The American Dental Association (ADA) wrapped up its 153rd Annual Session on Saturday, and DOCS Education representatives joined the tens of thousands of attendees and exhibitors this past weekend. Dr. Michael Silverman, DOCS Education President, and Dr. John Hexem, DOCS Education faculty member, both lectured to attendees on Friday, October 19th. “Of all the ADA events, this is the one I enjoyed the most,” Dr. Silverman noted. “The city of San Francisco may have never seen more beautiful weather, and Moscone Center was magnificent. The energy on the floor was terrific and there was an incredible number of exciting new companies present.” Events within the ADA were not to be missed either. Massachusetts dentist, Dr. Robert A. Faiella, took office as the 149th President of the American Dental Association. The ADA House of Delegates approved a 2013 budget of $119.7 million in revenue and anticipated expenses of $118.6 million. Dues were set at $522 as of January 1, 2013, an increase of $10 over 2012 but $27 less than the original dues proposal before the meeting. The highly anticipated issue of dental anesthesiology as an ADA-recognized specialty was also addressed. Although the ADA Board of Trustees and Council on Dental Education and Licensure (CDEL), among other committees, recommended approving that dental anesthesiology be the 10th ADA-recognized dental specialty, the ADA 2012 House of Delegates voted against the motion last weekend at the Annual Session. Contention and disagreements on the House floor led to the rejection. In June 2011, the American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists (ASDA) submitted an Application for Recognition of Dental Anesthesiology as a Dental Specialty to CDEL. The Council concluded that the application meets the Requirements for Recognition of Dental Specialties and National Certifying Boards for Dental Specialists. The decision was then left to the 2012 House of Delegates. For more information on current ADA news, visit http://www.ada.org/news/.
