SDDSNY Bulletin January February 2021

The Bulletin is the official publication of the Second District Dental Society. It is published bimonthly, by the Journal of the Second District Dental Society, Inc. The opinions expressed are those of the writers and are not necessarily those of the Second District Dental Society. Subscription rates; members, $4.50 per year; others, $5.50 per year. Material for publication must be typewritten and double-spaced and must be received six weeks prior to the month of issue. Business communications and requests for advertising rates should be directed to the Second District Dental Society, 111 Fort Greene Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217. The Bulletin reserves the right to alter or reject any copy. ADVERTISING POLICY The SDDS Bulletin and Website welcome advertising as an important means of keeping the dentist informed about new and better products and ser- vices for the practice of dentistry. Such advertising must be factual, dignified, tasteful, and intended to provide useful product and service information. The publication of an advertisement is not to be construed as an endorsement or approval by the SDDS Bulletin and Website and/or its publisher, the Second District Dental Society, of the product or service being offered in the advertisement unless the advertisement specifically includes an autho- rized statement that such approval or endorsement has been granted. As a matter of policy, the SDDS Bulletin and Website will sell advertising space when the inclusion of advertising material does not interfere with the purpose of their publication. The SDDS Bulletin and Website reserve the right to accept or reject advertising, at its sole discretion, for any product or service submitted for publication. A Publication of the SECOND DISTRICT DENTAL SOCIETY 111 Fort Greene Place Brooklyn, New York 11217 Tel (718) 522-3939 Fax (718) 797-4335 STUART L. SEGELNICK, EDITOR Jeffrey M. Galler, Business Manager ASSOCIATE EDITORS Paul S. Albicocco Gabriel D. Ariola Babak Bina Alyson K. Buchalter Jacques Doueck Sarah Khan Howard I.A. Lieb Lauro F. Medrano-Saldaña Deborah A. Pasquale Craig S. Ratner Reneida E. Reyes James J. Sconzo Paul W. Teplitsky OFFICERS President – Babak Bina President-Elect – Michael J. Donato, Jr. Vice President – Raymond A. Flagiello Secretary – Tricia S. Quartey-Sagaille Treasurer – Paul W. Teplitsky Librarian Curator – Valerie Venterina BOARD OF TRUSTEES Paul S. Albicocco William W. Bongiorno Philip Buccigrossi, Jr. Alyson K. Buchalter Saad A. Butt Man Sing Cheung Joann M. De Leonibus John P. Demas Jennifer Katz Marc Meiselman Phyllis G. Merlino Mitchell D. Mindlin Charles J. Mistretta Gisele F. Richard Sari R. Rosenwein Stephanie B. Sager Sandra S. Scibetta Stuart L. Segelnick Ronald Turchak Kirstin A. Wolfe OFFICE STAFF Bernard Hackett, Executive Director Shayo Farinre Veronica Molina SDDS BULLETIN We are all in agreement that den- tistry, just as medicine, is an essen- tial service for the well-being and health of our patients. We all saw articles in The New York Times, CNN, and other media outlets regarding the increase in cracked teeth during COVID-19 due to increased stressors and anxieties. On June 10, 2020, The New York Times published an article titled, “How’s the Economy Doing? Watch the Dentists,” in which it was noted that in March and April as states closed busi- nesses to slow the spread of the virus, dentistry accounted for nearly a 35% loss in all healthcare jobs, even though its workers account for just 6% of the health- care industry. With a gain of a quarter of a million jobs within just a few weeks of reopening, dentistry led the rebound for the entire healthcare industry. We are grateful to our leadership for con- veying this message to Governor Andrew Cuomo. At the state level, New York State Dental Association (NYSDA) Executive Director Dr. Mark Feld- man, then NYSDA President Dr. PayamGoudarzi, and our ownDr. Craig Ratner, who was then NYSDA president-elect, worked tirelessly lobbying for the reopen- ing of dental offices in New York City quickly and safely. Their efforts paid off on June 1 when, because of their hard work, dentists were given the green light to open their offices before the city entered Phase 2 of reopening. Many of our members experi- enced a shortage of PPE supplies upon reopening and, once again, our leadership at SDDS recognized this shortfall and procured PPE from the New York City Depart- ment of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOMH) and dis- tributed it to our members at no cost as a member benefit. Our SDDS board members volun- teered to provide these desperately- needed supplies to our members. In October 2020, results of a new survey by the ADA indicated that due to safety policies and dis- infectant practices already in place for decades in dental offices, less than 1% of dentists nationwide tested positive for COVID-19, despite being among the highest risk due to the aerosols our work generates and the close contact with patients. The ADA further noted that dental health is impor- tant not only for one’s teeth but also because dental infections can lead to other problems, including heart disease.They then concluded that even during a pandemic, it’s still safe to go to the dentist. Although I am hoping that this is the last pandemic we will ever face, I know for a fact we can always rely on the ADA, NYSDA, and SDDS to support and guide us through our careers. So, the next time anyone asks what orga- nized dentistry can accomplish, just refer them to the year 2020. As the director of the one of the largest residency programs in the country, I am in a unique position to have direct contact with hun- dreds of future dentists entering our profession. It is my goal to promote and instill the values of being involved with organized dentistry. For the past several years, I have been successful with having all my residents become members of SDDS. Furthermore, I encourage them to attend board meetings, instilling in them the benefits of organized dentistry. Although COVID-19 has cur- rently stopped us from having meeting in person, I am planning to invite residents to attend our Zoom meetings. I am hopeful that it will not take them 15 years to fully understand the value of organized dentistry, as it took me. In doing so, I am hoping that we can secure the future of the Sec- ond District Dental Society with fresh, intelligent minds who can continue on our path to take den- tistry to new heights. Thank you. Babak Bina, D.M.D. 2021 SDDS President’s Message Continued from Cover » We are all in agreement that dentistry, just as medicine, is an essential service for the well-being and health of our patients. 2 SDDS BULLETIN January/February 2021 — VOLUME 38 ◊ NUMBER 1