Category: Opinion & Editorial

As a newly minted 70-year-old dentist, I think I qualify at both ends of the doctor-patient relationship to comment on this issue! The American Dental Association has done due diligence in working up this issue for the leadership and membership, and by the time this opinion gets into “ODA Today,” we’ll likely already know our ... [continue reading]

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), herd immunity (also known as community immunity) is a situation in which a sufficient proportion of a population is immune to an infectious disease (through vaccination and/or prior illness) to make its spread from person to person unlikely. Even individuals not vaccinated (such as newborns and ... [continue reading]

We all can agree there are certainties that accompany our daily lives. With our birth there will eventually be our demise. The sun rises and sets, thus there’s light and darkness during what we refer to as a 24 hour day (arctic areas excluded). My next statement is a bit more sketchy. Our conscious actions produce either positive or negative ... [continue reading]

I read with interest the “ODA Today” article about the recent meeting of orthopedic surgeons and dentists to discuss antibiotic prophylaxis for patients with prosthetic joints who are undergoing dental procedures. I applaud Dr. Goff for organizing this long needed collaboration to build consensus among practitioners in this area. While ... [continue reading]

Thank You! Thank you very much for the wonderful year as president of the Ohio Dental Association. Personally, this experience has been very enlightening. There is a significant amount of work being put forth on behalf of Ohio dentists and patients. Some examples of the legislative advocacy are HB 184, the Ohio Dental Care Optimization Act. This ... [continue reading]

This past July, the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame inducted the 2018 class. Gathering in Cooperstown, NY, were committed baseball fans and the six legends of baseball. The MLB Hall of Fame is one of the most exclusive clubs in sports, as there are now only 323 players who have been inducted into the baseball HOF. The new inductees are Vladimir ... [continue reading]

 As part of my executive position as ODA secretary, I participate in an annual summer retreat with incoming and existing ODA executives. This was my second three-day meeting. The president-elect is typically responsible for planning the “retreat” portion, which is centered around a team building exercise and a field-trip. This ... [continue reading]

Dental professionals and community volunteers are needed to help provide FREE dental care to patients of all ages at the second Annual Medworks Dental Clinic. The clinic will take place on Friday, November 16 and Saturday, November 17 at the Cleveland Convention Center. Services will include dental screenings, cleanings, extractions, fillings, ... [continue reading]

MORE knowledge, MORE networking, MORE experiences, MORE motivation, MORE skills, MORE technology, MORE resources. Ohio Dental Association members are very fortunate. There are numerous benefits of membership, far too many to adequately illustrate. One example is the upcoming ODA Annual Session, taking place Sept. 13-16 at the Greater Columbus ... [continue reading]

My youngest son, Brian, is spending the summer working in Dublin, Ireland as a marketing and communications intern for the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). We took this as a sign that it was a good idea to visit him there and see the country. Denise and I spent Fourth of July week in the land of her ancestors, meeting people and soaking up the ... [continue reading]