Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery - Dental Columbian Yearbook (New York, NY)

Page 19 text:

Prosthodontics, one of the most attractive and rewarding areas of den- tistry, is currently under attack by organized groups of dental technicians who claim that they are receiving an inadequate share of the rewards of practice. One group, calling itself denturists is demanding the perogatives of a profession and appealing directly to the public with claims that they design and construct over ninety five percent of all dentures and that dentists do not . . . make or even supervise the making of dentures. These claims are untrue. The patient in a hospital may have only a few minutes of daily contact with his physician, perhaps not even every day. Yet he is receiving round the clock care by a large variety of trained hospital personnel, working under the physician ' s supervision and responsibility. Similarly, the dentist may choose to delegate many technical phases of fabricating a dental appliance to highly skilled laboratory technicians. But it is the dentist who understands the anatomy, physiology and pathology of the oral structures. Only he can bear the responsibility for the results of the treatment. Through knowledge of basic and clinical sciences and of estab- lished principles of prosthodontics, the dentist can integrate the mechanical appliances with the living structures so that form and function are restored, health maintained, and residual structures preserved. The welfare of the patient, and the future of prosthodontics will be best served by continued collaboration of the professional skill of the dentist with the craftsmanship of the laboratory technician, but with the dentist in responsible charge. The hopes and criticism of unhappy laboratory tech- nicians should serve only to reinforce the resolve of our profession to serve our patients in a way that will leave no doubt that the future of prosthodontics is in good hands. M. A. Pleasure, D.D.S., M.S.P.H. Assoc. Clinical Prof, of Dentistry GILBERT P. SMITH D.D.S. Professor of Dentistry Director of Prosthetic Dentistry Robert E. Herlands John J. Lucca Howard A. Arden D.D.S. D.D.S. D.D.S. William J. Miller Herbert D. Ayers, Jr. Max A. Pleasure D.D.S. D.D.S. D.D.S. PROSTHETIC DENTISTRY 3eorge W. Hindels Joseph C. DeLisi Ennio L. Uccellani George Schwendener D.D.S. D.D.S. D.D.S. D.D.S. Edward Kesseler Robert Kelley William C. Hudson Victor Coronia D.D.S. D.D.S. D.D.S. D.D.S. Sebastian A. Bruno D.M.D.

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Edward A. Cain, Jr. Joseph M. Leavitt Irvin L. Hunt, Jr. D.D.S. D.D.S. D.D.S. Harold Sherman William H. Silverstein Herbert P. Fritz D.D.S. D.D.S. D.D.S. OPERATIVE DENTISTRY Dentistry is both a cosmetic and a health service, the need for which exists in every human being to a greater or lesser degree. The need may be a present one, in the form of impaired function and or diseases of the soft tissues and supporting structures. Where no immediate need exists the in- dividual may benefit from preventive measures. Continuing education is necessary to keep the general practitioner and the specialist abreast of the newer knowledge in his profession. Each patient under his care becomes the object for careful study, diagnosis and treatment planning. The application of all his knowledge and skill is the duty of the dentist if he is to serve his patient honestly and well. Where skill in applying newer techniques is lacking, the skill must be acquired through education and practice before attempting to treat conditions as presented by the patient. Dentists generally are a forward looking, studious, alert and ingenious group who are honestly striving to better their techniques and to add to their knowledge and understanding. The pleasure to be derived from work well done is a tremendous source of satisfaction. Education, directed toward the public, is also necessary, that society will be aware of the value of the service that can be furnished by the dentist. Only by participating in a program, firstly of self education, secondly of patient education, plus a realization of duty to himself and to those ' whom he serves can the dentist shoulder his responsibility to society. Carl R. Oman, DDS Professor of Dentistry CARL R. OMAN D.D.S. Professor of Dentistry Director of Operative Dentistry illiam Miller D.D.S. Gerald H. Besen D.D.S. James Benfield S. H. Brzutowicz Joseph E. Fiasconaro Steven Scrivani D.D.S. D.D.S. D.D.S. D.D.S. Kenneth C. Deesen Irving J. Naidorf D.D.S. D.D.S. Pandelis Camesas D.D.S. George Lyons D.D.S. Marvin Firdman Thomas Portway D.D.S. D.D.S.

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Clifford Whitman Julius Tarshis Harry A. Galton D.D.S. D.D.S. D.D.S. Francis J. Loughlin Henry Nahoum D.D.S. D.D.S. James Jay D.D.S. Monroe Gliedman Richard Gliedman Edward Teltsch D.D.S. D.D.S. D.D.S. Walter Spengeman David Blistein D.D.S. D.D.S. Bert B. Schoenman D.D.S. NICHOLAS A. DI SALVO D.D.S., Ph .D. Associate Professor of Dentistry Director of Orthodontics In this era of relative individual economic well-being, when organized groups exert continuous pressures at every turn in order to assure their own increasing material benefits, too little is said about the responsibili- ties of such groups to society at large. It is thus appropriate that the Class of 1958 should choose as its theme, The Responsibility of the Dentist to Society. For other groups to forget their responsibilities may be merely in- considerate; for dentistry it would be a serious violation of the cardinal principle, that the welfare of the patient must supercede all other con- siderations. We must guard and preserve this principle at all cost, for not only are moral and legal questions involved, but also our own economic well-being. Patients immediately sense an attitude which does not make their welfare of paramount importance and will avoid such practitioners in self-defense. The dentist has as his minimum legal responsibility, the maintenance of his fund of knowledge and his proficiency at least at the level which is considered average in his community, but his moral and ethical obliga- tions demand that he continually strive to supercede this minimum and to develop his professional skills to the highest level which his capabili- ties permit. This can only be accomplished by keeping awake that desire for self-improvement which our teachers have tried to instill in all of us during our stay at school. Take pride in the work you do and in the knowledge that you provide a real service to society — for these can be the greatest of all the rewards which the practice of dentistry brings. Nicholas A. DiSalvo, DDS Associate Professor of Dentistry ORTHODONTICS