ADHA Reports on Resolutions Adopted by the 2006 ADA House of Delegates

The American Dental Association (ADA) concluded its annual meeting Friday, October 20, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Assuming the office of the ADA presidency is Dr. Kathy Roth of Wisconsin, the second woman to hold the position in the ADA's 143-year history.  In an uncontested race for the position of ADA President-Elect, Dr. Mark Feldman of New Jersey was elected.  Feldman has served as ADA's Treasurer for the past four years.  

In her address to the House, Dr. Roth noted the importance of "foster[ing] relationships and build[ing] alliances."  There were a variety of issues that she plans to address during her presidential year including elder care, portability of licensure, dental education, and establishing a task force to review the "Future of Dentistry Report."

There were resolutions before the ADA House of Delegates of particular interest to ADHA.  The resolutions are summarized below with areas of special interest in boldface:

Resolution 3RC: ADA Workforce Models Task Force, Expanded Duties for Allied Dental Personnel Resolved, that the American Dental Association supports the model for expanded duties for allied dental personnel as presented in the Report of the Workforce Task Force with the exception that references to "formal education" and "Certification Required" be changed to "additional education and a certificate of completion as determined by each state board of dentistry" wherever this reference occurs, if and when the model is put into practice, and be it further  Resolved, that the constituent dental societies in consultation with state boards of dentistry be urged to review the model and determine its possible applicability in their states, and be it further

Resolved, that the President, in consultation with the chair of the 2005-2006 taskforce chair [T. Howard Jones, DDS, GA], appoint a work group of five individuals from the Task Force to design and develop pilot projects that can be carried out to test the "oral preventive assistant" (OPA) model in selected states or locales, and be it further

Resolved, that the Board of Trustees provide a progress report to the 2007 House of Delegates on the status of the pilot projects and other aspects of the Workforce Task Force Report, and be it further

Resolved, that the Report of the Dental Workforce 2006 is not policy of the American Dental Association. ADHA Analysis here: http://www.adha.org/enews/11012006.htm#3rc

Resolution 25RC, The Community Dental Health Coordinator Proposal (CDHC) Resolved, that the ADA establish a National Coordinating and Development Committee (members appointed by the President in consultation with the Resolution 96H-2005 Committee) to create a Community Dental Health Coordinator (CDHC) model training program including a complete curriculum with implementation and evaluation guidelines consistent with the Report of the Dental Workforce Task Force 2006, and be it further Resolved, that the Coordinating and Development Committee issue the RFP [Request for Proposal] by November 2006, and be it further resolved, that the Coordinating and Development Committee oversee the implementation of at least three pilot CDHC training programs in 2007-2008 and be it further resolved, that the Coordinating and Development Committee evaluate the overall success and impact of the pilot programs in training individuals to function in the role of a CDHC and establish an ongoing process for assessment of the impact of this provider on improving access to dental care and reducing disparities of dental care in their communities, and be it further resolved, that the Coordinating and Development Committee report progress on this activity to the 2007 House of Delegates. ADHA Analysis here: http://www.adha.org/enews/11012006.htm#25rc

Resolution 12BS-1, Public Health Supervision Resolved, that the Comprehensive Policy Statement on Allied Dental Personnel be amended in the section titled, "Supervision of Dental Personnel" and in the section titled, "Glossary of Terminology Related to Dental Auxiliary Personnel Utilization and Supervision," by adding after the definition and discussion on "General Supervision" the following new definition of "Public Health Supervision."

Public Health Supervision: That oversight where a licensed dental hygienist may provide dental hygiene services, as specified by state law or regulations, when such services are provided as part of an organized community program in various public health settings, as designated by state law, and with general oversight of such programs by a licensed dentist designated by the state.

ADHA Analysis here: http://www.adha.org/enews/11012006.htm#12bs1

Resolution 32RC, Further Development of a Membership Study Proposal Resolved, that the Membership Study Proposal containing the following comprehensive approach to ensure that the ADA anticipates current issues facing the dental profession and future trends be approved as a proposal for further development:

    - Dentist Member as proposed by the membership study proposal

    - Graduate Student as proposed by the membership study proposal

    - Supporting Professional Member as proposed by the membership study proposal

    - Pre-doctoral Student, as proposed by the membership study proposal

    - Other Elements, as proposed by the membership study proposal, and be it further

Resolved, that the Council on Ethics, Bylaws and Judicial Affairs, in consultation with the Council on Membership, as needed, develop Bylaws changes that will be consistent with the Membership Study Proposal for consideration by the 207 House of Delegates, and be it further

Resolved, that the constituent and component societies be urged to create parallel membership categories to mirror those available at the ADA level, and be it further

Resolved, that the concept of a dental team (non-dentist member) category of membership be referred to the Council on Membership for further study and report to the 2007 House of Delegates.

ADHA Analysis here: http://www.adha.org/enews/11012006.htm#32rc

Resolution 41, Integrated Public Affairs Plan Resolved, that the ADA initiate a nationally coordinated, state-targeted integrated public affairs plan, to partner the ADA with selected state dental societies that are at the greatest risk of having significant advocacy issues such as environmental initiatives, scope of practice concerns, the freedom to choose safe and effective restorative materials, community water fluoridation, access to care, etc. with the purpose of developing and implementing targeted public affairs strategies in cooperation with state dental societies in order to position the ADA and the state dental society as the source of the best solutions to providing the best possible oral health care to the greatest possible number of affected states' residents ADHA Analysis here: http://www.adha.org/enews/11012006.htm#41 

The following resolutions are informational in nature.

Link to resolutions: http://www.adha.org/enews/11012006.htm#inform

Summary:

As expected, the ADA actions represent some of the most significant initiatives in recent memory in areas such as scope of practice, access to care and advocacy.  It is of utmost importance that ADHA and constituent and component leaders not overreact or panic at these resolutions especially in light of the newly adopted strategy by the ADHA Board of Trustees to "...work in partnership with dentists to advance the oral health of patients."

Link to full summary: http://www.adha.org/enews/11012006.htm#summary