Dental World®
Pierre Fauchard Academy January/February • 2003
   

President’s Message

The value of great leaders who are dedicated to service to their families, profession, and their community was exemplified so well in the life of Major General Robert B. Shira, President Emeritus, Foundation of the Pierre Fauchard Academy. My visit to the memorial services and funeral held in his honor instilled in me a profound gratitude for the opportunity to be alive, to share life with a wonderful family, to be of service to the profession of Dentistry, and to make a difference in the lives and health of my patients and neighbors through personal service in my practice and to my local community. The legacy he created in this life merits our emulation.

We each have a choice in creating our destiny and the legacy we will leave to others. Giving ourselves to the service of others and building and uplifting them in their efforts to create their own legacy elevates us all. The ability to see the gifts in others and encourage them to build on them for the benefit of worthy causes is one of the marks of a great leader. I recall Dr. Vern Eyre who nominated me for fellowship in the Pierre Fauchard Academy. His faith and confidence in me and his recognition of my efforts to

be of service and create excellence in my dental practice served as a catalyst for me to want to be more, do more, and give more of myself in service. Each of us within the Academy’s fellowship has within us the power to elevate and inspire others in our profession by inviting them into the Academy fellowship where they can reach higher levels of service through support from the programs available to their service. Great leaders inspire the manifestation of leadership in others by mentoring and example.

I encourage each of you, Fellows of the Pierre Fauchard Academy, to invite at least one of your worthy colleagues into fellowship in the Academy each year. Your successes in sharing the honor of fellowship will be magnified to strengthen and protect this profession of service and health. The promotion of excellence in ourselves and others will create unlimited excellence in the world around us. Our legacy will be the preservation of all that is good in our lives and the dental profession we love.

Gary Lowder, DDS
President

From the Desk of Mary Ann Irvine…

Dear Friends of my father Dr. Robert Shira:

I bring you sad news that my wonderful dad, Bob Shira, passed away on November 22, 2002, at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, DC.

He was well until early May, when he was hospitalized by pneumonia and a sepsis infection from which he never recovered. He was still very active and serving as President of the PFA Foundation. On May 1, he was a guest at a White House ceremony, and on May 2 at a VIP Dinner at the Pentagon. Both events were held to honor the bravery of a dentist from World War II, an effort daddy started over 30 years ago when he was Chief of the Army Dental Corps.

Dad was a remarkable man and he had an incredible life. As a member of the Pierre Fauchard Academy said when dad was inducted into the International Dental Hall of

Fame in October 2000, “He will pass this way but once. There will never be another like Dr. Shira, who helped forge our profession into the high quality standard that distinguishes dentistry as a profession.”

The family, all his daughters and their spouses, his grandchildren and their spouses, and great-grandchildren, will gather in Washington to say good-bye. He will be honored with a full military funeral and will be buried with mother in Arlington National Cemetery.

Words cannot express how much we already miss this great, warm, wonderful man. Please feel free to call, e-mail, or write with any questions or memories.

Sincerely,
Mary Ann Irvine
Irvinecore@aol.com

Academy Represented at Funeral Services by President Lowder

by President Gary Lowder

I represented our Academy in the solemn ceremonies for Dr. Robert B. Shira in Silver Springs, Maryland, on December 19th and then again at the Old Fort Chapel at Fort Meyer in Arlington, Virginia, the next day. It was an honor for me to be in the presence of the Shira family and to convey the love and appreciation of the entire Academy and the Foundation to them, and in respect for Dr. Shira.

The general mood was that of a celebration of a life well-lived, of a man who was great in his love for his family, nation, and all the many organizations he served.

His daughters, Sharon, Mary Ann, and Linda Kay, as well as their spouses and grandchildren, and great grandchildren, were very generous and kind to me. They

greatly appreciated my attendance on behalf of the Academy/Foundation. General Chandler, General Brady, General Loefler, Admiral Sazima, and Asher were also among those who attended.

I was able to speak a few minutes at the Silver Springs service, and to read the part of Dr. Shira’s entry in the book, Legacy, published by Drs. Loader and Kishi in 1990.

The military funeral proceedings were very dignified and fitting for this great leader. I know we will all miss his presence at our meetings. But we will all remember him fondly and with great appreciation for all that he did for the Academy and for the Foundation.

Dr. Robert B. Shira

rests in peace in God’s hands

In writing, when the story of an era is finished, a period is placed. You turn the page and a new chapter is started. The chief author of that period passes from history, so it is a convenient place to end that chapter.

But, as in all of history, these eras overlap. They do not end at the period or at the start of a new chapter. And such is the life of this Oklahoma dentist, General, surgeon to the President, Dean, Provost, ADA President, PFA President, Foundation President, and so many other titles that reflect his genius and talents that it has taken several editions of Dental World to even scratch the surface of the multifaceted diamond that was Dr. Robert Shira.

The events in his many decades of life that he started moving not only have changed the face of the profession, but his administration, his philosophy of life, will affect many in the decades to come who will not even know his name. This mortal immortality is the most a human can achieve in this life.

Now, free of his mortality, we can expect Dr. Bob to continue to watch over and move the positive forces of the universe for the betterment of all—as he did in life.

We all will miss his physical presence. We all will miss his acute manner of reaching right to the heart of a problem or situation and arrive at the answer. His demeanor was

such that when he suggested an answer, no one questioned the mason from etching it into stone. He was the closest thing to our father, our loving grandfather, to a mortal god of legend.

Those events he has put in motion will continue on. The chapter of the era in dentistry that he began will continue without its creator. But it will continue, long after his name is forgotten.

When the General received the Dental Hall of Fame Award as the first and only living professional to be so honored, it was mentioned that he alone can be singled out as a pivotal point in our profession, like Pierre Fauchard, like G. V. Black, and the many others honored in the Hall of Fame that contributed so much to dentistry, and so much to life on this planet. Many of those so honored had the effect of their genius distributed worldwide. But Dr. Shira is the only honoree who personally delivered them to the corners of the world. He was just such a person. You could not be with him but moments and not be affected by the driving philosophy of life that compelled him to teach.

Perhaps, comparison to dental legends is an inaccurate category to remember the man by. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle might be a far better list of companions. Long after the fame and techniques of Dr. Shira have started to fade in our own mortal minds, there will still remain, to our last breath, the effects he had on each of us on how to lead our lives.

The Legacy Continues…

As example of Dr. Robert Shira’s continuing legacy, the PFA Foundation wishes to thank the following people for their donations in memoriam to the Foundation in Dr. Shira’s name. Well over $6000 has been donated in his name.*

American Academy or Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons
Albertson, Carol
Barrett, Dr. C. F. “Larry”—past PFA President
Benoit, Dr. Christine—past Rhode Island Section Chair
Bers, Trudy
Boker, Mattie & Irving
Brophy, Dr. James—PFA Editor
Campbell, Dr. M. David—past PFA President
Cowen, Dr. Edward
Cripton, Dr. Michael & Nancy—past PFA President
DeChamplain, Dr. Richard & Edwina, Medical University of South Carolina
Distelhorst, Dr. Fred
Dugoni, Dr. Arthur—University of the Pacific Dean
Dugoni, Dr. Steven
Englander, Dr. James—PFA International Trustee
Goodman, Dr. William—Oklahoma Section Chair
Gottschalk, Dr. Jack—Harris Dental Museum
Hayward, James & Jane
Hesse, Dr. & Mrs. Robert—Louisiana Section co-Chair
Higue, Dr. George—past PFA President, Foundation Treasurer
Hutchinson, Dr. Rowland—President, American Dental Education Association (ADEA)
Japan PFA Section
Kempf, Dr. Kenneth & Linda

Kishi, Dr. Shigeo Ryan—past PFA President, Foundation Executive Director
Kostos, Dr. James
Kozal, Dr. Richard—PFA Secretary/Treasurer, past ADA VP
Kramer, Justin
Kruger, Gustav
Laser, Norman & Mary
Levit, Dr. Bernardo—PFA International Trustee
Long, Dr. James—past PFA President
Lundgren, Dr. Carl—past PFA President, Foundation President, USA ICD President
Maihofer, Dr. Glenn—Wisconsin Section Chair
Marois, Dr. Pierre—PFA International Trustee
McCallum, Dr. Charles
Nakayama, Mrs. Tomiko—Hakusui Trading Company of Japan
Parson, Nan
Perpich, Dr. Michael—PFA Vice President
Rothchild, Philip & Miriam
Saccone, Dr. Nicholas—past PFA President
Stine, Dr. Gordan—past PFA President-elect
Trimarco, Patricia
Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Dean Lonnie Norris
Van Dusen, Elizabeth & Duncan
Vernetti, Dr. James—1999 PFA Gold Medal recipient
Welch, Dr. Scott—immediate past PFA President

*More donations to the Foundation are being received in Dr. Shira’s name, and additional names of donors will follow in subsequent issues of Dental World.

Our General Marches On

by James R. Hayward

Robert B. Shira (1910-2002) might best be described as a “born leader.” The achievements of Major General Shira, Dean and University Provost, Editor, and past President of the full spectrum of professional organizations are unparalleled. With a disarming humility, Bob could choose his teams and inspire them with significant responsibilities to excel. This ability to spot talent and to develop potential was exhibited in students, residents, junior officers, and faculty.

In following the legend of Kurt H. Thoma, Bob led the “Triple O” publication of CV Mosby from 1961 to 1993. As a skilled clinician, teacher, and lecturer, he emphasized judgment and empathy in service to patients. His humble homespun lectures combined wisdom and humor. He would say, “I never met a man I didn’t like, (pause) I can’t remember who said that—Will Rogers or Elizabeth Taylor.” His wonderful stories were linked to a full range of subjects.

While at Walter Reed Medical Center, he pioneered closed-circuit television surgical demonstrations in very popular postgraduate courses. While serving as Chief Dental Surgeon of the European Command (1964-1967), he personally visited every army dental clinic in Europe, inspiring junior officers to better serve their soldier patients. These contacts in Europe revealed potential for advancement of his specialty. In 1966, Bob generously arranged a special program for the organized specialty at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which featured new techniques in orthognathic surgery by Professor Hugo Obwegeser of Zurich, Switzerland. This was a recognized benchmark of the specialty and crowned his presidential year of the ASOMS. He also arranged for training of army residents in famous European surgical centers.

Bob could look at professional organizations and implement changes for improvement. In 1965, as President-elect of the American Society of Oral Surgeons, his military duties kept him away from its headquarters. Uncertain times fell on that organization after a series of disappointing Executive Secretaries. Dr. Shira and a small committee selected

a very young, talented Bernard J. Degen, who served that organization through 25 years of development to the American Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons.

It would not be possible to name all of the professional organizations with which Bob served with meaningful distinction. These include, in part, the American Dental Association (President 1975), the American Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons (President 1965), the American Board of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons (President 1975), the Pierre Fauchard Academy (President 1985) and the PFA Foundation (President until 2002), as well as local, state, and other professional groups.

Concluding his 33 years of military service with the highest rank attained in the U.S. Army Dental Corps, Bob took on another challenge in the academic area of his profession. He was appointed Dean of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (1971-1979). Later he served as Senior Vice President, and then Provost for Tufts University. He also was Vice President for Health Services at Tufts, completing his career there in 1993. The Robert B. Shira Lecture was established at Tufts in 1996.
Dr. Shira was awarded honorary degrees from six distinguished universities. He received special awards in professional, military, and academic circles that are too numerous to itemize.

He was a loving father, grandfather, and great grandfather to a family that he and his beloved Eileen established. She preceded him in death. Their three wonderful married daughters, Mary Ann Irvine, Sharon Lou Swanson, and Linda Kay O’Hara look with pride on their father’s superlative careers and cherished memories. He left his profession and the world a better and more compassionate environment.

Funeral services for the General were held in Silver Springs (Maryland) and internment with full military honors followed at Arlington National Cemetery.

Memorial contributions in the General’s name may be made to the Pierre Fauchard Foundation, c/o Dr. Shig R. Kishi, 1441 Avocado Avenue, Suite 508, Newport Beach, CA 92660, USA.
 

2003 Calendar

8 March

Academy Executive Board Meeting, Salt Lake City, Utah

24-30 April

25th Asia Pacific Dental Congress, Manila, Philippines

26-28 April

Star of the North Dental Meeting, St. Paul, Minnesota
PFA Region 9 Meeting

18-21 September

91st FDI World Congress, Sydney, Australia

24-27 September

New Orleans Dental Conference, New Orleans

23 October

ACD Convocation

24 October

ICD Convocation

23-26 October

PFA Annual Board & Foundation Meeting, San Francisco

24 October

PFA Board Meeting

25 October

PFA Awards Luncheon, Presidents Reception
Foundation Board Meeting: morning and afternoon session

26 October

Foundation Board Meeting: morning session
PFA Board Meeting: afternoon session
Academy Dinner Party

25-29 October

144th ADA Session, San Francisco

(Have your PFA Event date put here. E-mail Editor Brophy at PFADWJMB@aol.com)
 

 

Mobility Gains Momentum

Licensure Changes Give Dentists More Room to Practice

by the Academy of General Dentistry

Several States recently have enacted legislation that enables dentists licensed in one State to practice in another without having to retake a clinical entry exam. Forty-three States allow some form of licensure-by-credential (also referred to as licensure recognition), according to an article in the January 2003 issue of AGD Impact, the newsmagazine of the Academy of General Dentistry.

Legislation adopted by most of these States is fairly “cookie-cutter” in that most require applicants to have been licensed for at least five years, to have graduated from an accredited U.S. dental school, and be in good professional standing.

But regulations vary from border to border, and from region to region. Some States have reciprocal agreements with a limited number of others. Other States open their borders to applicants from around the United States.

So what qualifies an Iowa dentist to practice in Minnesota or Montana may not be enough for Kentucky or Arkansas. Enough variation exists among States that one State dental board Web site urges dentists not to make life or career-making decisions before knowing they fulfill that State’s licensing requirements.

With 53 dental boards governing an equal number of licensing systems, friction is bound to result—and it has, for more than 150 years. Though the first known practice of dentistry in the New World occurred in 1639, it was not until the mid 1800s that licensure took root in the United States. By the turn of the last century, every State had established licensure rules.

Today, dental licensure is regulated by one dental board in each State, as well as in

Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Washington, DC. The position of AGD is supporting licensure-by-credential.

Most debate about licensure-by-credential concerns the clinical entry exam. State clinical exams vary in their degree of difficulty. While some States’ exams may average a 90% pass rate, others average only 60%.

“Dentistry has been trying for years to get a definition of quality, but it cannot. What we are really talking about is competency,” says Dr. Myron Bromberg, Chairman of the AGD Council on Dental Care. “Having to take State exams is a bone of contention for some dentists because they feel if a dentist graduates from an accredited school, they should be able to practice dentistry.”

Though dentists may argue over certain details, some are happy the federal government has not infringed on States’ rights to regulate licensure. “Dentists do not ever want to see anything federalized. I want the U.S. Government to stay out of State issues. Whenever the federal government gets involved in regulating our profession, dentists have a heavy price to pay,” Dr. Bromberg notes.

Any confusion resulting from a State’s licensure recognition system pales in comparison to its benefits, supporters say. One of the driving forces behind the adoption of licensure-by-credential laws has improved access to dental care. It also gives dentists greater mobility. And pressure from organized dentistry along with the general public has forced many States to rethink their stance on licensure-by-credential.

“I do not think there has been a lot of activity on the part of dentists who want licensure-by-credential to put pressure on the States,” Dr. Bromberg states. A State-by-State list of links to dental boards is available on AGD’s Web site at www.AGD.org/licensure.

Rebuttal

Your editor asks what differs from State to State in filling a tooth, extracting one, making dentures or other prostheses? In the immediate coming years, there will be a shortage of dentists to serve the growing U.S. population. Already, studies demonstrate that mobility of dentists has improved access to dental care. And the European Union already has continental licensure of dentists.

Agreed that most dentists are conservative and do not wish to see federal government involvement, but teeth do not vary from neighbor State to neighbor State, like laws do. We can wait until the federal government comes to the realization that national licensure will be a benefit to the general public as well as to dentists changing locations for health or recreational reasons. Or the States, if they act now through their dental licensing boards, agree on certain parameters for accepting an out-of-State dentist to move in, they can keep their States’ rights to accept or reject an applicant. If they wait until time catches up with them, the federal government will be pressured toward national licensure.
 

If the States were so concerned about maintaining this as a personal right, over actually serving their populace, why did they let so many dental schools close in the last few decades? Why not State-fund the private dental schools, like Wisconsin does for Marquette’s School of Dentistry? Or why did public health cut off the Illinois dental schools from accepting public aid patients, a vital source of income and providers for the dental needs of indigents?

National licensure is the coming trend. Either out of dental access needs or the simple realization that a student trained and graduated from Tufts has all the ability to practice in California. Competency can be judged after five years of practice. State licensing boards can act now to control the coming problem, or have it taken from them by an aggressive federal government. All this talk about States’ rights ended after a war was fought over this in the 1860s. The federal government that hatched OSHA for the dental profession, can do the same for licensure. Wait and see, or act now.

Central Office Report

by Secretary/Treasurer Richard Kozal

The Central Office has made all the preparations for the Executive Board Meeting to be held on 8 March 2003 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Reports for the Meeting packet should be sent to the Central Office on or before 15 February 2003 to be included. Once President Gary Lowder approves the Meeting agenda, it will be sent out to the Board.

Nominations for the PFA Gold Medal were sent out and are now coming in.

The last quarter of 2002 is now in the accountant’s hands for preparation for the next

Finance and Budget Committee conference call.

The Minutes from the New Orleans Meeting have been completed and mailed out to the entire Board, the accountant, and the PFA attorney for any necessary corrections.

The annual informational packets have been sent to all 119 Section Chairs for this year. If you failed to receive your packet, inform the office at the address/communications listed on the last page of Dental World.

Foundation news

From the Desk of the Executive Director…

by Dr. Shig Ryan Kishi

As of the end of January, 38 grant applications have been mailed out. Only three Section Chairs have requested applications so far. Letters to 53 U.S. dental schools have been sent out with copies to the local Section Chairs. This will be followed with mailing the non-U.S. Section Chairs for their dental school selections.
 

All 2002 grant recipients (17) have been notified of their approval. The University of Costa Rica School of Dentistry grant for a Processing Video Clinic Unit was approved in honor of Dr. Brenes-Espinach, our Foundation benefactor. The total for all grants and the Loader-Espinach Award were $204,104 and the total scholarship awards were for $97,500 for 2002.

$300,000 in Grants and Scholarships for 2002

by C. F. Larry Barrett

For the year 2002, the Foundation has awarded in excess of $300,000 in grants and student scholarships worldwide. Foundation President Carl Lundgren detailed information about these grants, which include many volunteer projects providing dental care for underserved populations, such as in Mexico, Japan, France, and Italy.

The dental student tuition scholarships were created to assist financially challenged students who demonstrate leadership potential. Fifty-one dental schools in the United States and 18 non-U.S. dental schools were each given $1500 for a total of $76,500 in 2002. This brings the award total to $2,225,000 since 1996.

Representative of the 2002 service grants include:

  • The Senior Friendship Centers of southern Florida, to support a program providing dentures for needy elders.
  • The Kentucky PFA Section program to provide health education, screening, and referrals for the Special Olympics participants.
  • The Thousand Smiles Foundation Craniofacial Surgery and Dental Care Mission that provides free surgical and dental services for needy children in Latin America.
  • The Roybal-Allard Children’s Dental Center that provides dental care for the underserved children in California.
  • The Wake Smiles Volunteer Dental Program providing dental care to indigents in Wake County, North Carolina.
  • The Volunteer Ministry Center of Tennessee that offers dental care for the homeless or abused individuals.
  • The Japan PFA program to provide dental care to leprous patients.
  • MEND (Meet Each Need with Dignity) that provides free dental care to indigents in California.
  • The National Board of French Dental Surgeons, which maintains an emergency dental bus to deliver dental care to areas greatest in need throughout the Paris area.
  • The Dixie Donated Dental Services of southern Utah that provides services to the indigent.
  • Other grants awarded to dental-care and continuing education projects.

To submit a grant application for the year 2003, please write to Dr. Shig Kishi, Executive Director, PFA Foundation, 1441 Avocado Avenue, Suite 508, Newport Beach, CA 92660-7704. The deadline for grant applications is 1 June 2003.

France

International Trustee Pierre Marois presented the Foundation Grant check to support the Paris mobile dental clinic to President Andrè Robert of the Conseil National de l’Ordre at their dental headquarters in front of the premier venue for the PFA Hall of Fame.


L-R, President Andrè Robert receiving grant check from Trustee Pierre Marois

Israel

Dean Jonathan Mann of Hebrew University—Hassad School of Dental Medicine (founded by Alpha Omega Dental Fraternity) presented the Foundation Scholarship Award to students Maayan Itzhaki and to Yossi Tam. Chairman Mario Ulmansky was thanked along with the Foundation and the Academy for this honor.

Chile

Chair Jaime Koifman S. presented the Foundation Scholarship Award to dental student Enrique Araneda.

Mexico

Chair Ernesto Acuna hosted their annual Meeting to present the Scholarship Awards to Facultad de Estudios Superiores Zaragoza, FES Zaragoza of the UNAM, Enrique Dario Amarillas Escobar. Attending the ceremony were FES Zaragoza Dean Alfonso Gonzalez, Maestro Juan Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, and Dr. Jesus Santos S.

United States

Massachusetts
Tufts University School of Dental Medicine Associate Dean for Student Affairs Mark Gonthier reported presenting the Foundation’s Scholarship Award to dental student Maria Ferriol by Dr. Maria Papageorge, a PFA Fellow. Maria Ferriol is also this year’s recipient of the Bright Smiles, Bright Futures Scholarship from Colgate-Palmolive for her outreach service work with the Hispanic underserved. She additionally has been selected as a resident in the Tufts three-year Periodontology program.

Washington State
The Dental Alumni News of the University of Washington Dental Alumni Association, Fall issue, made note of the PFA Foundation Scholarship Award presentation to senior student Michael George.

California
Loma Linda University School of Dentistry (celebrating their 50th Anniversary this year) Awards Committee Secretary LaDean Gregg reported presenting the Foundation Scholarship Award to student Elizabeth Park by Dean Charles J. Goodacre, a 1971 graduate of Loma Linda Dental School himself.


Elizabeth Park receiving award from Dean Charles Goodacre

Louisiana
LSU Health Sciences Center senior Benjamin Record was the recipient of the Foundation Scholarship Award for his leadership, professionalism, academic achievement, and potential to develop into a professional dental leader. Section Chair James Roethele made the presentation with LSU School of Dentistry Dean Eric Hovland.


L-R, Chair James Roethele, recipient Benjamin Record, and Dean Eric Hovland