSPD Annual Meeting Committee invites you to join us for our “first of its kind” 2-Day Hybrid Annual Session. We offer on-site and virtual attendance. However, state and local Covid-19 restrictions have placed limitations on our on-site attendance due to current public health recommendations.
We are excited to share our 2021 academic program, which commences on Friday morning with an all-day Sedation course. The sedation lecture series resumes on Saturday morning. Topics such as management of sedation emergencies, risk management, behavior guidance with sedation, and “Sedation of the Special Needs Patient” will be presented by experts in the field. Clinical pearls in Pediatric Restorative Dentistry will follow after the sedation lecture series on Saturday morning. An impressive WOW (Words of Wisdom) Session is planned for Saturday afternoon, which will showcase unique topics in Pediatric dentistry presented by professionals and others who wish to share their knowledge on selected topics related to our profession.
Virtual poster presentations by different residents and students will be pre-recorded and available for viewing throughout the exhibit hall meeting alongside our vendors. Go on-site to the exhibit hall or visit them on our virtual platform. Meet our numerous sponsors and vendors. Who knows, they may have a “special order pricing” that you cannot refuse!
Social events will feature a themed Welcome Reception on Thursday evening. Our Saturday night cocktail party will be held by the poolside with a “Reggae Band”.
Palm Desert is a vibrant city featuring world-class golfing, shopping, entertainment, and restaurants. Spend a day at the Joshua Tree National Park or rent a 4WD and take a San Andreas Fault tour. Be a tourist and enjoy Palm Springs! Shop at the premium outlets, and visit the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. There is so much to see and do, all while adhering to social distancing and other safety protocols. Take the Aerial Tram and a ‘Balloon ride’ over the desert! Share the fun and excitement!
Onsite attendance is limited due to social distancing. Virtual registration is unlimited. Register NOW online by visiting conference.cspd.org!
TOOLS FOR PROMOTING PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY WITHIN YOUR COMMUNITY
Dr. Chanel McCreedy - Director-North / Communications Committee Chair
Being a pediatric dentist is an honor. Being a pediatric dentist is a privilege. Being a pediatric dentist is a fulfilling profession for people whose aim is to improve the oral health of children in their communities. Does your community know what it means to be a pediatric dentist? Do your local pediatricians know the difference between a pediatric dentist and a family dentist or general dentist? Your training and experience make you uniquely qualified to treat the children in your community and there are ways to inform others about your specialty. Throughout this series of articles, we will be outlining some tools that can be utilized to promote pediatric dentistry within your community.
Recently, I had the opportunity to work with my local dental society (Santa Clara County Dental Society) and local pediatric dentists to create an hour-and-a-half continuing education course for local pediatricians. The goal of the course was to promote pediatric oral health and provide updated clinically relevant information to local pediatricians. As pediatric dentists, we had a unique opportunity to speak to our colleagues as the experts in pediatric oral health care.
How did this unfold? Our local dental society reached out to the local medical association in order to gauge interest. The learning objectives were reviewed by the medical association, critiqued, edited by the speakers, and approved for continuing education credit. The course was approved for continuing education credit by the local medical association (Santa Clara County Medical Association), and the course was offered at no cost with complimentary dinner. The course was advertised to local pediatricians through the medical association as well as by the dental society. In preparation for the course, we held a live practice session to a group of dentists in order to edit, finalize and improve the course.
This was an excellent opportunity to promote the specialty of pediatric dentistry while providing clinically relevant information to our local pediatric medical colleagues. Are you interested in trying out this tool in your community? Reach out to your local dental society and get the ball rolling! It will likely need to be a virtual course - however, as we know, these can be powerful and effective. So that you can hit the ground running, this article includes the learning objectives for our course. In addition, I am happy to share with colleagues the slides I created for Section 1. Just let me know! Do you have ideas or tools for promoting pediatric dentistry? Would you would like to share with your colleagues? If so, please let me know via email at chanel.mccreedy@ gmail.com.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Section 1
• Summarize the importance of oral health and nutrition for the pregnant mother, including vertical transmission to the child
• Apply guidelines for caries risk assessment to the child patient
• Summarize key oral health topics for each well-child visit
• Explain the importance of primary teeth for child development
• Differentiate between permanent and primary teeth
• Summarize exfoliation and eruption patterns in primary and permanent teeth
Section 2
• Explain occlusion and airway in relation to child sleep apnea
• Explain pediatric habits of bruxism and thumbsucking
• Explain preventive role of sealants and the basics of how they are applied to teeth
• Describe role of Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) as a minimally invasive treatment option
• Summarize behavior management techniques used in pediatric dentistry, including various sedation and anesthesia options for pediatric patients
Section 3
• Review of dental trauma and when to refer as an emergency
• Discuss benefits of fluoride and drinking tap water for caries prevention based on risk assessment
• Prescribe fluoride supplement for children living in Santa Clara County at various levels of fluoridated water based on age and zip code
• Identify fluorosis in permanent teeth
• Lasers in Pediatric Dentistry
• Summarize role of local dental society as a resource and partner for pediatricians
COMPOUNDING OUR INTEREST
Dr. Jacob K. Lee - AAPD Western District Trustee
The AAPD Board of Trustees Ad Interim Meeting
The AAPD BOT Ad Interim virtual meeting was held on September 26th, 2020. After-Action Minutes can be viewed in their entirety on the Member Resources page of the AAPD Website: https://www.aapd.org/ globalassets/2020-09-26-board-minutes.pdf
AAPD Chapter Leaders Virtual Town Hall Meeting
Pursuant to the AAPD Leadership Summit and PPA Workshop held in 2018, the AAPD Chapter Leaders Virtual Town Hall meeting was held on October 3rd, 2020. Over one hundred leaders from the AAPD, districts, and chapters joined in. The discussions included planning a chapter budget to AAPD chapter dues collection service as well as testimonials from the chapter leaders on how to overcome obstacles in organization and operation. Complete presentations and the resources are posted on the AAPD website: https://www.aapd.org/resources/ member/chapter-resources/
If you are currently serving or are interested in serving in the leadership role, I highly recommend that you view these presentations. I think you will find them insightful and inspiring.
Seeking Volunteers for the AAPD Councils and Committees
Dr. Jeannie Beauchamp, AAPD President-Elect, is in the process of assigning AAPD members to the AAPD councils and committees. If you are interested in serving, please apply at: https://www.aapd.org/about/get-involved/Volunteer/
Safety for Our Patients and Our Members
This year AAPD has offered safety guidelines, podcasts, and town hall meetings to support its members in their endeavors to continue to deliver optimal oral care during the pandemic. In addition, AAPD is partnering with the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF) to offer an accreditation program for pediatric dental practices. This is a voluntary process designed to further support members in their implementation of safe sedation protocols. In the western district, the AAAASF site surveyors are Drs. Jeffrey Brownstein (AZ), Travis Nelson (WA), and Steve Wilson (AZ), who are wellknown experts in this field. Additional information can be found at: https://www. aaaasf.org/programs/outpatient-programs/outpatient-pediatric-dentistry-faqs/
Dr. Jonathon Lee is the Next AAPD Western District Trustee (2021-2024)
Dr. Jonathon Lee, past president of CSPD, will represent the western district to the AAPD. I am certain that he will effectively represent the members of the western district and continue to strengthen the collaborative relationship between the AAPD and the western district chapters. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Lee, and please continue your generous support during this next phase of his service to the members of the Academy.
As you are renewing your 2020 AAPD membership dues, please remember that it is also the season for the AAPD Foundation fundraising and the AAPD Political Action Committee contribution drive. On behalf of the AAPD, the Big Authority, the AAPDF, the Big Love, and the AAPD PAC, the Big Advocate for little teeth, I thank you for your continued support!
MEET DR. NICOLE "NEEK" LAMANTIA
Interviewed by Dr. MyLinh Ngo - Managing Editor
During these past few years as editor, I have seen CSPD leadership transition and rise up through some challenging times - and this year was no exception. It is a privilege to work with the people in this organization as it has helped broaden my microscopic goals of perfecting class II preps to much more far-reaching ones that improve the lives of the children we care for. I recently had the pleasure of catching up with Dr. “Neek” to see what she’s been up to. This special board member not only serves as a Director, but also volunteers her time on 2 other CSPD committees. We are very fortunate to have her passion and skillset on the team.
1. Why/how/when did you get involved with CSPD? I first got involved in CSPD when I was a resident at UCLA. I applied for and was selected as one of the Warren Brandli interns in 2017. I knew I wanted to be involved in organized dentistry because even in dental school I saw how important it was to our profession, especially after serving as the President of the University of California, San Francisco chapter of the American Student Dental Association. After I graduated my pediatric dental residency at UCLA and completed my WB Internship, I was fortunate to be appointed to the Board as interim Director-South, and have remained as the Director-South. I also serve as the American Academy of Pediatrics Liaison for San Diego area on behalf of CSPD. On the CSPD Foundation board, I am in charge of social media, so I run our Facebook and Instagram.
2. Congratulations on being a first-time mom. How are you balancing work, volunteering and family-life? Just like you said, it is a balance! I feel that I am happiest when I am honest with myself and my family and work about how I want to split up my time. Right now I'm fortunate that I can afford to work part time and spend the other days with my family and working on other stuff like CSPD and my hobbies. We are in a weird time right now with the whole COVID-19 pandemic, so I'm just taking it month by month in terms of my schedule and not getting too set on anything. Although for now, I'm really happy with how things are going with my work/life balance.
3. How has being involved shaped your professional life and career? Being involved in CSPD has given me opportunity to meet so many amazing people that have not only helped me find work, but also been a tremendous support psychologically during these difficult times with everything going on with COVID. It's like having an extended work-family. Having a role on the CSPD Board of Directors helps me to see the greater role of what we do as pediatric dentists, which I think is very important aside from the day to day bread and butter of our work. It also forces me to stay on top of what is relevant in terms of techniques, materials, and procedures in pediatric dentistry.
4. Getting started may seem daunting for someone who has never participated in organized dentistry. How can someone get started and where would they look, do you have ideas to make it easy? There is really no reason not to reach out and get involved nor is there
any person who we would not want to offer the opportunity to get involved in CSPD.
We are a welcoming, inclusive and diverse group with board members of all talents and backgrounds. Everyone has something to offer. I think the hardest thing for some is to recognize what you want to do or what your strengths are. But having interest is the first and most important step. Next would just be finding the right people to talk to and applying here: www.cspd.org/page/volunteerleadership.
5. What do you do to keep a pulse on the membership and stay connected to the professional community at large? Aside from our quarterly CSPD meetings, part of my role is to represent myself as a pediatric dentist in San Diego. I am a member of the San Diego County Dental Society so I stay up to date on their news, recommendations and I have met many fellow pediatric dentists through that. I feel very lucky that my local dental society is an excellent source for professional help, networking opportunities, CE courses and so much more. I do miss our in-person CE classes because those were fantastic networking events! I also have several colleagues who I check-in on regularly just to see "how things are going," and I think those personal relationships are also really important to stay connected.
6. Can you share with us an absolute musthave indulgence under $20 that you could not live without? Okay this is really silly and simple, but I have made myself and several colleagues these therapeutic rice socks. You just take a nice big soft sock, fill it up with white rice and then put a few drops of your favorite essential oils or fragrance in, such as lavender or mint. Then you heat it up in the microwave for a minute or so and you can drape it over your shoulders and neck. Or maybe on the low back. It stays warms for a long time, and it's a cheap way to get instant relief after a long day's work.
7. Any cool hobbies you've picked up this year? My two sisters and I started this thing we call "Baking Across the Nation," where we decide on a recipe and then each make it and share pictures along with our experience or review of it. We don't live near each other, so it's a fun way to stay connected and also good motivation to make some new meals or desserts.
RESIDENTS SHOWING THEIR APPRECIATION FOR THE BENEFITS THEY’VE RECEIVED FROM THE CSPDF GRANTS
Dr. Don Schmitt - CSPD Foundation President
"Thank you to the California Society of Pediatric Dentistry Foundation for their generous $25,000 grant which allowed us to continue to learn and stay safe during these challenging times. With the grant we were able to purchase additional PPE such as face shields and air purifying units for our operatories and clinic. We were also able to attend a lecture with a guest speaker that taught us about balancing mental and physical health during these stressful times." - Loma Linda University
"We are very grateful for your generous donation. It has already greatly increased our education. We have been able to utilize some of the funds to get a private CE on Zirconia crowns. We are looking forward to the many other great things that will come to our education from the donation. The kindness you have extended to us will reach much further than only 12 pediatric dental residents in San Diego!" - NYU Langone - San Diego
"The UCLA School of Dentistry, Postgraduate Pediatric Dentistry program would like to, one more time, thank you for supporting our advanced training. Your financial support has been crucial in dealing with the magnitudes of the COVID-19 crisis. It is a huge relief to have this type of funding to assist us in the continued excellence in teaching of our Pediatric Dentistry residents and to safely treat our young patients." - UCLA
"Thank you for your generous support to the UCSF Pediatric Dentistry Residency Program. Your support enabled us to upgrade our clinical facilities that enhanced our ability to continue providing quality patient care to the underserved population that we serve. Your donation also helped us to continue research projects that will impact the practice of pediatric dentistry. In addition, we were able to re-open our clinic and retain valuable part time faculty from the COVID recovery grant we received from the foundation." - UCSF
"Thank you for the very generous donation to our residency program! With this donation we have been able to make the necessary modifications in order to resume our clinical training. We were able to purchase new equipment and PPE for our operating room and clinic. These necessary changes have allowed us to resume providing safe, quality care to our patients. This donation will continue to help make valuable improvements in the months to come! " - USC
2020-2021 ANNUAL GIVING CAMPAIGN DONORS
PRESIDENTS’ CIRCLE DONORS
DIAMOND LIFE
Ann Azama & Randy Lee
Lisa Brennan & Albert Cosand
Scott & Grace Fishman
Steve & Ellen Gross
Leslie Aspis
Mark & Tina Bayless
Thomas K. Barber
Stephanie Brandli
Madeleine Brandli
L. Jeffrey Brown
Santos Cortez
Donald & Shirley Dal Porto
Mark Dal Porto
Larry & Janet Darrow
J. Patrick & Julie Davis
John & Erica DeLorme
Howard Dixon
Gila Dorostkar
John & Kathy Fowle
Vernon Adams
Stephen Blain
Matthew Hamilton**
Donald & Shirley Dal Porto
Gila Dorostkar
Zoe Grossman
Leslie Butler
Laurence Darrow
David Chin
Danielle Goodman
Nancy Hsieh
Dora Lee
Mark Lisagor
Chanel McCreedy
David Perry
Ana Planells
Gregory Rabitz
Robert Ripley
Ed Rothman
Martin & Dea Steigner
Karen Sue
Greg Wolkstein
Wayne** & Zoe Grossman
Roland & Lorraine Hansen
Scott** & Marsha Jacks
Mark & Terri Lisagor
Oariona Lowe
Mike & Clarene McCartney
Bob & Judy Oliver
Mel & Linda Rowan
CORPORATE LIFE
Space Maintainers Laboratory
PLATINUM LIFE
David Good
Bernard Gross
LaJuan Hall
Robert Harmon
Jeff & Janet Huston
Alison & Jim Jackson
Bergen James
Neil Katsura
Martin & Shiela Lasky
Daniel Launspach
Jacob & Sophie Lee
Rebecca Lee
Lonnie & Jan Lovingier
Larry & Barbara Luke
Lynne & Tom Marian
Alan Hoffman
Jonathon Lee
Dennis Paul Nutter
Mark & Terri Lisagor
Larry & Barbara Luke
David Okawachi
Edward & Beverly Matsuishi
Ned Momary
Richard P. Mungo
Rick J. Nichols
Steven Niethamer
Gary Okamoto
David Okawachi
David & Judy Perry
Greg & Mary Rabitz
Paul & Cindy Reggiardo
David Rothman & Peggy Barbieri
Keith & Lucia Ryan
Estella Sanchez
Brian J. Saunders
Don & Paula Schmitt
GOLD LIFE
Art & Gladie Rabitz
Salma Salimi
Jeffrey Sue
EMERITUS
Greg & Mary Rabitz
Paul & Cindy Reggiardo
Brian J. Saunders
CIRCLE OF FRIENDS DONORS
SUSTAINING Eduardo Correa
CONTRIBUTING
MEMBER
Jacob Lee Paul Reggiardo
Danielle Goodman
Steve Gross
Neek LaMantia
Oariona Lowe
Don Schmitt
Suzy Tavana
Richard Udin
OTHER
CSPD Officers and Directors
Giancarlo Lauriente
Gary Rejebian
Richard Sobel & Leticia Mendoza-Sobel
Ken & Patty Szymanski
David Seman
Eddie So
Andrew Soderstrom
Martin & Dea Steigner
Ray Stewart
Karen Sue & Curtis Hoy
Karen Teeters
Scott Thompson
Lynn Wan
Wesley & Jan Wieman
Randall Wiley
Phil & Donna Wolkstein
Cynthia Weideman
Richard Sobel & Leticia Mendoza-Sobel Scott Thompson
Suzy & Reza Tavana
2020 AAPD PEDIATRIC ORAL HEALTH CONFERENCE FOR CALIFORNIA RESIDENCY INTERNS
Jacob Lee
Paul Reggiardo
IN MEMORY OF
Eman Fallah
Wayne Grossman
Andrew Soderstrom
PLEASE HELP SUPPORT THE FOUNDATION www.cspd.org/?page=Donate
ONLINE CONTINUING EDUCATION WEBSITE UPDATES
Dr. Steven Niethamer - Website Editor
2020 Update
2020 has been a terrible year. I was hoping that it would not get any worse, but it has. The last Website Notes ended by saying that only an earthquake could make this year worse. I lied. So, here is the update.
Website
Let us first start with the CSPD website. It is likely that we all have read the latest reports about computer-astute hackers from evil foreign countries attacking various hospital information networks with ransomware demands. Small dental offices have also been attacked. When this happens, a message is left on the computer screen containing skull and crossbones over a usually red background saying, in broken English, that the company can gain back control of their computer if something like $10,000 in bitcoin is sent to some exotic email address. If this dentist does not have a good backup, he/she must either pay the ransom or pay a specialty company a somewhat higher amount to run tests which determine the key to releasing the information (my secret opinion is that these specialty companies just
pay the ransom and take the credit and the difference in cost). I know of offices around California who have lost access to their data from these ransomware attacks. And now it is happening to large medical centers for proportionately more ransom. Remember this most important word - BACKUP.
Another type of attack is called Denial-ofServices (DOS). With this one, requests for services coming from somewhere are sent over and over at a rate that crashes the server and causes the site to shut down. Recently, for a period of a few weeks, the software and service company that hosts CSPD’s website and manages its membership database was affected by a DOS type of problem - making the CSPD and hundreds of other organizations’ websites and their databases unavailable for much of the time. CSPD contracts with an association management service, SMA, which contracts with a larger management company, YourMembership (YM), which is owned now by
WEBSITE NOTES
"Finally, the good news. The committee just sent in the “last updates” needed before our OCE goes live."
an even larger company called Community Brands. YM provides the software that manages thousands of organizations. This information is stored on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) based in Seattle near Microsoft – all big players in IT.
CSPD has been assured that none of our data was affected or lost by what Microsoft and Community Brands’ engineers eventually identified as a mysterious “Operating Service that was causing the slowdowns.” They say it is resolved or under control. So, we are back up and running again, just in time to load all the registration and meeting website information for our Annual Meeting planned for March 18-20, 2021, at the Palm Desert Marriott Hotel and Resort.
Online Continuing Education
The OCE has also had its problems. This newest OCE was built by a website developer based in San Diego. During that time, the OCE committee transferred over information and reconstructed the remaining 40-50 programs, quizzes and CE certificate information as was reported in the last Website Notes. With all this tedious work nearly finished, the OCE website was then “moved” over to its new home on, please do not laugh, the allpowerful AWS network!
These moves are supposed to be non-eventful – but this is the year 2020. So, in the process, most of the checked selections, in those important little boxes that control how each of these courses work, were lost. Also, making life even more confusing, too many important old links, that are usually automatically changed by these little Migration Plugins were not identified and changed. Unsuspecting users continued to be sent back by these unchanged old links to their previous, still similar looking and now separate OCE system in San Diego. Yes, life continues to be typical for the year 2020.
Good News
Finally, the good news. The committee just sent in the “last updates” needed before our OCE goes live. The CSPD website is also up and stable. The annual meeting website is now also focused on our next meeting. And this year’s Annual Meeting Committee will switch over to using a promising Meeting App called Pathable, which will make March’s planned HYBRID meeting both streamable to VIRTUAL attendees and provide a Meeting App for our ON-SITE attendees’ phones and PCs. All of this will happen in a new and better year - 2021!
Also, as for the possible earthquake finale, we are all safe. Last month I reviewed my insurance policies and increased the earthquake coverage. Because I am so ready for the “big one,” it will never happen. We are safe – at least for this year.
EATING FOR BETTER ORAL AND IMMUNE HEALTH
Dr.
MyLinh Ngo - Managing Editor
As we brace for widespread uncertainty ranging from the pandemic, to climate change, to the economy, we should take comfort in things that are certain – and continue living our best lives possible. Apart from social distancing, hand washing, and wearing masks, strengthening our bodies’ immune function can play a vital role in staying safe and healthy from disease. Our oral health equally relies on the critical functions of the immune system, as it plays an essential role in one of the most prevalent chronic inflammatory diseases in the United States - periodontitis.
The majority of immune cells within the human body are found within the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), illustrating the importance of this immune tissue in maintaining host health. Appropriate nutrition is required for all cells to function optimally and this includes the cells in the immune system.
NUTRIENT
Zinc * oysters and other seafood, meat, chicken, dried beans and nuts
Flavonoids * green tea, blueberries, dark chocolate, a glass of Shiraz
Iron meat, chicken and fish. Vegetarian sources include legumes, whole grains and iron-fortified breakfast cereals
Vitamin A * oily fish, egg yolks, dairy products, spinach, tofu, nuts, seeds, whole grains and legumes
Vitamin C oranges, lemons, limes, berries, kiwifruit, broccoli, tomatoes and capsicum
Glutamine protein-rich foods beef, chicken, fish, dairy products, eggs, beans, beets, cabbage, spinach, carrots, parsley, papaya, Brussels sprouts, celery, kale and fermented foods.
Vitamin D * mainly sunlight but is also found in some foods such as eggs, fish, while some milks and margarine brands may be fortified with it.
Vitamin B12 animal products, including eggs, meat and dairy, and also in fortified soy milk (check the nutrition information panel)
Vitamin B9 (folate) green leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds and commercial bread-making flour
The chart below of foods not only provides strength to your teeth and gums but can also help your body's natural defenses fight off pathogens as well.
Along with getting adequate sleep, exercising, and practicing good oral hygiene, we can also focus on nutrition to help strengthen both our oral and overall health. It’s simple: eat a mostly whole foods diet with lots of lean protein and fresh vegetables and avoid most processed foods, especially those that are high in simple sugars. Rather than taking a handful of different supplements, eating foods from all the food groups is the best way to keep your immune system healthy.
Mucosal/connective tissues and immune function.
Mucosal/connective tissues and immune function.
Mucosal/connective tissues and immune function.
Mucosal/connective tissues and immune function. But be aware that getting too much from supplements may result in gum problems.
Collagen maturation and to maintain the integrity of the periodontal ligament; mucosal/connective tissues and immune function.
Mucosal/connective tissues and immune function; modulates the inflammatory response.
Mucosal/connective tissues, immune function; may enhance enamel remineralization.
Epithelial cell turnover.
Mucosal/connective tissues and immune function; low levels are associated with periodontal disease.
*highlighted in the American Society for Nutrition journals – COVID themed collection
LEGISLATIVE BILLS OF INTEREST
Dr. Natalie Mansour - Public Policy Advocate
AB 1998 (Low) Dental Practice Act: unprofessional conduct: patient of record.
Summary: Establishes new consumer protections and makes clarifications to the Dental Practice Act regarding orthodontic services, including services provided via technology platforms.
CSPD Position: SUPPORT
Status: AB1998 stalled in the Senate Business and Professions Committee.
Comment: AB 1998 is building upon regulations passed last year as a result of the Dental Board of California's sunset review. This bill is requiring direct-to-consumer orthodontic business models to have the same level of dentist oversight and patient safety whether the consumer chooses in-person or virtual dental home models for dental care.
SB653 (Chang) Dental hygienists: registered dental hygienist in alternative practice: scope of practice.
Summary: This bill authorizes a registered dental hygienist to provide, without supervision, fluoride varnish to a patient, and preventive services and oral screenings at specified sponsored events and nonprofit organizations. This bill allows a registered dental hygienist in alternative practice to practice in specified clinics or in a professional corporation without being an employee of that clinic or professional corporation. It would additionally authorize a registered dental hygienist in alternative practice to perform specified functions and duties of a registered dental hygienist in dental offices or both dental or medical settings, as specified.
This bill also authorizes a registered dental hygienist in alternative practice to perform soft-tissue curettage and administration of local anesthesia with documented consultation with a collaborating dentist in the residences of the homebound, residential facilities and other institutions, medical settings that a residential facility patient has been transferred to for outpatient services, dental health professional shortage areas, and dental offices, as long as a specified protocols are followed. It would remove the general supervision requirement for interim therapeutic tooth restorations that are performed in specified settings and instead would require that a diagnosis, treatment plan, and instruction be provided by a dentist prior to performing the procedure.
CSPD Position: WATCH
Status: SB653 passed out of the legislature. It was signed and approved by the governor.
Comment: Senate Bill 653 would revise the scopes of practice for a registered dental hygienist (RDH) and a registered dental hygienist in alternative practice (RDHAP), the provision for
a RDHAP to remain in a dental health professional shortage area (HPSA) if that area loses that designation, has been removed. This bill intends to improve access to preventative dental hygiene care for high-need, high-risk populations as well as provide more opportunity to connect individuals to a dental home through public health and medical settings.
AB2164 (R Rivas and Salas) Medi-Cal: Federally Qualified Health Centers Telehealth
Summary: This bill would provide that an FQHC or RHC (Rural Health Clinics) “visit” includes an encounter between an FQHC or RHC patient and a health care provider using telehealth by synchronous real time or asynchronous store and forward.
CSPD Position: SUPPORT
Status: AB2164 passed out of legislature and was vetoed by the governor.
Comment: California's community health centers serve the state's most vulnerable populations. One in six Californians are seen in an FQHC in California today for their healthcare needs and one in three of these patients are covered by Medi-Cal. This bill clarifies that a FQHC can establish a new patient care visit and bill for a virtual dental home when a billable Medi-Cal provider employed by the FQHC supervises or provides the services for a patient via telehealth via synchronous real time or asynchronous store and forward. CDA is a co-sponsor this bill.
SB 793 (Hill): Flavored Tobacco Products
Summary: SB 793 would prohibit a tobacco retailer, or any of the retailer’s agents or employees, from selling, offering for sale, or possessing with intent to sell or offer for sale, a flavored tobacco product, as defined. Would deem it an infraction if a tobacco retailer, or agent or employee of a tobacco retailer, violates the bill’s provisions, and imposes a $250 fine for each violation. The bill does not preempt or prohibit adoption of a local standard that imposes greater restrictions on the access to tobacco products. To the extent that there is an inconsistency between the bill and a local standard that imposes greater restrictions on the access to tobacco products, the greater restriction on the access to tobacco products in the local standard must prevail.
CSPD Position: SUPPORT
Status: Approved and signed by the Governor
Comment: In the last two years alone, e-cigarette use among young people surged by 135% and there are now 5.3 million young Americans who use e-cigarettes regularly. The tobacco industry has already filed a referendum for the 2022 November Ballot. This would allow voters to decide the fate of this bill. The industry must collect 600,000 signatures and if successful in doing so would suspend this bill until the 2022 election.
REMEMBERING A REALLY GREAT GUY
Dr. Leslie Tanimura
On November 16, 2020, CSPD lost a dear friend when Dr. Robert “Rob” C.K. Peng died in a motorcycle accident. Rob was on his way to the University of the Pacific to teach in the undergraduate pediatric dentistry clinic that afternoon. He had served as part-time faculty at UOP for over 20 years.
Earlier in his career, Rob had been an integral part of Antioch-Brentwood Pediatric Dentistry. For more than 15 years, along with partners Robert Harmon, Richard Sobel, Jennifer Lo, and me, he worked to expand access to care for the children in East Contra Costa County. In 2008, six days after I had given birth to twins, Rob and I signed the paperwork to begin construction on our new Antioch office. While I navigated the nuances of being a first-time parent, Rob made the decisions and personally supervised the work being done for our professional future. The Antioch office will always be known as the office that Rob built. Sadly, six years later, Rob informed me that his physician was placing him on permanent medical leave. We cried as it was the ending of our partnership but rejoiced knowing that retirement from the physical demands of pediatric dentistry might allow his body to heal.
Rob was a very giving person and so very humble when thanked for his selfless efforts. He loved to laugh and truly wanted those around him to have fun and be happy. Friends from his dental student and resident days at UCLA, as well as those he made while teaching at UOP, can attest to his kind and gentle spirit. Rob touched many lives and no doubt many of his patients have special memories of his unwavering commitment to their oral health.
Rob is survived by his wife, Dr. Lilly Chen, and their two sons, Aaron and Kevin. His consummate energy, generosity, and sincerity will be remembered for years to come. Godspeed Rob, we will miss you and your smile on earth.
BOARD MOTIONS
MOTION (SCHMITT): Move to approve the Agenda. MOTION CARRIED
MOTION (NICHELINI): Move to approve the Minutes of July 11, 2020, Board of Directors Meeting. MOTION CARRIED
MOTION (SCHMITT): Move to approve the Consent Agenda. MOTION CARRIED
MOTION (DOROSTKAR): Move the approval of the adoption of Section VII (Membership) of the Administrative Policy and Procedure Manual as proposed in the Executive Director’s Report. MOTION CARRIED
MOTION (SCHMITT): Move that the Constitution and Bylaws Committee be charged with preparing for a vote of membership that the Bylaws (a) No longer permit out of state Active Members as being eligible to hold elected office and (b) Provide that no application fee or dues are assessed for first year Active membership after completion of postdoctoral pediatric dental training and the second and third year dues will be reduced 50%.
MOTION CARRIED
MOTION (GUIJON): Move that CSPD adopt policy whereby CSPD documents submitted electronically must be distributed or circulated through the Society’s email domain (i.e.xxxx@cspd.org) and not from personal or private email addresses or domains. MOTION CARRIED
MOTION (SABBADINI): Move that CSPD approve the proposed Memorandum of Understanding delineating the obligations of CSPD and the CSPD Foundation by which the costs of the CSPD intern programs will be paid by CSPD in the fiscal year in which they are incurred and reimbursed by the CSPDF the following fiscal year. MOTION CARRIED
MOTION (GUIJON): Move that the Executive Director be directed to obtain commercial policy proposals for CSPD Annual Meeting Event Cancellation Insurance. MOTION CARRIED
MOTION (GUIJON): Move that all CSPD-produced webinars be made available on the Online Continuing Education library at the discretion of the OCE Committee.
MOTION CARRIED
MOTION (GUIJON): Move to establish an interim policy for the 2021 Annual Meeting. In-person [registration, full] refund [with 30 day or greater notice]; less than 30 day notice, then a 50% [refund] or full credit applied to 2022 Annual meeting. If virtual [registration], no refund. MOTION WITHDRAWN
MOTION (SABBADINI): Move that CSPD establish an interim policy only for the 2021 Annual Meeting. For full preregistered “on-site” registration, refunds (less a $150 processing fee) will be issued with at least a 30 day notice; for those requesting a refund with less than 30 day notice and more than 14 day notice, the registrant will either be given a 50% refund or be provided with a virtual only registration; registrants requesting a refund with less than 14 day notice will be provided a virtual-only registration and no refund. No refunds will be issued for virtual-only registrations for the 2021 Annual Meeting. MOTION CARRIED
MOTION (GUIJON): Move to remove the standing CSPD Peer Review Committee from our governance structure and that the Constitution and Bylaws Committee be charged with preparing the necessary Bylaws change for a vote of the membership at the March 2021 Business Meeting. MOTION CARRIED
MOTION (SABBADINI): Move that a CSPD membership e-blast be sent to announce the availability of the Emergency Protocol Handbook developed by the CSPD Patient Services Committee. MOTION CARRIED
MOTION (SABBADINI): Move that the CSPD Patient Services Committee be charged with developing a referral network of Denti-Cal providers who offer specialized services such as general anesthesia/ sedation, oral surgery, and endodontics. MOTION WITHDRAWN
MOTION (SCHMITT): Move to hold the January 23, 2021 Board of Directors Meeting virtually. MOTION CARRIED
CALIFORNIA SOCIETY OF PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY
CSPD LEADERSHIP
Full list of committee members is located at www.cspd.org.
OFFICERS
President: Dr. Nancy Kwon Hsieh
President-Elect: Dr. Gila Dorostkar
Vice President: Tom Tanbonliong
Secretary: Dr. Kim Nichelini
Treasurer: Dr. Don Schmitt
Immed. Past President: Dr. Susan Tavana
DIRECTORS
North (21): Dr. Niki Fallah
North (21): Dr. Shan Girn
North (22): Dr. Gary D. Sabbadini
North (22): Dr. Chanel McCreedy
South (21): Dr. Nicole LaMantia
South (21): Dr. Leslie Butler
South (22): Dr. John Guijon
South (22): Dr. Dora Lee
APPOINTED OFFICERS
Managing Editor: Dr. MyLinh Ngo
Associate Editor: Dr. Angela Lee
Website Editor: Dr. Steve Niethamer
Public Policy Advocate: Dr. Natalie Mansour
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dr. Paul Reggiardo
WARREN BRANDLI LEADERSHIP INTERNS
Dr. Dr. Shivani Keshav (USC)
Dr. Evan Chang (Clinical Practice)
SANTOS CORTEZ GRADUATE STUDENT LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY INTERNS
Dr. Ella Saeed (USC)
Dr. JungSoo Kim (UCSF)
Dr. Linda Young (NYU Langone – San Diego)
CONTACTS & LIAISONS
AAPD District V (WSPD) Trustee: Jacob Lee
AAPD Liaison: VACANT
WSPD Liaison: VACANT
AAP California Chapters Coordinator: Kim Nichelini
AAP CA Chapter 1 Liaison: Kim Nichelini
AAP CA Chapter 2 Liaison: Catherine Pham
AAP CA Chapter 3 Liaison: Nicole LaMantia
AAP CA Chapter 4 Liaison: John Guijon
Annual Meeting Sponsor Relations Liaison: Leslie Butler
California Dental Society of Anesthesiology Liaison: Dave Rothman
CSPD Foundation Liaison: Susan Tavana
CSPD VOTING MEMBERS TO THE WSPD BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Dr. Nancy Hsieh
Dr. Gila Dorostkar
Dr. Thomas Tanbonliong STAFF
Association Management Services: Smith Moore & Associates
CSPD Account Manager: Yelena Martynovskaya
CSPD Account Coordinator: Abi Hague
