ABGD 2011 NEWSLETTER

It gives me great pleasure to write this President’s message.  I have had the privilege of serving on the American Board of General Dentistry for the past 7 years.  I have witnessed the growth of our organization, the dedication of the Board of Directors and the commitment of those taking the exams.  In the next several paragraphs I want to cover some of the accomplishments of the past year.

This past year has been another year of growth for the American Board of General Dentistry.  With the completion of the Oral board in May and the granting of board certification to Dr. Barone, Belcastro, Dr. Caoette, Dr. Cheng, Dr. Cho, Dr. Franklin, Dr. Garza, Dr. Geller, Dr. Hamilton, Dr. Jablonowski, Dr. Jeong, Dr. Mansour, Dr. McGroaty, Dr. Morris, Dr. Reifenstahl, Dr. Smith, Dr. Stefan-Dogar, Dr. Stegman, Dr. Vess, and Dr. Whisler, we now have 635 active Board Certified General Dentists.   With the dedication of your Board of Directors the Board continues to improve our organization.

The Board renewed our contract with SUNI Management which is responsible for the business, financial and marketing aspects of the board.  Ms Sandra Mitchell, the Executive Director continues to work updating our business practices and to be more responsive to all members.  The website was updated and it has more information and is more user friendly than the old site.  All of the board information is now completed for those who will be doing case presentations as a part of the oral examination.

The working relationship we have established with Professional Testing allowed us to meet all accepted international standards for testing organizations.  We have updated the Pre and Post assessment (now known as entering and leaving) examinations for those in residency programs to allow the Program Directors to have a feel for the knowledge of the incoming residents to their respective programs.

We will continue looking into various ways to enhance the value of being board certified.  We are working with various vendors to be able to offer discounts to our members.  We receive certification requests from various organizations on a routine basis and this provides evidence that the certificate is being viewed positively as a valued credential and achievement.

The Board made a decision to raise our fees slightly to ensure that we continue to be a viable organization.  The fee increase is the first since the merger of the American Board of General Dentistry and the Federal Services Board of General Dentistry in 2003.

The Board will continue to look at various options to grow our membership.  We will continue to foster our relationship with the Academy of General Dentistry and welcome any dentist who has achieved the AGD Mastership award to seek out the next challenge of board certification.  The ABGD once again offered treatment planning seminar at the Academy of General Dentistry Meeting.  The seminar had 23 attendees and received very good reviews.  The AGD meeting highlight was the annual ABGD Reception.  Attendance was at an all time high and we presented the Buddy Boris Award to Dr Frank Collins.  Dr Collins was one of the founding members of the ABGD and was passionate about the board and constantly improving oneself.  Dr. Mac Eddington accepted the award on his behalf.

As my time on the Board comes to an end, I can tell you that it has been a great ride.  The opportunity to meet clinicians from all areas of private practice, the military and academia has been one of the highlights of my career.  The dedication to improve our profession by all who participate in the process is what it is all about.  My thanks to all the Board of Directors and those that came before us who established the foundation of the American Board of General Dentistry.  I would hope that each of you look into volunteering to be a deputy examiner and then a board member.   It is the responsibility of each of us to improve the profession of dentistry.  Becoming Board Certified is one way.  I urge each of you to invite one of your colleagues to challenge the board and get involved.  It has been one of the best professional decisions I ever made.

Sincerely,

Robert Manga, DMD, MAGD, ABGD
2010-2011 President, American Board of General Dentistry

NEWS FLASH!

New ABGD Contact Information

Please note the address and phone numbers of the ABGD below.  You are required to send any updates on your personal information directly to the ABGD at these contacts.

American Board of General Dentistry
PO Box 7613
Seminole, FL 33775-7613

Phone: (561) 809-5491
Fax: (727) 586-3331

http://www.abgd.org
support@abgd.org

ABGD Directors  

ABGD Directors serve three (3) year terms, with a maximum of two (2) terms.  The Director’s terms are staggered to provide stability and continuity to the Board.  As Director positions become available, candidate applications submitted to the ABGD are reviewed with qualified candidates being elected by the Board.  Previous service to the Board is a significant factor in the Board’s decision in the election of new directors.  Service to the Board also provides interested candidates with access to Board Directors and Board functions.  It is the intent of the Board to provide opportunities for interested Board Certified general dentists to assist in Board activities and to become a Director candidate.

ABGD Volunteer Opportunities

Service to the American Board  

There are several areas of service activities available to those who are interested in serving the American Board of General Dentistry.   

1) Volunteers for the ABGD Information Booth at the AGD Annual Meeting provide information to prospective Board candidates.

2) Deputy examiners serve to assist the ABGD Directors during the Oral Exam.  The deputy examiners are selected from a pool of interested Board Certified dentists.  

For all service activities, the Board will attempt to rotate individuals to provide a broad experience in Board activities, and to provide the maximum number of Board Certified members the opportunity to assist in Board activities.

If you would like to volunteer for the ABGD, please send an e-mail to: Admin@ABGD.org.

Also include your CV and letter stating why you would like to volunteer for the ABGD.

NOTE: Annual Dues and CE hours must be current.  CV's must be received by August 31st in order to be considered for the subsequent year.

New Board Certified Dentists

The Board congratulates the following dentists who attained Board Certification in 2011:

Philip Barone, DDS
Domenico Belcastro, DDS
Benoit Caoette, DMD
Linda L. Cheng, DDS
Myunsook Cho, DDS
Joseph B. Franklin, DDS
Christopher A. Garza, DDS
Jared A. Geller, DMD
Martin Hamilton, DDS
Beth L. Jablonowski, DDS
Hwaoon Jeong, DMD
Richard P. Mansour, DMD
Patrick E. McGroarty, DDS
Barry F. Morris, DDS
Erik F. Reifenstahl, DMD
Alexander Smith, DDS
Dragos Stephan-Dogar, DDS
Adrianna C. Stegman, DMD
Joshua A. Vess, DMD
Bryce G. Whisler, DDS

Reminders

• To change to Retired Status, submit a letter to the Board verifying you no longer earn income from the profession of dentistry.
  
  
• Candidates with the status of “Educationally Qualified” have five years and three attempts in which to pass the Written Examination.  
  
  
• Once a candidate attains a Board Eligible status, that candidate then has five years in which to complete the Board Certification process.  
  
  
• Candidates who are granted a Conditional Board Eligible will not be allowed to sit for the Oral Examination until they have achieved the status of Board Eligible.  Conditionally Board Eligible Candidates must complete all of the requirements of their Entry Point before they are granted the status of Board Eligible.  Conditionally Board Eligible candidates have five years to achieve Board Eligible status and pass the Oral Examination.  
  
  
• Oral Exam applications must be submitted to the Board by February 1st of the year in which one wishes to sit for the exam.  Candidates must indicate which track they wish to pursue when they submit their Oral Examination application.
  
  
• A PowerPoint presentation on the Standardized Treatment Planning and Rationale portion of the Oral Exam, as well as guidelines and sample cases can be found on this website under the Board Exams header, at the "Study Aids" dropdown.
  
  
• Interested in giving a presentation to a residency program about the American Board of General Dentistry and the benefits of becoming Board Certified? Contact the ABGD office.
  
  
• The ABGD Board offers an Outcomes Assessment Examination to assist AEGD/GPR program directors in assessing their residents’ progress and programs, as well as to fulfill the accreditation requirements for post-graduate programs, as revised by CODA in January 2000.  If you are a Program Director and would like more information on the Outcomes Assessment Examination program, please contact the ABGD office at (561) 809-5491.  
  
  
• ABGD Lapel Pins are available.  Purchase an official American Board of General Dentistry Lapel pin.  To order your official ABGD lapel pin, send a check for $25 or contact the ABGD office directly with your credit card information.  Expect 10-14 business days for delivery.  
  
  
• The ABGD 2012-2014 Study Guide is now available.  For assistance to those preparing for the ABGD Written Examination a Study
  Guide is available that contains 100 sample study questions, reflecting the content make-up of the Written Examination.  To order your official ABGD Study Guide, send a check for $45 or contact the ABGD office directly with your credit card information.  Expect 10-14 business days for delivery.