We Need You

In the game of hockey, penalties for rule violations can result in the loss of a player, either for a few minutes, and occasionally for the remainder of the game. This player must wait out their penalty time in what is referred to as a Penalty Box. Minor rule violations typically require a twominute stay in the Penalty Box, while major violations can put a player there for five-minutes or more. Obviously, the team playing with one less player is at a significant disadvantage. For the opposing team, this is referred to as a “Power Play.” To even the playing field it is imperative that the player confined to the Penalty Box be released back into the game. Currently, a Power Play is being waged against the dental profession, as some of our players have put themselves in the Penalty Box.

In wrestling and boxing there are weight classes to even the playing field. If this were not the case, both sports would be dominated by the big and the powerful. Can you imagine a flyweight (112 lbs. max.) going up against a heavyweight (175 to 200 lbs.) and winning? While admittedly it could happen, it would certainly be the exception. Currently, the dental profession is going up against a myriad of heavyweights. We need our biggest, strongest and quickest athletes in the ring. We cannot do this effectively without broad support from dentists everywhere.

Every sport requires proper equipment. Consider a football team coming onto the field without helmets and pads? How about a golfer attempting to chip onto the green with a #2 driver, or a steer wrestler in sneakers? Better yet, Michael Jordan sailing through the air to dunk the ball wearing cowboy boots? You get the picture. The dental profession is currently not playing with the best equipment. It is as if we have abandoned our handpieces, leaving us with only spoon excavators to do our cavity preparations.

Mariners refer to “all hands on deck” when there is a crisis at sea and all crew members are needed to help solve the problem. Everyone is to leave the safety of the vessel’s interior, come topside, and do their part. This metaphor of “all hands on deck” is well understood as a call to action in all walks of life. Currently, the dental profession needs all hands on deck. members of our association to join with us in bringing that other arm out to help fight our battles.

Speaking of battles, do you realize the number of Goliaths out there trying to carve us up and have us for lunch? There are powerful interests that would gladly enrich themselves at our expense. This is not hyperbole, nor is it an overstatement of our situation. We are looking for the rest of you to help make us as David to go up against these Goliaths.

During the span of my career I have watched the American Medical Association (AMA) go from being a robust and powerful representation of our physician colleagues to becoming largely irrelevant. For many years, membership in the AMA hovered around 75% of active, licensed physicians.1 More recently, their membership has dropped to as low as 15%.2 The bottom line is they have no real influence in public policy anymore. Needless to say, the AMA is now simply a paper tiger. Is this what we want for dentistry?

I am nearing the end of my career. For selfish reasons I could just sit by and watch us get clobbered by outside interests. But, I can’t. The leaders in our profession that guided the ADA and organized dentistry long before I came along, left us with a pretty good gig. I am not content to not do everything in my power to leave our younger colleagues with that same, pretty good gig. But, we need a full team to make this happen. We need everyone suited up and on the field by being dues paying members of our association.

There are currently about 211,000 active, licensed dentists in the

United States (Figure 1). Of those, approximately 125,000, or 59%, are dues paying members of the ADA. Just five short years ago that number was 63%. For the past two years, membership has dropped by almost 2% per year. This is not a good trend, and if it continues will put us at below 50% membership in less FIGURE 1

FIGURE 1 Figure 1

National Active Licensed Dentists

So, what am I getting at with all the sporting analogies? Simply stated, without a strong majority of dentists as dues paying members of the ADA/UDA, we are sorely disadvantaged as a profession. Whether or not you agree with every cause championed by organized dentistry, is not the point. The point is that the ADA and the UDA give us a voice. They represent us, and advocate for us and for the public. Currently though, they are doing so with one arm tied behind their back. We need the other arm. We need the other 41% of dentists who are not

FIGURE 2Figure 2 Membership Trend LineMembership Trend Line

Source: ADA Treasurer, Dr. Ted Sherwin, Report to House of Delegates, Oct. 15, 2022

than five years (Figure 2). Now, more than ever, we need all hands-on deck.

I get it. It has not always been easy to write out that roughly $1,000 check each year. It takes a lot of money to run a dental practice. I know. I did it for 34 years. Every dollar counts. I understand the challenges. But, as dentists, when it comes to return on investment, there is no better bang for your buck than the ADA, period! End of discussion. So, this is my call to action: 1. If you are currently a member, please reach out to a colleague and invite them to join you at one of our meetings. If that colleague is already a member, great; then attend together. Keep extending that same invitation until you come upon one of our friends and colleagues who is not currently a member. If a dinner meeting, you might even offer to buy them dinner? But, get them to the meeting with you. It is just that simple. It starts with the invitation. 2. If you have let your membership lapse, or if you are a new dentist and are now faced with paying those dues with your hard-earned dental income dollars, I plead with you to just do it! And, then keep doing it.

There you have it. The task ahead is clear and focused. We need everyone. We need a full team, suited up and ready for action. We need YOU! Let us not allow those who would take unfair advantage of us or our patients have a “Power Play” at our expense.

Dr Mark Taylor UDA President Elect

1 https://www.phg.com/2000/01/physician-statistics-summary/ 2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3153537/

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