Great Lakes Association of Orthodontists
President's Report “Great Treatment Without the Fuss” is the theme of the joint GLAO and MASO Annual Meeting on the beautiful island of Bermuda. If you have not yet registered for this meeting, it’s not too late! Our previous joint meeting in 1998 at this island resort was a huge success. Since then, the Southampton Princess has been totally rebuilt, so it’s even more fantastic!
Our program has been structured to provide insight into the latest clinical techniques and patient management skills. We have arranged an outstanding group of speakers to fill the mornings. The afternoons will be open for you to enjoy the many activities the island has to offer. Please bring your staff and join us on this island paradise for a most memorable meeting.
The AAO’s 2005 Annual Meeting in San Francisco was a resounding success, largely due to the efforts of many Great Lakes members. First and foremost would be Dr. Terry Pracht, now the AAO Past-President. Terry’s dedication to orthodontics and the AAO are an inspiration to all of us. We all owe him a collective “thank you and congratulations”. Terry’s Annual Meeting Planning Committee of Drs. Tom Ahman, Jim McNamara, Jeff Gilmore and of course Patricia Pracht all did a fabulous job coordinating such a great meeting.
I am pleased to report that our GLAO Delegates to the AAO House of Delegates represented our membership very well. Details of the House actions can be found in the Trustee’s Report written by Dr. John Buzzatto. I wish to thank our delegates and alternates, Drs. John Barbour, Mark Barkley, Jeff Berger, Dan George, Maria Haas, Don Hayes, Bruce Hill, Valmy Kulbersh, Richard Marcus, Bob Portenga and Walt Schratz. These dedicated individuals volunteer their time for the betterment of our specialty.
Also at the AAO meeting, Dr. Scott Jamieson was installed as our representative to the ABO Board of Directors. He assumes the position held for the past eight years by Dr. Mike Riolo. Scott is imminently qualified and will do a fine job following in Mike’s formidable footsteps.
As for the future, the AAO and the Great Lakes will face many challenges, one of which is the need for more volunteer leaders. The GLAO has been blessed with many fine people who continue to give their time and energy back to their profession. It has been my sincere pleasure to work with and get to know these individuals on a personal as well as a professional basis. As a result, they have become my lifelong friends.
However, no challenge facing us is more important than the crisis in orthodontic education. Orthodontics stands at a crossroads. How we educate the next generation of orthodontists will be decided very soon. I’ve always been told that there are three types of people in this world, those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who say, “What just happened?” I urge each of you to become involved and have your voice be heard. The future of orthodontics depends upon it.
As my year as GLAO President comes to a close, I am deeply indebted to the Great Lakes Officers, Board of Directors and Council representatives, all who have made this job a pleasure. Special thanks also go to Debbie Nunner and her assistant, Michelle Patrick, who handle the day to day operations of our organization.
I have enjoyed immensely working on your behalf and look forward to seeing you all in Bermuda!
GLAO Trustee Report
The Board of Trustees met August 19-20, 2005 in St. Louis. Following is a brief review of the highlights of the Board Meeting.
Commission on Dental Accreditation: The CDA took the following action. The University of Nevada Las Vegas Orthodontic Program received initial accreditation. Their hearing for full accreditation will take place prior to the first graduating class. Jacksonville University’s Orthodontic Program received full accreditation. As of January 1, 2006, the following new Standard 1.1 (program integrity) will be included in all dental disciplines. Standard 1 – Institutional Effectiveness of the accreditation standards for all disciplines: The sponsoring institution must ensure that support from entities outside of the institution does not compromise the teaching, clinical and research components of the program. The authority and final responsibility for curriculum development and approval, student/resident selection faculty selection and administrative matters must rest within the sponsoring institution.
AAO Patient Census Survey: There are about 9,350 active, practicing orthodontists in the U.S. and Canada who are members of the AAO (about 8,800 – U.S.) as of July 2005. Approximately 95% of all educationally eligible orthodontists are AAO Members. The majority of patients begin treatment between the ages of 9 to14. 63% of adult patients are female which is down from the 70% previously reported, this indicates more adult males are seeking treatment. 59% of all new patients have dental insurance that includes orthodontic benefits. Orthodontic treatment lasts from 12 to 36 months, with 24 months being average.
Committee to Evaluate the Board of Trustees: The committee met via conference call on August 9, 2005. The committee reviewed the directive of House Resolution 74-05 H and Dr. Richard Albright was selected as chairman. They decided to interview two companies that had submitted proposals at its face-to-face meeting scheduled for September 30, 2005. A recommendation will be forthcoming to the Board at its November 2005 meeting. Chris Roberts – GLAO member.
Council on Insurance: The Board approved providing JLT Services the AAO member number and birth date on mailings lists for the purpose of instituting their new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. The utilization of HSAfinder.com for -members purchasing Health Saving Account (HSA) qualified medical insurance through the AAO program was also approved. A 7% increase on HSA Qualified Medical Plans and a 15% increase for all other Major Medical Plans will take effect October 1, 2005. The AAO will develop a DVD that will educate all members on risk management and other insurance needs for practicing orthodontists. Jerry Hickman – GLAO member.
Council on Scientific Affairs: The Board approved new monetary awards and travel reimbursement for the Milo Hellman, Harry Sicher and Thomas M. Graber awards. The Council also responded to the ADA’s Division of Science in response to the ADA paper on athletic mouth guards. Two concerns were raised: (1) Custom-formed mouth guards can inhibit some orthodontic tooth movements. The AAO asked that a statement be included that some mouth guards cannot be worn with orthodontic appliances and those orthodontic patients should speak to their orthodontist before participating in sports or proceeding with orthodontic treatment. Also, patients who have undergone jaw surgery should speak to their surgeon or orthodontist before participating in sports; (2) No mention was made of the type of mouth guard patients should use when they are wearing braces. Is it possible to see some research that rates the different types of mouth guards to give some direction on which mouth guards provide the most protection? Richard Kulbersh – GLAO member.
Council on Informational Technology: The Board approved a budget of $60,000 for the redesign of the AAO public web site, www.braces.org. Joe Janowski – GLAO member.
Council on Orthodontic Education: The Board approved the ADA’s Council on Education and Dental Licensure proposed revised definition of Endodontics. “Endodontics: is the dental speciality pertaining to the biology, pathology and regeneration of the human dental complex and periradicular tissues. Its study and practice encompass the biological and clinical sciences related to the normal and diseased dental pulp and associated periradicular tissues, as well as the etiology, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of pathoses and injuries of these tissues. Endodontics emphasizes the preservation of the healthy natural dentition to promote the highest quality of life”. Gene Roberts – GLAO member.
Council on Governmental Affairs: The dates for the 2006 Governmental Affairs Conference were changed to Sunday night, March 19 through Wednesday, March 22, 2006. The AAO will begin to monitor states with or planning to implement commissions on scope of practice. These agencies may adversely affect orthodontists by making it difficult or impossible to practice in areas in which they should have the authority to practice. The AAO will also support legislation that would assist the math and science education of elementary and secondary school students. The AAO will join a coalition, including ADEA, ADA and the American Council on Education, supporting student loan interest deductions. The AAO will support the position of the ADA as to obtaining the highest limits possible in revision/repeal of the estate tax. Don Hayes – GLAO member.
AAOPAC: The AAOPAC is pleased to report that, as of August 8, 2005, it has raised $130,578 since January 1, 2005. During the same period in 2004, AAOPAC raised $119,480 and in 2003, $91,829. Don Hayes – GLAO member.
Council on Membership, Ethics and Judicial Concerns: The Board has approved the revised 2005 Former Members Needs Survey. The survey will be sent to as many former members of the AAO as possible. Jeff Gilmore – GLAO member.
Council on Orthodontic Health Care: Codes were approved for submission to the ADA Code Revision Committee involving: Post-orthodontic treatment retention visit, repair to retainers, Comprehensive Orthodontic Evaluation and Temporary Anchorage Devices with and without surgical flaps. Bob Brown – GLAO member.
American Board of Orthodontics: The Board approved that a roster of AAO members who are non-boarded be provided to the ABO at no charge so they may be extended a personal invitation to become certified to those members. The Board also approved the revised ABO Director Selection process. Essentially, if no nominee is accepted from the list of nominees by the ABO, the ABO will inform the AAO Board of their decision with a confidential explanation as to the reasons. Scott Jamieson – GLAO member.
Conferences: The 2007 Leadership Conference will be held at the Sheraton Chalet at West Port Plaza in St. Louis, January 26-28, 2007. The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada was approved as the venue for the 2008 AAO Technology Conference scheduled for February 8-10, subject to successful contract negotiations.
Surveys: Surveys were approved for the Delaware State Orthodontic Society and the Florida Association of Orthodontists
Task Force on Retired Member Benefits: A business plan was approved to establish if sufficient interest exists: Retired member newsletter, Column in Bulletin devoted to retired members, Special section on the AAO Website, AAO involvement through committees and mentoring, Locum tenens practice and teaching opportunities, and further that the Board appoint a smaller task force to explore additional ideas and work with staff on implementing the services. Dan Balbach – GLAO member.
2005 Annual Session: The GLAO was instrumental in the extremely successful 105th Annual Session in San Francisco. A record number of Doctors attended in every category including U.S. & Canada, International, WFO and orthodontic residents. We also had the largest trade show ever and preliminary reports indicate financial success as well with an anticipated profit of well over $1,000,000. This success can be attributed to President Terry Pracht and his talented Planning Committee which included: Tom Ahman, General Chair; Jim McNamara, Scientific Program Chair; Jeff Gilmore, Orthodontic Staff Program Chair; Gary Baughman, Local Arrangements Chair; Richard and Valmy Kulbersh, Table Clinic Co-Chairs; Trisha Pracht, Life Enhancement Chair and Bob Brown, Moderator Coordinator. The GLAO delegates also served on numerous committees including: Jeff Berger, Committee on Credentials, Chair; Valmy Kulbersh, Committee on Bylaws; Mary Barkley, Reference Committee #1, Dan George, Reference Committee #2 and Bob Portenga, Reference Committee #3 Chair. Our other delegates/alternate delegates included: Chris Roberts, GLAO Delegation Chair; John Barbour, Maria Haas, Richard Marcus, Don Hayes, Bruce Hill and Walt Schratz. Mike Riolo completed his term as ABO President and Scott Jamieson was installed as the GLAO Director to the ABO.
2006 Annual Session: The Orthodontic Resident/Student Scholar Program will be renamed the Orthodontic Resident Scholar Program. Chairman’s expense funds in Council budgets may be used by the Chairs to offset travel costs to the AAO Annual session. John Major, former Prime Minister of England has been contracted for the Awards Luncheon in New Orleans.
Meetings: The following is a list of meetings that I have attended since the AAO Annual Session in San Francisco. July 7, 2005 – COHC Code sub-committee conference call, July 20, 2005 – COHC conference call, August 11, 2005 – COHC Virginia Brown sub-committee conference call, August 19-20, 2005 BOT meeting (St. Louis), scheduled August 25-27, 2005 – ADA Code Review Committee (Chicago), September 7, 2005 – ADA Resolutions conference call.
|
