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Thoughts From the President
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The Opening Ceremonies for the 2002 Winter Olympics were a grand and glorious show of international cooperation. Would it not be wonderful if we could further world peace in as splendid a manner? The Winter Games were an example of worldwide cooperation and understanding.
As Fellows of the PFA, we should extend our love and influence to everyone we come in contact with. Often, it takes a catastrophe to bring people together in spirit and purpose. May we Fellows in the PFA use our knowledge and influence to encourage our Fellows and leaders in government to pursue peace. “Every Spring nature teaches us lessons of survival and renewal. In these days we are beneficiaries of the blossoms and new growth as Springtime awakens the land. Surely, you have experienced the freshness of the new day as the sun rises and the bustle of our human race prepares itself for a new set of daily decisions. The solace and beauty of the new day dawning is a precious gift to all of us. Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness.” – Clifford F. Loader, DMD We do not often realize how much influence we may have on our fellow man. We should always be engaged in |
our healing arts and also in the cause of freedom.
In the last few years, we have had many members become Life Members. There have also been a few deaths. We have lost members in Sections where the economy is very bad. They do not feel that they can afford membership because of the economy. Therefore, it is incumbent on us as Fellows to invite worthy and qualified dentists to join the Academy. The Winter Olympics brought many people and participants to the United States in Salt Lake City. It was truly a worldwide Olympiad, and I am sure the participants and the crowd that witnessed the games will long remember those games. Past PFA President Dr. Carl Lundgren, Foundation Vice President, sent a letter to the White House in November that was very appropriate. He told President Bush of our voluntarism and our desire to help in any way that we can. I pray that we can always maintain our giving through the Foundation, and always be cooperative to further good works, peace, and fellowship worldwide. |
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Scott M. Welch, DDS President |
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Rethinking Licensure
by the Academy of General Dentistry |
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California and Nevada are the most recent states to adopt licensure-by-credential legislation, which allows qualified out-of-state dentists to practice in a state without having to take the clinical entry exam. In addition to giving dentists greater mobility, advocates say licensure-by-credential helps address access to care for underserved areas and indigent populations. Detractors respond that this opens the door to dentists who may not meet the quality standards of a given state, and offers little help to underserved areas, according to an article in the February issue of ADG Impact.
Chris Forsch of the Nevada Oral Health Initiative noted that “Historically we have had an insufficient number of dentists to meet the needs of our communities. The hope is that this legislation will bring in additional providers.” Dr. Myron Bromberg, legislative chairman for the California AGD, feels that “Licensure-by-credential may not affect access to care because dentists may not want to gravitate to underserved areas.” California, like many other states, has a shortage of dentists in rural areas and among minority populations. A 2000 report by the Center for California Health Workforce Studies entitled “Geographic Distribution of Dentists in California” divided the state into 487 Medical Service Study Areas (MSSA) to determine locations where a shortage of dental |
providers existed. The report found that 12% of the state’s population has no geographic access to a dentist. Shortages were in 97 areas, of which 67 were rural.
Geography was not the only barricade between patients and quality dentistry. Of the state’s 4.5 million Medicaid beneficiaries, only 44% visited the dentist annually. Over 100 MSSAs have no dentist participating in a Medicaid program. In Nevada, between 1990 and the 2000 census, the population expanded by 66% to 2 million. Las Vegas increased by 62%, the highest level in the United States. More than 80% was due to people moving into the state. Detractors of the licensure-by-credential note that state clinical exams vary in degree of difficulty from state to state. Some states have a 90% pass rate, while Nevada’s average is 60%. Others note that there is no way to measure a practitioner’s skills. The debate will rage over this matter. And we have not even broached the subject of national licensure, which would level the playing field establishing national qualifications. |
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Calendar 2002 | |
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25-29 May 1-5 October 19–23 October Fall |
100th Anniversary Canadian Dental Association, Montreal, Canada 90th FDI Congress, Vienna, Austria 143rd ADA Annual Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana FDI 90th Annual World Congress, Vienna, Austria (Have your PFA Event date put here. E-mail Editor Brophy at PFADWJMB@aol.com) |
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Calendar 2003 | |
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25-29 October Fall |
ADA 144th Annual Meeting, San Francisco FDI 91st Annual Meeting, Sydney, Australia |
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Las Vegas Executive Committee Meeting
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| As per the Kansas City Board Meeting decision, the semiannual Board Meeting was deferred to a one-day Executive Committee Meeting held at the Central Office in the Community College of Southern Nevada on Wednesday, March 13. In attendance were President Scott Welch, immediate past President M. David Campbell, President-elect Gordan Stine, Vice President Robert Friedman, Secretary/Treasurer Richard Kozal, Editor James Brophy, Membership Director Charles Eller, and Accountant Dan Jonker. President Welch gave the Invocation at 9 am to open the meeting. The Minutes of the Kansas City Annual Meeting were approved. President Welch described his visit to Costa Rica, from which he just returned, and the Loader-Brenes Espinach Award presentation. Mexico Chair Ernesto Acuna was in attendance as well. |
13 March 2002 Executive Committee Meeting |
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| Secretary’s Report Dues statements have been mailed and dues are coming in. In using the lock box for collecting them, the Academy is given daily reports. International members have the option of paying by Visa/MasterCard or wire transfer, and this has worked out well. Last year, 32 Dentist of the Year plaques were sent out for presentation. So far this year, six have been requested. Three outgoing Section Chair plaques have been processed. Section Chairs are being informed of delinquent and Life members for updating their lists. We also ask that they let us know of any changes to keep the on-line membership directory updated daily. The Web site report shows that in 2001, 10,000 page requests were processed, a record since its inception, with 60% asking for publications, 3.4% for the Directory, 4% for awards, and 2% for inquiries. Articles on the History of Dentistry has been added as a new addition with more links to come. The 3.4% requests for the membership directory added argument to discontinue printing a hard copy for every member as had been done at great expense in the past. The ADA has likewise discontinued their printed directory and has allowed us to link into their online directory. |
The Internet has also allowed us to produce more detailed reports for the Board and the accountant and get those reports to those individuals faster and less expensive than mailing would. The only drawback in some cases is the cost in designing programs to produce reports differently. As the priority arises, the programs are changed if they would save costs in doing so. Plans for the New Orleans Annual Meeting have been completed and are published elsewhere in this publication. Clip it out or duplicate it for your files. Life members (1274) have been notified of their renewal dues and for contributions to the Foundation. The response has been generous in their reading about the outstanding activities that the Foundation has been accomplishing. In September, 225 delinquent notices were mailed with 128 responding by paying their dues, 26 requested Life Member status, and one resigned. Seventy have then been dropped for nonpayment. Chairman David Stahl presented a revised PFA pamphlet with a new look, and it has been printed. Dr. Gordan Stine designed a new officers’ booklet, which has been printed and is available upon request. |
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| Treasurer’s Report The topic of concern was the financial condition of the Academy. Treasurer Richard Kozal and accountant Dan Jonkers went over in detail how last year’s financial report appeared on paper worse than it really was: (1) Mosby-Year Book Publishers sent in a late bill for the prior year, which they should have billed us the year before, and for the current year; (2) the Leadership Conference in Chicago had a greater than anticipated turnout of Section Chairs, which drove up the costs; (3) both the Interim Meeting and the Annual Meeting were held in Chicago that year, so the increased hotel costs were greater than usual; (4) the stipend from the Foundation that was requested was not adequate to cover the anticipated expenses; (5) membership levels stayed the same, with the new inductees evening out those retiring, dying, and changing to Life Membership status; (6) and generally operating expenses rose due to increased retail prices, and though we are the least expensive of the major dental honor organizations, we had no dues increase to cover. Without dipping into the Academy reserves, the Board offset these additional expenses by deferring the Interim Meeting in 2002, postponing the Leadership Conference to year 2006, suggesting that we drop our FDI affiliate membership |
and dues; drop the idea of publishing a hard copy Membership Directory in place of the Web site one; and suggested raising the Membership dues to $95 per annum. Dan Jonkers noted that if we did all that we would be able to balance the budget this year. This is all contingent on a static membership. If more Fellows were inducted into the Academy this year, it would change the picture positively. All invoices have been paid. Our next current major expense will be the New Orleans Meeting. The independent review by an outside accounting firm is already in process and will be available for the October Meeting. The bill for Dental Abstracts for 2001 was $117,569.55 and the one for Dental World was for $27,771. Foundation voluntary contributions for 2002 are already at the $20,770 level, with more coming in. So far, 121 new members have been processed this year, with 40 waiting to be processed. The 2002 membership goal was 500 new fellows, and we have achieved 32% of that in our first quarter. |
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| Foundation Report This report by Executive Director Shig Ryan Kishi is printed under Foundation News. |
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| Membership Report Chuck Eller has secured various lists of dentally active individuals to be contacted for PFA membership after they have been crosschecked to be sure that they are not already members. All Section Chairs have been asked to contact their members to start a recruitment drive, and they are reminded that a good way to get Academy recognition is to submit a grant and get a project going in their areas. The new Stahl pamphlet is available as a recruitment tool to answer any questions about PFA. And as a reminder, PFA is a tax writeoff. But personal contact is the most effective means for recruitment. Current membership globally stands at 7593. |
Nominating Committee Chairman M. David Campbell, Fred Halik, and James Long (all past Presidents) have placed in nomination the following: • Gordan B. Stine of South Carolina for President • Robert E. Friedman of Connecticut for President-elect • Kevin L. Roach of Canada for Vice President • With Scott M. Welch becoming the immediate past President All nominations were approved and passed. |
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| Awards Committee Chairman Gary Lowder reported that the past Gold Medal recipients nominated past PFA President Dr. Minoru Horiuchi of Massachusetts for the 2002 Fauchard Gold Medal. This recommendation was passed by the Executive Committee. For the Elmer Best Award, two nominations tied for votes—Dr. Rufino Achacoso of the Philippines and past PFA President Michael Cripton of Canada. After some discussion, it was decided to approve both for the Elmer Best Award for 2002. The Certificate of Merit was approved for Professor Dragoslav Djukanovic of Serbia and for Past Uruguay Chair Walter Lieber Bielli. |
For Honorary Fellowship, the Iowa Dental Executive Director Robert W. Harpster was the only nomination. The Dental Trade & Industry Award was suggested for Gerd Schulte, President of Degussa AG of Germany. There were no nominations for the Distinguished Service Award. The Committee’s recommendations were unanimously passed by the Executive Committee. |
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| Hall of Fame Chairman Ray Klein reported that the PFA request for placing the Hall of Fame in the ADA Building in Chicago was approved by the ADA Board of Trustees at their December Meeting. ADA Executive Director James Bramson discussed incorporating the Hall of Fame, with their many dental artifacts, and the library, which they wish to locate on a lower floor after renovation of the ADA Building is complete. The Mayo Clinic also is a possible location, but their space available is limited. While the name of Terrence Ward of Ireland was approved, no one has been able to come up with any research on this nominee. If anyone has any sources, please contact Dr. Klein or Dr. Kozal at the Central Office. |
FDI Secretary/Treasurer Richard Kozal presented his correspondence with FDI about refunding our Kuala Lumpur registrations (about $800), since the officers attending were unable to get out of the country to attend after the September 11 disasters. The airlines refunded our airfares; the hotels refunded our deposits; but FDI has refused to consider either a refund or a credit toward attending this year. Dr. Kozal explained the unusual circumstances for which he felt some consideration should be made, but all the FDI correspondence steadfastly refused to consider the request or offer any compromise. The Board discussed dropping our affiliate membership. Editor Brophy requested one last attempt be made by him from his personal contacts with the FDI leadership, but his subsequent letters were met with the same response as Dr. Kozal’s. |
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| Strategic/Long Range Planning Committee Chairman Howard Mark has produced an all-inclusive, far-reaching report for PFA, which will be presented at the Fall Meeting. The paper covered nearly every facet of our programs, projects, and operations. |
Trustee Report International Trustee Mamoru Sakuda’s report from the Kuala Lumpur Region 9 Meeting was a concern for the dues, which most of the poorer countries could not afford. This was extensively discussed by the Executive Committee as a major problem PFA faces in expanding into more countries. Dr. Kozal noted that when he and then President Fred Halik looked into adopting the FDI’s sliding-scale dues based on that country’s GNP, PFA could not run its operation. The FDI dues schedule is not their only source of income. Their annual Congress registration is their main source, which we do not have such to offset dues from poorer countries. Dr. Kozal explained that each country’s dues is assessed on a case-by-case basis as to what it takes to serve that country. |
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From the Central Office…
by Secretary/Treasurer Richard Kozal |
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The Central Office wishes to thank all the Fellows for their generous outpouring of contributions to the Foundation Scholarship Program that have been coming in, particularly from the Life Members. We have had a great response in the recent months and wanted the membership to know that this has not gone unappreciated. Many students will be helped in the coming year from your generosity. At the Kansas City Meeting, it was suggested that the Academy provide membership cards to our Fellows for identification purposes. Such cards are now available from the Central Office upon written request. On-line at our Web site, www.Fauchard.org/, you will find a Directory of Fellows in your Section. Visit the site and bring yourself up to date on what your Academy is doing. In checking the Directory, if you notice any members that have passed on or retired out of State, please inform our office that we might make the proper corrections. The Directory is updated daily to keep it accurate. With your help, we can insure it will be of service to our Fellows. Another feature we have added is being able to link to all the dental meetings in the world through the “ADA Annual Session” or “FDI”. Dr. David Stahl, New Hampshire Section Chair, has completed a mammoth task in redesigning the Academy logos for the new century and revamping the PFA Informational pamphlet. The brochure contains all the material from the past brochures, but includes our history and picture of Dr. Elmer S. Best, our Founder. |
This new work also contains the history of the Foundation’s beginning and a picture of our primary benefactor, Dr. Fernando Brenes-Espinach, along with his role in bringing the Academy and its Foundation to world prominence. Removal inserts at the back of the pamphlet can be updated annually to keep the pamphlet current, but these may also be taken out and posted for ready reference as to the dates for the ADA and FDI Meetings. The Central Office also has completed a pamphlet-size Leadership Directory containing the PFA Officers, their addresses, pictures, and E-mail addresses. Dues notices for 2002 have been mailed to our Fellows. Please respond with the first notice because it saves the Academy several hundreds of dollars in remailing costs that can better be used to provide more services to our membership. Plans are being finalized for all our activities for our Annual Meeting in New Orleans this Fall. The hotel packets and registration will be out in midyear for staying at the Headquarters Hotel the Hilton Riverside. When you get your packet, fill it out immediately! Those who were late in getting theirs in for Kansas City were booked into rooms 20 miles away. |
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| From the Desk of Congressman Charlie Norwood… |
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Right now, I am running for re-election in Georgia’s new 9th Congressional District, which includes 17 new counties. This will be a fierce race as the opposition tries to silence my voice in Washington. When I return to Washington, I will be working overtime to achieve our goals from the 2001 Session. These include Medicare administrative reform, HMO reform, and education reform. Our patient protection bill is tied up in the Senate. The White House and Senator Ted Kennedy’s staff are conducting quiet negotiations. It seems that the trial lawyers oppose the cap on liability. Under the patient protection bill cap, they would only get 30% of $3 million. The Medicare Reform bill was passed. Medicare does not provide for dental care, which all parties already know, but now the secondary payer insurance |
companies can be immediately billed for the dental services without denial letters from Medicare. Thank you all for your vote of confidence in me and for the many contributions you have sent in to help me carry on the battle for reform. Never hesitate to give me your feedback on the job. Your support is greatly appreciated and your input is always welcome. I have received some great letters from you lately. Keep them coming! Gloria and I wish you all the best in 2002. Thanks again and God bless you. PFA Fellow Charlie Norwood P.O. Box 499, Evans, GA 30809 |
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| FDI to appoint new Executive Director | ||
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Past FDI Director Per Ake Zillen of Sweden has retired due to health problems. He had a right kidney tumor, which has been successfully removed, but a poorly functioning left kidney required routine dialysis. He did an outstanding job in this position and will be sorely missed. Associate Executive Director Johann T. Barnard has currently assumed the duties, which include representing FDI as its Chief Executive Officer, assist in the formulation of policies and procedures, arrange for the management of all meetings of the General Assembly, the Council, and of all Commissions and Committees, manage the FDI group, coordinate all activities and generally ensure that the objectives of the FDI are achieved. |
The FDI has formed a Search Committee under Dr. Bill Allen of the United Kingdom to receive applications for the position until 25 April. For more information, see their Web site at www.FDIWorldDental.org. The FDI has also moved their headquarters from England to Ferney-Voltaire, France, which is on the French side of the Geneva, Switzerland, airport. The booklets to attend their 2002 annual Congress in Vienna, Austria, are now out. Anyone contemplating attending should contact the FDI to secure one. |
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| PFA Dental Museum | ||
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Foundation Treasurer George Higue has added a shipment of old dental equipment and past PFA president Nicholas Saccone has sent additional old textbooks. The Executive Board toured the museum during their meeting there and can already see that we are beginning to outgrow our available space. |
The school’s Director of the Dental Assistants Program conducted a tour through the museum to allow the modern technological-age students to see what dentists had to deal with in the last century. The museum is being added to the student History of Dentistry curriculum. The same is being planned for the Hygiene Program.nsure that the objectives of the FDI are achieved. |
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PFA Annual Meeting Schedule
New Orleans, Louisiana 18–20 October 2002—New Orleans Hilton Riverside Hotel
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Foundation News
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| Foundation Executive Director Shig Ryan Kishi reports having sent $40,000 to the Academy for funding their programs for the coming year. As of January, 35 applications have been mailed out to prospective applicants, but NONE have been requested by any PFA Chairs. The deadline for applications is 1 June 2002. % |