News and weather from the Hinman

I am sure that some of you saw TV reports of the tornado that hit downtown Atlanta at about 9:40 p.m. on Friday, March 14. The Hinman Dental Meeting was in full swing, and everyone was anticipating my two seminars on Saturday. You may have seen images of the Omni Hotel, where all the speakers were staying and where many windows were blown out, including those in my room. Go to the DE® Web site to read many eyewitness accounts and see photos of the damage.

Dr. Eddie Pafford, left, president of the Hinman Dental Society, and Dr. Robert Towe, right, chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Hinman Dental Society, present Dr. Mark Patters, interim dean of the University of Tennessee School of Dentistry, with a $500,000 gift to establish the Thomas P. Hinman Dental Meeting Fellowship in General Dentistry. (Photo by Foster & Associates)

The Hinman Dental Society is responsible for the Hinman Dental Meeting. This society is actually a large dental study club that has no political connections. Its sole purpose is to support dental education. The society has made many generous donations in the past, but this year they donated $1,000,000 to two dental schools. My congratulations go to all the members of the Hinman Dental Society for their hard work and generosity.

With everything that happened in the first few months of this year, I forgot to report on my visit to the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry's (AACD) headquarters in Madison, Wisc., in December 2007. Dr. Betsy Bakeman invited me to observe another session of the AACD Accreditation Committee, which she chairs. I am honored that the AACD continues to invite me to observe this very important part of the Academy's business.

On the night before the session, all the examiners met for a calibration meeting. This was a two-hour session during which Dr. Bakeman went over the rules, and then showed and discussed a number of actual cases that were passed or failed. This session was intense, with lots of questions and comments by members. To me, it showed how much these people wanted to be fair-minded when doing the exams. In the past, the AACD has been criticized for not having impartial examiners. Nothing could be further from the truth today. The cases, identified only by number, are examined in complete anonymity by five examiners who vote to pass or fail the case. If the case is failed, the examiners will offer advice to the dentist on improvements that need to be made.

I observed a number of the examining groups. These volunteer dentists gave three days of their time to serve their fellow dentists who are on a quest to be the best they can be. It is all about helping members along the course that leads to Accreditation. The AACD should be justifiably proud of the integrity that has been built into this process. I congratulate these examiners on a job well done.

One final reminder. Don't forget to send your hygienists to the "RDH Under One Roof" meeting at the Chicago Hilton July 31-Aug. 2. Visit www.rdhunderoneroof.com for more details.

Joe Blaes, DDS, Editor — e-mail: [email protected]
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