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Thoughts From the President
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I hope that all of you and yours had a joyous holiday season. The old year of 2001 is in the past, and hopefully our new year of 2002 will be better. Often it takes a catastrophe to bring people together in spirit and purpose. May we Fellows in the PFA use our knowledge and influence worldwide to encourage leaders of governments to pursue peace.
“Even when faced with the murderous madness of criminals, and in the presence of silent agony of their victims, it is incumbent on us to choose between escape and solidarity, shame and honor. The terrorists have chosen shame. We choose honor.” — Eric Wiesel. |
May we all work to preserve the right to live where and how we choose with the purpose and conviction to further the work of our Creator. We must strive to do our healing work and further pledge ourselves to help those in need by our philanthropy.
Our PFA Foundation is an arm of our organization, which can help some of those in need. We should be generous in furthering the work of the Foundation with our donations. May the coming year be a good one and a great one. May we all work together to become one in purpose and peace. May we also work together to nominate deserving Fellows into the PFA. |
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Scott M. Welch, DDS President |
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Service Above Self
by Dr. George Higue |
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“He profits most who serves best.” This is the motto of Rotary International, as most Rotarians all over the free world are aware. But this motto is not just applicable to Rotarians. And Rotary International certainly deserves recognition for publicizing these words of service, as well as much more.
However, most of us have learned that this motto is not limited. The concept actually extends way beyond the meaning of the words. It is a Rule of Life of great significance. It is the “Golden Rule of Service” that reaches out to include various avenues of service. For example, our leaders and Fellows in the Academy, in their dedication and zeal for serving, most certainly emulate this motto. One is reminded of Pierre Fauchard, who is recognized worldwide as the Father of Modern Dentistry, and who most certainly is an example of “service above self.” Pierre Fauchard’s role started about 300 years ago, at a time when only the affluent and wealthy were privileged to receive dental care. This was a period when dentists functioned like tradespeople, jealously and tenaciously clinging to any dental skills they could exploit for personal gain. There was no such thing as sharing dental knowledge with others. The others were competitors, not colleagues. As a matter of fact, until Pierre Fauchard accumulated the dental knowledge of his time and put it into a written form for publication, there was no sharing at all. |
Thus, Pierre Fauchard supplied the ethic of sharing the dental knowledge of his time with other professionally-inclined, ethical dentists. This laid the foundation for dentistry to develop into the high-level profession it is today, one that is highly respected and recognized throughout the world. Rotary International supplied the motto, but the principle is a rule of life for the professional. Fellows in the Academy, our dental leadership, illustrate this concept. Through their continued efforts, they have attained high respect and recognition. As Pierre Fauchard started the ethic, the Academy named after him has continued his legacy and expanded the idea of service above self. For that we are recognized globally as one of the world’s great dental honorary service organizations. (Dr. George Higue of Newport Beach, California, is a past President of the Academy (1974) and currently serves as the Treasurer of the PFA Foundation. Through his investment genius, the invested Foundation funds were protected from the recent stock market losses. Dr. Higue also funded the translation from French the book, The Life and Times of Pierre Fauchard.) |
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Calendar 2002 | |
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25 May 25-29 May 25-29 May 1-5 October 19–23 October |
Canadian PFA Induction Luncheon, Montreal, Canada 100th Anniversary Canadian Dental Association, Montreal, Canada Les Journee Dentaire du Quebec 90th FDI Congress, Vienna, Austria 143rd ADA Annual Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana (Have your PFA Event date put here. E-mail Editor Brophy at PFADWJMB@aol.com) |
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from the desk of past PFA President Nicholas Saccone…
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| As many of you may know, FEMA has pulled out of the recovery effort at the World Trade Center disaster Ground Zero. The participating firemen are becoming discouraged and rightly so. They have worked tirelessly under the most difficult circumstances for months now. They are physically and emotionally exhausted. Yet they vow to continue the recovery effort. The media has spared us the worst details about the horrific conditions at Ground Zero, but the firemen have seen and experienced it all firsthand. In spite of the unspeakable things they must deal with, their recovery work continues. And will continue until the job is done. What I should like to suggest is that we start a Card Writing Campaign. Go out to your local Hallmark store, or wherever you can buy some greeting cards. Purchase a card that expresses your feelings about the heroic efforts these workers are putting in. Send the cards to: New York City Fire Department, 1 Chase Manhattan Plaza, New York, NY, 10005. Just think what a powerful influence you would make on these heroes of ours. |
If you know some teachers, ask them to make it a class project. We could all show our solidarity for these people and lift their spirits. We can demonstrate that we have not forgotten their efforts just because the news coverage has drifted away. Imagine them getting bags of mail from all over the world, just like that movie scene in Miracle on 34th Street. It would be some kind of small miracle. Like Kris Kringle in that movie, the firemen are in a time of trial. They need to know that Americans, and people from around the world, have not forgotten. We believe in them and what they need to do. They need to feel our love, support, and encouragement. Remember that this was the World Trade Center. Americans were not the only ones to die there on 9/11. Representatives of countries all over the world lost their lives in that terrorist attack. Even little Belize, with a population of about 220,000, lost two of its citizens. While this may be viewed as an attack on the United States, the terrorists picked the World Trade Center. They declared war on the entire world. But it is our men and women who are there daily searching and finding new horrors with every shovelful. Please, everyone send those cards! |
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Truly Independent Dentistry—UK Style
by Dr. Amarjit Gill |
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| Since 1948, the National Health Service (NHS) has dominated the control over the delivery of dental services in the United Kingdom. Then in 1992, the government slashed 20% off the dentists’ total income because dentists were “too successful in recruiting patients under a new contract” the government had introduced. You certainly can imagine the strong feelings this maneuver produced. This pay cut was the beginning of the end for being solely reliant on NHS revenue. Thus began a move toward independent, private dentistry. Most of UK dentistry is still practiced under NHS. NHS views the dentist as an independent contractor. The dentist must buy his own practice and equipment, staff and supply his office, then agree to work on patients to a set of NHS rules that are two inches thick. Dentists receive no money until they recruit and treat patients. Why do UK dentists do this? Why do they not just provide direct fee-for-service care and stay out of the NHS entirely? The reason is that the NHS system dominated dentistry when most current dentists entered into practice. To become independent, a dentist must reduce his reliance on NHS over a period of time and develop a private practice concurrently. The only methods to generate private fees are: 1. Limiting the access to the practice, that is, specific hours for private work only; 2. Limiting treatment types, such as bonded crowns, cosmetic dentistry on a private fee basis; and/or 3. Denying access to NHS dentistry by giving NHS a contractual three-month notice and limiting the practice to private dentistry only through capitation or third-party fee for treatment basis. In most parts of the country, this movement toward independence was begun by dentists creating groups of like-minded dentists to share problems and benefits of breaking with the NHS system. Imagine the courage it takes to sever with a system that is all that you have ever known that supplies you with patients, to develop one where you must “sell” yourself directly to the patient. Over the last decade such groups met under the guise of IPG (Independent Practitioner Groups). They capably controlled the adventure into the new territory of fee earning as a self-help organization. Our group in Nottingham began like that. We organize “hands-on” and “minds-on” courses to enable the development and consolidation of treatment standards, which we hope our patients will value. The BDA (British Dental Association) realized that this movement was progressing without them, and despite their control. The BDA invited representatives of these various independent groups to participate in a meeting to discuss the issues and to help their members along the road to financial independence. This established a coalition, which produced some excellent literature. There has been a comfort in knowing that we had a monopoly in supplying our services, as professionals, to the public. However, this was being threatened by: 1. The increasing tide of overseas colleagues joining the system. Last year, more dentists from abroad joined than were being graduated in the UK. 2. The introduction of auxiliaries who were able to perform more tasks traditionally done by the dentists; 3. Dental technicians were performing dental procedures with no one empowered to take effective action; and 4. Corporations invested £2 million to access the dental market by buying our dental practices and employing the dentists to work for them. |
All of these groups were able to bid for and compete to provide a service within dentistry. Quite a “doom and gloom” scenario was developing. Professional dentistry was faced with choosing (1) nationality of the profession by appealing to the government with innovative and effective ideas under them to control dentistry; or (2) locally exceeding the expectations of our patients in our practices. Over the last five years, a great many dentists simply retired to avoid the headaches in facing these challenges. NHS dentists need to address this “era of uncertainty” with the government to take the lead in devising a dental service that the government is willing to fund and that addresses the problems. In the last decade, we have seen most of the world’s industries re-engineer themselves, reinvent their businesses, to remain competitive in the world of modern technology. UK dentistry’s NHS needs to realize that their traditional 50-year-old service cannot still operate under those conditions of 1948. One such example is that the NHS is set up to pay for dental treatment with no incentive toward prevention or controlling periodontal problems. You are paid for drilling and filling, not preventing decay and tooth loss. Caries therapy absorbs the most cost in the national system. For those dentists who choose to accept the government as their paymaster, prevention services will be expected of them for the same, or less, funding than they are currently receiving. It is no coincidence that the per capita spent on dentistry in the UK is 12 times less than that spent in the United States. There is no incentive for any organization to want to pay more than necessary for any product or service. This means that those independent practitioners who can effectively care for their patients through prevention and maintenance, thus reducing the patient dental expenses in the long run, are in a position to take the leadership in demonstrating what services professionals can provide. Dentistry in the UK is at a professional crossroads. To properly address the problems the NHS will need to (1) organize the dental services in the country, (2) provide better compensation to their providers, and (3) offer incentives for prevention and maintenance services. This will mean more funding and a change in their mind set. The independent practitioner movement is growing because they can address these problems locally. Independent dentists can offer all the services provided for by NHS, auxiliaries, and technicians; can serve their patients with what they want, when they want it, at realistic prices; and can promote prevention and maintenance, at a fee for service, that will serve their patients best for the future. Providing true professional care for our patients, as we were taught to do, will best be served by our independence of the system. (Dr. Amarjit Gill, United Kingdom PFA Fellow, is Chairman of the BDA Private Practice Committee and Director on the BDA Executive Board. This article is meant to be informative and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of PFA.) |
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| A Date With Fate |
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 L-R, Helen Smolak, Richard Kozal, Vickie Cyhel |
The interview, which appeared in the last issue of Dental World, covered the interesting stories of Vickie and Helen helping Walter keep the PFA records in a shoebox during his 1977 to 1985 tenure, and spreading out the dues notice mailings all over the dining room table. Each one hand to entered by hand, which took hours. Vickie was so pleased to attend the dinner to meet old friends and make new ones from her lifetime commitment to PFA. She and her sister Helen were so excited to remember the good times, they talked for over an hour telling stories to your editor and her husband’s successor Dr. Richard Kozal. How fortunate a moment we had in time. Vickie Cyhel went home and passed away a month later. Certainly one of her last thoughts was still about the warmth she experienced in spending a good portion of her life with PFA. |
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| The wife of our past International Secretary Walter A. Cyhel, Vickie Cyhel, attended our Kansas City President’s Dinner with her sister Helen Smolak last year. We reported the interview with her after that dinner. |
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| U.S. Dental Policy Update— by Congressman Charlie Norwood, PFA Fellow |
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How the world has changed since our last update! 1. We have a new Assistant Secretary of OSHA; 2. OSHA has finally declared your office is not a high risk to public health; 3. We have passed out of the Commerce Committee a bill to reform Medicare Administrative procedures; 4. We are at war; 5. My Washington, D.C. Office is closed; 6. We have a new President-elect of the ADA; and 7. I have a new Congressional District to run in. No one ever said my job was boring! As indicated in my last update, the HMO Bill that the House passed in July achieves 100% of what we started out to obtain in 1995 and 95% of what we had in PARCA. There was no reason it should not have been signed into law this year. But then came September 11th. Obviously, the focus in this town is now on the war and bioterrorism. I intentionally left the Bill alone for 30 days after 9/11, but I am beginning to push again. The White House and the Senate Democrats must work together behind the scenes to reach a final deal. Talks are ongoing. I will keep you informed. I had a great meeting with the new OSHA Assistant Secretary John Henshaw. We disagreed on very little. Now that OSHA has finally realized that our offices are not dangerous, we can relax a little. We will continue to monitor this agency as we have been doing for the last seven years. We are now classified as “low hazard.” |
I know you continue to be concerned about the new privacy rules. We are all over this. I have had meetings with the White House and HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson. We do not have this corrected, but we are on the job. The delay in this is one of the casualties of war. I realize most of you do not treat Medicare patients. However, the Medicare Reform Bill does address some of the problems we have in that system. My Washington Office in the Longworth Building was closed because of anthrax contamination in the building, though not in our office. It has been very inconvenient. The D.C. phone calls are forwarded to our Augusta Office. Our staff is at work, but spread around town. No one knows when we will start getting our mail again, but keep those cards coming. We are open, but a little slow. As for the war, let me say, thank God every day that President Bush and his team are in charge. They and our military are doing a great job. I congratulate all the good men that offered themselves for ADA President-elect. They are all fine professionals and worked very hard. I am especially proud of my good friend of 30 years, Howard Jones from Georgia. I look forward to working with him as ADA President. I have a new Congressional District in Georgia. The process was controlled entirely by the Democrats, which splits communities of interest in an effort to elect more Democrats. Of the 26 counties I am now to run in, I only represented nine of them before. I now go all the way to North Carolina! I made many enemies in working so hard for our patient protection bill, so I will need to depend heavily on your support. If you need any answers I can help you with, contact me at P.O. Box 499, Evans, GA 30809. Or E-mail me at www.NorwoodforCongress.com, phone me at 706/738-8400 or fax me at 706/738-0575. |
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Awards Reminder
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| Often members are confused about which awards are presented, where, and why. This outline gives you an idea. 1. The Pierre Fauchard Gold Medal is presented to an outstanding U.S. candidate nominated by the past recipients of this award and presented to the Board of Trustees for approval, as all awards are. 2. The Elmer S. Best Award is presented to an outstanding international candidate (non-U.S.). 3. The Distinguished Service Award is presented to U.S. candidates. 4. The Certificate of Merit is awarded to international candidates. 5. Honorary Fellowship upon recommendation can be awarded to both U.S. and international candidates. 6. The Dental Trade & Industry Award of Recognition is open to any group worldwide upon recommendation. However, it may not be given every year. |
7. The President’s Award is selected by the International President for outstanding service and presented at the Awards Luncheon. The presentation opportunity is often determined to be during an important dental meeting held near the recipient’s residence. This is to heighten the recognition for both the award and the recipient. In some cases, the award is presented during the Awards Luncheon held during the ADA Annual Meeting when the recipient might be in attendance. Recognizing outstanding dental leaders in our profession is part of the founding mission established by Elmer Best. Often such leaders in dentistry are overlooked locally, even though they have made an international impact. PFA recognizes their accomplishments as contributing to our profession internationally. |
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PFA Web Site
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| New items have been placed on our Web site www.Fauchard.org/ for your viewing. We have added a “History of Dentistry” section. Other articles have been moved to a publication page. The Officers section has been updated with their pictures. They give you greetings. The flags of the United States (where the Academy was founded) and of France (where Pierre Fauchard practiced) have been added. | Picture and text of Dr. Elmer S. Best, our Founder, has been included. In the Foundation section, we have added the picture and copy of Dr. Brenes-Espinach of Costa Rica who was the chief benefactor to the PFA Foundation in leaving us millions of dollars that the academy might do public service works worldwide. Keep checking our site as we modernize our site for the new century. |
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Foundation News
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| Executive Director Shig Ryan Kishi reports that the Foundation Board has approved funding for the Academy’s Web site upgrade, the enhanced publications, and the on-line membership directory. | In addition, they have also set aside funds to increase the scope of our PFA Dental Museum currently located at the Community College of Southern Nevada. $5000 was designated for executing our PFA Mentorship Program. |
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Grant Awards
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The Foundation Grant applications were reviewed by the Foundation Board and are now reported for publication.
• Thousand Smiles Foundation of Craniofacial Surgery & Dental Care Mission under Dr. James Vernetti received a $10,000 grant. • Dental Health Care for the Poorest Children in Tijuana under Dr. Roger Kingston was awarded a $10,000 grant • Dental Care for Marginalized Children in San Diego North County was approved for $10,000. • The grant for Roybal-Allard Children’s Dental Center under Dr. Naomi Bement received $5000. • The Second International Volunteer Workshop being put on by Nancy Kelly was approved for $5000. • The Good Shepherd Mission Clinic of Oklahoma City under Dr. Francis Lipsinic received $5000. • MEND (Meet Each Need with Dignity) requested by Dr. M. David Campbell was approved for $10,000. • The CCSN Dental Assisting Program run by Karen Mulcahy, RDH, was approved for $5000. • The Dental Access Program for Low Income Children run by Dr. Patricia Billings was awarded $10,000. • Dr. George Grillon’s Expansion of Dental Services was approved for $10,000. • Providing Dental Care to the Poor in Rural Mexico through Dr. Richard Petty received $9949. • The Paris Mobil Dental Clinic submitted by President André Robert of the Le Conseil National de l’Ordre des Chirurgiens-Dentistes received a $10,000 grant. • Camp Independence Dental Services Project for the Bay Cliff Health Camp submitted by Michigan Chair Virginia Merchant was approved for $3500. • The Internet Education Project for Dental Editors (IEPDE) submitted by AADE Director Detlef Moore was approved for $4750. • Dental Care for the Homeless in Minneapolis (Minnesota) under Dr. Stephen Gulbrandsen was approved for $10,000. • The Yuba-Sutter Children’s Dental Task Force submitted by Deborah Coulter received a $10,000 grant. • A PFA Hall of Fame room, submitted by Richard Munro, received $5000. • Restorative Dentistry for the Homeless through Dr. James Collins for the St. Vincent de Paul Society received $10,000. |
• The Children’s Dental Center run by Dr. Cherilyn Sheets was awarded $10,000.
• The Hawaiian Dental Association’s Dental Samaritans, in association with the Hawaii Dental Education Center (HDEC) under Dr. George Wessberg, received a $10,000 grant. • Donated Dental Services of Rhode Island submitted by Chair Richard Walsh and Dr. Clark Sammartino was approved for $5000. • Tooth Prints, a program to identify lost or abused children, submitted by Massachusetts Chair Norman Becker, received $5000. • Dental Health Care for Indigenous Indians of southern Mexico run by Dr. John Mahoney received a $10,000 grant. • The Marshalltown Community School Dental Program under Marilyn Peasley was approved for $10,000. • The Pignon Dental Fund through Dr. James Birong received $10,000. • The Center for Victims of Torture received $10,000. • Dental Treatment Needs for Post Operative Cleft Palate Patients through Dr. Dam Becker of The Netherlands received $3000. • The 2001 Humanitarian Award of $5000 was presented to the New York State Dental Association Disaster Assistance Fund. The vote this year was by mail ballot since the Foundation cancelled their meeting in Kansas City last October. Twelve out of 13 eligible Trustees voted. Twenty-seven grants were approved and seven grants were not approved. The total amount of funds dispersed for 2001 grants was $216,199. $79,500 was allocated for U.S. scholarships; $39,000 went to non-U.S. scholarships. $40,000 was approved for Academy programs, $7500 went to the Loader-Espinach Award (presented in Costa Rica this March 2002), and $15,000 was presented to the University of Costa Rica School of Dentistry, bringing the total contribution since 1997 to $104,950. Currently, 23 grant applications have been received for 2002. |
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Foundation Grant Awards
by Vice President Carl Lundgren |
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Five local Sections of the Pierre Fauchard Academy have been awarded project grants of up to $5000 each. These grants were awarded by the PFA Foundation to be used for local dental service projects in which a large number of the Fellows in the Section are participating volunteers. These projects will be conducted in 2002 and are a part of the over $300,000 awarded in 2001 for project grants and scholarships worldwide.
Dr. Robert Shira, President of the Foundation, said, “The participation in dental service projects locally is the backbone of the organization. This creates enthusiasm among the members as they realize that their efforts are making a real impact on the needs of individuals. This will have a positive effect on membership retention.” He further added, “The Foundation encourages other Sections to develop a meritorious service project plan and apply for a grant. The Section grants have a high priority in the grant awarding process.” The grants were awarded to: • “Toothprints,” a program to identify lost and abused children. This program is sponsored by the Massachusetts PFA Section under the leadership of Drs. David Harte and Chair Norman Becker. The program uses a thermoplastic material into which the child bites. The set material not only is a record of the occlusion, but also retains the DNA from the saliva, as well as a scent if dogs are needed for locating victims. No two teeth are alike, therefore the prints are even better than x-rays. Over 91,000 children have been ID’d to date. The program has been published in over 300 newspapers and broadcast on 40 major TV news programs, including the Oprah Show. |
• Donated Dental Services (DDS) of the Rhode Island Section is under the leadership of Drs. Clark Sammartino and Chair Richard Walsh. This worthwhile program was refunded. The funds will help defray the expenses in providing dental care for the disabled and aged individuals with serious dental needs. Eighty-five percent of their Section Fellows participate as volunteers in this project. They plan to provide dental aid to some 150 people receiving $200,000 worth of dental care from the 191 participating dentists and 63 volunteer labs.
• The Michigan PFA Section will provide dental care for disabled adults at Camp Independence in the pristine north woods of Michigan. Under the leadership of Section Chair Virginia Merchant and Dr. Gary Asano, staffing will be provided from among the PFA Fellows to ensure that all dental needs are met for these campers. • The Canada PFA will complete the development of the Canadian PFA Hall of Fame in Ottawa, Ontario. This program is under the leadership of International Trustee Kevin Roach and Dentistry Canada Fund’s Drs. Douglas Smith and Richard Munro. The facility includes the Board Room and a well-established dental museum. • The Netherlands PFA Section and the “Bridge the Gap” Foundation provide free cleft palate and lip surgeries in Viet Nam. The Board of their Foundation are all PFA Fellows. The project is under the leadership of Section Chair Dam Backer. The Foundation award will support a student/intern. So far the surgical team has operated on more than 1000 patients and have trained eight Vietnamese surgeons. They are expanding their program from Ho Chi Minh City to Dalat, 300 km away. |
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The Humanitarian Award
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The Third Annual PFA Humanitarian Award of $5000 was given to the New York State Dental Association’s Relief Fund and to the New York Dental Society. The award will be used to support the dentists who worked in the area of the September 11th World Trade Towers disaster attack.
Dr. Robert Shira, Foundation President, stated, “Ordinarily, we give this award to the most outstanding of the project grants that our Foundation annually supports, but this year’s needs were the greatest for those dentists whose practices were demolished in the WTC disaster.” In 2001, the PFA Foundation participated in the worldwide support of 81 scholarships and 31 service projects. |
The total amount of the awards for the year was $387,000, which brings up our six-year total to $1.8 million.
The First Annual Award was given to MEND (Meet Each Need with Dignity), an all-volunteer dental clinic in San Fernando Valley, California, which provides free dental care to the poor. The Second Annual Award had been given to the Connecticut PFA Section, whose members provided dental prostheses for individuals in a psychiatric facility with the goal of helping them get back into the workforce. |
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Foundation News
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Australasia
International Trustee William Winspear had the Foundation scholarship award presented to University of Queensland dental student Sunny Hong by Professor Gregory Seymour, head of the dental school.
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United Kingdom
The King’s College of London Dental Institute presented the Foundation Scholarship Award to student Ronuk Vasant. |
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France  L-R, Drs. Mahe, President Robert, Cousinas, PFA Trustee Pierre Marois, Bouteille, Kuntz, Cherpion, Regard, Maccotta, Micouleau, and Scohy |
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European International Trustee Pierre Marois presented the Foundation’s grant check for the mobile dental clinic of Paris to the Conseil National de l’Ordre des Chirurgiens-Dentistes President Andre Robert and the Conseil’s Trustees. The traveling dental clinic serves the poor and needy of Paris and her suburbs at no charge and is staffed by volunteers. Korea PFA Secretary General of the Korean Section, Dr. Park Il Hae of Seoul presented the Foundation scholarship award to dental student Cho, Ka-Young.  L-R, Professor Kim, Chong-Youl; Secretary General Park, Il-Hae; recipient Cho, Ka-Young; Dean Son, Heung-Kyu; Associate Dean Chai, Jung-Kiu Singapore The Foundation Scholarship Award was presented to student President of the Dental Society Yi Che Wu at the National University of Singapore Faculty of Dentistry Awards’ Day by Dr. Gerald Lim. Deputy President and Provost Professor Chi Tat Chong was the Guest of Honour for the audience of the faculty, staff, students, and parents.  Dr. Gerald Lim presenting Award to recipient Yi Che Wu |
Hong Kong
Secretary Rupert Chan, Secretary of the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Hong Kong at the Prince Phillip Dental Hospital reports that our Section Chair Dr. Jeffrey Y. S. Tsang presented the Foundation Scholarship award to BDS V dental student Marcus Fung Ho Tak during their Presentation Ceremony of Prizes and Awards last November at the Furama Hotel in Hong Kong. Among the dignitaries attending were Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University Professor J. A. Spinks, Chairman of the Hospital Board of Governors Andrew K. Y. Leung, Faculty Dean Professor F. C. Smales, Chairman of the Hong Kong Dental Council Fellow Jeffrey Tsang, and Vice President of the Hong Kong Dental Association Richard Walters. Some 120 awards were presented with the PFA scholarship being the first listed in their program.  Recipient Marcus Fung Ho Tak receiving Foundation check from Chair Jeffrey Tsang |
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United States
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California, Northern Section Dean Art Dugoni of the University of the Pacific in San Francisco presented the Foundation Scholarship Award to dental student Jared Buck, class of 2002. Jared demonstrated his leadership skills as sophomore class President as a student advocate in the creation of the Student Academic Council and established a review of the student examination schedules. He served on the Student Interview Committee, the Clinic Advisory Committee, the Student Community Outreach for Public Education and is a member of Delta Sigma Delta Dental Fraternity. He tutors freshmen in fixed Prosthodontics, dental anatomy, and operative dentistry. Dean Dugoni, in making the presentation stated, “Jared Buck is a well-rounded individual who will become an outstanding professional. I truly believe he represents all the outstanding qualities, which the PFA Student Scholarship Program recognizes. He is truly deserving of this honor.”  L-R, UOP’s Jared Buck receiving the Foundation check and certificate from Dean Art Dugoni |
Washington State
Our Foundation Award was listed in the University of Washington Dental Alumni News as being presented to Jason Bourne. Florida Demetrick LeCorn, of the University of Florida College of Dentistry, recipient of the Foundation Scholarship, thanked us for this recognition of his hard work through dental school. He intends to use the funds to cover his Florida State Licensure Exam. “I look forward to one day joining the prestigious Pierre Fauchard Academy and helping another student along the way.” California, Southern Section Past PFA President George Higue and Dr. Robert Barrett presented the Foundation Scholarship Award to USC dental student Rex Yanase last December. Oregon Scholarship recipient Kirk Robertson at the Oregon Health Sciences University thanked the Foundation and Academy for his being awarded this honor. “I can only hope to continue to live up to the standards of the Academy, and hopefully some day become a Fellow.” South Carolina Scholarship recipient Henry Tate Bradford III sent a thank you letter to the Academy for his award. He will be starting an Endodontic Residency Program at the University of Florida this July. |
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Section News
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| Italy Chairman Guido Bracchetti inducted nine new Fellows at their meeting last Fall. Dr. Bracchetti is planning a grant application with the Italian Academy of Prosthetic Dentistry (AIOP), the most prestigious and serious dental academy in Italy. United Kingdom The British edition of September’s Dental Practice highlighted PFA Fellow Linda Greenwall’s new book Bleaching Techniques in Restorative Dentistry. Dr. Greenwall is a third generation dentist with family roots back to South African dentistry. Linda is also Associate Editor of Rest & Aesth in Independent Dentistry. Past UK Chair Raj Raja Rayan, after being stuck in Belfast after the September 11th tragedies sent this wire, “Your sorrow and anger is shared by ALL of us in the free and democratic world. “We grieve most deeply. This is beyond comprehension and we look to you for leadership in halting this madness in our free and beautiful world. We stand together with the people of the United States of America.” Belize/Guatemala Section Chairman Bertram Moldauer hosted their Induction Ceremony for new members at the Hotel Camino Real in Guatemala City. The new Fellows are already organizing their first scientific meeting. Dr. Ivan Moldauer, son of Chair Bertram Moldauer, has planned a surgical mission to the jungles of Guatemala in early May. Francisco Marroquin University School of Dentistry will supply the materials. |
Netherlands Chair Peter Crielars, Vice Chair Annette Dony-Nabbe, Secretary Jan van Bentum, Treasurer Nelleke Balkema-Brouwer, Dam Backer, and the Fellows of the Section personally signed a letter at their Fall Meeting in Domburg in Zeeland expressing their feelings of compassion and condolences to the people of the United States. The letter finished, “The disaster in New York and the succeeding events in the United States give rise to deep sorrow and regret. We shall stand together!! God bless America.” Canada International Trustee Kevin Roach has extended an invitation to the PFA Fellows to attend the Centennial celebration of the Canadian Dental Association hosting a joint convention with les Journees dentaires internationals du Quebec in Montreal from May 25 through May 29. Their 100th Anniversary Gala Dinner will be held on May 26. A bound commemorative issue of The Canadian Dental Association: 1902-2002, A Century of Service, by Ralph Crawford will be distributed at the dinner. Fellow Denis Forest of Montreal has received CDA’s Distinguished Service Award. He is a member of the Order of Dentists of Quebec (ODQ) and Editor of the Journal dentaire du Quebec, ODQ Director of Communications and Director of the Journees dentaires intenationales du Quebec. Dr. Forest is a Professor at the University of Montreal Faculty of Dentistry and is a recognized leader in dental radiology. Fellow Peter Fendrich of London, Ontario, has received CDA’s Award of Merit. Dr. Fendrich serves as Chairman of the Canadian Collaboration on Clinical Practice Guidelines in Dentistry, which establishes such for the dental profession. He is an adjunct Professor of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Western Ontario. He also maintains a private practice in London, Ontario. Dr. Fendrich is past President of the Ontario Dental Association and the CDA Board of Governors. |
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| Uruguay Section Chair Roy Cooper hosted a conference on the History of Dentistry given by Dr. Pablo Escudero focusing on Pierre Fauchard.  PFA Uruguay Section Fellows |
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United States
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| California, Southern Section Dean Art Dugoni of UOP received the Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontics Award of Merit recognizing his outstanding contributions to the society and to orthodontics at their 65th Annual Session held in Hawaii last year. Dr. Dugoni received his Certificate in Orthodontics in 1963 from the University of Washington. Foundation Treasurer George Higue, past PFA President (1974), serves on the USC dental school Alumni Board and is currently President-elect. He was General Chairman of their 94th annual Alumni-Student Day. The program contained an entire page written for the occasion. Iowa Chairman Steven Hedlund reports that the annual PFA McLeran-Montgomery Education Award was presented Kevin Rencher, a senior dental student at the University of Iowa, at the Fall PFA Luncheon in Iowa City. This Award is funded by a generous grant from past PFA President C. F. Larry Barrett and his wife Lois.  L-R, Past Dean John Montgomery, Kevin Rencher, and past PFA President Larry Barrett - |
South Carolina PFA President-elect Gordan Stine, special assistant to the Dean of the College of Dental Medicine, was awarded the Order of the Silver Crescent by State Governor James Hodges. This was well reported in the MUSC magazine. The article also mentioned that Dr. Stine had received the State’s highest civilian award, the Order of the Palmetto, three times from three different Governors. Virginia Chair William Bennett reported adding seven new Fellows to their rolls: Drs. Alonzo Bell of Alexandria, Barry Green of Newport News, Robert Hall, Jr. of Winchester, James Krochmal of Norfolk, Frank Portell of Falls Church, William Redwine of Richmond, and Neil Small of Fairfax. Their Section recognizes three dental students each year for their excellence. This year’s Research Award of $250 was presented to Jennifer Mark. Their Virginia Section Award of $1000 was presented to Kathleen Seiler. And their Academic Excellence Award of $1500 went to Joseph Errera. They also contribute $1000 to the Dean for use in supporting the School’s mobile dental clinic. Dr. Richard Barnes of Hampton has been selected as Chairman to serve for the next two years. As a candidate for Chairman-elect, the nominating committee selected Dr. Kirk Norbo of Falls Church. The Virginia Section dues are $30 per annum. Washington State Fellow Paul B. Robertson has retired as Dean of the University of Washington School of Dentistry. He had joined the dental school as Dean in 1992 after serving for 20 years in administrative positions at the University of Alabama, at the University of Texas Dental Branch, at the Connecticut School of Dental Medicine, at the University of California at San Francisco, then at the University of British Columbia, and finally at the University of Washington, where he served in many roles including Dean of the dental school. |
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| Section News Argentina International Trustee Bernardo Levit extends his New Year’s wishes for Peace on Earth. There is no Peace without Love. Neither Love without Work; Neither Work without Peace. Belize Chairman Bertram Moldauer and Dr. Ivan Moldauer are planning a dental mission in Belize at San Ignacio and at Dangriga to include dental and eye projects for March 18-24. Anyone wishing to join the mission is welcomed. Contact this editor for further information.. Colombia |
Guatemala cont'd Dr. Wehncke and this editor worked with last year in a dental mission sponsored by Chairman Bertram Moldauer and Dr. Ivan Moldauer through Dr. Wehncke’s help. He is an excellent selection for PFA Fellowship who deeply cares for the people of his country and their dental needs. He currently is planning a new dental facility to provide basic dental needs for San Miguel Duenas in Antigua.  L-R, Chairman Bertram Moldauer, Oral Health Director Roberto Wehncke, and Mrs. Wehncke Dr. Garrick Morales Bravatti, as owner of GMB Industries, has sponsored several dental missions to El Estor Province in the Department of Izabal. |
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 L-R, Secretary/Treasurer T. Samraj, Dr. Jean-Marie LaFont, Chairperson Asha Verma, and Dental Council President R. K. |
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India Secretary/Treasurer T. Samraj has reported hosting their 16th annual Section Meeting and Invocation of new Fellows with some 120 in attendance. Chief Guest was Dr. Jean-Marie LaFont, a French Professor of History serving at the University of Delhi. All were welcomed by Section Chairperson Dr. Asha Verma, along with the Dental Council of India President R. K. Bali, Chief Section Editor V. P. Jalili, 1999 PFA International Certificate of Merit recipient Dr. Amrit Tewari, and Honorary Fellow Lieutenant General J. L. Sharma. The evening dinner Convocation commenced with a prayer followed by a welcome address by Section Chair Asha Verma who explained the virtues of the honour about to be bestowed, and the responsibilities that go with it. |
Secretary/Treasurer T. Samraj presented the 25 Fellows who were administered the PFA Pledge. The membership certificates were presented by our Chief Guest, Dr. Jean-Marie LaFont, the pins by Chair Asha Verma, and the JPFA Pens by Editor V. P. Jalili. The two student scholarship awards were presented by Secretary/ Treasurer T. Samraj. A PFA International Certificate was awarded to Dr. Amrit Tewari by the Chief Guest followed by a presentation of Honorary Membership to Lieutenant General Dr. J. L. Sharma. Dr. Y. T. Chandarana gave the class response and presented a replica of the French postal stamp honoring Pierre Fauchard to all the India Section officers. |
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