Attend DDOH
to Bring About Change
By Susan M. Byrne, DMD
The first Dentists’ Day on the Hill (DDOH) I attended was as a dental student at the University of Florida. It was amazing to see dentists from all over Florida converging in Tallahassee to enact change and help preserve the way we practice dentistry. Attending this event and being a part of the local chapter of the American Student Dental Association was the start of my involvement in local and state government on behalf of dentistry. After graduating, I became a member of the Florida Dental Association (FDA) and the American Dental Association (ADA) as a way of staying involved in my profession. I’ve tried to attend DDOH
every year that I can. I think it’s our responsibility as dentists to be aware of what is going on in our government, whether it’s locally, statewide or nationally, as it pertains to dentistry and how we treat our patients. The way I see it is, if you aren’t willing to help bring about change through attending or supporting events and causes related to dentistry, how can you complain when something goes wrong? Being involved with your community is the first step to enacting change. If you haven’t been to DDOH, consider attending next year. You also can get involved by becoming a legislative contact dentist (LCD) in your area. By participating in these events, you can interact and learn from dentists you wouldn’t meet otherwise. This
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