The American Dental Association Standards Committee on Dental Informatics and Standards Committee on Dental Products have approved the following documents for review and comment:
• Proposed ADA White Paper No. 1100 for Codes for Orthodontic/Craniofacial/Forensic Photographic Views: High-quality photographic documentation is central to optimizing orthodontic, craniofacial and forensic clinical records. This white paper shows how codes, enumerated terms, systematized nomenclature, templates and informatics standards can be used to improve the interoperability and transmissibility of visible light intraoral and extraoral clinical photographs.
• Proposed revised ADA Technical Report No. 1069 for SCDI Standard Terms, Definitions and Acronyms: This technical report serves as a reference document whose purpose is to provide standardized terms, acronyms and definitions for dental informatics and standards development.
• Proposed ADA Technical Report No. 1083 for Utilization of the Electronic Dental Record to Support Clinical Quality Improvement, Business Intelligence, and Decision Support: This technical report provides an overview of the technical relationship of the electronic dental record to quality improvement and patient data analysis, as well as examples of how it can be applied. The report explains how electronic dental records provide tools to support quality improvement and business intelligence through structured data entry and the ability to aggregate and analyze the data sets. The data for both individual patients and aggregated data for the entire practice is a significant resource for the practice of dentistry.
• Proposed ADA Technical Report No. 1092 for Implementation Guide to Utilization of Diagnostic Code(s)/Term(s) in Dental Records: This technical report is a primer for dental providers to facilitate adoption and use of dental diagnostic codes. It provides an overview of the benefits of diagnostic codes and nomenclature and their use in electronic dental records, including value of diagnostic codes to providers and patients, downstream benefits of diagnostic codes and support of patient management through better understanding of patients’ characteristics. The report includes information on current diagnostic code sets pertinent to the practice of dentistry and mechanisms to incorporate them in dental records, with real-world examples and recommendations for risk management.
• Proposed revised ADA Technical Report No. 143 for Guidance for Cementation and Bonding of CAD/CAM Fabricated Restorations: While computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing technology has demonstrated great promise with regards to restoration fidelity and accuracy, there remains a need to cement and/or bond the restorations. Ultimately their clinical success depends on this step in the procedure being repeatable and reliable. Failure to properly select and use cements can lead to clinical problems such as loss of the restoration (debonding), increased sensitivity and recurrent decay. The purpose of this technical report will be to provide the principles behind the mechanisms of adhesion to the most common materials used to fabricate computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing restorations. This understanding will lead to guidance for the successful clinical cementation/bonding protocols.
• Proposed revised American National Standards Institute/ADA Standard No. 57 for Endodontic Sealing Materials: This standard specifies requirements and test methods for endodontic sealing materials, which set with or without the assistance of moisture and are used for permanent obturation of the root canal with or without the aid of obturating points/cones. It covers materials intended for orthograde use, i.e. a root filling placed from the coronal aspect of a tooth.
• Proposed revised ANSI/ADA Standard No. 105 for Elastomeric Auxiliaries for Use in Orthodontics: This standard is applicable to all elastomeric auxiliaries including orthodontic elastics, elastomeric bands, chains, links, thread and ligatures used for orthodontics both inside and outside the mouth, in conjunction with fixed and removable appliances.
• Proposed ANSI/ADA Standard No. 47-1 for Stationary Dental Units and Patient Chairs — Part 1: General Requirements: This document specifies requirements and test methods for stationary dental units, dental patient chairs and combinations of both regardless of whether they are or are not electrically powered.
• Proposed ANSI/ADA Standard No. 47-2 for Stationary Dental Units and Patient Chairs — Part 2: Air, Water, Suction and Wastewater Systems: This part of ANSI/ADA Standard No. 47 specifies requirements and test methods concerning the configuration of dental unit connections to the compressed air supply, water supply, suction supply and wastewater drain plumbing; the materials, design and construction of the compressed air and water system within the dental unit; the quality for incoming water and air; and the performance of dental unit suction system.
The draft standards and technical reports are available by calling the ADA at 1-312-440-2506 or emailing standards@ada.org. The comment deadline is Oct. 30.
The ADA is accredited by ANSI to develop American National Standards and technical reports for products and information technology used by the dental profession and consumers. National standards developed by the ADA serve the dental profession by ensuring product safety and efficacy for both clinicians and patients and providing information on new and emerging technologies. Currently, there are more than 100 national standards, and more are under development.