Category: Opinion & Editorial

At this time last year, 2014 was set to be a year of great change.  Two children were scheduled to graduate from college, Caitlin with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Duquesne University and Mike with a BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences from The Ohio State University.  The year passed in a flash and everything went according to ... [continue reading]

Those of you that just graduated from dental school need to grasp what I’m writing ... NOW! The next 40 years is your time!!!! Many older members of our profession often refer to the last quarter of the 20th century as the “Golden Years” of dentistry. I personally think the next quarter century will also be “Golden.” ... [continue reading]

A couple of months ago, my home’s aging drain pipes experienced some constipatory problems on a Sunday morning, prompting me to call for help before my basement assumed a decided aromatic earth tone. I didn’t turn to our family’s trusted plumber of 25 years, but to a roto-franchise. It wasn’t that I felt that Bob, our ... [continue reading]

Research presented at the American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting on Nov. 17 has indicated that a lack of trust among community members, front line health care workers, and the medical system as a whole led to the widespread Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Timothy Roberton, a researcher from Johns Hopkins University, said, ... [continue reading]

Some life events are instantaneous while others are gradual, but most things that happen in our lives come with a warning. A couple of months ago I went to my 50th high school reunion. I had attended my 10th gathering and afterwards swore I’d never go to another. However, aging changes one’s perspective about certain situations. I ... [continue reading]

In a world where the number-one cable television show is a post-apocalyptic thriller about a virus that creates reanimated corpses, it was easy to get caught up in Ebola hysteria. Many of our number in the ODA are well-immersed in the culture of public health; certainly all of us are scientists to some extent. With that thinking, we all knew ... [continue reading]

We have a contagion loose in America that spreads faster than Ebola – and presents a greater risk.  That pathogen is fear.  Together with its primary symptom (panic), fear grips a population, spreading like wildfire fanned by the incessant media coverage.  The end-stage result is irrational behavior and poor ... [continue reading]

I just returned from America’s Dental Meeting 2014 in San Antonio where I had the honor of serving as an alternate delegate from Ohio and the Seventh District in the ADA House of Delegates. I was impressed by the ADA’s effort to become a strategically driven organization much like we did at the ODA a few years ago. My hat is off to Dr. ... [continue reading]

Dr. Thomas Paumier began his term as Ohio Dental Association president at the ODA House of Delegates (HOD) in September. In this Q&A with "ODA Today," Paumier 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? As we ... [continue reading]

I recently came across a couple of reports that made me stop and think. A NY Times story on Sept. 11, 2014 by Judith Graham entitled “In the Emergency Room, A Hidden Ailment” caught my attention. The article pointed me to a study done by researchers at the University of North Carolina. The authors found that many seniors who seek care ... [continue reading]