News

I received several messages related to my columns on America celebrating its 250th anniversary and the ODA celebrating its 160th anniversary this year. Several of you commented on the commonalities between the history of our country and the dental profession in America. This month’s column continues with that theme. During the celebrations ... [continue reading]

Over the past few years, I have received phone calls from many members asking about what to do when interacting with the government or legal entities. These questions involved entities such as The Ohio State Dental Board, Ohio Department of Health, DEA, Ohio Board of Pharmacy, Ohio Attorney General’s office, Ohio EPA, judges, small claims courts ... [continue reading]

In early August, the Ohio Dental Association formally raised concerns to Aetna regarding a notice it sent to an unknown number of out-of-network Ohio dentists that they would no longer receive paper check payments and EOBs from Aetna but, effective Sept. 4, 2026, would receive payments from Aetna via virtual credit card. Aetna gave dentists an ... [continue reading]

An August 2026 report from MIT’s Ad Hoc Committee on AI Use in Teaching, Learning, and Research Training is a call to action. MIT is about as closely tied to technological progress as any institution in the world. This expansive report on AI and education recommends a serious rethink of college: how we teach, how we assess, and what we count ... [continue reading]

A child sadly died during dental treatment in Texas recently, resulting in the arrest of the pediatric dentist.1 Attention focused on the dentist’s missteps in sedation and rescue, but what gained little attention is that the dentist intended to perform a frenectomy on the 4-year-old child, a procedure usually confined to very young children ... [continue reading]

Dr. David Vorherr of Cincinnati was installed as secretary of the Ohio Dental Association on Sept. 18 during the ODA’s House of Delegates meeting. In his role as secretary, Vorherr will serve on the ODA’s Executive Committee overseeing the management of the association throughout the next year. Vorherr is a general dentist in practice in ... [continue reading]

Dr. Najia Usman of Medina was installed as vice president of the Ohio Dental Association on Sept. 18 during the ODA’s House of Delegates meeting. In her role as president-elect, Usman will serve on the ODA’s Executive Committee overseeing the management of the association throughout the next year. Usman is an endodontist in private ... [continue reading]

Dr. Kelly Roth of Canton was installed as speaker of the House of the Ohio Dental Association on Sept. 18 during the ODA’s House of Delegates meeting. In her role as speaker of the House, Roth will serve on the ODA’s Executive Committee overseeing the management of the association throughout the next year. Roth is a general dentist in ... [continue reading]

Dr. Brett Pelok of Toledo was installed as president of the Ohio Dental Association on Sept. 18 during the ODA’s House of Delegates meeting. The ODA’s Executive Director David Owsiany said, “Dr. Brett Pelok has served in leadership capacities within the Toledo Dental Society and the Ohio Dental Association and is well prepared to lead the ... [continue reading]

Dr. Rob Mazzola of Miamisburg was installed as vice president of the Ohio Dental Association on Sept. 18 during the ODA’s House of Delegates meeting. In his role as vice president, Mazzola will serve on the ODA’s Executive Committee overseeing the management of the association throughout the next year. Mazzola is a general dentist in ... [continue reading]