68 Journal of Public Health Dentistry

EDITORIAL WELCOME “OTHER DENTAL HEALTH

PROFESSIONALS” With the official actions taken by the Assembly of the American Association

of Public Health Dentists on Saturday, November 13, 1976 in Las Vegas, Nevada, a potentially large group of dental health professionals other than dentists are now eligible to apply for voting membership in the Association. The fight to open the doors to others than just dentists and to let the rest of the dental public health team in as full voting members in the Association has been waged desultorily for some 20 years - at least 1956 was the earliest date that your Editor can recall the issue’s being raised.

Now many fine people who had been sort of outside looking in may come right on in. Among these dental health professionals one would imagine would be public health dental hygienists for certain. But here the crystal ball goes dark and one cannot imagine what the Membership Committee nor the Executive Council of the Association will do with applications from other fine people such as behavioral scientists, health educators, public administrators, and others who have devoted the bulk of their professional lives to furthering dental public health. Many examples of excellent people come to mind. To this writer, they should be classed as “dental health professionals.” It would be hoped that the Membership Committee and the Executive Council would interpret their man- date broadly and encourage the many toilers in the field of dental public health who are not dentists to join public health dentistry’s professional association.

There will be objections to the foregoing proposal, just as there were objec- tions to changing the bylaws in regard to the restrictions on the voting member- ship during the Assembly meeting. Many people of good will saw the other side of the argument that the Association should have been kept to a narrow base of public health dentists because of the ties of the Association to the American Dental Association, and the need for the Association to nominate consultants to the Council on Dental Education, to the Commission on Accreditation, to the American Board of Dental Public Health, and other similar posts. These nomi- nations they apparently felt should be made strictly by public health dentists of public health dentists for public health dentists’ jobs.

Your Editor must take the other view, i.e., that opening the membership was constructive, will strengthen the Association, will broaden its base, bring in a new vitality and spirit, and provide new viewpoints which the Association badly needs. It would seem that thoughtful behavioral scientists, intelligent dental hygienists, and others who are part of the dental public health team can make intelligent recommendations, excellent nominations, and valuable contributions for and in behalf of the Association.

-DFS