Weathering the Storm: AAE Catches Up With Dr. Rico D. Short

AAE member and Diplomate, Rico D. Short D.M.D, B.C.E, F.I.C.D, is a microsurgical root canal specialist and clinical assistant professor at Dental College of Georgia. He is also an author, lecturer and inspirational speaker. We recently caught up with Dr. Short, who described the life-altering injury that inspired his latest book, In the Eye of a Storm, and also discussed his thoughts on some major events of 2020.

Foundation Outreach

In early 2020, three endodontists volunteered their time for the Foundation for Endodontics’ 15th International Outreach Program. Drs. John T. Dominici, Winnie Zhang, and Christopher A. Pellicano travelled to the Helping Hand Clinic in Treasure Beach, Jamaica to provide under-resourced, local community members with endodontic care.

Relief Grant and Leadership

As the global pandemic arrived in the U.S., the Foundation for Endodontics’ Board of Trustees was saddened and disappointed by the cancellation of AAE20 in Nashville. The cancellation made sharing the Foundation’s news and accomplishments with the endodontic community difficult and as such. As state shutdowns increased in longevity, shaky economies and difficult job markets created a sense of nervousness among endodontists who were eager to find PPE and return to their offices.

Amalgam Separator Rule – July 14 Compliance Date

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Dental Category (the “Rule”) went into effect on July 14, 2017, with a required compliance date of July 14, 2020.

The Rule requires that most dental practices operate and maintain at least one amalgam separator that is International Standards Organization standard 11143 (ISO 11143) compliant, and follow two American Dental Association (ADA) Best Management Practices (BMPs) – a prohibition on the discharge of waste (or ‘‘scrap’’) amalgam to publicly owned treatment works (POTW) and a prohibition on the use of line cleaners that are oxidizing or acidic and that have a pH higher than 8 or lower than 6.