Dental News - AGD is celebrating its 60th anniversary

Dental Tribune USA

Tue. 21 February 2012

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CHICAGO, IL, USA: On Feb. 6, 1952, Dr. Thaddeus Weclew and several colleagues met in Chicago to create and sign what would be the first charter of the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD). These dentists identified a vacancy in the dental profession — there was no established, consolidated source to provide dentists with continuing education (CE) opportunities.

At the time, Dr. Weclew and his colleagues believed that CE was “an occasional, haphazard experience for most professionals.”

In 2012, the AGD will celebrate its 60th anniversary, and the core values upon which the AGD was built continue to inspire the organization’s growth.

“AGD members seek to learn the latest clinical techniques and treatments in order to provide patients with the best dental care available,” says AGD President Howard Gamble, DMD, FAGD. “In its 60 years, the AGD has grown from offering members a handful of courses to hundreds of CE opportunities each year through constituent chapters and the national AGD Annual Meeting & Exhibits. The AGD not only tracks the CE that members earn to help them meet their state licensure requirements, but it also encourages members to pursue achievement-based designations, such as the AGD Fellowship and Mastership awards.”

Although the AGD was founded with an emphasis on CE, the organization has expanded its focus in the past 60 years. The AGD has created a strong presence at allied dental meetings and on Capitol Hill, advocating at the local and national levels when issues arise that affect the profession. Additionally, a dentist’s membership in the AGD demonstrates to patients, the public, and other professionals that he or she is committed to lifelong learning and the oral and overall health of the public.

The AGD continues to expand its offerings in the interest of keeping its membership current in an evolving professional environment. In recent years, the AGD has created a new Practice Management Conference, started a blog, created a podcast, made its publications available online, launched a consumer-facing Web portal, and developed a comprehensive CE database. The philanthropic arm of the AGD, the AGD Foundation, has raised funds to support access to care programs, initiated an annual outreach project (Nation of Smiles, One Smile at a Time), and created a partnership with Special Olympics Special Smiles.

“Through innovative annual meeting programs, social media, and other online endeavors, we want to ensure that our members continue to grow and learn in their fields,” says Dr. Gamble. “Staying at the forefront of dentistry allows our members to improve themselves and the care they offer to their patients. It’s exciting to imagine what opportunities the next 60 years might bring.”

The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) is a professional association of more than 37,000 general dentists dedicated to staying up to date in the profession through continuing education to better serve the public. Founded in 1952, the AGD has grown to become the second-largest dental association in the United States, and it is the only association that exclusively represents the needs and interests of general dentists. More than 772,000 persons in the U.S. are employed directly in the field of dentistry. A general dentist is the primary care provider for patients of all ages and is responsible for the diagnosis, treatment, management, and overall coordination of services related to patients’ oral health needs.

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