Dental examiners eye economic, access challenges

The state of the economy and access to care were key issues for the 2009 American Association of Dental Examiners Mid-Year Meeting April 5-6 at ADA Headquarters.

Co-sponsored by ADA and American Dental Education Association, the event drew 196 participants representing state and regional dental boards, specialty dental boards, past and present members of boards, board administrators, board attorneys, and dental and dental hygiene educators.

ADA President-Elect Ronald L. Tankersley spoke on leadership in the dental profession along with ADEA President Ronald J. Hunt. Dr. Tankersley, who spoke of changes under way in dental workforce, dental education and dental licensure, stated that there are “powerful movements to make historic changes in the way health care will be provided and financed in this country, and that is likely to affect all of us.”

Added Dr. Tankersley: “The responsibilities of ADA, ADEA and AADE are interrelated, because we are mutually dependent. Without dental education, there is no profession; without high professional standards of practice, we lose the privilege of being a self-regulating profession; and if dentistry ceases to be a desirable profession, everyone loses.”

While there are limitations in the ADA’s role as an umbrella organization, said Dr. Tankersley, there is value in bringing dental communities together as needed as “the convener of the profession, where all national dental organizations come together to do critical work.” The March Access to Dental Care Summit is one example of that work, he said.

Dental school deans Dr. Christian S. Stohler, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, and Dr. Leo E. Rouse, Howard University College of Dentistry, were featured speakers on the impact of the economy and budget cuts on dental schools. Dr. Stohler discussed challenges facing new facilities while Dr. Rouse spoke on existing dental schools. Dr. L. James Bell, vice dean of the Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health, discussed the school’s emphasis on community based dental education and service, stating that many of the school’s applicants are interested in community-based dentistry as a career. Their data indicates that 33 percent of the 2007 graduating class has gone on to work in community health center settings.

ADA 8th District Trustee Dennis E. Manning delivered a presentation on the integration of didactic education and hands-on experiences in community based extramural learning programs at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry and Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine. Information on a pro bono care program in Maryland was shared by Dr. Guy S. Shampaine.

AADE’s 126th annual meeting takes place Sept. 30-Oct. 1 in Honolulu. For information, visit www.aadexam.org.