mission statement the san francisco dental society … · 2013-06-03 · tists, 144 were from the...

Volume 66 • Number 3 • June 2013 • San Francisco Dental Society Organized 1869

CDA Cares San Jose

Project Homeless Connect SF

MISSION STATEMENTThe San Francisco Dental Society promotes the oral health of the community and is the recognized resource for dental professionals in the City and County of San Francisco.

San Francisco Dental Society •

2013 SAN FRANCISCO DENTAL SOCIETY OFFICERS AND

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

2013 Executive CommitteePresident

Peter Lee, DDS, MS

President-Elect Paul Weller, DDS, MS

Immediate Past-President Courtney Fitzpatrick, DDS

SecretaryCarlos Nogueiro, DDS

TreasurerGail Duffala, DDS

CDA TrusteesIrene Hilton, DDS, MPH

Natasha Lee, DDS

Executive DirectorDeborah A. Elam, MS CAE

THE BRIDGE EditorCraig S. Yarborough, DDS

DirectorsWayne Del Carlo, DDSDavid Ehsan, DDS, MD

Joseph Gabany, DMD, MSDTerry Im, DDS, MSWilliam Lee, DDS

Curtis D. Raff, DDSSima Salimi, DDS

Eric M. Scharf, DDSVlad V. Shuster, DMD

Katherine Vo, DDSAllen Wong, DDS

SFDS StaffAlfonso Estera, Jr. – Membership Administrator

Lisa Tamburrino – Administrative & Advertising Assistant

2013 Committee ChairsCommunity Dental Health - Jeff Jang, DDS, Allen Wong, DDS

Ethics - Mark Wiesen, DDS

Executive - Peter Lee, DDS, MS

Finance - Gail Duffala, DDS

Legislative - Claudia Masouredis, DDS MPH

Membership - Vlad V. Shuster, DMD

New Dentist - William Lee, DDS

Peer Review - Michael Ramsay, DDS

Policy - William Gallagher, DDS

Poster Contest - Dennis D. Shinbori, DDS & Stafford Duhn, DDS

Program - Paul Weller, DDS, MS (interim)

Well-Being - Bruce Hiura, DDS(Confidential assistance to professionals,

spouse and staff for drug and alcohol abuse, call (415) 776-5855)

March 20131. Membership: As of January 31, 2013, SFDS membership market share is 81.9%, up

from 79.4% December 31, 2012. SFDS has 1154 Members, down from 1163December 2012

2. Approved funding of $500 as “Chair Sponsor” in support of the San Jose CDACares event

3. Ratified Executive Committee Actions of February 21, 2013 that included:

• Establishing Responsibilities and Qualifications of a Committee Vice-Chair

• Forwarding to the board at a future date, the recommendation to establishterm limits for directors. This would be a bylaws change and all bylawschange resolutions will be presented at one time for board consideration.

• Reviewed & approved the print and on-line Leadership Application; oneapplication for all positions, elected or appointed

• Approved expanding the CPR Program to include an in-office CPR training option

4. The board of directors and officers will serve as ambassadors to the SFDSambassador program, sending hand-written notes and emails to new members,consistent with currently established program processes

5. Established goal that each board of director and officer, as a responsibility oftheir leadership position, will recruit at least one new SFDS member in 2013

6. Approved allocation of funding for a membership committee wine tasting nightat the SFDS building, inviting newer members, those at the 4th & 5th year ofmembership, and recent non-renewals

7. Declined: Medical Guide Advertising Opportunity at $5,000-$45,750 cost to theSFDS; it was determined not a good fit for the Society nor within SFDS budgetary means

8. Approved Nominating Committee Guidelines including: Composition, FillingVacancies, Nomination Process, and Candidate Selection Guidelines

9. Approve Strategic Plan/Goals 2013-2015 with each committee to establish plan priorities in consultation with the Executive Director

10. Ratified Presidential appointments of Dr. David Ehsan to the nominating committee beginning 3/28/2013; Dr. Alfred Dela Rosa to the legislative commit-tee effective 3/28/2013

11. Trustees –Lee & Hilton provided a recap of the recent BOT meeting in SantaClara (separate report on page 10 of this issue) ❖

BOARD HIGHLIGHTS

Assets as of 12/31/2012: $ 911,004

Assets 12/32/2011: $933,856

Net income (surplus/loss) for 2012 <$-5831>

2012 Budgeted deficit of <$-6,859>

Total Non-Dues Income: 21% of SFDS 2012 Budget $ 87,422

Down 1% from 2011

Established Operating Budget for 2013 $ 433,215

Budgeted for a deficit of <-3,060>

Note: Deficit the result of expenses incurred during the reconstruction of the SFDS headquarters not covered by insurance.

2012 YEAR-END FINANCIAL STATEMENT


EDITORIALBy Craig Yarborough, DDS

The California DentalAssociation Foundation andCDA hosted the third CDA

Cares Free Dental Clinic on May 18 &19 in San Jose. At the time I put quillto parchment for this editorial in thebeginning of May, 1,516 volunteershad signed up that included 362 den-tists, 144 were from the Santa ClaraCounty Dental Society. A strongshowing of 27 SFDS members volun-teered, the largest of any other compo-nent. A pat on the back to all of you!The next generation of the profession,our dental students, sent 210 volun-teers, more than 190 from PacificDugoni.

CDA Cares started last year, first inModesto and later in Sacramento. Astheir website, cdafoundation.org,points out, the CDA Foundation real-ized we needed to begin to address thefact that virtually all adult Denti-Calbenefits ended in 2009, decimatingoral health services for more than 3million Californians. In addition, thestate eliminated funding for theCalifornia Children’s Dental DiseasePrevention Program (SB 111), whichprovided preventive oral health care tolow-income children. Today, one inthree Californians do not have accessto dental care.

Volunteering together for the com-mon good allows me to recognizewhat is truly extraordinary in theworld. And once you open your heart----there is no turning back".

More locally, SFDS member AllenWong, vice chair of the SFDS DentalHealth Committee, says "I volunteeras a celebration of my thankfulnessfor the many opportunities and bless-ings given to me. There is an internalsatisfaction that I get helping othersin need. Volunteering can be a power-ful example to others and I hope thata ripple effect is created. Basically, Ifeel it is like a combination of payingback and paying forward".

In each issue of The Bridge, on the thirdto last page, we list multiple volunteeropportunities for you to "pay back andpay forward", from K School Screeningto SF City Impact. You can give anhour, a day, a weekend, whatever. JustDo It! Accept my challenge, pick upthe phone or send an e-mail volunteer-ing your time and talent. In order fordentistry to incrementally improvegeneration to generation, we must putmore into our profession than what wetake from it. I guarantee, you willreceive a "life by what you give". ❖

This editorial is to challenge you toone outreach experience per year.This is nothing more than what we atPacific Dugoni challenge the next gen-eration of our profession - our stu-dents - to accomplish. As profession-als, we should be leading by examplerather than the old adage "Do as I say,not as I do".

Why? SFDS member CynthiaBrattesani in a leadership positionwith CDA Cares in San Jose says,"Volunteering for me is a matter ofthe heart. It offers gifts often disguis-ing themselves in the actual work. Itoffers me a lesson of humility and thevalue of courage to make me stand insomething that I truly believe in.

“You Make A Living By What You Get, You Make A Life By What You Give.” -Churchill

“As professionals,we should be

leading by examplerather than the oldadage “Do as I say,

not as I do.”


CDA CARES –MAY 18-19

SFDS Member Dentists joined morethan 1,800 volunteers, including 800dentists, hygienists, and lab assistants,working from 5 a.m. to early eveningproviding oral healthcare and educationto more nearly 2,200 patients at CDACARES two-day free dental clinic, May18-19 in San Jose. The clinic featured150 dental chairs; patients receivedcleanings, extractions, root canals, fill-ings, and, for a lucky few, dentures.


tant, this provides us with a glimpse ofhow these young children, throughtheir drawings, see our profession.

So how can we as a profession continueto provide such a confident and deepimpression on our youngsters? I believe,first and foremost, we must continue tobe relevant in the public’s minds that

we are the experts in all aspects of oralhealth whether the issues are preventive,conservative, restorative or rehabilita-tive by using true and tested evidence-based dentistry. Second, always demon-strate and inform our legislators andpublic that we care, we serve, and inparticular we are united in trying to

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEPeter Lee, DDS, MS

promote excellence in oral health. Lastbut not least, we always want to dowhat is right for our patients.

After a couple of hours of difficultdeliberations among my colleagues toselect the winners, we all came to theconclusion that the first prize shouldgo to the child that reflected the happymood of a gargantuan and wide sym-metrical smile with neat palisade dou-ble rows of white teeth against a back-drop of the Golden Gate Bridge withtoothbrush and toothpaste on a childwearing a gold medal. This 38th yearevent was definitely another success dueto the relentless hard work of Co-ChairsDr. Dennis Shinbori and Dr. StaffordDuhn, and Judges Dr. Jeff Jang, Dr. KatVo, SF School District Nurse Ms. CathiFuller, Executive Director DeborahElam and SFDS Poster ContestAdministrator Ms. Lisa Tamburrino. Ithank them for showing me how cre-ative children are and how much fun itcan be for all when we work togetherfor a common cause – to create happi-ness with a smile through dentistry. ❖

As president of our dental society,I had the wonderful opportuni-ty to serve as a judge for this

year’s Annual Poster Contest, a tradi-tion of 38 years, themed, “Get YourGold Medal San Francisco Smile”. Ourcity’s elementary school students fromK to 5th grades submitted drawingsbefitting of the theme, and we receivedmore than a thousand entries this year.

As I walked into the conference room ofour headquarters this past Tuesdayevening, I saw neatly stacked posterdrawings on top of multiple tables,sorted according to the grade levels. Allof the posters illustrated big brightsmiles and many with a backdrop ofour city. Although almost all had anunusual number of teeth devoid of thegum line, golden proportion and thebuccal corridor, as an orthodontist, Iwas very pleased to see the teeth were atleast straight.

The purpose of the poster contest isgood and simple, to educate childrenabout the importance of good oralhealth while helping to instill an imageof a winner’s smile. And equally impor-

A Poster Smile

“…always demon-strate and inform

our legislators andpublic that we care,

we serve, and inparticular we are

united in trying topromote excellence

in oral health…”


Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry

The Northern California Section of the American College of Dentists(ACD) recognized Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry student BenShimel (Class of 2013) with one of two Outstanding Student Leaderawards, acknowledging him for his high levels of achievement in aca-demia as well as superior leadership qualities. Shimel has held severalstudent leader roles at the school including Associated Student Bodypresident and class president during his second year of school. He hasalso been a leader and member of various school study clubs, commit-tees, honor societies and organized dentistry groups. ❖

CAMPUS NOTES

SFDS STARS

Please join us in congratulating our board's own, Dr. Allen Wong, on his well-deserved recognition in being selected toreceive the Distinguished Faculty Award from the Northern California Section of the American College of Dentists (ACD). Dr. Wong is the director of the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry’s Advanced Education in General Dentistry program;director of the school’s Union City Dental Care Center; and director of the school’s Hospital Dentistry Program. Dr. Wongserves as a Vice-Chair of our Community Dental Health Committee. Kudos Dr. Wong! (see Campus Notes photo)

Dr. Eric Engert, SFDS editor from 1993-1996, was a guest lecturer at the Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, NewDelhi, India in April 2013.

Justin J. Carl, DDS; GP; UOP 2012;Office Address Pending

Kristen M. Hann, DDS; GP; UOP2012; Office Address Pending

You-Hsing Kao, DMD; GP; Alabama2002; Pediatric Dentistry UCSF 2013

Lauren M. Katzel, DMD; GP;Pennsylvania 2012; Office AddressPending

Jeffrey K. Takai, DDS; GP; UOP2010; Periodontics UCSF 2013

A STANDING OVATION…

TO WELCOME OUR NEWEST SFDS MEMBERS:


NOTE TO SELF…

Don't try to be perfect. Justbe...yourself.

Quote: Practice does not make perfect;practice makes permanent. Bobby Robson,athletePonder: If practice makes permanent,what habits are you ingraining throughconstant repetition? Ingrain good ones!

Let the moment dictate what you door say...even if it means changingyour mind. Quote: When the facts change, I changemy mind. Paul Samuelson, economistPonder: What do you do when the factschange? You cannot go wrong if youhave an open mind and you are willingto consider alternatives.

Find a way to feel good today so thatyou will attract more things thatmake you feel good. Quote: Some cause happiness whereverthey go; others whenever they go. OscarWildePonder: What are you attracting? Areyou paying attention to how you areperceived? Smile! Smile! Smile! Andremember, Smile!

Are we having fun yet? If not...whynot? Quote: People rarely succeed unless theyhave fun in what they are doing. DaleCarnegie Ponder: What are you doing to havefun? Remember, success can be fun.

The art of visualization allows you tosee things that aren't there... until,sooner or later, they are.

Quote: Vision is the art of seeing thingsinvisible. Jonathan Swift (political satirist1667-1745)Ponder: What do you envision? Take afew minutes each day to practice visual-izing your goals. Remember, practicemakes permanent!

There's ALWAYS a way to find some-thing good in just about anything...ifyou're looking for it.Quote: There is nothing either good orbad but thinking makes it so. WilliamShakespearePonder: What are you thinking? Rightnow!

Leaders read and readers lead…Quote: The man who doesn’t read hasno advantage over the man who can’t.EpictetusPonder: So what are you reading? Readto develop personally and professionally,to be a better person and leader.

The great thing about the past is thatit's in the past…tomorrow is aboutchange, about “what ifs”… Quote: People don’t distrust change,they resist doing things that are stupidor against their best interests. JamieNotterPonder: Is this change necessary andhave all the stakeholders offered input?Remember to solicit input and buy-in,one step, one process at a time. And,remember, failure is okay. We learn fromour failures. In fact, celebrate the fail-ures just as you would celebrate yoursuccesses!

The gift of thanks is the greatest giftwe can give…

Quote: Each day comes bearing its owngifts. Untie the ribbons. Ruth AnnSchabacker, writerPonder: Have you given thanks today?

I want to thank Dr. Fitzpatrick (thank-you, thank-you, thank-you) and Dr. Hilton, Dr. Duffala, Dr. Nogueiro,Dr. Ehsan, Dr. Young, Drs. Lee, Leeand Lee, Dr. Gallagher, Dr. Del Carlo,Dr. Jang, Dr. Wong, Dr. Hebel, Dr. Salimi, Dr. Gabany, Dr. Raff, Dr. Vo, Dr. Weller, Dr. Yarborough,and our new board members Dr.Shuster, Dr. Im, and Dr. Scharf…what afantastic team of leaders and I could nothave made it through the last twelvemonths without your unending supportand your commitment to the SFDS.Each of you has a special place in myheart. And to all of our committeechairs and committee members, youare extraordinary in all that you do forour members and for the community.Huge hugs to all those who’ve given tire-lessly to our Kindergarten SchoolScreenings, to Project HomelessConnect and Project Family Connect, toCDA Cares and to Clinic By The Bay.You demonstrate what it means, to citeDr. Yarborough, to “pay back and payforward.” Kudos to our SFDS team LisaTamburrino and Alfonso Estera—theyare remarkable in their service to ourmembers and in all that they do onbehalf of the SFDS. ❖

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though

everything is a miracle.”- Albert Einstein

EXECUTIVE PERSPECTIVEDeborah Elam, MS, CAEExecutive Director


London Breed, Supervisor

On January 8, 2013, Ms. LondonBreed was sworn in by KamalaD. Harris, California Attorney

General, as newly elected Supervisor ofDistrict 5. She takes Christina Olague’sformer seat, a result of the November,2012 election. District 5 encompasses avariety of neighborhoods –Fillmore/Western Addition, Cole Valley,Hayes Valley, Japantown, HaightAshbury, Lower Haight, Inner Sunset,Lower Pacific Heights, Alamo Square,and North of the Panhandle.

Ms. Breed has lived in San Francisco herwhole life, raised by her grandmother inthe Plaza East public housing project.Today she resides in Lower Haight. Sheattended public schools, graduatedfrom Galileo High School, earned herB.A. at UC Davis in Political Science,and a Master’s degree in PublicAdministration from the University ofSan Francisco.

In 2002, she became Executive Directorfor the African American Art & CultureComplex, 762 Fulton St. Under herleadership, youth programs experiencedrecord participation resulting in morehigh school graduates and higher col-lege admissions. These programs, part-nering with community policing andcommunity engagement, are creditedwith lowering Fillmore/WesternAddition crime rates to levels not seenin years. As the Complex’s programsincreased the space was renovated. Ms.Breed raised over $2.5 million in orderto redo its interior and exterior with atheater space, art galleries and a record-ing studio.

In 2004, Mayor Gavin Newsom appoint-ed Ms. Breed to the San Francisco FireCommission, where she stayed until herelection as Supervisor. During hertenure, she strived to strengthen bondsbetween the people of her communityand the city’s first responders.

Public housing is of particular concernto her. Long wait lists for service mainte-nance, no elevators for disabled, rodentand insect infestation, and sometimeslack of heat are some of the problemsthat have festered from the “systemicnegligence of our city’s public housinginfrastructure.” She is trying to amelio-rate conditions by working with resi-dents of public housing, the Housing

Authority, and the Mayor’s office ofHousing. She continues to visit herDistrict’s public housing, most recentlyWestside Courts and Plaza East. Londonis also quite involved in policy workaround the California Pacific MedicalCenter’s proposed hospital on CathedralHill, District 5’s own backyard.

In her inaugural address, she states thatshe is “no shrinking violet.” Raised upin the Western Addition, she knows“first-hand what it is like to try to growup in a community rocked by violence,held up by unemployment, held back byneglect” just a mile or so from City Hall.“We need people in this beautiful build-ing who remember that there are stillplaces where people are living their livesin danger, where people are suffering,where people are in need. The solutionisn’t to keep poor people isolated in lit-tle pockets of the city, or price them outof San Francisco altogether; the solu-tion is to expand economic and socialopportunity for everyone.”

As London said in her address, “I will takeup an agenda that prioritizes opportunity;opportunity for a good job; opportunityfor a safe place to live; opportunity to livewith dignity.” She states her “agenda isn’tmoderate or progressive; it is about realpeople and a real life.”

The Supervisor’s office phone is 415-554-7630 and she is located in Room244, City Hall. Ahmad El-Najjar,Legislative Aide, was most helpful inproviding support for this introductionto one of our newest Supervisors,London Breed. ❖

ON YOUR BEHALFBy Peter Rengstorff, DDS, Legislative Committee

“We need people in this beautiful

building whoremember that

there are still placeswhere people areliving their lives in danger, wherepeople are suffer-ing, where people

are in need…”


May 2 - Evening CE withDr. Ove Peters

In the spirit of Cinco de Mayo, our Endo de Mayo CE, featuring a Mexican-themed buffet, was a hit and so was Dr.Ove Peters who spoke on EndodonticAdvances for the General Practice. Dr.Peters gave a snapshot of recent clinicalresearch and technological advances inthe field of Endodontics, focusing onitems of relevance to the general practi-tioner within the next decade.

The winner of the $20 cash prize was Dr. Martin Chee. Door prize winners were Dr. Gail Duffala, a $95 CE Voucher,Dr. David Ehsan, a $100 gift certificateto Rosa Mexicano, Dr. Gail Jang, a $25SF Giants Gift Card courtesy of DB3National Voluntary Benefits, and Dr.Gary Arabatyan, who won a picnic bas-ket complete with two bottles of wine.


Covered California insurance exchangeas part of the Affordable Care Act, andfinancial feasibility. Though thisapproach does not seem feasible at thistime, the Dental Benefits Task Force iscontinuing to investigate differentmodels of benefit plans and will presenta report to the CDA House of Delegateslater in the year.

Interestingly, one of the trusteesinformed the board of the existence of aPrivate Practice Association serving pri-marily San Joaquin, Sacramento, Butte-Sierra and Kern counties. For moreinformation see: http://www.theden-talppa.com.

Another report of interest was given byDrs. Ariane Terlet of the BerkeleyDental Society and Dick Gregory of theSan Mateo Dental Society, who weremembers of a nationwide group of den-tists invited to travel to Minnesota bythe Pew Foundation to observe theMinnesota Dental Therapy model inpractice last December.

Action item highlights included:

• Approval of $100,000 for theInstitute of Medicine Health LiteracyRoundtable. CDA has been invited toserve on this committee for twoyears. This is an honor which has notbeen requested of any other nationaldental organization

• Allocation of $187,000 for PracticeSupport Center (PSC) enhancementand development. The PSC(www.cdacompass.com), has beenidentified as one of CDA’s mostimportant member benefits. Thetask force created for the purpose ofdeveloping a new three-year (2013-

TRUSTEE REPORTBy Irene Hilton D.D.S., M.P.H. & Natasha Lee D.D.S.

16) plan for the PSC recommendedprioritizing future activities in thefollowing areas: Website enhance-ments, educational opportunities,revenue opportunities and practiceassessment/audit program.

• A maximum of $175,000 to host theSpring 2013 CDA Cares clinic to beheld at the San Jose ConventionCenter on May 17–20, 2013

• Approving $10,000 from the issuesfund to support the Children’sDental Health Project. TheChildren’s Dental Health Project(CDHP) is a national non-profitorganization with a focus on healthpolicy impacting children’s oralhealth. CDHP’s analytical expertise,national access to policymakers andrapid responsiveness has made thema valuable resource for CDA

• Up to $30,000 to expand the AdCouncil’s oral health literacy cam-paign to Chinese, Korean andVietnamese speaking communities.You may recall from previous Trusteereports, that a coalition of 35 dentalorganizations have collaborated withthe Ad Council to produce anEnglish and Spanish advertisingcampaign (Kids’ Healthy Mouths),with the catchphrase “Two Minutes,Two Times A Day.” You may haveseen the great videos featuring a tod-dler being cupcake decorated, thegerbil train or the octopus videogame (www.2min2x.org)

Please do not hesitate to contact yourtwo Trustees with any questions or con-cerns regarding this report or otherissues. Dr. Lee has interest and expertisein third party payer issues and Dr.Hilton has interest and expertise inaccess to care issues. Thank you. ❖

The CDA Board of Trustees helda meeting on March 23-24 fol-lowing the CDA Leadership

Conference. SFDS members in atten-dance included CDA Past-PresidentDan Davidson, DDS and CDA trusteesNatasha Lee, DDS and Irene Hilton,DDS, MPH.

The meeting started with a presenta-tion reviewing the fiduciary responsibil-ities of the Board of Trustees followedby the 2012 performance evaluation ofCDA’s Executive Director, PeterDuBois. Mr. DuBois continues to do anexcellent job serving the CDA.

Dr. Jim Wood announced his candidacyas a Democrat running for the 2ndAssembly District of NorthernCalifornia. Jim is a general dentist prac-ticing in Cloverdale and has served as aCity Council member and Mayor inHealdsburg. He has always been anactive leader in organized dentistry,serving in many leadership roles atCDA. Having additional elected offi-cials from the dental profession servingas government leaders is important asthe CDA continues to advocate for den-tistry and the oral health of the public.

CDA Chief Financial Officer BobSpinelli gave a fascinating presentationon the feasibility of CDA becoming aprovider of commercial dental insur-ance as CDA responds to members con-cerns about dental benefit planchanges. Many factors have to be con-sidered in such a decision including thealignment of seller and buyer interests,the uncertain insurance marketplace aswe approach the implementation of the

March 23-24, 2013


The SFDS thanks our dedicated volunteer leaders, serving on committees and task forces on behalf ofthe Society and our members. You are AWESOME!

Clinic by the Bay Task ForceJoseph A. Gabany, DMD, MSD, ChairScott E. Meyers, DDS, Vice-ChairCourtney K. Fitzpatrick, DDSSusan E. Soderstrom, DDS, MSPaul J. Weller, DDS, MSPeter C. Lee, DDS, MS

Community Dental HealthJeffrey S. Jang, DDS, ChairScott E. Meyers, DDS, Vice-ChairAllen Wong, DDS, Vice-ChairBen Amini, DDSJosh Berd, DDSRachelle Joy D. Magtanong- Madrid, DDSSusan E. Soderstrom, DDS, MSRussell H. Taylor, DMDKatherine T. Vo, DDSBenjamin A. Yount, DDSPeter C. Lee, DDS, MS

EthicsMark J. Wiesen, DDS, ChairRalph E. Hoffman, DMDCurtis D. Raff, DDS

FinanceGail H. Duffala, DDS, ChairDavid Ehsan, DDS, MDWilliam W. Lee, DDSEric M. Scharf, DDSSusan E. Soderstrom, DDS, MSPaul J. Weller, DDS, MSMatthew R. Young, DDSPeter C. Lee, DDS, MS

Governance CommitteeCarlos J. Nogueiro, DDS, ChairCourtney K. Fitzpatrick, DDSCurtis D. Raff, DDSSima Salimi, DDSPeter C. Lee, DDS, MS Deborah Elam, MS

LegislativeClaudia M. Masouredis, DDS, MPH,ChairAlfredo A. Dela Rosa, DDS, MDIrene V. Hilton, DDS, MPHDonna B. Hurowitz, DDSNorman Plotkin, DDSPeter V. Rengstorff, DDSDeborah Elam, MS, CAEPeter C. Lee, DDS, MS

MembershipVlad V. Shuster, DMD, ChairpersionLauren C. Hebel, DMDTerry Im, DDS, MSKatherine T. Vo, DDSPeter C. Lee, DDS, MSWilliam W. Lee, DDS, Ex-Officio

New DentistWilliam W. Lee, DDS, ChairCourtney K. Fitzpatrick, DDSCarlos J. Nogueiro, DDSBiana Roykh, DDSSandy T. Shih, DDSPeter C. Lee, DDS, MSVlad V. Shuster, DMDMatthew K. Chroust,

UCSF Student Rep Amanda Tsoi, UOP Student Rep

NominatingJoseph A. Gabany, DMD, MSD, ChairEarl A. Capuli, DDSDavid Ehsan, DDS, MDNewton C. Gordon, DDS, MSLauren C. Hebel, DMDWilliam W. Lee, DDS

Peer ReviewMichael A. Ramsay, DDS, ChairBennett L. Dubiner, DDSRichard E. Leeds, DDSStephanie A. Jee, DDSTheodore T. Uyemoto, DDS

PolicyWilliam L. Gallagher, DDS, ChairLinda L. Angin, DDSGeorge E. Bunnell, Jr., DDSYoshio Nakashima, DDS

Poster ContestDennis D. Shinbori, DDS, ChairStafford J. Duhn, DDS, Vice-Chair

ProgramsPaul J. Weller, DDS, MS, Interim Chair

William M. Carpenter, DDS, MSWayne D. Del Carlo, DDSGail H. Duffala, DDSPeter C. Lee, DDS, MS

Well-Being CommitteeBruce T. Hiura, DDS


BITS & PIECES......Know Your Association

Wei Cui, DDSEric Schmidt, DDS

Mark (Huy) Vo, DDSGail Duffala, DDS

Cynthia Brattesani, DDSSandy Shih, DDSCurtis Raff, DDS

SFDS JOB Bank – A FREE SFDS Member ServiceSFDS has contracted with an on-line job search firm to help you find able candidates for your open positions: dental assis-tants, hygienists, office managers, receptionists, and associate dentists. A database of resumes is at your disposal, on-line atwww.sfds.org in the Membership Only section of the website, follow the Job Applicants tab. Currently available are resumesfor the following: 9 DA, 6 RDA, 7 RDH, 2 Office Manager, and 9 Associate Dentists. Take advantage of this free service. Weask that you let us know if you hire one of the candidates so that we can 1) remove the person from our candidate databaseand 2) determine if this program is a value-add for our members.

CDA E-Learning Can’t attend the SFDS offered OSHA/Infection Control Course or the California Dental Practice Act Course? CDA offersboth courses on-line; individual courses are $49 per course or as a bundled option for both at $75. For more informationvisit: http://www.cda.org/conferences_&_education/education/e-learning.

Crowns for KidsGive back to your community by helping the SFDS raise funds for toothbrushes and toothpaste for our NeighborhoodMayor’s Back-To-School Backpack Program and the SF Firefighters’ Annual Giving Program. Donate your scrap gold to ourSFDS/CDA CROWNS FOR KIDS! With as little as a one-quarter-cup donation, and with a full cup, too, we’ve raised $1710and were able to purchase $400 worth of SFDS inscribed toothbrushes. Please help us make a difference! Give us a calltoday to arrange a pickup or bring offerings by the office. A huge thank-you to the following Crowns for Kids donors:

ADA…at Work

• ADA Responds to Pacifier Study: The ADA issued a statement May 6 in response to a study about the immunologicalbenefits of adult saliva published in Pediatrics, the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The study "does notprovide the full picture that adult saliva may also contain bacteria that can be transferred to children, which may increasetheir risk of developing decay," says the ADA. Please read the ADA News for full coverage.

• New Analysis Gives More Accurate Picture of Practice Expenses: New analysis from the ADA's Health Policy ResourcesCenter (HPRC) shows that the common practice of excluding owner dentist salaries from practice expenses leads to a mis-taken perception about what it costs to operate a dental practice. When dental practice expenses include owner salaries,they average 90 percent of gross billings. Accounting for collection rates, practice expenses as a share of gross billings riseto about 97 percent, and it is particularly important since collection rates have been falling steadily since 2006.

• ADA/Kellogg Executive Management Program for Dentists is Accepting Applications. The ADA/Kellogg ExecutiveManagement Program (ADAKEMP) is a three week intensive business education program designed for dentists to learnthe core principles of an MBA program. If you're looking for an opportunity to learn business management principlesamong your peers in dentistry, and you're ready to be challenged to think creatively by a highly-acclaimed faculty, this isthe program for you. Participants attend three sessions at Northwestern University's Chicago campus: Sept. 27–Oct. 2,Oct.17–22 and Nov. 14–19. For more information and to apply online visit ADA.org.

• Action for Dental Health Campaign Sparks Media Attention…On May 15, the ADA announced the launch of Action forDental Health: Dentists Making a Difference campaign during a media conference at the National Press Club. The overallmessage is that oral health isn't a luxury—it's essential.

• Annual Session Hotel Blocks are Selling Out--As a reminder, general registration opened for the 2013 Annual Session onMay 1, and hotel rooms are going quickly in New Orleans. Please register and make your travel arrangements soon toensure your first choice of hotel and CE courses.


In the online world, a website estab-lishes and represents your practice.Just like your brick-and-mortar

office, a website needs to be efficient,clean and current.

“Your website serves as a direct reflectionof your practice, and many timespatients will form their first impressionof you based on what they see online,”said Melissa Mickelson, brand managerfor ProSites, a website design andInternet marketing firm for dental andmedical professionals.

“In the dynamic Internet world, websitesmust be easy to navigate so visitors canquickly find the information they need,”Mickelson added. “If your site is not easyto navigate or takes too long to load, yourisk losing potential patients.”

In attracting new patients to your prac-tice via your website, you may want toinclude testimonials and photos of yourpatients, and The Dentists InsuranceCompany reminds dentists to securepatient permission in writing first.TDIC’s website at thedentists.com offersimage consent forms.

Whether you already have a website, orare thinking about creating one, websitedevelopers, dental practice experts andrisk management analysts all weigh inon a number of important things tokeep in mind. Here is the short list:

Site purpose: What do you want websitevisitors to do? Make an appointmentonline? Print forms before arriving inyour office? Find out what proceduresare performed at your practice? Be ableto easily contact your practice? Find anemergency contact number?

Priorities: You may want website visitorsto be able to do all of the things listedabove. Number the goals in order ofimportance. What information do youwant visitors to see first?

Structure: Have a basic idea about howyou want to present information. Thinkin terms of “pages” such as your homepage and then secondary pages such asabout us, contact, general dentistry andtestimonials. Then consider the subcate-gories that can be found under eachpage, for instance, directions or a map toyour practice under contact information.

Simplicity: Experts across the board rec-ommend simplicity. Present only theessential information.

Navigation: Make navigation simple bykeeping tabs and links to key informa-tion clearly visible and not buried on thesite. Review your website routinely toensure that links are functional.

Content: High-quality content is impor-tant, according to ProSites’ Mickelson. Iteducates your visitors, improves opti-mization and showcases your expertise. Ifyou write your own copy, recruit a knowl-edgeable proofreader for accurate, typo-free content.

Compliance: Are you compliant withregulations your dental board mayrequire? For example, the CaliforniaDental Board requires dental practicewebsites to prominently display staffnames, license types and highest level ofacademic degree on that site. Check withthe dental board in your state to ensureyour website is in compliance.

DIY or hire: A big question is whetheryou want to create the site yourself orhire someone. Be aware of the timeinvestment in setting up your own web-site. Coding, domain name registration,hosting, search engine optimization, sitearchitecture and copyright are importantconsiderations.

Contract: If hiring a vendor to createyour website, choose a reputable individ-ual or firm, require a written agreementand approve all content prior to publish-ing on the Internet. Have a good under-standing of what the design looks like,the features it includes and the overallfunctionality of the site. It’s also impor-tant to find out if you are locked-in to acontract with a vendor, or if you have theability to cancel at any time.

Updates: Keeping a website updated isjust as important as having a website.Consider how new information will beadded to your site:

• Will your vendor handle upgrades anddomain renewal or will you do thesethings yourself?

• Is the information on your site cur-rent? For example, remember toupdate your website when you changeemail addresses, office hours or makestaffing changes.

Copyright: Obtain a license for photosand other materials prior to using themon the site. Secure written permissionbefore using photos of products or trade-marked words or symbols on your web-site. Have a signed consent form for eachpatient photo. Remember, you areresponsible for the information on yourwebsite. ❖

RM MATTERSBy TDIC Risk Management Staff

Simple and Intuitive: Considerations for Website Development


My employees often tell me they are legallyentitled to certain things at work, but Ican’t find any laws that prove them rightor wrong. How can I handle thesedemands?

It’s not uncommon for employees toinsist there are laws giving them certainworkplace rights, when in fact no suchlaws exist. Here are some commonexamples:

• Cell Phones: Have you noticedemployees are suddenly spending agreat deal of work time texting orusing social media on their cellphones?

Employees have no legal right to pos-sess or use personal cell phones in theworkplace. Employers may prohibitemployees from bringing cell phonesto work entirely, or may require thatthey be turned off and/or put awayduring the work day. Of course dur-ing meal breaks, when employees dohave the right to leave the premises,they may use their cell phones.

• Smoke Breaks: Smokers may insistthey have a right to more (or longer)breaks in order to satisfy their nico-tine habit.

Employees are of course entitled to acertain number of 10-minute paidbreaks based on the number of hoursthey work, but during those breaksthey may be required to remain onthe employer’s premises.

Since smoking indoors in the work-place is generally prohibited, and an

employer may ban smoking anywhereon its property, employees may be lim-ited to smoking only during theirmeal breaks and only off the property.

• Bereavement Leave: What do you dowhen your receptionist tells you herhusband’s Great-Uncle Joe has passedaway, and she’ll be taking three days ofbereavement leave to go to the out-of-town funeral?

There is no federal or state law givingemployees a right to any bereavementleave in any situation, no matter howclose a relative has passed away. Mostemployers do choose to give bereave-ment leave, but each employer maydetermine what degree of relation isrequired to use such leave.

(Note: In California, if an employeroffers bereavement leave for the deathof a spouse, it must also offer thesame for the death of a registereddomestic partner.)

• Choice of Vacation Days: Yourbusiest month of the year is comingup, and an employee tells you he’ll betaking a two-week vacation to Tahitiright in the middle of it.

Although your employee may haveplenty of vacation time in his vacationbank, he has no legal right to demandto take vacation at any particular time.As an employer, you may alwaysapprove or deny vacation requestsbased on legitimate business needs.

Be careful not to deny vacationrequests that may be seen as illegal

retaliation, such as telling a womanwho has recently returned from preg-nancy disability leave that she can’ttake a vacation because she hasalready taken too much time awayfrom work.

• Paid Family Leave: You have 20employees and one announces he’ll betaking his six weeks of Paid FamilyLeave when his baby is born nextmonth.

The Paid Family Leave program issimply an insurance policy that thestate of California requires employeesto buy through a mandatory payrolldeduction (which provides wagereplacement when an employee takesa leave for baby bonding or to care foran ill family member), but it does notgive any employee a right to take aprotected leave for baby bonding.

Unless an employee has a legal rightto baby bonding leave under theCalifornia Family Rights Act or thefederal Family and Medical Leave Act,an employer is not required to give anemployee time off simply becausewage replacement insurance existsthrough the Paid Family Leave insur-ance program. ❖

By Ellen Savage, HR Adviser, CaliforniaChamber of Commerce; Reprinted with per-mission by the California Chamber ofCommerce, May 10, 2013 CalChamber Alert

Five Things Employees Think They Are Entitled to at Work... But Aren’t


THE ADA AND CDA HAVE A DEAL FORYOU…

The ADA Member-Get-A-Member Campaign provides theideal opportunity to encourage

your nonmember colleagues to join. Agrowing ADA means greater recogni-tion for the dental profession, moreresources and support for members,and a louder voice in Washington andin state capitols across the country.The ADA will reward you with a $100American Express gift card for eachnew, active member you recruit (up tofive members or $500 in AmericanExpress gift cards)! Or you may declinethe incentive and ADA will contribute$100 to the ADA Foundation.

The CDA Member-Get-A-MemberCampaign matches ADA’s by rewardingyou an additional $100 incentive forrecruiting new members. Like the ADA,the offer is limited to $500 per mem-ber/per year. If you refer a dentist whowas a member in the past, but is notcurrently a member, you will qualify forthe $100 if:

• The previous member has not been amember for the past two years and isconsidered a nonmember. If theirmembership has lapsed for morethan two years they need to fill out anew application through the SFDSwebsite or visit cda.org/application.

• Not a Student-to-Active CaliforniaDental School graduate

• Member’s dues have lapsed less thantwo years; they are not eligible to par-ticipate in the program. A non-renewed member can visitcda.org/renew to pay their dues orthey can call 800.CDA.SMILE(232.7645) to pay over the phone.

For details about each program, rulesand restrictions, visit the ADA athttp://www.ada.org/8185.aspx and theCDA at http://www.cda.org/about-cda/membership-with-cda/member-get-a-member-program. ❖

MARK YOUR CALENDARS -

UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTSMonth Date Meeting/Event Location Time CE

July 4 Independence Day SFDS Office Closed N/A N/A

2013 9 Community Dental Health Committee Conference Call 6 PM N/A

11 Membership Committee SFDS, 2143 Lombard St 6:30 PM N/A

18 Board of Directors SFDS, 2143 Lombard St 6:30 PM N/A

25 Social Hour Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem 6 PM N/A

Aug 6 New Dentist Committee SFDS, 2143 Lombard St 6:30 PM N/A

2013 8 Program Committee SFDS, 2143 Lombard St 6:30 PM N/A

15-17 CDA Presents Moscone Center Multi-day CE

22 Executive Committee SFDS, 2143 Lombard St 6:30 PM N/A

28 CPR Renewal SFDS, 2143 Lombard St 6:00 PM – 9:30 PM 4 CE


The term “social couponing”refers to an online service thatallows members to buy a

coupon to save on a variety of goodsand services and share their deal withfriends through other social media plat-forms. Some of the more popular socialcouponing sites include Groupon andLivingSocial. In recent years, there hasbeen significant debate over the ethicaland legal concerns involved in this formof marketing for dentists due to the feestructuring of these companies.

Traditional advertising services chargeflat rate fees, regardless of the numberof patients or amount of business themarketing campaign generates.Advertising via social couponing hascreated a scenario whereby the advertis-ing service is reimbursed per patientreferred, which raises legal and ethicalconcerns about fee -splitting. Section650 of the California Business andProfessions Code states, “…any rebate,refund, commission, preference, patron-age dividend, discount, or other consid-eration, whether in the form of moneyor otherwise, as compensation orinducement for referring patients…isunlawful.” Section 11 of the CDA Codeof Ethics states, “It is unethical for adentist to accept or tender ‘rebates’ or‘split fees.’”

These ethical and legal policies weredesigned to protect patients. First, fee-splitting gives the appearance of “buyingor selling” patients and can be perceivedas a kickback. Second, fee-splitting cancompromise patient autonomy anddemean the decision-making involved inundertaking a procedure. Patients havethe right to expect that a referral is intheir best interest, not the financialinterest of the referring party.Additionally, fee-splitting represents apotential conflict of interest that mayadversely affect patient care; there areconcerns that split fees create a financialincentive for the referring party toimproperly influence treatment or for adentist to render unnecessary treatment.

So, does this mean advertising throughsocial couponing is illegal and unethi-cal? Not necessarily. In November 2012,a new advisory opinion was added to theCDA Code of Ethics to define what con-stitutes fee-splitting in the context ofsocial couponing. Advisory Opinion11.A.1 states that a dentist is engaged infee-splitting when marketing dentaltreatment via social coupons “if thebusiness arrangement between the den-tist and the [vendor] providing the mar-keting services for that treatment…allows the issuing company to collectthe fee from the prospective patient,

retain a defined percentage or portionof the revenue collected as payment forthe coupon marketing service providedto the dentist, and remit to the dentistthe remainder of the amount collected.”In order to provide guidance about theethical use of social couponing, theadvisory opinion continues, “The prohi-bition against fee-splitting is not appli-cable to marketing via group advertisingor referral services that do not base theirfees on the number of referrals oramount of professional fees paid by thepatient to the dentist.”

The takeaway is this: If you want to par-ticipate in social couponing, ask thevendor for a “flat fee” contract, ratherthan one that compensates them basedon the number of referrals (the numberof coupons sold). Additional resourcesabout using social media are availableon the CDA Compass(cdacompass.com). For further guid-ance, talk with a member of your localethics committee. ❖

By Nicholas C. Marongiu, DDS, Guest mem-ber, CDA Judicial Council. This article is thesecond in a two-part series of articles on theethical use of social media.

ETHICS … YOUR REPUTATION CAPITALBy Nicholas C. Marongiu, DDS, Guest member, CDA Judicial Council

Ethics of social media: Social couponing and fee-splitting

COMMUNITY CORNER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Program/Agency

What is it? Date/Time/Loc. Contact

K School Screening

Partnership with SFDPH & school district screens Kindergarteners

Morning/Afternoon 2-3 hoursSF Public Elementary Schools

Lisa Tamburrino [email protected]

Clinic by the Bay

Partnership with Volunteers in Medicinewill provide care to indigentadults in Excelsior district clinic

Thursdays satarting in June 10 AM-2 PM/2-6 PM 4877 Mission Street SF

Lisa Tamburrino [email protected]

Project Homeless Connect

Partnership with SFDPHprovides dental care tohomeless individualsand families

Half or full dayBill Graham Civic Center/Southeast Health Center

Lisa Tamburrino, PHC [email protected]

Delancey Street

Arranges for program clients to receive care in dentists’ offices. Dentist determines number of clients and services

Ongoing. Dentist’s office Delancey Street Foundation Rebecca Jackson, Dental Liaison 415-512-5160

Salvation Army

Arranges for program clients to receive care in dentists’ offices. Dentist determines number of clients and services

Ongoing. Dentist’s office Jaime Smith Volunteer Coordinator 415-503-2720

Stepping Stone Adult Day Health Care

Adult day health centerseeks mobile services:screenings, basic cleanings

Ongoing. Mission Creek DayHealth, 930 Fourth Street,San Francisco, CA 94158

Roxie Kellam

SF City Impact(SFCI) arrangeHealth & Wellness Center

Establishing a Dental Clinic.Seeking donations of small dental equipment, dental instruments, & oral surgery instruments

Ongoing. 140 Turk Street

Contact staff415-441-1628 to pickup ordrop off at SFCI Health andWellness Center

Everyday Connect

Seeking dental services for those who are risk of becoming homeless, currently homeless or recently transitioned into permanent housing.

Ongoing.Project Homeless Connect25 Van Ness AveSte 340SF, CA 94102

Helpline 1-855-588-7968; Everyday Connect staff will respond to voicemail messages or email staff at [email protected]

Stepping Stone 415-974-6784 Ext 12.

Smiles Change Lives

Provides access to affordableorthodontic care to children10-18 years old; family taxableincome at or below 200% ofthe Federal Poverty Level

Ongoing. Dentist’s office www.smileschangelives.org

[email protected]

888-900-3554



CLASSIFIEDS

Dental Space available to rent bythe day/week/month. Hours flexi-ble. Up to 3 operatories. Adjacentto Stonestown Mall SF. Call Johnat 415-608-2019

In-House Periodontist/ImplantSurgeon Available for YourPractice in the Greater SanFrancisco Bay Area--ImplantSurgery/Bone Grafting/PerioSurgery/3rd molar [email protected] or call(617) 869-1442.

Published by the

San Francisco Dental Society

2143 Lombard Street, San Francisco, CA 94123

415.928.7337 • Fax 415.928.5297

Email: [email protected]

Layout/Design - SowleWork • Printing - Sundance Press

Advertising rates and information sent upon request. Acceptance of advertising in

The Bridge in no way constitutes approval or endorsement by the San Francisco Dental

Society of products or services advertised. The SFDS reserves the right to reject any

advertisement. Opinions expressed by authors are their own, and not necessarily those

of the SFDS or The Bridge editorial board. The SFDS reserves the right to edit all contri-

butions for clarity and length, as well as reject any material submitted.

The Bridge is published bi-monthly by the

SFDS, 2143 Lombard Street, San Francisco, CA 94123, 415.928.7337.

Subscriptions are $45 per year for SFDS/$50per issue for non-members.

� 2013, San Francisco Dental Society.

All rights reserved.

Deadline for August 2013 publication is: July 1, 2013

ADVERTISE HEREDisplay Ads:

B&W Rates:

1/6 Page $325; 1/3 Page $500; 1/2 Page $650; Full Page $1100

Color Rates:

1/6 Page $450; 1/3 Page $635;

1/2 Page $800; Full Page $1300

The Bridge is distributed to over1000 dentists, auxillaries and students.

Submission deadlines: January 1,March 1, May 1, July 1, Sept. 1,and Nov. 1 for publication the following months. Submission by email only: [email protected]

2143 Lombard St., San Francisco, CA 94123

SAVE THE DATE! Dental Practice

Emergency Preparednessand Disaster Planning

September 11, 20131-5 PM

San Francisco Dental SocietyAdrian Curry, EMT,

Fredrick Warren, DDS, MSD, andDeborah Elam, CAE, MS

4 CE Units

Pre-registration Member/Staff: $109. To register, go tosfds.org/calendar or call the SFDS 415-928-7337.

Registration limited to 30.

mission statement the san francisco dental society … · 2013-06-03 · tists, 144 were from the...

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