The Connecticut Oral Health Initiative is hosting two group discussions with dental providers and/or their staff who are currently or formally enrolled in the Connecticut HUSKY Health Dental Network. The purpose of the discussions is to understand providers and their offices’ experience with the HUSKY Health and gather recommendations for improvements. There will be two sessions, please see information below to register:

Group Discussion 1:
WHO: Dental providers and/or their staff who are currently or formally enrolled in the Connecticut HUSKY Dental Network located anywhere in the state or bordering states.
WHEN: Tuesday, August 26th, 2025, at 6:00PM
WHERE: Virtual-Zoom
RSVP Link
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeie7xYIi5V3Xc2GYB1iZagw9zDmzIWrEHg9tq5gmZHQsyqxA/viewform

Group Discussion 2:
WHO: Dental providers and/or their staff who are currently or formally enrolled in the Connecticut HUSKY Dental Network located in Southeastern CT.
WHEN: Thursday, August 28th, 2025, 6:00PM
WHERE: Virtual – Zoom
RSVP Link
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSffIIf26GtihExawZEX779ZONdAZsMwKZFBg4MrBE5DNAGtIQ/viewform”>

For questions, contact Megan at MeganW@ctoralhealth.org

Provider Recruitment Flyer 2025 English

Appearance is a major influencer and a large part of children’s and teenagers’ formulative years.  Looking different or unusual can create a great deal of anxiety for children and impacts them for a lifetime.  Providing support and compassion is vital to helping those with craniofacial conditions to be accepted for who they are and not what they look like.  Kenzie’s camp was named after a camper who attended but subsequently passed away.  The spirit and drive of this child inspired all who met her; sadly, her life was a short one. All campers attend the camp for free, and it has proven to be extremely beneficial and popular.

The camp was the brainstorm of two HUSKY CT Dental Health providers, Dr. Elena-Lee Ritoli and Dr. Richard G. Bevilacqua.  The camp is run by these Connecticut Dental Professionals along with Ms. Shelbie Rand, CNA.  Since the establishment of the camp, Drs. Ritoli and Bevilacqua have been invited to speak around the country regarding the camp and the positive effects it has had on all attendees and their families.

Drs. Ritoli and Bevilacqua are always looking for volunteers for various activities and donations. Because it is a 501c3 organization, they have organized several fundraisers and look for donations.  I am hoping that they will be successful because this will mean the camp can support more and more children attending free of charge.  Many of the attendees are HUSKY Health members.

Two fundraising events are coming up in the near future:

• A Wild West 3k Walk in Newington, June 12^th
• A Hartford Yard Goats Outing, July 18^th

For more information on the organization and events – click here.

DONATE HERE

IV sedation for dentistry can provide significant benefits for your patients with dental anxiety or those undergoing complex procedures.  While it is generally safe, there is an alarming increase in the unnecessary use of sedation particularly for patients subjectively labeled as “challenging,” teens, and children in need of basic dental treatments.

When you are considering making a request for sedation for a patient, you need to remember there are risks associated with the approach that does not take into account the patient’s age, immediate health status, allergies, cold or runny nose, body weight and potentially undiagnosed medical conditions.

These aforementioned conditions could lead to over-sedation, allergic reactions, nausea and vomiting, and disorientation.  Patients with certain medical conditions, such as respiratory issues or heart problems may be at a higher risk for complications and a person’s age and weight can impact responses to the sedation medications chosen or used for the procedures.

Anesthesia for dental treatments should not be provided because the patient or the guardian wants sedation.  For general dental treatments, you should discourage the patient from opting for conscious intravenous sedation.  Sometimes, this approach could cause irreparable harm.  Consider this article from Dr. Bicuspid.

Try other approaches such as nitrous oxide or pre- appointment anxiolytics in low doses.  It may prove beneficial in the future when you treat a patient who does not react favorably to IV sedation.

There are several articles and research studies that refer to the safety of dental X-rays.

Dental X-rays are safe and only expose patients to low levels of radiation, even less than what an individual is exposed to in the environment, according to experts cited in a New York Times article.

The ADA Council on Scientific Affairs that published clinical safety and regulatory recommendations in 2024 in The Journal of the American Dental Association. (ADA)

The ADA and the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (AAOMR) updated their recommendations to say that patients do not need to wear a protective apron or thyroid-protecting collar during dental X-rays.

The ADA and AAOMR also say dental X-rays are safe for pregnant women and their fetuses, exposing them to levels up to 30,000 times lower than that needed to cause harm.  Read more in these articles and research reports.

Gainwell Technologies would like to invite all providers to participate in the Provider Satisfaction Survey. All feedback would be greatly appreciated, as your responses will help to enhance services and to better serve the provider community. To complete the survey, click here.