President’s Message by Bill Purifoy featured in Probe
The Southwest Society of Periodontists
No. 68, Fall/Winter 2002
Our Summer Meeting in Austin, Texas was an extraordinary success hallmarked by the fine educational program given by Dr. William Becker. His insightful collection of clinical experiences, keen observations, personal stories and humor were a straightforward overview of the past, present and future in periodontics. Dr. Becker captured the key aspects of daily clinical practice and supported them with compelling scientific rationale. Many thanks to Dr. Becker and the Annual Meetings Committee for providing this quality level of continuing education for our membership. It is important to mention that our upcoming Winter Meeting in Dallas, Texas will be equally informative. Dr. Jack Krauser has prepared an excellent presentation, and the collaboration and sharing of ideas which takes place at our regional meetings is unparalleled. Take advantage of the opportunity and make plans to attend this meeting.
As I returned to Fort Worth from our Summer Meeting in last June, 2002 the pearls of Dr. Becker’s educational wisdom were quickly displaced by seamy news headlines detailing financial damage and loss of trust in the corporate world. Business leadership, governance, accounting, auditing and regulation were under fire. A heavy price would be paid for the absence of ethics among a handful of corporate chiefs. Scandals at Enron, Dynergy, WorldCom, Adelphia, ImClone, Tyco and other corporations cost investors billions of dollars. More importantly, “public trust” has been shaken, and the courts and Congress will undoubtedly pass new regulations and laws. As a consequence to high profile acts of greed, legislators and the citizenry have called for criminal charges and more vigilant government oversite.
Among the mire of dank news of self-serving behavior and public deception, a different kind of story was published in the journal of my local district dental society. The journal’s editor, Dr. Griff Murphy, wrote an article commending dentistry as “one of the last bastions of true service in business.” It is a credible reminder of dentists’ collective capacity for positive human behavior. It provides reassurance that we have not ignored our patient’s wellbeing and how well our profession measures up in the public eye. In an effort to validate this perception, I telephoned Jim Berry at the ADA News in Chicago. Less than 48 hours later he faxed me Gallup Poll responses tracking occupational honesty and ethics between 1981 and 2001. In 2001 dentists ranked tenth among 23 occupations, somewhat lower than the third place ranking for dentistry which occurred in 1981. However, an important statistical note is that in 2001, 56% of the survey’s respondents stated that dentists had “very high” or “high” levels of honesty and ethics. The percentage of “very high” or “high” responses for dentistry has remained in a narrow range between 50% and 58% during the entire 20 year period for this survey! We may not be at the all time “top of our game” in public opinion, but we are mighty close. (Firefighters, members of the U.S. military and policemen currently occupy three of the top four rankings.)
Additional evidence that dentists (especially periodontists) are considered highly ethical comes from the insurance industry. Although industry officials won’t release data to prove this, Dr. Jerry Zackin, a periodontist and former insurance consultant, has assured me that dentists have very low incidence of fraudulent insurance claims. More importantly, periodontist are a the bottom of that list! This appears diametrically opposed to the amount of hassle that we get when filing a claim, but that is the nature of their business.
What role should periodontists take to ensure that dentistry retains its ethics and continues to receive high marks in the court of public opinion? Three elements stand out:
- First do no harm! One of my earliest mentors, Dr. Bill Hurt, taught me the Latin equivalent of this phrase, primun non nocere. I have never forgotten it. I practice by it. Periodontists are entrusted with the complete wellbeing of their patients. Our actions have consequences. It is incumbent that we make every effort to do not harm in our practices. The public will like it. Legislators will like it. Trial lawyers will not.
- Communicate! Seven basic questions drive newsgathering: Who?, What?, When?, Where?, Why?, How?, and What’s next?. Our patients deserve answers to these questions when presented with a periodontal treatment plan. Truthful responses to the aforementioned questions should be a part of every patient’s treatment consultation. In addition, the clinical diagnosis should be accurate and the therapeutic approach should fit the standard of care. This will build trust and reduce the potential for questions about character.
- Participate actively in organized dentistry! Organized dentistry is to our profession as congregational worship is to those seeking spiritual maturity. Our professional organizations, local, state and national, promote accountability and continually check the bearing of our professional moral compass. Kevin Irons, a periodontist currently serving on the State Board of Dental Examiners in Texas, has given excellent advice, “always take the high road.” The professional playing field is constantly changing, and we must rely on the leadership of organized dentistry to be well informed of the current conditions and to point us toward the high road. The individuals who have been charged with criminal actions in the recent corporate scandals were roguish outsiders in a generally respected corporate world. Let’s work together as organized healthcare professionals to stay on the high road in dentistry.
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