50 Years and Counting

ALLEN VEAN, DMD

The MDDS Board of Directors met recently and our co-editor, Dr. Amisha Singh, gave a beautiful presentation on “Professionalism.” As I listened to her speak, I realized that as of this spring, I will have graduated from dental school fifty years ago. Some of you may remember visiting the dentist with spittoons for rinsing your mouth, belt driven slow speed handpieces, cold sterile solutions (I called it holy water), no gloves or masks, a mortar and pestle for mixing amalgam (no kidding), the overhead light that was so hot you were afraid to touch it. Yes, this, and much more, was how dentistry was delivered. How grateful we should be that in the last fifty years the highspeed handpiece, adhesive dentistry, digital technology, computerization, and other new technologies have transformed our profession to one of delivering the highest quality of care.

As I reflect on my education and experience, there are so many memories to recall. My dental education was completed at a private dental school. It was the oldest dental school west of the Mississippi and one of its faculty members was the infamous G.V. Black. When a new chancellor was named, he was given the task of making sure every school at least paid their way and was not a financial burden to the university. As we all are aware, providing quality dental care has a high cost, especially at a private school. Like many other private schools, dental care and education had an extremely challenging time making expenses. My tuition was capped at $1,150 per semester (Yes, really). However, since Colorado did not have a dental school and was part of the WICHE program, I was given a stipend to travel back to Colorado once per year. The stipend was based on a train fare of $60 (big bucks), which I never received since it went straight to the registrar’s office and credited to my tuition account. It was impossible for our school to adhere to this new edict and the dental school that had been in existence since 1866 was forced to close in 1991.

Our dental class consisted of 66 males. There were 12 students, including yours truly, who had graduated college and began their dental education immediately after receiving their undergraduate degree. The remainder of the class consisted of students, many with young families, who had been working in different industries and saw the potential in dentistry. I recall one of my classmates who had worked for NASA. I questioned him as to why he decided to change careers. His response was, “There is no future in the space program.” Incredible! It also should be noted there were no minorities or students of color represented. The university’s faculty was a mixture of private practice and ex-military dentists. There were two female faculty members, the chairperson of the pediatric dentistry department and an operative instructor who was trained in Germany.

As I look back, from a clinical aspect, the faculty was outstanding. However, their “professional” interactions with both students and patients were what I would characterize as a horror show. Some had no problem in demeaning and embarrassing students in front of a patient. I recall a prosthodontics faculty member taking one of my classmate’s denture setups, calling them “door stops,” and proceeding to shatter them as he threw the set down on the floor. But there were also fond memories of a kind and compassionate oral surgery faculty member who guided this neophyte through a third molar extraction. When I graduated, the faculty had not changed, the student population mix remained the same with the exception of one female dental student.

After completing my pediatric residency program and a brief time teaching in a graduate pediatric dentistry residency program, I returned to Denver and began private practice. My involvement in organized dentistry began in 1983 when I became chair of the Dental Health-Public Information Committee (as it was known then) of MDDS. I also became a member of an organization known as Denver’s Cable Television Health Consortium. We attempted to educate the public about health issues both dental and medical. After that time, we all know the rest of the story with technology advancing at almost light speed.

In 1986, I was honored to serve on the MDDS Ethics Committee and remained a member until 1998. There is one incident that to this day, I will never forget. As we sat in the office of the MDDS Executive Director for a committee meeting regarding a significant issue, one member of the Board of Directors was present and claimed that MDDS must do something about the makeup of the board because “There were too many Jews.” I am a descendant of a Jewish family that escaped Russia and emigrated to America through Ellis Island. I sat stunned and was at a loss for words at that moment. To his credit, our Executive Director immediately confronted the member and told him that expulsion proceedings would be commenced immediately if such a comment was ever mentioned again.

In 2003, I became a member of the Governmental Affairs Committee of the CDA and remained on the committee until 2014. I am always grateful and appreciative of the knowledge I obtained while serving. Incidentally, I was informed of the committee term limits by our new ADA president-elect. Dr. Kessler was the newly elected president of the CDA at the time. The call was expected and the need for involvement of new members was understandable.

As my clinical career ended in 2017, I remained active in organized dentistry. Volunteering for Special Olympics Colorado as a Clinical Director, substitute teaching at a local hygiene school when asked, and participating in their GKAS sessions twice a year, has been gratifying. In addition, I hope that Amisha and I have made the Articulator a valuable addition to your membership.

We have made progress since 1974. According to the ADA, in 2022, almost 37% of dentists are female. In 2022, of all dentists, approximately 68% are White, 19% are Asian, 6% are Hispanic, 4% are Black and 2% classify themselves as “other.” In 2021, 56% of first-year dental students were women. We are on the right track. Our membership should be extremely proud, particularly of the makeup of our MDDS Board of Directors, which exemplifies diversity and inclusion at the highest level.

Thank you for your participation in organized dentistry. It continues to be an honor to serve.

Please enjoy the 2024 RMDC!! Your comments and thoughts are always welcome.

A healthy, happy holiday season to all!