DDS Rescue Announces Their Response to the RansomWare Attack of August 26

 

I want to make perfectly clear in this post that the company DDS Rescue was in no way involved with the attack mentioned in this post.  In fact if one of their customers had been affected by the breach, DDS Rescue would have had them back up and running quickly.  No, this is their response to those offices who have heard of the attack and are looking for reliable solutions to help prevent being affected by these types of attacks in the future.  DDS Rescue protects the data in my office and I trust them completely with my office data.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CARLSBAD, CA—On Monday, August 26, 2019, a Ransomware attack was pushed
out to more than 400 dental offices throughout the United States. This Ransomware
attack was associated with the companies PercSoft, The Digital Dental Record
and DDS Safe.

DDS Rescue is issuing this statement to confirm that their company is not associated
with any of these companies and has not been attacked by Ransomware.

DDS Rescue customers are protected and all data is secure. As cybersecurity professionals, DDS Rescue does everything it can to maintain customers’ data protection on a daily basis.

Since this most recent attack occurred, DDS Rescue has been in touch with many
dental offices, and they are encouraging customers to continue to ask them questions
about the nature of Ransomware attacks and cybersecurity.

DDS Rescue has a number of procedures in place that prevent the type of Ransomware attacks that have happened in recent months.

For further information visit www.ddsrescue.com or phone DDS Rescue
at (800) 998-9048.

Primescan Review & Feedback After 200 Days in the Wild

 

For those of you who are interested in digital scanning/digital impressions in your office, there are a lot of options out there for you.  At this point in the development cycle, all of these systems work extremely well.  I feel that ownership choices are now based on features, manufacturers, and relationships.  By that I mean some systems offer different features, some are made by more well known companies, and the relationship with the company/sales person can be a deciding factor for many offices.

Today’s post is some information from Dentsply Sirona regarding their newest system Primescan.  Sirona has been in the digital acquisition space for decades with CEREC and are now releasing their latest next generation technology.  Here is info from the company regarding the first 200 days of Primescan in the field.  Enjoy!

It is standard practice to review feedback after a product has first
been launched: Primescan, Dentsply Sirona’s new intraoral scanner,
was introduced about 200 days ago. It provides dentists in more
than 100 countries with a completely new experience of taking
digital impressions. The feedback after the first months in practice
shows that Primescan was able to meet and even exceed the high
expectations of demanding users.

With Primescan, Dentsply Sirona presented the latest generation of intraoral scanners at the
beginning of February in Frankfurt/Main (Germany): It enables users to take a digital impression with very high accuracy. This has been substantiated by a study at the University of Zurich [1]. Since the launch of this new intraoral scanner users in more than 100 countries have been using Primescan in their practices and reporting on their experiences.

For dentist Dr. Carlos Repullo from Sevilla, Spain, the perfect end result for the patient has top priority. For several years now, he has relied on the support of digital procedures such as CAD/CAM. From his point of view, the technology of intraoral scanners has developed enormously –
this is especially true for Primescan. "The accuracy of the scan is remarkable. This also applies to the whole jaw scan, which can be taken in a very short time. This is exactly the quality that we need in practices. The handling must be simple, fast and safe, the function must be stable.
The new intraoral scanner offers all this. Primescan does have a small 'disadvantage': "If the  restoration does not fit now, I can no longer blame the technology."

Primescan meets very high quality standards

For quite some time, Dr. Mike Skramstad, dentist from Orono, Minnesota (USA), has been observing the development of intraoral scanners in the dental market. For a long time, no system was able to fully meet his high requirements in terms of accuracy, user-friendliness, speed, integration
capability and possible applications. He also took a close look at Primescan in his practice. 200 days after the new intraoral scanner’s launch, he is now more than satisfied: "With the introduction of Dentsply Sirona's Primescan, things have changed considerably. Scanning is very easy and more accurate than with the CEREC Omnicam. What impresses me most about Primescan is the outstanding software performance, which has been further enhanced by artificial intelligence.
I'm excited about the many dental applications that allow me to work with Primescan."

Dr. Verena Freier, a dentist from Bad-Soden in Germany, sees an improvement in the accuracy of Primescan, especially for whole jaw scans. " With the new intraoral scanner Primescan, which also works with CEREC, I am bringing the treatment of my patients to a very high level. If the results were really good before, for me they are now even better. And everything is easy and relaxed - I don't really want to put the scanner out of my hand anymore. I particularly like the operation via a touch surface. Since patient satisfaction is very important to me, I am especially pleased that patients ask specifically for this impression method and talk about it once they have experienced it themselves.”

Primescan improves workflow with dental laboratories

In addition to accurate and fast digital impression taking, another advantage of Primescan is that it is designed for different digital workflows – in practice with CEREC as well as in collaboration with the
dental laboratory or other partners. Using the new Connect software, a digital 3D model can be transferred directly to the laboratory of choice for further processing. Frankie Acosta, a dental technician from Murrieta, California (USA), is particularly pleased with the optimized processes and
the high quality of the impression. "As a dental laboratory that has been working with digital impressions for around ten years, we are delighted that it is now even easier for dentists to take impressions with an intraoral scanner. The accuracy with which Primescan works convinces us in our
daily work. This also enables us to deliver work at a high level. The automatic download from the Inbox of the Connect Case Center is a real time saver".

Garrison Launches NEW Matrix Bands that done "Crinkle"

 

One of the biggest problems we face in every day operative dentistry is the proper restoration of Class II restorations.  As we have become more and more conservative in our restorations, we are no longer following preparation principles that were developed for amalgam.  With composite rapidly becoming like “replacement tooth structure” our prep designs have become smaller.  This is a great thing in that it conserves tooth structure, but it can cause a great deal of procedural angst when it comes to placing matrix bands.  That’s because as preps become smaller, there is less “gap” to slide bands into.  To the rescue comes the New Composi-Tight® 3D Fusion™ Firm matrix bands with eZ-Place™ technology.

They go to place much easier than standard bands and also don’t “crinkle” up when applying the separating ring.  I’ve been testing them for 2 weeks now and am very impressed with them.  Here’s what the folks at Garrison have to say:

New Composi-Tight® 3D Fusion™ Firm matrix bands with eZ-Place™ technology maintain their shape during placement making them significantly easier to insert.

eZ-Place™ technology combines specially processed stainless steel with a proprietary matrix band forming process to yield Fusion Firm's remarkable handling characteristics. It resists deformation nearly 70% better than typical dead-soft bands, yet is pre-contoured and super thin at 0.0015". You're ensured the tight contacts and ideal anatomy you've come to expect from the Composi-Tight® 3D Fusion™system.

Composi-Tight 3D Fusion Firm matrices are:

• Nearly 70% better at resisting deformation
• Super-thin at only 0.0015"
• Four ideal sizes

Perfect for:

• Tight interproximal spaces
• More conservative preps
• First-time users and veterans alike

Dentsply Sirona and Carbon® Launch Lucitone Digital Print Denture Workflow and Material System, Taking Digital Dentistry to the Next Level

 

Dentsply Sirona, the largest manufacturer of professional dental
products and technologies, and Carbon®, the world’s leading digital
manufacturing company, announced the launch of Lucitone Digital
Print Denture workflow and material system today – optimized for
the Carbon M-Series printers. The partnership brings to market the
first digitally produced dentures with Dentsply Sirona material and
Crafted by Carbon. This system will significantly change digital
dentistry in terms of strength, aesthetics, and laboratory efficiency
for 3D printed dentures.

A new premium digitally printable denture workflow and material system was launched today by
Dentsply Sirona and Carbon. It provides significant advancements in
terms of material benefits, the laboratory process, and function for the
patient. The new workflow and material system establish a paradigm shift
for 3D printed prostheses. Carbon is the only platform validated for
Dentsply Sirona’s Lucitone Digital Print Denture materials which provide
a superior combination of accuracy, consistency, and throughput
compared to traditional dentures. The system is intended to be used in
cases of complete single arch denture over existing dentition (1 arch),
and full-over-full dentures (2 arches).

The new Dentsply Sirona 3D printed workflow with Carbon includes five
core material system products: Lucitone Digital PrintTM 3D Denture Resin,
IPN 3DTM Digital Denture Teeth, Lucitone Digital Try-inTM 3D Trial
Placement Resin, Lucitone Digital FuseTM 3-Step system, and inLab
SpeedcureTM Processing Unit. This material and equipment system is
used as part of a complete digital print workflow that includes cloud-
based traceable printing for each denture, taking digitally printed dentures
to a whole new level.

Complete material system for increased capacity and laboratory
efficiency

Dentsply Sirona developed this new system, leveraging Carbon printer
technology, that delivers a significant advancement to the industry in
terms of material benefits and laboratory process. The Lucitone Digital
PrintTM 3D Denture Resin enables labs to print up to eight denture arches
in approximately two hours. Dentures made with Lucitone Digital PrintTM
3D Denture Resin resist breakage because its innovative formula
exceeds ISO high impact and flexural strength standards. The proven
Lucitone formulation is manufactured with True Color Technology, for
consistent shade results, and is available in five Lucitone shades. The

Registered brands, trade names and logos are used. Even in particular cases, when they appear without their trademark, all corresponding legal rules and provisions apply.


Press Contact

Dr. Tanja Lauinger
Senior Corporate Public Relations Manager
Dentsply Sirona
Sirona Straße 1
5071 Wals bei Salzburg, Austria
T +43 (0) 662 2450-629
F +43 (0) 662 2450-540 tanja.lauinger@dentsplysirona.com

Iska Hain Saric
Head of Communications Carbon press@carbon3d.com

Kerstin Schicha
Edelman GmbH Schöneberger Straße 15 10963 Berlin, Germany
T +49 (0) 30 2218290-70 dentsplysirona@edelman.com
www.edelman.com

new Dentsply Sirona workflow for Carbon delivers value by increasing
laboratory product capacity and throughput while decreasing the amount
of labor per appliance.

The Lucitone Digital Print Denture features IPN 3D Digital Denture teeth
along with the Lucitone Digital FuseTM 3-Step system to provide premium
esthetics and IPN durability with a cohesive bond. The 3-step Fuse
process allows technicians of varying abilities and experience to set and
fuse up to 14 denture teeth in less than 12 minutes.

With this new digital workflow, laboratories of all sizes can design a
Dentsply Sirona Lucitone Digital Print Denture and gain the capacity and
throughput that is needed to meet increasing patient demand. The
workflow is simple and easy for labs to integrate into their existing digital
practices.

The Lucitone Digital Print Denture was FDA cleared on August 26, 2019
and will be available in the USA as of September 2019 to early access
partners with a full launch to Carbon M-Series users in the USA expected
in Q1 2020. Due to the different approval and registration times, not all
technologies and products are immediately available in all countries.

Dentsply Sirona and Carbon will present the details of this new system
and other topics to the public for the first time at the International Digital
Denture Symposium (IDDS) in Atlanta, Georgia USA on September 27 &
28, 2019. More Information about the IDDS program is available at:
https://cdeworld.com/events/site/idds2019/

To learn more about Lucitone Digital Print Denture, visit

www.dentsplysirona.com/lucitonedigitalprint


Here is how the denture bases appear as they are in the finishing stages inside the 3D printer...

About Dentsply Sirona

Dentsply Sirona is the world’s largest manufacturer of professional dental products and technologies, with over a century of innovation and service to the dental industry and patients worldwide. Dentsply Sirona develops, manufactures, and markets a comprehensive solutions offering, including dental and oral health products, as well as other consumable medical devices under a strong portfolio of world-class brands. As The Dental Solutions CompanyTM, Dentsply Sirona’s products provide innovative, high-quality and effective solutions to advance patient care and deliver better, safer and faster dental care. Dentsply Sirona’s headquarter is located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company’s shares are listed in the United States on NASDAQ under the symbol XRAY. Visit www.dentsplysirona.com for more information about Dentsply Sirona and its products.

About Carbon

Carbon’s mission is to reinvent how polymer products are designed, engineered, manufactured, and delivered towards a digital and sustainable future. Based in Silicon Valley, Carbon brings together innovations in software, hardware, and material science to deliver industry-leading digital manufacturing solutions. Crafted by Carbon using ground-breaking Digital Light SynthesisTM technology and broad family of programmable liquid resins, manufacturers can unlock new business opportunities such as mass customization, on-demand inventory, and previously impossible product designs. The Carbon Platform allows customers to build uniquely differentiated products while reducing waste and time to market. To learn more, visit www.carbon3d.com, like the Carbon Facebook page, or follow Carbon on Instagram and Twitter at @Carbon.

Office of Civil Rights Settles with Bayfront Health for $85,000

 

Here is a post about HIPAA that doesn’t have to do with hacks or data security.  However, you should still read this because it will hopefully provide some valuable information on how to abide by other provisions of HIPAA.

Part of the HIPAA law structure is the right of patients to receive access to their records in a timely fashion and without being overcharged.  In a recent study, it was found that more than 50% of providers do not follow the law.

To that end, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights has decided to monitor and enforce this provision of the law.  The moral to this story is that if a patient requests their records, grant them access asap.  The law requires access within 30 days and patients may only be charged a reasonable fee.

In the case sited in the headline of this post, Bayfront Health received a request from a pregnant patient requesting the fetal heart monitor records of her unborn child.  An investigation by OCR (after a complaint was filed by the patient) found that it took 9 months for access to be provided.

Here is the information from HHS:

OCR Settles First Case in HIPAA Right of Access Initiative
Today, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is announcing its first enforcement action and settlement in its Right of Access Initiative.  Earlier this year, OCR announced this initiative promising to vigorously enforce the rights of patients to receive copies of their medical records promptly and without being overcharged.
Bayfront Health St. Petersburg (Bayfront) has paid $85,000 to OCR and has adopted a corrective action plan to settle a potential violation of the right of access provision of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Rules after Bayfront failed to provide a mother timely access to records about her unborn child.  Bayfront, based in St. Petersburg, Florida, is a Level II trauma and tertiary care center licensed as a 480-bed hospital with over 550 affiliated physicians.
OCR initiated its investigation based on a complaint from the mother.  As a result, Bayfront directly provided the individual with the requested health information more than nine months after the initial request. The HIPAA Rules generally require covered health care providers to provide medical records within 30 days of the request and providers can only charge a reasonable cost-based fee.  This right to patient records extends to parents who seek medical information about their minor children, and in this case, a mother who sought prenatal health records about her child.
“Providing patients with their health information not only lowers costs and leads to better health outcomes, it’s the law,” said OCR Director Roger Severino.  “We aim to hold the health care industry accountable for ignoring peoples’ rights to access their medical records and those of their kids.”
In addition to the monetary settlement, Bayfront will undertake a corrective action plan that includes one year of monitoring by OCR. The resolution agreement and corrective action plan may be found at: https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/compliance-enforcement/agreements/bayfront/index.html

Thoughts from the ADA/FDI Meeting 2019 in San Francisco

 

I’ve just come back from the ADA/FDI meeting this week and after a couple of days to recover, I gotta tell you, if you were NOT in San Francisco, you *missed one heck of a meeting*!

This years meeting, combining the meetings of the American Dental Association and the World Dental Federation, brought a wide variety of dentists, educators, and companies together.

I was tasked with doing 7 programs over a 3 day period which was both exhilarating and exhausting all at the same time.  However, I was proud of being a part of this incredible opportunity.  Because of the influx of dentists from around the world, I even was given the opportunity to do a multi-speaker program where no one speaker was from the same country.

The Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco was teeming with activity.  The exhibit floor in the Moscone is huge, but dentistry practically filled the entire space.  Several of my speaking responsibilities were in the Cellerant Best of Class area on the show floor, so I had chance to spend quite a bit of time to see how the traffic was in the exhibits.  I’ve got to say that things looked very busy.  There were lots of people strolling the aisles and enjoying seeing the latest and greatest our profession has to offer.

I also got the opportunity to speak with some of the better known and larger vendors and they reported good traffic as well as decent amounts of orders.

If you didn’t get a chance to make the event this year, you really need to mark your calendar for next year in Orlando!  Those of you who didn’t want to travel all the way from the east coast to the west coast will now have the meeting in your half of the country and I’m expecting another meeting full of great things!

It’s fun to see how meetings are evolving.  We are seeing more and more programs that are a bit shorter than in years past, but there are more courses offered in the same amount of time.  This gives people the chance to be introduced to a larger number of subjects and then explore them on a “deeper dive” when they get back home.  With our knowledge base expanding so rapidly I think this “shorter and smarter” way of lecturing is a great way to keep people aware of things changing in the profession without over burdening them with excessive information.  We also got some great feedback and compliments in the Cellerant Best of Class area where CE events were also held.

The moral to this story?  Get ready for Orlando.  The ADA is counting on you!

Ford Uses New Scooter Purchase and Sensors to Help Make Scooter Drivers Safer

 

Not too long ago Ford Motor Company acquired a much smaller transportation company… Spin.  While not a direct competitor to Ford, the much smaller company is in the mobility business.  Spin is one of a new generation of companies that are working to make rentable electric scooters available to riders in metropolitan areas.

The difference between the 2 companies, of course, is obvious, but Ford is now making a move to make short distance transportation on 2 wheels considerably safer for the drivers.

Ford has a preexisting research relationship with Virginia Tech and the 2 entities have now agreed to work together on a project/study to evaluate the way users use and interact with a scooter.  The company will be delivering 300 of their electric scooters (e-scooter for short) to the campus.  Mixed in with 250 “normal” scooters will be 50 others that will be used to conduct the research.  Those scooters will be equipped with several sensor types that include gyroscopes, accelerometers, and forward facing cameras.  The idea is that users will take the scooters for a spin and while doing so will provide an influx of data that will then allow researchers to better understand users and their actions.

E-scooters have become incredibly popular in the last 5 years.  There are several companies attempting to capitalize on the idea by providing scooters for rent in areas where their use would be the most valuable.  Places such as inner cities, shopping districts, and universities are suddenly finding scooters in some central locations, but also simply sitting around on the sidewalk available to rent.

As the fad has caught on, injuries are starting to occur and, of course, as the number of users increases, so does the number of injuries.  At this point in time, our knowledge of how we interact with scooters is very limited, but Ford is hoping to use this study to bring in tons of data that, up until now, has not been available to scientists.  The research data can hopefully help scientists to better understand human behavior or scooters as well as ways to make the experience safer whether that is through changing the scooters or better educating the riders.

As we better understand things, smart people can then help the rest of us do what we do even better.

According to Wired magazine:

“We’re looking at how the infrastructure as it’s built and maintained today affects safety and how people ride,” says Mike Mollenhauer, the director of VTTI’s Center for Technology Implementation and the principal investigator on the project. “What leads up to a particular [crash] event, and what could we do to solve that?” Depending on the results, this research could also lead Spin to make hardware changes in its scooters, says Ted Sweeney, a senior manager of public policy for the company. It might change its approach to rider education or find new ways of punishing inconsiderate or risky scooting.

So here’s hoping that this little experiment and study will provide lots of new and exciting information that helps make our world and the way get around in that world a little safer.