A New Jersey oral surgeon has agreed to a five-year suspension after being tied to 15 bacterial heart infections since 2013, including a case that resulted in a patient dying from surgery complications, according to NBC's flagship station WNBC.

Study clubs are a way dentists can continue education, network and share experiences with other dentists, according to the American Dental Association. They are often started by state and local dental societies.

A North Carolina dentist is still practicing even after several patients filed complaints against him and a dental tool was found embedded in one patient's gum, ABC and Telemundo affiliate WSOC-TV reports.

A former patient is demanding a refund from Franklin, Tenn.-based Taylor Made Smiles after an independent dentist hired by Delta Dental deemed the dental work "unacceptable," local NBC affiliate WSMV reports. 

Knoxville, Tenn.-based Clarence "Buzz" Nabers, DDS, mailed letters to patients informing them that they should get tested for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, according to Knox News.

The American Dental Association announced a new interim policy on vaping, calling for a complete ban of vaping products that aren't approved by the FDA, according to a Dec. 16 news release.

Sutherlin, Ore.-based Umpqua Community Health did not properly sterilize equipment when treating six patients in November, according to local ABC affiliate KEZI.

A fourth-year University of Missouri-Kansas City dental student was prepping a patient's tooth Oct. 21 when the patient's water broke and the student helped deliver her baby, according to the American Dental Association.

A Texas dentist discovered two of her patients had human papillomavirus through her participation in a national study, according to ABC affiliate KSAT. 

Four Nebraska dental organizations are concerned Medicaid pediatric dental audits in the state are inhibiting children's access to oral care, the organizations wrote in a Nov. 6 letter to the state's Medicaid agency, according to the American Dental Association. 

Multiple dental organizations are working with researchers and medical professionals to reduce cases of nonventilator-associated hospital-acquired pneumonia, an effort initiated by the Dental Quality Alliance, according to the American Dental Association. 

The American Dental Association urged the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions to pass legislation that would change the FDA's regulation of over-the-counter drugs in an Oct. 30 letter. 

Antibiotics are not recommended for treating most toothaches, according to a new American Dental Association guideline announced Oct. 25. 

The lack of access to dental care in South Dakota has been caused by geography and low incomes, with 40 percent of South Dakota counties considered dental health professional shortage areas, according to South Dakota News Watch. 

Frequent dental visits appear to be tied to a lower risk for sessile serrated polyps, an abnormal tissue growth associated with bowel cancer, according to a study published in the American Gastroenterological Association Journals.

Dentists should conduct routine visual and tactile exams for oral and oropharyngeal cancer with all patients, according to an American Dental Association resolution passed Sept. 9. 

Older adults and nursing facility residents with poor oral hygiene have an increased risk of health problems, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 

In a putative class action lawsuit against Nashville-based SmileDirectClub, local orthodontists and consumers allege that the company committed fraud and misled buyers, Nashville Post reports. 

A prevalent dental bacteria is being investigated by neurologists who believe it could be linked to Alzheimer's disease, according to WALB.

Vaping chemicals could cause dental health problems, NBC affiliate WJFW reports.