Aetna Dental announced today the newest in a series of continuing education courses for dentists participating in the Aetna Dental Maintenance Organization (DMO®) network. The course, Radiology Update for the Dental Practitioner, is based on a review of current literature by the Division of Community Health at the Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery, and sponsored by Aetna Dental. Dentists can access the course, available at www.aetnadental.com, from the convenience of their home or office and send in their test answers to Aetna to earn continuing education credits, free of charge.
"Aetna Dental recognizes the value of continuing education courses to the delivery of quality dental care," said Mark Bertolini, senior vice president of Specialty Products, which includes Aetna Dental. "The continuing education courses offered to participating dentists are another example of Aetna's willingness to create opportunities to help dentists succeed in their practices."
According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, radiology is used to confirm, discover and define a disease that would otherwise go undetected without the use of the technology. Dentists attempt to diagnose patients using radiology while avoiding unproductive radiographic examinations. Radiology Update for the Dental Practitioner provides guidelines on how to produce high-quality diagnostic images of the oral structures with a minimum amount of radiation exposure to the patient.
"The dental clinician will find the Aetna Dental® Radiology Update for the Dental Practitioner informative," said David A. Albert, D.D.S., associate professor of clinical dentistry at Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery. "The laminated guide and the more detailed monograph offer an excellent overview of dental radiography, and are designed to assist clinicians in providing high-quality radiographic services to their patients. The update also provides information on reducing radiation exposure to patients, presents the FDA guidelines for the use of dental radiographs, and provides an overview of new X-ray technologies."
Participating dentists in the Aetna DMO network also have access to two other continuing education courses on the use of dental sealants and fluoride in dentistry. The courses are available by selecting the continuing education link located under the educational resources tab on the Aetna Dental website, www.aetnadental.com. Offices without Internet access can call the DMO Provider Hotline to request a copy of the courses.
