LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Dear Editor :
Congratulations on the March / April PDJ . The Age One Exam has been touted by the Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry for over
10 years . Not many practitioners were following this advice as they were using the old standard of age 3 when the child could sit in the chair . Medicaid HMOs have been paying for Fluoride Varnish applications on infants for the past five years or so . They pay the pediatricians who perform an oral evaluation as well . This is usually done by the nurse practitioner . We urge all parents to find a “ dental home ” for their children and begin periodic dental evaluations and preventive services by age one . CDT code D0145 allows for “ the oral evaluation of a patient under age 3 and counseling with a primary caregiver .” Not all insurance companies honor this code . Many pediatricians have endorsed this medical-dental collaboration in preventive care . I hope that members of the PDA will be as enthusiastic as are the pediatricians in embracing the Age One Exam .
Sheldon Bernick , DDS
S E P T / O C T 2 0 1 3 | P E N N S Y LVA N I A D E N TA L J O U R N A L 7