Two dental benefits providers, Companion Life (also doing business under Total Dental Administrators) and Kansas City Life, have announced coverage for dental procedure code D5994 documenting a periodontal medicament carrier, a custom-fabricated tray used to deliver medication into periodontal pockets.
Initial reviews of insurance claim data for patients who have received Perio Protect’s Perio Trays indicate that this benefit translates into better treatment outcomes for patients and a reduction in longer-term health costs, Perio Protect reports. For companies that provide both dental and medical insurance, the savings in healthcare costs are expected to multiply given that treatment for periodontal disease has been shown to reduce overall healthcare costs for patients with diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and pregnancy, the company adds.
The most common periodontal medicament delivery device available to patients is the Perio Tray, which delivers medication deep into periodontal pockets to fight infections between office visits, Perio Protect says. Patients can only obtain a prescription Perio Tray through a licensed dentist who will develop and monitor a treatment plan for individual patients.
Perio Trays are used adjunctively to provide homecare. Brushing, rinsing, and flossing can’t reach deep enough into periodontal pockets to help the 46% of American adults with chronic periodontitis, according to Perio Protect. The Perio Tray has been shown to place medication into shallow and deep pockets to reduce inflammation and pocket depths when used in 15-minute daily applications, the company notes.
“The key with prescription tray therapy is to use a low concentration of peroxide to oxygenate the pockets, kill anaerobic bacteria, and change the microenvironment to create conditions for healthy bacterial regrowth,” said Duane Keller, DDS, inventor of the Perio Tray. “We used to provide antibiotics, but their benefits were largely temporary. Peroxide delivered deep with the tray overcomes these antibiotic limitations for long-term gingival health.”
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