Members of the 2024-2025 AAOMS Board of Trustees were installed on Sept. 11 during the third session of the House of Delegates.

Front row, from left:

• Steven R. Nelson, DDS, MS, Speaker of the House of Delegates
• Jeffrey H. Wallen, DDS, Treasurer
• Charles A. Crago, DMD, MD, FACS, Vice President
• J. David Morrison, DMD, President
• Robert S. Clark, DMD, President-Elect
• Mark A. Egbert, DDS, FACS, Immediate Past President
• Karin Wittich, CAE, Secretary/Executive Director

Back row, from left:

• Debra M. Sacco, DMD, MD, District III Trustee
• Edward J. Miller Jr., DMD, District I Trustee
• Gregory M. Ness, DDS, FACS, District IV Trustee
• Martin E. Eichner, DDS, District II Trustee
• Julia R. Plevnia, DDS, FACS, District V Trustee
• W. Frederick Stephens, DDS, District VI Trustee

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Jeff Schultz has been installed as a member of the GA Board of Dentistry, joining Dr. Glenn Maron who serves as Board Chair. Thanks to the influence of Dr. Stan Satterfield, our long campaign to place a second OMS on the Board was successful. Thanks Stan and congratulations Jeff!

Jeff Schultz earned a degree in Chemistry from Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania before enrolling in the Master of Medical Science Program in Anesthesia at the Emory University School of Medicine.

After briefly working as a Physician Assistant Anesthetist, he attended the Emory University School of Dentistry where he graduated as a member of the last class in 1988. Schultz completed his residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and has been in private practice in the Newnan, Peachtree City, and Fayetteville areas since 1996.

He is a respected professional in his field, serving as a Diplomat of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, on the National Dental Board of Anesthesiology, and as President of the Georgia Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons just to name a few recognitions. Schultz, and his wife Sharon, have six children and reside in Newnan.

Read press release

The Good Samaritan Health Center is a 501c3 nonprofit organization in downtown Atlanta that provides full-circle of health services to those in need across metro-Atlanta. Founded in 1998, “Good Sam” has faithfully served individuals and families who are uninsured and medically underserved, and those who face many barriers to receiving quality medical care and improving their health. The 40,000+ encounters that Good Sam sees each year are comprised of patients who are the working poor, those experiencing homelessness, and those on Medicaid or Medicare. Through their medical, dental, behavioral health, health education, and food access services, patients of all ages are seen on a sliding fee scale based on household income and federal poverty guidelines. An onsite 1-acre urban farm and market allow for a fun educational opportunity right here in the city, while also addressing the barrier of living in a food desert for those they serve.

While Good Sam has a full-time staff of 50 people providing consistent primary care and dentistry services, they rely on the generosity of volunteers to fulfill their specialty needs, including oral surgery. Beginning in April 2022, Emory OMFS residents and faculty volunteers are providing excellent and much needed oral surgery services to the patients of Good Samaritan. The waitlist for patients needing these services is long and we are committed to continuing to volunteer with Good Sam every other month for the foreseeable future. However, to ensure the standard of care which we believe every patient is deserving of, Good Sam needs to purchase or receive the appropriate equipment: drill module, handpieces, etc. Early estimates for these items came in around $20,000 and that is outside the means of the nonprofit at this time. It is my hope that the society can come together for this worthy cause and provide these items to Good Sam. If we each make a tax-deductible gift of just $250, the Center will be able to purchase the equipment before our next scheduled clinic in August. I know each of you understands the value of not only ensuring a vulnerable population has access to a healthy mouth, but also the importance of our students experiencing the complexities of providing care to this population during their training. Alternatively, if you have a working dental drill and hand pieces that are no longer needed please consider donation to this worthy cause.

If you would like to be a part of providing high quality, oral surgery services to the patients of Good Samaritan, please consider donating toward the purchase of the drills and tools our volunteers will need when they serve in the clinic. Visit goodsamatlanta.org/gooddental to make your gift. You can also contact Heather Kersey, Chief Development Officer for Good Sam at heather.kersey@goodsamatlanta.org with questions or ideas on how to help.
 

Sincerely,

Heather Kersey
Chief Development Officer
Good Samaritan Health Center

Gary Bouloux DDS, MD, MDSc, FRACDS, FRACDS(OMS), FRCS(Eng), FACS
Professor and Interim Division Chief
Division Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Emory University School of Medicine
President American Society of Temporomandibular Joint Surgeons

Dr. Perry Brickman, GSOMS Past President, founder of our GSOMS Educational Trust and recipient of our John Freihaut Lifetime Achievement Award, is the author of Extracted, a fascinating book that describes the antisemitism he and many other Jewish students experienced at Emory University’s Dental School and the Atlanta Southern Dental College in the 1950’s and early 60’s. Also a part of the “racial quota” scheme was ADA’s Council on Dental Education (CODE).

Perry’s story is compelling in many ways but his relentless pursuit of the truth stands out throughout the tightly written text. Do yourself a favor and read this book. You will be proud of Perry, ashamed of the leadership at Emory during that critical time in dental education but pleased with the end result of reconciliation and forgiveness.

ADA has announced that dental anesthesiology has become “the 10th dental specialty recognized by the National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards.” On March 11, the National Commission “adopted a resolution based on an application from the American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists to recognize dental anesthesiology as a dental specialty.”

Dr. James Tom, president of the American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists, said, “This historic vote by the National Commission certainly reflects the ADA’s ongoing efforts towards improved patient care and safety in the areas of dental sedation, dental anesthesiology and access for those with special health care needs.”

In addition to dental anesthesiology, other recognized dental specialties include dental public health, endodontics, oral and maxillofacial pathology, oral and maxillofacial radiology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, and prosthodontics.