Category: Opinion & Editorial

A teacher came into her classroom in the morning and wrote her “Word of the Day” onto the board. She stepped back and admired her excellent handwriting, which she had worked hard over the years to perfect. In bold letters, it proclaimed “APATHY.” Satisfied with her work, she walked out of the room to fill up her coffee mug, ... [continue reading]

Can you identify at least three potentially addicting/Dopamine releasing substances that have been around for at least 5,000+ years? (Hint: two of them can be smoked.) OK, time’s up. Nicotine and opium can be smoked while the third is a liquid – alcohol. All three are controlled substances – to a degree – in American society. All ... [continue reading]

I love the holiday season. Christmas always brings back memories of the wonderful time I had as a child. My parents always made it a fun time. The searching out of the perfect tree. Bringing it home, decorating it and the rest of the house. And of course, the anticipation and excitement of opening the beautifully wrapped gifts. Every year I watch ... [continue reading]

Growing up, I loved maps. I was fascinated by the ability of ancient cartographers to determine how the topography and boundaries should be drawn, given the fact that they never left the ground to see from above. It all had to be done in their mind and then committed to paper. When they were drawing the coastline, accuracy was paramount. A ... [continue reading]

I’m still just a kid at heart ... but after my recent fall trip to Disney World, I realized Walt’s venue might be considered an oxymoron. Disney World is a human mousetrap! Disney’s physiological mission statement, perhaps could be, “We are dedicated to rewarding you with pleasurable thoughts and feelings – over and ... [continue reading]

Can we win the fight for oral health for all Ohioans? Some would think yes and believe that with improvements in access to care, all Ohioans will rush to the dentist and emerge as faithful members of a dental home family and enjoy a full and functional dentition for life. I am a little more tempered in my enthusiasm. A day or two before writing ... [continue reading]

I am often asked why I started active involvement (how I "got started") in the Ohio Dental Association. There are basically two reasons. First, I always said (and still say) “if dentists don’t take care of dentistry, who will?” I felt this way when I joined ASDA and in 1981 when I joined the tripartite of the ADA, ODA and Keely ... [continue reading]

The first IKEA superstore recently opened in Columbus, bringing with it access to Scandinavian minimalist design. It also gives us the opportunity to learn to build rather well-constructed furniture, providing that you can properly decipher the Swedish pictograms that pass for instructions. Trust me, read the instructions first, as the design ... [continue reading]

I just came back from the ADA meeting in Atlanta. The topic that took center stage was resolution 30RC, which was to propose a National Commission on the Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards. This was an important resolution that possibly has broad standing impact in the future for dentistry as a whole. Allow me to explain. I ... [continue reading]

Dr. Steve Moore began his term as Ohio Dental Association president at the ODA House of Delegates (HOD) in September. In this Q&A with "ODA Today," Moore looks forward to his term. What are some of the issues you expect the Ohio Dental Association to face during your presidency?  How do you think the ODA should address these issues? I ... [continue reading]