ADEA State Update

For additional information on issues affecting academic dentistry and dental and craniofacial research in Congress, federal agencies and state legislatures, please follow ADEA Advocacy and Government Relations on Twitter at ADEAAGR; there is much to “tweet” about.

For additional information on issues affecting academic dentistry and dental and craniofacial research in Congress, federal agencies and state legislatures, please follow ADEA Advocacy and Government Relations on Twitter at ADEAAGR; there is much to “tweet” about.

Please save the date, April 8, 2014, for the next American Dental Education Association/American Association for Dental Research, ADEA/AADR Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill. The event will take place in the Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2168 from 8:00 a.m. to noon. This one day event has been designed to provide the dental education and dental and craniofacial research communities an opportunity to advocate before Congress in support of our issues. There will be a short program on issues of importance to academic dentistry, with guest speakers from the academic and dental and craniofacial research community, and greetings from several members of Congress. Immediately following the program, participants will proceed to members’ offices for meetings. Your participation is invaluable, as an expert in the field of academic dental education and/or dental and craniofacial research, to educate members of Congress. The value of constituents personally interacting with members of Congress cannot be over-stated—there is no substitute for direct constituent contact; as we say in Washington, “if you are not at the table—you are on the menu.” Therefore, we trust everyone will make plans to participate in this important event. Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill is open to all ADEA members. If you cannot attend, please encourage a colleague or students from your institution to attend the event. ADEA will assist in arranging hotel accommodations and provide information regarding congressional members who represent your institution in order to facilitate scheduling meetings—more information is forthcoming. In the meantime, please save the date, April 8, 2014, we look forward to seeing you in Washington.

For additional information on issues affecting academic dentistry and dental and craniofacial research in Congress, federal agencies and state legislatures, please follow ADEA Advocacy and Government Relations on Twitter at ADEAAGR; there is much to “tweet” about.

For additional information on issues affecting academic dentistry and dental and craniofacial research in Congress, federal agencies and state legislatures, please follow ADEA Advocacy and Government Relations on Twitter at ADEAAGR; there is much to “tweet” about.

Program Highlight: The United States Army has launched a new program to expand dental services for active duty soldiers. Although dental services are currently available to soldiers, the new Go First Class program will allow soldiers to receive an examination, cleaning, and treatment of simple fillings during a single appointment. In addition, soldiers can expect to receive other benefits including: Fluoride treatments; Oral hygiene guidance; Tooth varnish; Tobacco cessation tools; and Oral cancer screenings. Each of the Army’s 130 dental clinics must be ready to offer Go First Class by October 1. The program reached initial operating capability in July after successful pilot programs at Fort Gordon, GA; Fort Bliss, TX; and Fort Shafter, HI. Soldiers Served: The U.S. Army Dental Command (DENCOM) has 4,915 employees, of which 2,614 are dentists or dental specialists. DENCOM is responsible for treating approximately 500,000 active duty soldiers, as well as 500,000 members of the National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve. According to Col. Bryan Kalish, Director of Health Care Delivery for Army Dental Command at Fort Sam Houston, TX, “half of all soldiers have at least one cavity.” Moreover, the Colonel predicts that one-third of all soldiers who were cavity-free last year will be diagnosed with at least one cavity this year. However, he is very optimistic about the new program. “If every soldier had a Go First Class appointment, the Army would receive 1.25 million hours of lost productivity,” stated Col. Kalish.