Page 5 - Bulletin Vol 28 No 3 - Sept. - Dec. 2023 FINAL

Message from the Editor

China Cat into I Know You Rider
There is something very special about attending a Grateful Dead Concert. A
sense of community exits at each show, fans come from all walks of life;
musicians, dancers, blue collar, white collar, no collar, plumbers, carpenters,
waitresses, business types, CPAs, lawyers and yes dentists. A true melting pot
of humanity all drawn to the music.

No two shows are alike, and wonderfully unique to the band is the blending
together of their songs. Whether “China Cat” into “I know you Rider,” or
“Franklin’s Tower” into “Eyes of the World,” the music flows from song to song
and the audience joins in for the ride. With Jerry Garcia’s passing the band’s
various iterations, including most recently Dead and Company, continue to

bring this fellowship to adherents and newbies alike. It truly is a community like no other, it endures
because of the music and the bond the music brings to the fans.
I bring up the Dead because, in a way, the sense of belonging is similar to the sense member dentists have
of belonging to the ADA. We are all one family. There is a blending of our tripartite like the blending of
the melodies of the Grateful Dead.

Sadly, there is a developing existential threat to the ADA. The proposed resolution to the California Dental
Association House of Delegates which makes optional the requirement to join ADA as part of the tripartite
could lead to the end of our association. California is the largest district in the ADA with over 20,000
members and the loss of even one third of California dentists could be a watershed moment for us.
California Dental Association (CDA) is large enough to provide the myriad services ADA provides, but doz-
ens of smaller states will be unable to support their constituents in the same manner.
Most importantly, the Power of Three and the strength of our organization is in all three layers of the
tripartite. The effectiveness of ADA and ADPAC when fighting for both dentists and the public is in our
numbers, market share is critical when dealing with legislators and to be successful we must be heard. If
ADA members represent less than 50% of dentists our clout is diminished, and our relevance becomes
suspect.
We all sometimes default to the ADA for guidance concerning dental products and procedures. ADA has
among the most respected and important research programs in dentistry and the loss of ADA testing will
have a profound effect on dental health in the United States. Local components and state dental societies
are not equipped and unable to provide the evaluations undertaken by ADA and a loss of these services
harms the public and member dentists alike.

To make optional any one of the tripartite aspects of ADA membership, as proposed in California, is
incredibly short sighted and self-serving to a local Board with a misguided agenda. I hope CDA’s
membership understands the implications of the proposal and, if brought to a vote, strongly opposes such
a motion.
It is said in the music universe, “there are two types of rock and roll bands, there is the Grateful Dead and
bands that wish they were the Grateful Dead.” Similarly, there are two types of ADA dentists; full
tripartite members and dentists who should be full tripartite members.
Don

Editor-in-Chief
Nassau County Dental Society ⬧ (516) 227-1112 | 5