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

Page 12 text:

It is indeed a pleasure to congratu- late the graduates of Columbia Univer- sity School of Dental and Oral Surgery and to welcome them into our profes- sion. Certainly the dental graduates of the 1970 ' s are entering an exciting profession which is marked by sub- stantial technological progress, abid- ing social concern and innovation in dental practice. The issues which will confront new practitioners are as complex and as varied as the problems and concerns facing the nation. Indeed, dentistry ' s concerns are inextricably entwined with national concerns. As an exam- ple, the dental profession is deeply involved in the debate on national health care programs. The most re- cent annual session of the American Dental Association ' s House of Dele- gates approved a Guidelines for Den- tistry ' s Position in a National Health Program which clearly stated that dental care must be an integral part of any comprehensive health program enacted by Congress. The demands for care that this type of program will place upon the dental profession will have a profound effect upon practice and each individual practitioner. As new graduates from Columbia, you have been privileged to benefit from the teaching of an outstanding faculty which has led the way in pre- paring its students to practice preven- tive dentistry, to utilize dental auxilia- ries as capable assistants and partners in providing dental care. You are well schooled in all the new treatment tech- niques and devices and materials which are essential to the highest qual- ity of practice. Additionally, you have learned to develop a keen sense of community needs and problems. The dental grad- uates of this decade are deeply in- volved in rendering care and service to the entire community, regardless of its racial, ethnic or economic composi- tion. And, aware of your responsibility to the community, you have made commitments to keep your knowledge fresh and to continue to learn and grow as a member of the health professions. It is expected that as new members of the profession you will participate fully in activities of organized dentistry and will provide sound leadership to deal with the many problems dentistry now confronts. I know that the gradu- ates of Columbia will take active inter- est in helping to resolve the problems relating to dental licensure, to group practice, to delivery of dental services and to development of a system of na- tional health care. Again, my congratulations and sin- cere best wishes to the graduating se- niors of Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery. You have the training, knowledge and above that, the inherent capacity, to meet the challenges and concerns of our pro- fession ' s future. -c C vAVt v ( Gv C.Gordon Watson. D.D.S. Executive Director A.D.A.

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I appreciate this opportunity to share some of my thoughts with you, the Class of ' 72. We have gone through quite a trial together — a difficult period of upheaval and confrontation, compounded by a generation gap. Had we maintained more open avenues of communi- cation, many of our problems would never have developed. Now on sober reflection, we can really appre- ciate that we are all striving for the same goal — self improvement through education and learning, to better serve our fellow men. If we can continue to learn from each other and from those around us. keeping open our chan- nels of communication while opening newer ones, we will go forward with great strides toward our goal. Service to Mankind. May I also take this opportunity to extend my best wishes to all of you for your continued good health, outstanding accomplishments and your future happiness. George L. O ' Grady, D.D S Assistant Dean For several years each of you has engaged in a supervised, simulated practice of dentistry. In addition to learning new procedures, you repeated procedures a number of times. You probably acquired an ease of operation which you never thought possible when you first picked up a handpiece. You have prob- ably become secure enough to consider leaving school and entering into some phase of professional activity. While the things you do will be basically Similar to what you have done for the most part, one area will be entirely new. Suddenly upon acquiring a license to practice dentistry, you will be able to place a restoration in a patient ' s mouth, and you will be the judge as to its acceptability. No one will be available to tell you to go on to the next step, to polish it or to carve it differently, to adjust the occlusion here or there, etc. You will have to develop your own standards and then apply them. If you do not develop standards, you must flounder in your clinical efforts. The standards you begin to use as the yardstick for |udging clinical accepta- bility are. in fact, the means by which you will engage in acceptable or unac- ceptable dentistry. I would like to suggest that when you begin to practice you think about the problem of acceptability along the following lines. With re- gard to restorative dentistry all restorations should be designed and executed so that plaque retention is reduced and the access for plaque removal in- creased. Such a restoration will reduce the possibility of progressive disease, either caries or periodontal disease, since we now subscribe to the under- standing that both of these major dental diseases are plaque diseases. Any restoration, whether it b e a filling of any type, a crown, a fixed bridge or a removable bridge, which increases the opportunity for plaque retention or decreases the access by the patient for plaque removal must be considered unacceptable. Poor marginal ridges, poor contacts or inadequate contours of fillings or crowns, or inadequate pontic or clasp design of fixed or removable bridges must be considered from the point of view of the plaque problem. If you observe your own work carefully, you will begin to note those designs or execution deficiencies which affect plaque retention, and you can correct your own dentistry. Your dentistry can be acceptable throughout your prac- tice life if you will place the preventive concept of plaque control at the core of yourclinical judgment. Herbert J. Bartelstone, D.D.S.. Ph.D. Associate Dean

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It gives me much pleasure to send cordial greetings to the members of the 1972 graduating class of the School of Dental and Oral Surgery of Columbia University. American dentists for more than a century have been celebrated the world over for their knowledge and skill and the progress they have made in the technique of their profession. My congratulations and best wishes to all the graduates. £t Congratulations on your graduation and the beginning of your professional careers. You now will take on the responsibilities of all profes- sionals: to use your skills, your knowledge, and your experience for the benefit of others. Today, many of our citizens desperately need better medical and dental care. This is a challenge to all Americans and particularly to those who practice the healing arts. Your tools are excellent, your training outstanding and your opportu nities are unlimited. Please accept my best wishes on this happy occasion. I hope the future will bring you enriching experience and the rewards of service. D V-