American Student Dental Association
Encyclopedia
The American Student Dental Association (ASDA) is a national student-run organization that protects and advances the rights, interests, and welfare of students pursuing careers in dentistry
. It introduces students to lifelong involvement in organized dentistry
and provides services, information, education, representation and advocacy.
In the year 1969. University students across the country staged demonstrations to protest the Vietnam War, restrictive school policies, dress codes and more. Dental school admission criteria became more selective and the competition for acceptance into dental schools increased. The resulting student profile was a brighter, more socially aware individual with diverse interests and talents.
However, at this time dental school could be likened to boot camp. In fact, many instructors were indeed retired military officers. Students were told how long to wear their hair and sideburns. Some schools even had fingernail inspections. Only a handful of women and minority students could be found in dental school. To make matters worse, no system of due process existed, which meant students could be expelled with no available recourse for help. With a multitude of issues building, the solution presented itself-dental students needed to organize.
The presidents of SAMA (now known as the American Medical Student Association) and the Student American Pharmacy Association both attended the University of California at San Francisco. They approached Dennis Spain, a junior at the university's dental school, to start a national association for dental students.
At a January, 1970 SAMA conference that included professional students of all disciplines, Spain met David Evaskus, a senior dental student at the University of Illinois. Impressed with the scope and depth of the projects in which the other student organizations were involved, Spain and Evaskus returned to their schools and began contacting dental school deans and students across the country.
Students held a meeting in Chicago on Feb. 14-15, 1970, just prior to the midwinter meeting of the Chicago Dental Society. Although records indicate that 45 students from 26 dental schools participated, more dental schools may have been unofficially represented because several students came to the meeting without the approval of their schools' administrations. This assembly represented a new generation of dental students. Active students involved in extracurricular activities were in attendance, rather than the usual assemblage of student body presidents or faculty-recognized students.
This new brand of leaders formed the Student American Dental Association (SADA), a national organization that would recruit students to serve in federal health care projects, function as an information clearinghouse on local student issues, coordinate student lobbying efforts and establish and promote student positions on professional issues. Members elected Dennis Spain, the original organizer, as board president. The newly established SADA planned to hold its first national convention and House of Delegates meeting in New York in October 1970.
The culmination of the conference was the formation of the American Student Dental Association (ASDA), a new national student dental organization. Its first president and other key officers were former SADA leaders. While this new organization had the ADA's approval and support, ASDA's guiding principles and leaders descended directly from the original student organization, SADA.
One of ASDA's earliest activities was the development of an advocacy program to respond to students' requests for support and assistance. ASDA's Advocacy Program helped students by either directing them to local sources of assistance, forwarding cases to the ADA Commission on Dental Accreditation, or simply shedding light on injustices through ASDA's newsletter.
Also in 1986, ASDA established its Political Education Network, composed of students who coordinate legislative activities and lobbying efforts at their dental schools. PEN monitored state and national legislative activities and organized political action at the grassroots level, such as letter-writing campaigns and voter registration drives. ASDA initiated its political advocacy network of dental students nearly 10 years before the ADA created its grassroots network for dentists. In the fall of 2000, ASDA changed PEN's name to the Legislative Grassroots Networks to better reflect its purpose and efforts.
As a result of resolutions passed by the House of Delegates, ASDA publishes policy statements on dozens of issues, including dental education, the rights and fair treatment of dental students, dental research, dental student representation and education financing, among others. ASDA notifies groups or individuals, such as dental school deans, dental associations, state boards of dentistry and lawmakers, of its position on particular issues.
ASDA established its first ASDA-ADEA National Dental Student Lobby Day in 1999. Twenty-one students lobbied members of Congress, advocating Student Loan Interest Deduction (SLID) legislation and access to additional unsubsidized Stafford Loan funds. Lobby Day has become one of ASDA's most successful events and in 2005, over 250 dental students registered for this event.
The 2000 ASDA delegation to the ADA House of Delegates successfully lobbied for ASDA's resolution calling for the elimination of the use of human subjects in the clinical licensure examination process by 2005. With an 82.9 percent majority, the ADA House passed ASDA's resolution. In the following months, state societies and boards of dental examiners in more than five states passed similar resolutions that support ASDA's licensure reform goals.
ASDA helped organized dentistry advance in its quest for freedom of movement. At the 2002 ADA Annual Session, ASDA proposed a resolution advocating that licensure by credentials be made available to any dentist who has been in private practice or full-time dental education immediately prior to applying for licensure be credentials. Previously the ADA recommended that dentists practice for a minimum of five years, among other requirements, in order to be eligible. The ADA's new policy endorses that any licensed dentist is eligible practice in any state.
ASDA's Legislative Grassroots Network conducted a survey on students' attitudes towards service in underserved communities and made the results of this survey available to chapters for use in guiding the policies of their state dental societies and legislatures. The 2003 House of Delegates directed that information on loan forgiveness and alternative repayment programs be distributed to dental students.
ASDA chapters participate in various community service events, such as Give Kids a Smile Day, during which students provide free oral health care and education to children in their communities. In 2004 ASDA partnered with Procter & Gamble to launch its Crest Healthy Smiles 2010 program. This national outreach program was designed to improve the state of oral health in America by providing education, oral care tools and increased access to dental care to children and their families across the country. ASDA chapters are recognized for their excellence in designing and implementing oral health programs with children in the community setting.
Dentistry
Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
. It introduces students to lifelong involvement in organized dentistry
Dentistry
Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
and provides services, information, education, representation and advocacy.
In the year 1969. University students across the country staged demonstrations to protest the Vietnam War, restrictive school policies, dress codes and more. Dental school admission criteria became more selective and the competition for acceptance into dental schools increased. The resulting student profile was a brighter, more socially aware individual with diverse interests and talents.
However, at this time dental school could be likened to boot camp. In fact, many instructors were indeed retired military officers. Students were told how long to wear their hair and sideburns. Some schools even had fingernail inspections. Only a handful of women and minority students could be found in dental school. To make matters worse, no system of due process existed, which meant students could be expelled with no available recourse for help. With a multitude of issues building, the solution presented itself-dental students needed to organize.
The Initial Step
That year the federal government offered the Student American Medical Association (SAMA) a $1 million grant to coordinate student involvement in the Appalachia Project and the American Indian Health Program. Dentistry was the only health care discipline without its own national student organization. In order to receive the grant for the project, SAMA needed dental students to organize.The presidents of SAMA (now known as the American Medical Student Association) and the Student American Pharmacy Association both attended the University of California at San Francisco. They approached Dennis Spain, a junior at the university's dental school, to start a national association for dental students.
At a January, 1970 SAMA conference that included professional students of all disciplines, Spain met David Evaskus, a senior dental student at the University of Illinois. Impressed with the scope and depth of the projects in which the other student organizations were involved, Spain and Evaskus returned to their schools and began contacting dental school deans and students across the country.
Students held a meeting in Chicago on Feb. 14-15, 1970, just prior to the midwinter meeting of the Chicago Dental Society. Although records indicate that 45 students from 26 dental schools participated, more dental schools may have been unofficially represented because several students came to the meeting without the approval of their schools' administrations. This assembly represented a new generation of dental students. Active students involved in extracurricular activities were in attendance, rather than the usual assemblage of student body presidents or faculty-recognized students.
This new brand of leaders formed the Student American Dental Association (SADA), a national organization that would recruit students to serve in federal health care projects, function as an information clearinghouse on local student issues, coordinate student lobbying efforts and establish and promote student positions on professional issues. Members elected Dennis Spain, the original organizer, as board president. The newly established SADA planned to hold its first national convention and House of Delegates meeting in New York in October 1970.
ASDA is Born
SADA wanted to maintain its independence but was unable to attract enough funding to support its planned national convention. At the same time, the American Dental Association began developing its own plans for student affairs to channel student requests to the appropriate ADA departments. Approved at the 1970 ADA Annual Session, one of the first activities was to help organize a dental student convention, which was later held on Feb. 8-9, 1971.The culmination of the conference was the formation of the American Student Dental Association (ASDA), a new national student dental organization. Its first president and other key officers were former SADA leaders. While this new organization had the ADA's approval and support, ASDA's guiding principles and leaders descended directly from the original student organization, SADA.
Early Years
In its first year, ASDA participated in minority student recruitment, migratory worker health programs in several states and Indian Health Service programs. In addition, the association published a monthly newsletter and held regional conferences on issues concerning public health.One of ASDA's earliest activities was the development of an advocacy program to respond to students' requests for support and assistance. ASDA's Advocacy Program helped students by either directing them to local sources of assistance, forwarding cases to the ADA Commission on Dental Accreditation, or simply shedding light on injustices through ASDA's newsletter.
Also in 1986, ASDA established its Political Education Network, composed of students who coordinate legislative activities and lobbying efforts at their dental schools. PEN monitored state and national legislative activities and organized political action at the grassroots level, such as letter-writing campaigns and voter registration drives. ASDA initiated its political advocacy network of dental students nearly 10 years before the ADA created its grassroots network for dentists. In the fall of 2000, ASDA changed PEN's name to the Legislative Grassroots Networks to better reflect its purpose and efforts.
A Channel for Dental Student Concerns
ASDA is the largest national organization solely dedicated to dental student concerns. Structured as a network of local chapters based at each of the 61 U.S. dental schools, ASDA is uniquely geared to respond to the concerns of its members at the local, regional and national levels. Two delegates at each dental school chapter serve as voting members in the ASDA House of Delegates. Their role is to voice the concerns of their constituents to the House of Delegates for action in the form of resolutions.As a result of resolutions passed by the House of Delegates, ASDA publishes policy statements on dozens of issues, including dental education, the rights and fair treatment of dental students, dental research, dental student representation and education financing, among others. ASDA notifies groups or individuals, such as dental school deans, dental associations, state boards of dentistry and lawmakers, of its position on particular issues.
Capturing Support of Legislators
ASDA aggressively lobbies members of Congress and state legislatures about educational and funding issues, such as the tax deductibility of student loan interest, in-school interest subsidies and maintaining Medicaid funding for dental school clinic patients. It took more than 10 years of effort, but ASDA, working collaboratively with other student and dental organizations, successfully reinstated tax deductibility of interest paid on educational loans.ASDA established its first ASDA-ADEA National Dental Student Lobby Day in 1999. Twenty-one students lobbied members of Congress, advocating Student Loan Interest Deduction (SLID) legislation and access to additional unsubsidized Stafford Loan funds. Lobby Day has become one of ASDA's most successful events and in 2005, over 250 dental students registered for this event.
Dental Licensure Reform
Ryan MontiToday ASDA is leading the profession in initiating reforms to the process of dental licensure. ASDA's goals for initial licensure include the creation and acceptance of one content-uniform clinical licensure examination that is valid, reliable, anonymous and fair; substitution of successful completion of the National Board Dental Examination Part II for all written examinations covering clinical topics; eliminating the use of human subjects; creation of dental school-based remediation programs for candidates who fail; and reduction and control of costs associated with dental licensure examination for all parties involved. ASDA supports licensure by credentials, whereby a dentist licensed in one jurisdiction can obtain a license from another jurisdiction based on evidence of his or her theoretical knowledge and clinical performance record.The 2000 ASDA delegation to the ADA House of Delegates successfully lobbied for ASDA's resolution calling for the elimination of the use of human subjects in the clinical licensure examination process by 2005. With an 82.9 percent majority, the ADA House passed ASDA's resolution. In the following months, state societies and boards of dental examiners in more than five states passed similar resolutions that support ASDA's licensure reform goals.
ASDA helped organized dentistry advance in its quest for freedom of movement. At the 2002 ADA Annual Session, ASDA proposed a resolution advocating that licensure by credentials be made available to any dentist who has been in private practice or full-time dental education immediately prior to applying for licensure be credentials. Previously the ADA recommended that dentists practice for a minimum of five years, among other requirements, in order to be eligible. The ADA's new policy endorses that any licensed dentist is eligible practice in any state.
Barriers to Care
ASDA has worked to increase access to dental care for underserved populations. ASDA's House of Delegates acted in 2002 and 2004 to increase awareness of access to care for individuals with developmental disabilities, encourage constituent and component dental societies to support initiatives to improve the oral health of persons with special needs, and encouraged dental and allied dental programs to educate students about the oral health needs of these individuals.ASDA's Legislative Grassroots Network conducted a survey on students' attitudes towards service in underserved communities and made the results of this survey available to chapters for use in guiding the policies of their state dental societies and legislatures. The 2003 House of Delegates directed that information on loan forgiveness and alternative repayment programs be distributed to dental students.
ASDA chapters participate in various community service events, such as Give Kids a Smile Day, during which students provide free oral health care and education to children in their communities. In 2004 ASDA partnered with Procter & Gamble to launch its Crest Healthy Smiles 2010 program. This national outreach program was designed to improve the state of oral health in America by providing education, oral care tools and increased access to dental care to children and their families across the country. ASDA chapters are recognized for their excellence in designing and implementing oral health programs with children in the community setting.