Academy protects members against Dental Board advertising rule

CHICAGO--The Academy of General Dentistry recently communicated with the Colorado Board of Dental Examiners (Board) and testified at a hearing in response to Rule XXVI, Advertising.

The regulation would mandate Colorado AGD members holding the prestigious Fellowship or Mastership awards to include a disclaimer in their advertisements. The Board seemed amenable to making favorable changes in the current rule, a response the AGD appreciates for the Board's willingness to engage in dialogue.

At the hearing, AGD President Vincent Mayher, DMD, MAGD, testified before
the Board and presented an amendment to Rule XXVI, which was drafted with
the help of all of the participants from the allied organizations.

Dr. Mayher noted in his testimony that, Section 5 of Rule XXVI "misrepresented the Commission on Dental Accreditation and every other dental organization that aspires to enhance the proficiency of its members attainment of rigorous credentials." After the testimony was over, the Board, on the advice of their counsel, passed a motion to "pull" the entire Section 5(c) of Rule XXVI.

Initially, the text of Section 5, specifically read, "Any advertisement stating recognition from an unaccredited school, organization or continuing education program must include a disclaimer that the Commission on Dental Accreditation [CODA] does not accredit the school, organization, or continuing education program."

Consequently, any AGD members in Colorado who have obtained their Fellowship or Mastership were required to add a long disclaimer to their
advertisements, which implies such awards have little effect on the quality of education earned by AGD members.

Refusing to accept the imposition of this rule, the AGD joined efforts with allied general dentist oriented organizations, which included the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, the Academy of Laser Dentistry and the American Academy of Implant Dentistry.

In their own testimony to the Board, these organizations affirmed what was referred to as, the "AGD rewrite" and advocated for it to replace Section 5, Rule XXVI.

"I was very impressed with the degree of professionalism that the Colorado
Board of Dentistry displayed," said Dr. Mayher. "I was especially delighted
that they were willing to listen to and address our concerns."