The 2009 Mid -Year Meeting of the American Association of Dental Examiners, held this April 5-6 at the American Dental Association (ADA) Headquarters, focused on the issues relevant to access to care and the current economic state.
The event was co-sponsored by the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) and ADA, which drew 196 participants from different regional and state dental boards; board attorneys; board members; board administrators; and dental hygiene and dental educators.
Dr. Ronald L. Tankersley, ADA president, spoke on the dental profession leadership along with Ronald J. Hunt, ADEA president. Dr. Tankersley also spoke of the upcoming changes in the dental workforce, dental licensure, and dental education, which will create great historic changes in health care in the U.S.
According to 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.”
The other speakers featured in the event include dental school deans Dr. Leo E. Rouse of Howard University School of Dentistry and Dr. Christian S. Stohler of University of Maryland school of Dentistry, who spoke on the budget cuts and economic impacts on dental schools. Meanwhile, Vice Dean Dr. L. James Bell of the Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health talked about the school’s emphasis on community-based dental service and education. He stated that several school applicants are very interested to become a community-based dentist. Dr. Bell also presented the school’s data which showed that 33% of the 2007 graduating class worked in community health centers.
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