THE STORY OF THE AMERICAN DENTAL ASSOCIATION

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] this is chaos this would be a daily widespread occurrence in this country if we had no government but fortunately we do have law making bodies [Music] we have law enforcement for the protection of good citizens [Music] we have courts to interpret the law [Music] and what is true of the nation is also true of the dental profession [Music] for we too are organized for the prevention of chaos [Music] a profession is a nation within itself and only through its organized strength can a profession protect the public and its own members only through organization can dentistry maintain its professional integrity and the public's respect dentistry has achieved high standards today only because most of its members recognize the necessity for unity in the protection of their ideals during the years the change has been great [Music] less than a hundred years ago everyone was permitted to practice dentistry barbers blacksmiths and other ambitious men with strong hands pulled teeth as a sideline [Music] ah [Music] oh [Music] [Music] be sure to hit it [Music] competent dentists of that period men with medical educations or trained under the preceptorial system viewed the future with alarm whenever they gathered informally far-seeing dentists had proposed an association in 1817 as the only remedy for the chaos that threatened the whole profession but not until 1840 were any great forward steps taken america's first dental college was founded in that year and five months later the first class was graduated two students received their doctor of dental surgery degrees and in that same year the forerunner of the american dental association was organized dr horace h hayden keynoted the first meeting the formation of a national society of dentists has long been a favorite project with me and i am happy to say i have never found myself wholly alone in this desire the members of the medical faculty also to their honor be it spoken uniformly approved of the plan with this display of solidarity and with an organized demand for better professional training 10 more colleges of dentistry were established between 1840 and 1870 this increase coupled with the growing strength of the dental association caused a movement for state regulation of dental education and practice during the next thirty years forty five states passed legislation outlawing the old preceptorial system and requiring that all future practitioners be graduates of dental schools the dental association had won its first big victory this victory however had its elements of danger existing schools could not accommodate all of the students who applied for admission so commercial dental schools were started primarily for the profit of their proprietors these schools had a strong appeal because they offered a quick and easy road to what was now becoming a respected career again the future of dentistry hung in the balance again it must be decided whether dentistry was to become a mechanics trade or a trained profession and again the american dental association gave the answer the answer did not come quickly years of hard fighting were needed before the last proprietary school was closed but again organization had prevented the chaos against which individual effort would have been powerless today virtually all dental schools are affiliated with universities that require at least two years of preparatory training in an accredited liberal arts college followed by at least four years of intensive professional education the association now looks forward to the time when dental training will be holy in the hands of universities the association has also helped to break the bonds of secrecy that for years surrounded techniques and impeded the development of a dental literature dentists now write freely of their discoveries making them available to all practitioners making of dentistry a living growing art a student may need help in preparing a thesis he writes a letter to the association's library a dentist encounters an unusual case that does not respond to standard treatment he too writes a letter another dentist needs help in writing a paper he also writes to the association's library and the answer to every conceivable dental question is here called from thousands of issues of more than a hundred dental publications from all parts of the world and out to all parts of the nation these packages of information go to answer the questions of american dental association members wherever they may be each year 5 000 packages are shipped to help in keeping members abreast of dentistry's rapid developments another result made possible only through organization is the journal of the american dental association which for almost a hundred years has numbered among its contributors most of the outstanding figures in dentistry and its allied sciences here also through these pages month after month members learn what progress the various committees councils and commissions of the association are making for the advancement and protection of the dental profession here for example is a report of the work being done in the bureau of standards by a staff of scientists maintained there by the american dental association these men devote all of their time to testing the physical properties of materials used by the dental profession protecting the public and dentists from loss through the use of inferior products closely allied in this continuous vigilance is the laboratory in the associations building where analyses are made of dental medicines and adjuncts to dental treatment through these scientific checks false advertising claims are debunked and the public and members of the association are protected from exploitation each year the association publishes this book accepted dental remedies which contains the properties actions uses and other information pertaining to all accepted dental remedies the manufacturers of these remedies are permitted to use the seal of acceptance indicating that these products are of proper composition and honestly advertised and that they may be used with confidence and safety and in the back of the adr is a list of products that are not acceptable organized dentistry the joining together of all men who realize that the future of the profession depends upon united effort has also brought meetings and conventions to their highest benefit here every member is able to get first-hand information about the latest developments in equipment and supplies is able to keep abreast of recent developments in techniques postgraduate work and clinics these are among the many benefits that arise from a widespread belief in the strength of unity but the association's attention is not confined to the profession alone public health education is also a necessity for only with an enlightened public can the fullest advances of dentistry be put into practice this educational program is being carried on through every conceivable channel to promote a broader conception of how the condition of teeth affects the general health literature of this nature is available to every member of the association including encouragement for the little people socialization of public health education will go far to prevent the undesirable socialization of dentistry with a clearer understanding of dentistry's ideals the public will better realize the shortcomings of regimentation and also working toward that same end are the news releases to the lay press news releases that are carefully prepared by the association about dental developments of general interest all of this the improved professional status and the increased public knowledge have helped to gain official recognition of dentistry's rightful position in society during the first world war for example many dentists were enlisted men even that recently the government kept many dentists on a level with carpenters blacksmiths and other skilled artisans at the start of the second world war all eligible dentists were commissioned organization had helped to make the profession worthy of recognition and then that recognition was obtained before the second world war an effort was made to put all dentists in a class with dealers in old gold the original gold reserve act of 1934 drafted when this country went off the gold standard would have meant considerable hardship for every practicing dentist it would have meant the filling in of interminable reports it would have meant repeated inspections by the government but it never became a law neither did the provision to tax dental fees a 10 tax on all dental fees for work involving the use of gold was included in the revenue act of 1932 organized dentistry prevented that injustice to the public and the profession advertising dentists presented a different kind of threat with their offers of definite fees when those fees must be variable with their statements that might mislead or deceive the public with their claims of superiority and their advertising of exclusive methods of treatment these men threatened to undermine more than a century of organized effort so the association worked to have this advertising outlawed and the work has been successful continually the threats arise continuously they must be fought [Music] whatever you're doing paul i'm fixing to get me some new teeth are you making them yourself but just about all i got to do is bite this gaba stuff and mail it away well i never which ones you're fixing to get park yeah of course i looked like hey what'd you say um our special stylish gold work oh [Music] you'll be the handsomest man in these hip hop [Music] but a few weeks later ma isn't quite so sure because paul got his mail-order teeth at the insistence of the organized profession congress enacted legislation to stop this practice american dentistry has had a long and hard road to travel during its passage from a mechanics trade to a respected profession its very existence has been endangered repeatedly both from outside and inside its own ranks continuous vigilance was necessary in the beginning and will always be required to maintain the high ideals that are essential to our progress today we are strongly organized to continue our high professional standards and to be prepared for the future we are organized to detect the production of inferior dental materials we are organized to ensure fair treatment and better understanding from outside the profession individually we are helpless but in union there lies the strength to prevent chaos and to promote the welfare of humanity [Music] you