Check out an interview with our very own Viviane Trinh about UConn’s legislative week!

http://thenextdds.com/Podcasts/Legislative-Week-at-the-UConn-School-of-Dentistry/

Conn ASDA - University of Connecticut ASDA Chapter

This year Andrew Sholudko, Ashley Phares, Chrissy Shaw, Viviane Trinh, Mike Gibilisco, Joseph Whitney, Sean  O’Brien, Kris Cooper, Lane Mahoney, and myself traveled to Atlanta to represent UConn at ASDA’s 2013 Annual Session.  On a national scale, it was a great experience to see how ASDA works to advocate for its members. Daily meetings with our district caucus helped identify the relevant issues and prepare the involved students for the election of next year’s ASDA Executive Committee.  Some of the major topics discussed this year were: who should define the quality of oral health care (specifically in reference to the issue of mid-level providers), the ethics of patient-based board examinations, and the effects of newly opening dental schools. If you are interested in reading more about ASDA’s current statements on policy, I would encourage you to visit their website: http://www.asdanet.org/statementsonpolicy.aspx.   It was exciting to learn how parliamentary procedure works in the House of Delegates Meetings, and how ASDA’s policy statements and bylaws can be amended.   On Friday night, ASDA held the third Annual Gold Crown Awards Ceremony to honor outstanding ASDA national leaders and chapters.  Congratulations again to our very own, Chrissy Shaw, District 1 Delegate of the Year!

Annual session was a fantastic way to network and learn more about dental schools across the country.  Several events were specifically designed to meet other students, especially students interested in pursuing similar specialties.  Additionally, ASDA  and its sponsors had organized countless small group seminars on relevant topics such as Digital Dentistry and the Future, Alternative Workforce Models, Getting Into a Residency (our very own Ashley Phares was a speaker!), and Managing Your Dental School Debt.  Outside of the ASDA events, we did have some fun traveling around Atlanta, especially visiting some great restaurants (shout out to Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint), Centennial Olympic Park, the Coca-Cola Factory, and the Georgia Aquarium!

Conn ASDA - University of Connecticut ASDA Chapter

Greetings from the First Year Reps! On February 21st and February 28th, we traveled to Eastern Connecticut State University and Yale University with several other first year students to give presentations for undergrads interested in dentistry. The presentation outlined the dental admissions process and included our own personal experiences with the journey. It was a great experience, especially since we were able to help out students who have the same concerns we had a few years ago. Our next planned event is on April 17th at Trinity, though we are working with Quinnipiac to set up an event in the meantime.

Conn ASDA - University of Connecticut ASDA Chapter

On February 2^nd ASDA District 1 had the first annual ethics meet and greet in conjunction with the Student Professionalism and Ethics Association (SPEA) at the Boston Convention Center during the Yankee Dental Congress.  Many UConn ASDA members showed up, along with some American College of Dentists (ACD) and American Dental Association (ADA) members.  . We had a nice snack spread that students enjoyed courtesy of UConn ASDA.  Students from Tufts and BU were present from SPEA.  Dr. Goupil was also present and contributed to the dialogue.  Discussions regarding ethics and professionalism ensued.  Topics such as licensure exams, corporate dentistry and student clinic dilemmas were among the topics discussed.    Dr. Ronald Tankerlsey, the ACD guest of honor even dropped by before his lecture: “Perspectives on Ethics.”  All in all, it was a positive experience and had a larger than expected showing for such a new event.  We hope to offer this event again next year and gather an even larger group.

Conn ASDA - University of Connecticut ASDA Chapter

To help raise awareness of the importance of political involvement and advocacy in dentistry, UConn ASDA’s legislative liaisons, Eric Smith and Viviane Trinh, organized and held the second annual ‘Legislative Week’, which ran from December 10th-14th.  This week consisted of 4 events aimed at highlighting the current efforts by students and dentists to advocate for issues important to the practice of dentistry, as well as providing students with an abundance of opportunities for political involvement now and in their future careers.  On Monday, December 10th, we invited Dr. Steve Hall, Past President of the Hartford Dental Society, to give a Lunch and Learn talk entitled “Political Action Committees and the Importance of Group Advocacy” which provided students with a description of the goals, make-up, and successes of the various state and federal PACs that work to advocate for the interests of dentists.  On Tuesday December 11th, we hosted 3 members of Connecticut’s House of Representatives (Rep. Rick Lopes, Rep. Matthew Ritter, and Rep. Brian Becker) and 2 Connecticut state senators (Sen. John Fonfara and Sen. Kevin Witkos) for a panel discussion on dentistry and politics at the Low Learning Center.  At this event, students got to hear first-hand from legislators about their viewpoints on political issues relevant to students and to the dental profession.  Students were also able to ask their own questions, and hear about the best ways to influence the passing of legislation and to stay in touch with their state representative/senator.  On Thursday, December 13th, we organized a happy hour get-together at Grant’s Restaurant Happy Hour.  This event was attended by 55 students and provided them with a comfortable environment to talk one-on-one with Connecticut State legislators about dentistry and politics.  To round-off our Legislative Week, we hosted a final Lunch and Learn for students on Friday December 14th with a presentation given by Incumbent CSDA President Dr. Mark Desroisiers and CSDA Government Relations Manager Jim Williams.  This talk provided students with a description of the various ways they could become involved in political advocacy both as students and as dentists.

We would like to thank all those students who attended this week’s events and for making this year’s Legislative Week a wonderful success!  Stay tuned for invitations to attend both the State Dental Lobby Day and the ASDA National Lobby Day in the Spring!

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Conn ASDA - University of Connecticut ASDA Chapter

From November 2^nd to the 4^th, a delegation of UConn ASDA board members traveled to Chicago for the first annual ASDA National Leadership Conference held at the Holiday Inn Mart Plaza.  It was a really cool experience for UConn students to meet dental students from all 11 ASDA districts and listen to some really influential people in the world of professional dentistry.  Presentation topics included insurance, licensure, ethics, health care reform, and the future of dentistry.  All presentations can be accessed by clicking here.  Here’s a little bit from each of us about one of the many sessions we were able to attend.

Renee Rubenstein – Marketing Strategies for Your Practice

During this breakout session on November 2^nd, students learned about the various forms of marketing and how to utilize these marketing strategies at a manageable cost.  Glenn Lombardi began his presentation discussing the ever-increasing importance of social media and marketing for any successful dental practice. Increasing dependency on the internet makes social media vital to being in touch with most patients. Topics discussed included:

• How to get your website to be easily accessible by ‘Google’ searching and how to keep it within the first few links on the page
• Whether to have a free listing or a pay per click website (which would show up in top gray area if you pay competitively)
• The importance of connecting your website to Facebook and an informative blog
• How to deal with both positive and negative reviews
• The importance of making sure your website is accessible by ‘mobile’ devices (which require a different format).

To have a successful and searchable website, Glenn suggested that dentists keep content educational and up-to-date because Google continuously reviews all content and prioritizes its listings based on how updated a site is.  He also emphasized that dentists should not include any personal information on their professional Facebook page or post any pictures or patient information without their consent. The final take away points were to run an ethical practice and obtain more positive reviews by politely asking patients for input (instead of worrying about occasional negative reviews), and to work with others and make smart decisions about gradually building up your practice’s social media presence.

Stef Aquilina – Professionalism & Ethics in Your Practice

Inundated with our BMS curriculum, and then overwhelmed with dental clinic and labwork, it may come as a surprise that somewhere between our first day as dental students and our graduation day we become not just dentists, but professional as well. While for some this is a subtle and seamless transition, for others it may present some difficulty. Though as students we tend to fret about the obvious (i.e. does the patient need to be prophylaxed? How many clasps should my RPD design include?), it may actually be the more subtle ethical issues which may pose the biggest problem (i.e. do I abandon care on a child halfway through the treatment plan if the parents cannot pay? What if they are worse off than before I began?). Through a series of elucidating examples, the “Professionalism & Ethics” session helped tease apart the mindless mistakes that each of us will inevitably make as we navigate our careers from the downright unethical decisions that some may make which can mar our practices and professional lives. We discussed a handful of situations with ethical underpinnings which range from a discussion of patient-based exams which dominate the current dental licensure arena, to the rights and wrongs of posting patient images on Facebook. Overall, it was an interesting session which opened my eyes to the importance of ethics and professionalism in dentistry. I am looking forward to discussing more about these issues through UConn’s SPEA chapter!

Liz Kaminsky – Financial Decisions for Future Success 

While at the ASDA National Leadership Conference in Chicago, I was able to attend a presentation entitled “Financial Decisions for Future Success” by Charles Loretto, CPA. He was an engaging lecturer and highlighted a few key points that I wanted to share with the entire UConn ASDA community. First, he stressed how important it is to have a plan. Dentists must be protected with various insurance policies, should begin planning for retirement from day one, and have specific business goals. In his opinion, new dentists should own their own practice within 2 years of graduation. This may seem lofty, but he assured the audience that if you choose a practice with a solid patient base, high production numbers, and appropriate overhead, then this goal is easier to achieve than you might think.

Another point he stressed was being happy with life in general. You should pick an area in which you want to live, and make phone calls. Mr. Loretto advised to call or email as many current business owners as possible, even if that number reaches into the 100s. He argued that this takes only minutes out of your day and could lead to a great opportunity. His final take-away point was to have a professional look at any contract you are considering. Dentists do not have the training it takes to wade through legal jargon, and it is much more efficient to hire a company to take care of it for you. I would highly recommend looking at his full presentation, which is available at the link at the top of the page. I know I learned important lessons from his presentation, and have a new outlook on how I can take control of my future.

Emily Lloyd – The Licensure Equation: Where You Fit In 

Until recently, the licensing exams were one big question mark to me. I had heard horror stories about paying for patients or failing if they did not show up the day of the exam, but I did not truly understand how the process works. I also knew that some states such as New York give the option of completing a residency instead of an exam, and had heard something about a portfolio in California.  At the National Leadership Conference, I had the opportunity to attend a session about licensing that informed me of the logistics of the current licensing system and what direction ASDA would like states to move in. There are several different exams such as the NERB, WREB, and CITA that are accepted in multiple states, but no single exam is accepted in every state. This means that you cannot take one exam to be licensed in any state, thus placing restrictions on where you can legally practice. All exams have a live patient and a manikin portion, as well as a written portion, which often duplicates part 1 and 2 of the boards.

ASDA believes that the licensing exams should not be patient-based and that there should be an option to remediate at the students’ dental school if need be. ASDA also believes that the grading of the examination is subjective and based on examiner, and that the written portion should not duplicate parts 1 and 2 of the boards. They also support an exam that is universally accepted by all states.  Often times, “board lesions” are discovered and then the patients wait months for the board exam to have the active lesion treated. There is ethical concern with waiting to treat these active lesions. A portfolio, in place of a clinical exam, would alleviate this problem.  The portfolio would also alleviate the burden that paying for or relying on a patient to come poses for the student. ASDA also supports the option of a post graduate year in lieu of a licensure exam. ASDA is working hard to promote its stance on this matter and has been taking action at both the state and national level. It is comforting to know that ASDA is fighting for the interest of the student and has been successful in promoting our stance on such issues.

MaryKate Conboy – Debt Management for Dental Students

I sat down in the only empty chair in a room full of visibly anxious dental school students.  Each had a notebook in hand and a pen poised to write.  Soon numbers flashed on the screen in front of us.  The national average for a dental student graduating in 2011 was $203,000, the highest among professional school students.  With Federal Stafford and Grad PLUS loans at 6.8% interest rates and the Direct Graduate PLUS at a fixed rate of 7.9%, the challenge of repaying those loans seems daunting.  The tutorial presented at the National Leadership Conference in Chicago explained to students not only how to postpone loan payments, but also ways to make a full repayment.  They illustrated the different avenues students could take for repaying loans while assuaging students’ concerns that they would not be indebted to the government for most of their professional careers.  While the speakers did acknowledge that debt is the number one concern of graduating dental professionals, they assured us that we will never regret our decision to join the dental profession.  More information and resources about debt, loans, and repayment can be found at http://www.asdanet.org/debt.aspx.

Melissa Landin – How Health Care Reform Affects You

Now that the next four years are certain as President Obama has been reelected, we know that the Affordable Care Act is going to be making big changes to our health care industry.  Many of us have been wondering how this act will specifically affect us as dentists.  Michael Graham, senior vice president, Government and Public Affairs of the ADA, hosted a seminar at the NLC touching on this subject.  Mr. Graham highlighted some areas where he felt the ACA would significantly impact us as dentists:

• The ACA will expand Medicaid coverage to cover people with incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level.  Mr. Graham explained that Medicaid coverage is so poor that dentists in private practice lose money if they treat Medicaid patients.  The ADA continues to advocate for dentists on this issue and hopefully we will see better Medicaid reimbursement levels in the future.
• The ACA requires individuals to obtain health insurance that covers the ‘essential’ health benefits as chosen by politicians.  Every medical plan has to have pediatric dental coverage as part of the ‘essential’ health benefits, but adult dental care is not considered part of this.  It is expected that an additional 3 million children will receive dental benefits through this process.
• The ACA has capped Flexible Spending Accounts (which allow individuals to put away a percent of pre-tax income toward medical and dental bills) to $2500 a year versus allowing the individual to set their own cap as in the past.  This number will be adjusted annually for cost of living.
• There is a 2.3% medical devices tax that will begin on January 1, 2013, that the ADA continues to try to repeal.  The ADA believes this tax will increase the cost of dental care by more than $160 million annually.
• Lastly, the ACA is implementing state health exchanges which will begin enrolling beneficiaries by October, 2013.  A state health exchange is a virtual marketplace of medical and dental plans.  Any individual will be able to see all plans for their given state.  As dental care providers, it will be important for us to educate ourselves on each plan that is out there for the state in which we practice.  It is likely that patients will come to us for advice about which plan best fits their personal oral health care needs.

Mr. Graham concluded with the importance of staying involved and working closely with politicians to shape health care policy quoting, “If you’re not at the table, you’ll be on the menu.”

Andrew Brodsky - Protecting Your Profession

One problem facing dentistry is the availability of and accessibility to proper dental health care, especially in rural and remote locations.  That is why several states, including Alaska and Minnesota, have legalized care provided by dental therapists, also known as mid-level providers.  After receiving a certain amount of education mandated by state governments (i.e. 2 years in Minnesota), these providers are allowed to do cleanings, take radiographs, apply sealants, administer local anesthesia, and perform restorations on both the primary and secondary dentition.  Once again, restrictions are set by the state dictating what types of procedures these therapists can provide, as well as whether these practitioners are allowed to practice independently or must remain under the supervision of a licensed dentist.

Dr. Carter Brown, vice president of the Academy of General Dentistry, explained that taking this approach will not effectively alleviate the larger problems facing oral health care.  He emphasized that while access to care plays a part in improving oral health, it is only a very small part, and of that small part, the size of the work force is but a fraction.  He suggested that, rather than facing an access problem, we are facing a “capacity utilization” problem.  He explained that there are lots of dentists concentrated in certain areas that have the capacity to see more patients, but don’t because they are unwilling to accept Medicaid and patients from rural areas cannot consistently get to their offices.

Dr. Brown offered advice on how he and the A.G.D. thinks this problem should be faced: first, educating dental therapists is a waste of time and money because in the majority of cases, offices centered around dental therapists cannot survive financially, and therapists located in rural locations usually return to practice in an established dental office under the supervision of a dentist within months.  Additionally, these care providers are not as comprehensively educated as dentists, and cannot provide the standard of care that a fully trained oral health team can offer.  Instead, Dr. Brown suggested that there should be more opportunities for dental school students to serve both privately insured patients and patients using entitlement programs in rural areas through tuition remission programs and other financial incentives.  This can be done, he suggested, by increasing the proportion from the mere 1.8% of Medicaid spending dentistry receives, to a larger, more appropriate level.  Finally, he emphasized, that increasing literacy and education is the most important aspect of improving oral health on a population-wide level, in both urban and rural areas.

Conn ASDA - University of Connecticut ASDA Chapter

The ASDA Holiday Toothbrush Sale has begun! Stop by the academic lobby to place your order Monday (11/26) from 12-12:30 PM or grab a form from Emily, Allison, or I in-between!

Dental Professional Trial Syst

em (electronic toothbrush, toothpase, floss and mouthwash): ASDA Price $65, Non-ASDA price: $70 (Retail = $175)
Professional Crest Whitestrips Supreme: ASDA Price $35, Non-ASDA price: $40 (Retail = $100)

Conn ASDA - University of Connecticut ASDA Chapter

Fun, Frightfest, and Fluoride! ASDA District 1 students met at Six Flags New England for their Second Annual District 1 Meeting. Over 50 students from UConn, BU, Tufts, and Harvard gathered to hear presentations from VOCO America, Medical Protective Insurance, Q Optic Loupes, and TheNEXTDDS. Students received some discounts for great food, tickets to the park, and some great information from these companies. They also heard a short presentation encouraging students to get involved in national ASDA to carry on the great tradition that we have going in District 1. Thanks also to ADA’s Insurance for their sponsorship of the meeting. Following the presentations students went off into the park to enjoy the rides, unseasonably warm weather, and Frightfest attractions!

Conn ASDA - University of Connecticut ASDA Chapter

The first frost advisory of the fall didn’t deter the fifty fierce Conn ASDA runners who participated in the Hartford Marathon races last Saturday! Though it was an early and cold morning, runners and volunteers showed up at Bushnell Park in downtown Hartford with big smiles across their faces. Among our runners, we had three full marathon finishers, ten half marathon finishers, nine 5K finishers, and four marathon relay teams! In addition, we had a bevy of volunteers who helped the day run smoothly, cheered on our runners, and handed out some complimentary prophy supplies to marathon and half marathon runners at the finish line. Our volunteers were also a huge help at the Pasta Powerup dinner the night before the races! With the cooking finesse of our ASDA board and a generous donation from Victoria Fine Foods, we pulled together a delicious carb-packed pre-race feast. The Pasta Powerup was a great way to enjoy each other’s company and get psyched for the following morning. All in all, we had a great couple of days together supporting Give Back a Smile, a charitable program of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. To date, we have raised $2,300 for this program which helps provide access to free dental care for victims of domestic violence. That’s enough money to restore the smiles of 11 victims of domestic violence! Thanks to our runners, volunteers, and donors for supporting us and Give Back a Smile!

If you’d like to donate to Give Back a Smile, we are still accepting donations over on our paypal! http://www.connasda.org/service/

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Conn ASDA - University of Connecticut ASDA Chapter

With the Hartford Marathon quickly approaching, members of the UConn Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine are busy fundraising to benefit Give Back a Smile.  Last weekend, students from both schools, as well as family and friends, visited Hickory Hill Orchards to go apple picking.  Located in Cheshire, Connecticut, Hickory Hill Orchards is owned by the parents of Alison Kudish ’15.  The event was organized by fundraising chairs Steph Aquilina ’14 and Alison Kudish, and for a $5 donation to Give Back a Smile, one could spend the afternoon picking apples, going on hay rides, and enjoying cider and fresh cider donuts.  This was a great opportunity to take a break from studying and spending time in clinic to get to see members of all classes, and to enjoy a bit of nature.  While the cider and donuts were fantastic, nature definitely stole the show.  Between the perfect looking Macoun’s, the softball-sized and incredibly sweet Mutzu’s (Crispin’s), and the beautiful fall scenery all around us, it was a real treat for everyone there.

The Hartford Marathon is Saturday, October 13.  Until then, ASDA and the Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine will continue fundraising to reach our goal of raising $2,600 to repair 13 smiles.  To donate, visit our service page and click on the yellow donate button.

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Conn ASDA - University of Connecticut ASDA Chapter