Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) members and staff attended the 2006 Annual Meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) in Nashville on August 14-18, 2006, representing general dentistry to more than 6,000 state legislators, legislative staff and state and government officials.
Legislative and Governmental Affairs council chair Kevin Gureckis, DMD, MAGD, ABGD, along with AGD staff, worked with members to convey AGD’s core purpose and agenda to more than 350 state legislators and hundreds more legislative staff from every state and scores of government officials. The meeting provided the AGD with an opportunity to network and build working relationships with local legislators, as well as educate them on matters impacting the general dentistry profession.
"It was amazing to see so many state legislators all in one place at the same time, which made it easy for the AGD to network with key decision makers," says attendee W. Mark Donald, DMD, FAGD.
"I felt honored to have had an opportunity to meet and talk with lawmakers about using the AGD as a dependable and reliable resource," says Dr. Gureckis. "Repeated exposure about the AGD serving as a 'go to' organization for general dentists will help to increase the likelihood that future laws and regulations will be based on fact and not hearsay."
Exhibiting alongside fellow organized dental associations the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons allowed the AGD to share ideas with other professional organizations also trying to inform representatives of the importance of oral health care.
"Participating in the conference gave us a great opportunity to talk to and network with legislators about the AGD and its role in encouraging dentists to pursue life-long learning which ultimately helps the public receive better care," says Dr. Gureckis. "We were also able to talk to representatives from like-minded associations in an effort discuss issues that affect all our organizations and our desire to create collaboration to improve our profession."
"This three-day event was a continuous encounter with state representatives and senators from the entire nation," says Dr. Donald. "Organized dentistry had an opportunity to remind every state about oral health and at times to discuss ways to address its future in their states."