UNITED STATES
Iowa
Dr. Kathyrn Kell, a general dentist from Davenport was elected as the North American Regional Organization's representative to the FDI World Dental Federation in Stockholm last fall. Dr. Kell will serve a three-year term in that position, which is equivalent to being a Trustee on the ADA Board. Dr. Kell has been honored by the Iowa PFA, served PFA as a Mentorship Chairman, served as 10th District ADA Trustee (2004-2008) and ADA Sessions & International Relations Council Chair (1998-1999). She also has served nine years on the FDI Education Committee as Chair, and has been an FDI General Assembly Delegate for four years.
Michigan
Dr. Ed Hirsch has been named as the new PFA Michigan Section Chair. He is a 1961 graduate of Farleigh Dickinson School of Dentistry, completed his General Dentistry Residency at the Darnell United States Army Hospital at Ft. Hood, Texas, in 1973, and served as Assistant Professor and Director of Clinical Affairs at the University of Detroit-Mercy School of Dentistry. He has served as President of the Detroit District Dental Society, Chief of Dentistry at the Detroit Medical Center, former Editor of the Detroit District Dental Society, and President of the Michigan Academy of General Dentistry, as well as former Trustee of the Michigan Dental Association.
The 2007-2008 PFA Instructor of the Year Award for the University of Michigan was presented to clinical Assistant Professor Jose Vivas. Dr. Vivas earned his dental degree from Universidad Central de Venezuela in 1992, and his Certificate in Prosthodontics and Restorative Dentistry from the University of Michigan in 1996.
The 2007-2008 PFA Instructor of the Year Award for the University of Detroit- Mercy School of Dentistry was presented to Dr. John Molinari who received his BA from St. Vincent College, his PhD in microbiology from the University of Pittsburg School of Dental Medicine, and is currently Professor and Chairman of the University of Detroit-Mercy School of Dentistry, Dept. of Biomedical Sciences. He is a well-known author, lecturer, and consultant to the ADA.
Dr. Gail Molinari also received the Award for the University of Detroit-Mercy School of Dentistry where she has taught for over a decade as an Associate Professor and Chair for the Dept. of Pediatric Dentistry. She had received her DDS and MS degrees from the Ohio State University College of Dentistry and completed a Residency Program in pediatric dentistry at Columbus Children's Hospital.
New York
Fellow Robert J. Doherty of White Plains, NY, an oral maxillo-facial surgeon, has been elected President of the New York State Dental Association (NYSDA). Dr. Doherty will become President is 2010. He is past President of the Ninth Dental Association, member of the NYSDA Board of Governors, and ADA Trustee. Dr. Doherty is a graduate of New York University and completed his residency in surgery at Bellevue Hospital, New York University Hospital, and the Manhattan Veterans' Administration Hospital. He is a Fellow in PFA, ICD, ADI, and ACD New York State Chairman. He received the 2007 NYSDA Distinguished Service Award.
Wisconsin
Three hundred fifty Wisconsin dentists with 648 dental team members and students donated an estimated $622,000 in supplies and man-hours to serve some 5,500 needy children. Nationwide the estimate is 12,100 dentists joined 32,000 volunteers to provide dental services to 450,000 children at 1,665 "Give Kids a Smile" programs this year. The Wisconsin Dental Association worked with member dentists, the state's Department of Health Services, local government agencies, public schools, Head Start, Boys & Girls Clubs, and other youth groups to provide needed dental services to low-income children. Significant corporate donations came from Colgate-Palmolive, Henry Schein Dental, and DEXIS Digital X-Ray.
The Surgeon General recognizes oral health as an integral part of a person's total health with the individual dentist being the primary oral health care provider. Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease affecting American children-- five times more common than asthma. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research reports that 80% of tooth decay is diagnosed in just 25% of mostly low-income families. Moderate tooth decay during childhood restricts physical development, decreases the ability to learn, and requires frequent emergency room visits and hospitalization. A 2005 report of the Children's Dental Health Project stated that children who have their first dental exam by age 1 are less likely to have emergency hospital visits; five-year-olds who have their dental visit by age 1 had oral health-related costs at 50% of peers who do not see a dentist until age 5.
"Charity alone is NOT a sufficient health care delivery system." stated WDA President Dr. H. Michael Kaske of Twin Lakes.