President’s Message
by Kristopher P. Rappold, D.D.S. – NODA President
Esteemed NODA Members,
April is here! Many dental and hygiene students are coming to the end of their long journey toward beginning their careers. I encourage all of the new graduates to take part in organized dentistry in order to protect it and continue its growth from the hard work of your predecessors. The New Orleans Dental Association is honored by those who have chosen to continue their commitment and will work to provide value and fight for the members.
April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month and National Facial Protection Month. Please continue to look for any lumps and bumps inside your patient’s mouth at each visit. A short look could save a life. Please also consider protecting your athletes within the practice by encouraging their use of a protective sports mouthguard to protect their dentition during their activities.
I am completely honored by the wonderful attendance by so many top representatives of the dental community at the recent President’s Installation Banquet. Thank you to Mr. Andrew Hale and Mrs. Gina Brewer for their assistance in coordinating the event as well as the wonderful management by Ms. Ivy Restituto of Basin St. Station. Thank you very much, Dr. Christopher Brown, for your outstanding performance as the Master of Ceremonies. Do not be surprised if the Oscars call you next year. I would like to congratulate Dr. Mark Chaney on being the recipient of the 2018 NODA Honor Dentist Award. He joins the exclusive ranks of many other wonderful dentists to receive the highest award given by NODA. I only teared up five times during my speech. Thank you to those who decided to not make fun of me afterward!
The New Orleans Dental Conference & LDA Annual Session pre-registration deadline is April 20 and online registration concludes on May 11. Please be reminded that the conference will take place at the more intimate Hyatt Regency Hotel this year. The meeting rooms are smaller than those at the convention center which provides an even better educational environment, however, it also limits the amount of attendees per course. Please register today in order to get the pick of the classes you would like to attend as some are beginning to sell out. The conference will also be taking place simultaneously with Bayou Country Superfest and the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience. Do not miss the opportunity to gain dental knowledge from the likes of Dr. Lee Ann Brady and Dr. Henry Gremillion prior to being able to check out George Strait and the majestic beard of Chris Stapleton while having the best food and wine that New Orleans has to offer. Keep in mind that all dentists are required by the state to have at least 3 hours of opioid management continuing education. In addition, at least 20 hours of the required 40 hours must be clinical in nature and at least 10 of the hours must be personally attended for dentists. Hygienists must have 12 of their required 24 hours to be clinical in nature and must personally attend 6 hours. Please consider registering them for the conference as well to assist them in satisfying these requirements.
Congratulations to Dr. Janice Townsend and the LSU School of Dentistry pediatric program on receiving an Access to Care Grant and a Samuel Harris Grant from the ADA Foundation. Their hard work is going noticed nationally and the invaluable financial funding by the ADA will help them serve the dental needs of many children. Congratulations to the LSU School of Dentistry on receiving the prestigious American Dental Education Association William J. Gies Award in recognition of the commitment to and continued expansion of its programs in Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice with the other LSU Health New Orleans professional schools to work toward total body health for patients.
Please also consider bringing your family and staff to the upcoming NODA Annual Crawfish Party on Friday, April 13th at Southport Hall. Every year a lot of hard work goes into planning the event in order to make it better each year. Come enjoy some crawfish and camaraderie with your fellow members.
