Dental Professional Outreach - American Association of Endodontists

The AAE champions endodontists across the entire dental profession. The Association and its members are a voice for the specialty on ADA councils and committees, relationships with other specialty groups, and through ongoing communications around standard of care, treatment planning and referral.

Advocacy-related articles from the Communiqué are below, followed by more information about the AAE's work with specific groups and other activities.

Advocacy in Action

November 22, 2016

With the recent election of a new government we have all been pondering what it takes to provide good leadership, sound decision making and vision. These attributes are requisite for a good leader and a great leader combines them with compassion, empathy and wisdom to advocate for their constituency.

Advocacy in Action: AAE Leads Charge to Revise ADA Specialty Referral Guidelines

September 23, 2016

At the initiative of the AAE, seven dental specialties recently sent a letter to ADA President Dr. Carol Gomez Summerhays outlining serious concerns with the ADA’s Guidelines for Practice Success: Specialty Referrals. The guidelines were developed by the ADA’s Council on Dental Practice without dental specialty input. The letter details the shortcomings of the guidelines, starting with their lack of any mention of the nine ADA-recognized dental specialties, the significance of advanced specialty training, or the resources our organizations have available to patients and general dentists.

President’s Message: Do We Have an Identity Crisis?

July 22, 2016

How many times have you introduced yourself to a patient and been asked, “What exactly is an endodontist?” The question implies that they have come to your office for a complex dental procedure through blind trust in the individual who sent them rather than knowledge of your credentials and expertise. It also is testimony to an identity crisis from which most dental specialties suffer. The reality is that the public at large does not understand the dental specialty process or how a specialist differs from a primary dental care provider. Typically, an identity crisis is defined as a state of confusion in an organization regarding its constitution or direction – our crisis is that our patients and even some of our dental colleagues do not really understand who we are.

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ADA

Did you know that the AAE has voting representatives on several ADA committees and groups? Endodontics is represented on the ADA Council of Dental Education and Licensure, Commission on Dental Accreditation, Code Maintenance Committee, Dental Quality Alliance, ADA Standards Committee on Dental Informatics, the ADA Standard Committee on Dental Products, and ADPAC.

Having a voice in these groups helps the AAE advocate for policy and procedural changes that more accurately reflect the services and procedures endodontists perform and advancements in the specialty. Some examples of the benefits of AAE member participation with ADA groups include successfully updating CDT codes for endodontic procedures and expanding CODA standards for endodontic programs.

Dental Specialties Group

The AAE and associations representing the eight other dental specialties recognized by the ADA participate in the Dental Specialties Group. DSG volunteer leadership and senior staff meet regularly to discuss issues of mutual interest to all dental specialties. This includes having a greater voice with the ADA, improving public awareness of dental specialties and recognition of dental specialties and certifying boards.

ENDODONTICS: Colleagues for Excellence

For more than 20 years, the AAE's ENDODONTICS: Colleagues for Excellence newsletter has provided members and general dentists with valuable clinical information on important endodontic topics. Colleagues is one of the AAE's most well-received products, providing practical information to general dentists while also encouraging partnership and referral to endodontists. Reader surveys show the vast majority of general dentists read Colleagues and find it credible and useful. Members are encouraged to use the newsletter in discussions with their referrers and as educational tools in dental society meetings, study clubs and dental schools.

Dental Publications

Through relationships with other dental publications, the AAE provides endodontic content written by endodontists to the entire dental profession, to further our message of standard of care and the benefits of partnering with an endodontist. Examples include the Endodontic Specialty Update in JADA, republishing ENDODONTICS: Colleagues for Excellence, identifying subject matter experts for interviews and articles, and providing leadership articles, editorials and interviews where appropriate.

Dental Meetings

For several years, the AAE has participated in several dental meetings annually as an exhibitor. Our goal is to educate the dental profession about our clinical and patient education offerings and encourage partnership with an endodontist. The meetings are an opportunity to engage directly with dentists and discuss case assessment, treatment planning and standard of care, while pointing them to AAE resources on those topics. Greater awareness of the AAE and its resources ultimately benefits our members while also building goodwill with colleagues across the profession.