Academy of Prosthodontics

Presidential Address

Given May 16, 2008, 90th Annual Scientific Session, Houston, TX

Stephen D. Campbell, DDS, MMSc

By our nature, we are a group of leaders, of individuals engaged in more than just an academic or patient care pursuit.

We have collectively accomplished much in our 90+ year history.  The basis of the specialty of Prosthodontics was founded on this organization! 

        - The Examining Board

        - The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry

        - The Glossary of Prosthodontic Terms

        - Bringing Evidence Based Patient Decision Making to the oral health community

        - Our Outreach Program helping underserved communities 

But leadership has been what we have really been about…. Busy professionals, busy family members, committed to making a difference through service.  Somehow finding the time to volunteer to make an even bigger difference. Leadership for all of Prosthodontics… Establishing it….. Nurturing it, and importantly allowing for the growth of Prosthodontics by wisely knowing when it was time to transfer some of these responsibilities to others.  Things like the sponsorship of the specialty and the American Board of Prosthodontics and more recently the assignment of the Glossary of Prosthodontic Terms.

We have an incredible history of providing leadership for the profession for the private practice community and as part of organized dentistry and Prosthodontics.  The history of the Academy is worth telling, and our 100^th year, just 10 years away, will provide that opportunity.

Just look at the last 15-40 years…… Count the number of President’s of the various Prosthodontic Organizations that have been Fellows of the AP…….   

American Academy of Fixed Prosthodontics	Approx 40% over the past 15 years
American Academy of Maxillofacial Prosthetics	Approx 50% over the past 40 years
Academy of Osseointegration	The AO was really founded by Fellows of the Academy.  A multidisciplinary group and 20-25% of the President’s have been Fellows of the Academy
American Prosthodontic Society	Approx 50% over the past 25 years
Greater New York Academy of Prosthodontics	Approx 35% of the last 40 years
International College of Prosthodontists	Largely founded by Fellows of the Academy and several Fellows have or will soon be President.
Pacific Coast Society for Prosthodontics	Approx 50% over the past 25 years
American Board of Prosthodontics	Since 1966, 75% of the ABP Examiners have been Fellows of the Academy
American College of Prosthodontists	Approx 50% over the last 38 years

How many have not served or are planning to serve in one of these roles?  This is part of our character and what makes this organization unique and still pertinent today.  It provides us an opportunity to nurture and foster leaders that have impact upon…. Not just Prosthodontics…. But all of dental education and practice.

We have succeeded.  But as we all know, success is not something that you accomplish; it is part of a lifestyle, a personality.  Much as individuals have personalities so do organizations, and this is the AP’s.

As leaders of our chosen profession, we share some common responsibilities.  We need to continuously ask, Now What?  How are we going to continue to realize this rich heritage?

Prosthodontics has changed in ways we could not have envisioned.  Look at the nature of practice today.  We are in the midst of a new digital era, and emerging technologies promise to change our core way of doing business.  The technology now exists to diagnosis, plan, and realize indirect procedures in the virtual world.  This is expanding the scope of available materials and processing techniques.  Making it easier for individuals to achieve competence.

Use of materials that we have grown up with and use daily will soon be processed and managed in a very different way.  Beyond the need for provisionalization and the final prostheses phases, we will rarely touch them in the real world.  Impression materials… gypsum products, wax, casting machines… will soon be part of the past.  Efficiencies of care, less chairside time, and importantly providing direct control to the practitioner via the virtual world.  Lab technicians will play a different role.  It is upon us! 

Even with the dramatic escalation of change, we are and will continue to be the heart and soul of dental education and dental practice.  Did you know that Prosthodontic therapy makes up over 50% of the average General Practitioners revenue?

-  26% of their revenue comes from providing care for partial and complete Edentulism.  (FxPD’s, RPD’s, Complete Dentures, and Implant)

-  24% of their revenue comes from single tooth fixed care including cores, crowns, and Post-Cores.  

-  There is also a large diagnostic basis of revenue based on Prosthodontics.  

We have over 1,000 Prosthodontists engaged in part and full-time predoctoral and advanced education.  Prosthodontics is on an upward spiral and we have hard evidence to support it….  There are now have over 420 Students enrolled in Advanced Prosthodontic Programs in the US and the percentage of non-US degree individuals has dramatically declined.  The number of applicants to Advanced Prosthodontic Programs has nearly tripled in the past 3 years.  We are now on par with Oral Surgery, attracting the best and the brightest. 

The US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks us as 7^th in income level of over 800 occupations they monitor.  Forbes magazine online has named us… Prosthodontists, as the #1 high paying “rare” career path.  They used the term “rare”…. Because there are not many of us.

All of this and yet we have a long way to go…..  We have approximately 180 Million Americans affected by partial and/or complete edentulism.  The aging demographics makes a compelling case for an oral health care environment with increasing demands to provide partially and completely edentulous care with an inadequate capacity to meet it.  We have 21 schools without Advanced Prosthodontic Programs.  Can you imagine the impact of this on their local environments and community….. on their educational programs, on the patient care?

We simply must continue to find ways to partner with others to address these issues.  Thank you for being so engaged in the volunteer nature of making a difference.

Please Come to Chicago from April 29 through May 3 next year to participate in our 91^st Annual Scientific Program in a very special location at a very special time of year.   Dr. David Eggleston has assembled a world-class Program that will be sure to promote continued growth and learning for all of us.  We will elect our next Recording Secretary who will ultimately serve as the 100^th President of the Academy.