Newsletter - Page 3

Current Dental Terminology (CDT) – officially known as the Code on Dental Procedures and Nomenclature – provides a consistent method of documenting and reporting dental procedures. In 2000, the United States government declared the CDT code set as the national terminology for reporting dental procedures to insurance and third-party payors. This means that for a dental claim to be processed as timely, the claim must have valid and accurate CDT codes from the most current CDT code set. In the past 3 years, there have been 160 CDT code changes, and there are 16 more coming in 2024. How do these changes occur, and who decides what changes should be made? This article will take a peek behind the curtain.

Have you ever spent time searching for the most appropriate CDT code to report a procedure, only to find that no such code exists? Does your practice regularly perform a procedure for which there is no existing CDT code that accurately describes that procedure? Do you feel that you are often left scratching your head, wondering what the next step is?

As we mentioned in our last edition, the American Dental Association (ADA) meets every March to discuss and vote on proposed changes to the Current Dental Terminology (CDT) code set; proposals that include the addition of completely new codes, revisions and edits to existing codes, and deletions of codes that are no longer appropriate. Once these changes are formalized (usually by early summer), the team here at Practice Booster begins incorporating these changes into our annually updated coding resources, including our Dental Coding with Confidence book.

The American Dental Association’s update to Current Dental Terminology (CDT) for 2023 included significant revisions to codes dealing with barrier membranes and guided tissue regeneration. Previously, two codes in the Periodontal Category of Service and one code in the Endodontic Category of Service were all the codes available for the reporting of procedures where barrier membranes were involved. D4266 guided tissue regeneration – resorbable barrier, per site and D4267 guided tissue regeneration – nonresorbable barrier, per site (includes membrane removal) have been the standard ways to report membrane usage during surgery involving gingival tissue. D3432 guided tissue regeneration, resorbable barrier, per site, in conjunction with periradicular surgery served as the method for reporting membrane usage during surgery around the roots of teeth.

The American Dental Association’s Code Maintenance Committee (CMC) is responsible for maintaining the Code on Dental Procedures and Terminology (CDT) code set. The committee meets annually and is charged with evaluating all submitted code change requests. The CMC votes to accept, amend, or decline each request based on the best interests of the dental profession, patients, and third-party payers and administrators.