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Issue #3Credential Advertisement
Any Colorado Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) member who had earned AGD Fellowship or AGD Mastership would be barred from advertising these awards, unless they complied with some cumbersome rules. (The text is available at http://www.dora.state.co.us/dental/rules.pdf, page 37, last paragraph) The AGD, along with several other general dentist-oriented dental organizations refused to accept the imposition of such a rule. After receiving a detailed letter from the AGD and allied organizations that voiced objections to the rule, the Board agreed to reconsider the amendment and formed a subcommittee to evaluate the text and possibly propose revisions. Read the subcommittee’s proposed amendment, page 3. Each organization opposed to Rule XXVI, approved text that could substituted for the offending section and advocated strongly for the change. 2007-2008 AGD President, Vincent C. Mayher, DMD, MAGD, was the first to testify at the hearing, including, at the end of his testimony, the introduction of a rewrite of the rule (which became known as the “AGD rewrite”). Representatives from other specialty organizations followed with their personalized testimony. After the testimony was over, the Board passed a motion to "pull" the entire Section 5(c) of Rule XXVI until their ad-hoc subcommittee could readdress it and again attempt to craft an agreeable amendment, this time hopefully along the lines of the AGD rewrite. The currently effective rule, which does not contain a burdensome disclaimer requirement, may be accessed here. After its January 2008 meeting, the Board will not meet again until April 23, the earliest date that another possible rulemaking hearing would occur. The AGD remains attentive to this issue and will advocate to make the final text of the advertising rule one in which Fellows and Masters may share their awards with the public. For more information, or if you have any questions or comments about this topic, please contact advocacy@agd.org. |
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