2008 News Archive

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared marketing for a new test that may assist health professionals in identifying which cancer cells are present in malignant tumors.

San Antonio—First-time visitors to annual session are set to receive an extra dose of Texas hospitality next month. For the fourth year in a row, the ADA is inviting dentists who have yet to join the ADA to sample some benefits of organized dentistry during the Association's premier event, the ADA annual session.

What will the future look like in terms of how dentists classify and treat caries? That question was the focus of the ADA Caries Classification Conference, held Aug. 20-21 at ADA Headquarters, where stakeholders gathered to discuss the development of a new, enhanced system for classifying the entire range of caries as a disease process and the impact on patient care.

The ADA Seminar Series is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, the ADA Center for Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning is offering a variety of lectures and hands-on workshops on dental topics with 24 new speakers and more than 30 new courses.

The ADA Smile Healthy team held a joint meeting with the International Life Sciences Institute Aug. 13-14 to discuss expanding the program and which food and beverage categories, based on current science, to target in the future.

The ADA and several constituent dental societies are offering disaster relief and assistance for dentists whose practices may have been damaged by Hurricane Gustav.

Melville, N.Y.—Henry Schein, Inc. has set up a toll-free hotline for health professionals seeking disaster-relief assistance.

On July 10, the American Medical Association issued a formal apology for its past history of racial inequality toward African-American physicians and outlined current initiatives that address efforts to increase the ranks of minority physicians and their participation in the AMA.

Dr. Charles L. Smith, 6th District trustee, chairs the screening committee for the ADA executive director search. Dr. Mark J. Feldman, president, and Dr. John S. Findley, president-elect, are ex-officio members of the committee.

Brookline, Mass.—Julius B. Richmond, M.D., U.S. surgeon general from 1977-1981, the first director of Head Start and a champion for community water fluoridation, died July 27. He was 91.

Since its inception in 1859 and continuing through the Civil Rights era in American history, the American Dental Association and its membership reflected the racial segregation that existed in much of the U.S. at that time.

Since June, when the ADA launched a national search for an executive director/COO (chief operating officer), the Association has received a "strong response" from candidates across the country, said Dr. Mark J. Feldman, ADA president.

Some people say everything happens for a reason, others think our lives happen by chance, and a third group believes that life is what you make it. How I ended up as a dental journal editor or a dentist for that matter, shows how, in my life at least, fate, chance and determination have all played a part, whether I knew it or not.

Boston—Dr. Erling Johansen, a high school teacher who emigrated to the U.S. from Norway during World War II and went on to become a prodigious dental researcher and the longest-serving dean of the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, died Feb. 29 in Norway after a long illness.

The ADA Council on Scientific Affairs has updated its recommendations for managing patients on oral bisphosphonate therapy. The council originally released the recommendations in July 2006.

Washington—Federal employees cannot be denied dental coverage because of a pre-existing condition, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management said in final regulations governing the enhanced benefits established by 2004 legislation.

Washington—The Association will support legislation on Congress' return from summer recess that would enhance the role of school nurses as "navigators" for children to dental and medical care.

Park Ridge, Ill.—When Dr. Maria Loukas of Park Ridge, read about a dental mission to Mexico's Copper Canyon region in the Jan. 7 issue of the ADA News, she decided it was time to make a mission trip herself.

Boston—Dr. Jeffrey Hutter has been named dean of the Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine, the Boston University Medical Campus announced Aug. 21.

San Antonio—Two award-winning Brazilian dentists will present their research at the ADA annual session in San Antonio Oct. 18.