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From the Editor ORTHO TRIBUNE | APRIl 20102 A n orthodontic education often requires rote learning. Den- tists, for whom wholeness is so uniquely important, are almost distinctively un-whole, a remediable consequence of their training. Perhaps dentistry attracts indi- vidualists or encourages them to become individual in nature. Mem- ory objectionably insists that even when the learning was without bias and restricted to a certain workload without prejudice, it was simply more esoteric in comparison to other brain functions. The field of orthodontics incorporates the entire human exis- tence. Whatever the reason, it can lead to unsuccessful behavior. Doctors are great technicians with exceptional etiquette and skill- ful hands, but personal philosophy should be left outside the office door like his or her shoes, which for the same reason would seri- ously contaminate the realistic and theoretical nature of the business of orthodontics. Amid intense appear- ance of professional self-respect, there is an overriding theme: ortho- dontics is not about realistically and theoretically untainted business, but rather about individuals who are not pragmatically pure. Ortho- dontists are not merely concerned with protocols or techniques — they are infinitely more diverse. In the past few years, communi- cation skills have become essential parts of undergraduate dental cur- ricula. That is admirable and note- worthy but simply not enough. To recognize ethics and moral- ity as a distinct subject implies that there are times when individuals act ethically and, accordingly, times when individuals act unethically. Ethics and morality do not exist in a box to be carried around like a knife or microscope and whipped out when required. This might imply that ethics and morality are not intrinsic to every- thing that doctors do or say. Teach- ing ethics and communication skills to individuals who do not know what or why they believe is like teaching pathology to those who have not endured the experience What makes an orthodontist educated? of preclinical sciences; students might be very good at listing signs and symptoms or reciting the treat- ment protocols, but in practice they would be dangerous without under- standing the fundamentals of why something occurred. Those indi- viduals would be unable to modify or adapt their practice skills to new situations. Teaching undergraduate stu- dents ethics and morality is not necessarily the answer. Teaching non-medical courses at the under- graduate level would undoubtedly be extremely helpful. There is no question the undergraduate cur- riculum is crowded, but if the only way to seed exhausted and bored brains with Plato or Aristotle is to sacrifice a detailed and utterly irrel- evant knowledge of the origin and insertion of the flexor pollicis bre- vis, then by all means do it. Perhaps more could be required at the stage of selecting dental stu- dents. Dental schools would most likely admit that all the serious candidates have “A” grades and that determining factors include other distinguishing characteristics such as being president of the debate team, captain of the baseball team or a spectacular interview. There is no doubt the academicians would be right, but maybe the problem is in getting the right candidates to apply. Other criterion might be consid- ered or required such as courses in civil rights, ethics and principles of social justice. The individuals who should be accepted may be those who strive to understand human beings and behavior, and only want to understand the DNA molecule or the function of cellular mitochon- dria because it’s a tiny but impor- tant part of the human cocktail. The moment someone sees the DNA mol- ecule mainly as a money- or status- generating machine, the brakes should go on! Orthodontics can be a self-perpetuating geek-ocracy. Humanities and historians are other ascending disciplines, but until now they have been confined to the province of a beleaguered minority of those who read such epics as Victor E. Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning” rather than those whose uncles were GPs. It needs to be understood for its own importance, receiving sycophantic tribute from the secondary disci- plines such as physiology, neurol- ogy and cariology. Accreditation should demand that doctors do not snore their way through a day of drug-company sponsored propaganda on new NSAIDs, but rather that they also attend their local book club or pub- lic interest groups. The patients’ best interests are wider than his or her “medical” best interests; they should insist that their clinicians who conduct those best interest resolves are doctors who work at more than just orthodontic tech- niques and their golf scores. This is not a plea for a sniffily intellectual orthodontic salon ethos. It is not an assertion that orthodon- tists who listen to Beethoven at Lin- coln Center are better people than those who listen to Gary Null over breakfast. It is a tentative suggestion that because Beethoven was and Gary Null is a member of the human race, knowledge of both of them are indices that the doctor is appropri- ately keeping up with the milieu of his or her profession via the need of the community and society. Somerset Maugham wrote, “I do not know a better training for a writer than to spend some years in the medical profession.” The con- verse of this is also true: there are few better ways for an ortho- dontist to appreciate the scope of his or her subject matter than to keep the company of musicians, art- ists, writers and philosophers who have struggled to understand the nature of what homo sapiens are about and what makes them tick. True evidence-based orthodontics involves consideration of all avail- able evidence about human beings and their place in the universe. (This editorial was inspired by an original essay: Foster, C. (2009). Why doctors should get a life. Jour- nal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 102, pp. 518–520.) OT Jay Bowman, DMD, MSD (Journalism & Education) Robert Boyd, DDS, MEd (Periodontics & Education) Earl Broker, DDS (T.M.D. & Orofacial Pain) Tarek El-Baily, BDS, MS, MS, PhD (Research, Bioengineering & Education) Donald Giddon, DMD, PhD (Psychology & Education) Donald Machen, DMD, MSD, MD, JD, MBA (Medicine, Law & Business) James Mah, DDS, MSc, MRCD, DMSc (Craniofacial Imaging & Education) Richard Masella, DMD (Education) Malcolm Meister, DDS, MSM, JD (Law & Education) Harold Middleberg, DDS (Practice Management) Elliott Moskowitz, DDS, MSd (Journalism & Education) James Mulick, DDS, MSD (Craniofacial Research & Education) Ravindra Nanda, BDS, MDS, PhD (Biomechanics & Education) Edward O’Neil, MD (Internal Medicine) Donald Picard, DDS, MS (Accounting) Howard Sacks, DMD (Orthodontics) Glenn Sameshima, DDS, PhD (Research & Education) Daniel Sarya, DDS, MPH (Public Health) Keith Sherwood, DDS (Oral Surgery) James Souers, DDS (Orthodontics) Gregg Tartakow, DMD (Orthodontics) & Ortho Tribune Associate Editor Publisher & Chairman Torsten Oemus t.oemus@dental-tribune.com Vice President Global Sales Peter Witteczek p.witteczek@dental-tribune.com Chief Operating Officer Eric Seid e.seid@dental-tribune.com Group Editor & Designer Robin Goodman r.goodman@dental-tribune.com Editor in Chief Ortho Tribune Prof. Dennis Tartakow d.tartakow@dental-tribune.com International Editor Ortho Tribune Dr. Reiner Oemus r.oemus@dental-tribune.com Managing Editor/Designer Ortho Tribune & Show Dailies Kristine Colker, k.colker@dental-tribune.com Managing Editor/Designer Implant & Endo Tribunes Sierra Rendon, s.rendon@dental-tribune.com Online Editor Fred Michmershuizen f.michmershuizen@dental-tribune.com Product & Account Manager Gregg Willinger g.willinger@dental-tribune.com Product & Account Manager Humberto Estrada h.estrada@dental-tribune.com Marketing Manager Anna Wlodarczyk a.wlodarczyk@dental-tribune.com Marketing & Sales Assistant Lorrie Young, l.young@dental-tribune.com C.E. Manager Julia Wehkamp j.wehkamp@dental-tribune.com Dental Tribune America, LLC 213 West 35th Street, Suite 801 New York, NY 10001 Phone: (212) 244-7181, Fax: (212) 244-7185 ORTHO TRIBUNE The World’s Orthodontic Newspaper · U.S. Edition Published by Dental Tribune America © 2010, Dental Tribune America, LLC All rights reserved. Dental Tribune makes every effort to report clinical information and manufacturers’ product news accurately, but cannot assume responsibility for the validity of product claims, or for typographical errors. The publisher also does not assume responsibility for prod- uct names or claims, or statements made by advertisers. Opinions expressed by authors are their own and may not reflect those of Dental Tribune America. OT Editorial Advisory Board CorrectionsOT Ortho Tribune strives to maintain the utmost accuracy in its news and clinical reports. If you find a fac- tual error or content that requires clarification, please report the details to Managing Editor Kristine Colker at k.colker@dental-tribune.com. Image courtesy of Dr. Earl Broker. By Dennis J. Tartakow, DMD, MEd, PhD, Editor in Chief