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JADA AUTHOR EARNS AWARD
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RETIRING JADA EDITOR RECEIVES ASSOCIATION’S DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
r. Lawrence H. Meskin, who helped forge The Journal of the American Dental Association into dentistry’s premier scientific publication, received the ADA Distinguished Service Award at the first meeting of the House of Delegates on Oct. 13. Dr. Meskin told the House that he was “honored and privileged” to accept the DSA, the Association’s highest honor, presented to him by then ADA President Robert M. Anderton. “While I neither coveted nor sought recognition for my efforts as editor, I’d not be honest if I didn’t express my delight at receiving the Association’s highest honor,” said Dr. Meskin, who will step down Dec. 31 after 11 years as JADA editor. In brief remarks to the delegates, Dr. Meskin thanked “those who gave me the opportunity to serve and those who have been willing to share their thoughts and ideas for the betterment of our profession.” He also thanked his wife, Estelle.
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JADA AUTHOR EARNS AWARD
idney Rocke, J.D., received the 2001 Prize for Dental Journalism for his February 2000 JADA article “The War on Fraud and Its Effect on Dentistry.” The award, co-sponsored by the American College of
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The retiring editor announced in September 2000 that he would step down at the end of this year. “I’m a big advocate of term limits,” he said at the time. “I’ve never done any one thing this long. I think 11 years is a good amount of time to achieve certain goals, and now it’s time to give someone else a chance. JADA will benefit from some new thoughts and ideas.” “I am so pleased that the ADA leadership acknowledged
Dr. Robert M. Anderton presents the Distinguished Service Award to Dr. Lawrence H. Meskin.
Dr. Meskin for the impact he had on dentistry,” said ADA Publisher Laura A. Kosden. “JADA became the best-read journal in the profession under his direction, and his powerful editorials distinguished him as the ‘voice of dentistry.’ ” Under Dr. Meskin’s leadership, JADA, which entered the 21st century as dentistry’s bestread journal, was especially
Dentistry and the American Association of Dental Editors, was presented for the first time this year. It is given to the writer or writers of an article, editorial, report or other published work that is judged most effective in promoting excellence, ethics and/or professionalism in dentistry. The judges were members of the Journal of
popular with newer dentists, those in practice 15 years or less. “They’re the future,” Dr. Meskin said of new dentists. “Of course, all our readers are important, but the fact that young dentists are interested in The Journal is very rewarding.” Dr. Meskin will continue his work at the University of Colorado School of Dentistry, where he directs the continuing education program and is a professor in the medical school’s Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics. In August, the ADA Board of Trustees ratified the selection of Dr. Meskin’s successor, Dr. Marjorie K. Jeffcoat, professor and chair, Department of Periodontics, University of Alabama School of Dentistry, Birmingham. Dr. Jeffcoat will be the first woman to hold the JADA editorship since the publication was founded as a quarterly bulletin in 1913. In October, she began working with Dr. Meskin and staff members as part of a transition plan. She will officially take up her new duties Jan. 1. Reported by James Berry, associate publisher, editorial.
the American College of Dentistry’s editorial board and the AADE board. “The jurors felt the article was the best submitted in promoting excellence, ethics and professionalism in dentistry,” said Detlef B. Moore, AADE executive director. JADA Editor Lawrence H. Continued on page 1656
JADA, Vol. 132, December 2001 Copyright ©1998-2001 American Dental Association. All rights reserved.
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Continued from page 1654 Meskin accepted the award on Mr. Rocke’s behalf at the AADE luncheon in Kansas City, Mo., on Oct. 11. “I am extremely pleased to receive this award,” said Mr. Rocke. “I think it speaks to the emphasis dentistry is placing on honesty and integrity.” Mr. Rocke received a plaque and a cash award. LEAD EXPOSURE IN DENTAL OFFICES POSSIBLE: CDC
here is a potential risk of lead exposure in dental offices, according to the Oct. 12 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, which is published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In December 2000, the Washington State Health Department discovered a white powder in boxes used to store radiograph film. This powder was found to be lead oxide. The health department alerted state health departments throughout the United States. As a result of the warning, the Wisconsin Division of Public Health conducted an investigation of 9 percent of Wisconsin dental offices that had radiograph equipment. WDPH found that 18 percent of these offices stored radiograph film in tabletop, lead-lined boxes. All of the boxes contained a white powder residue, which contained 77 percent lead, identified as lead oxide. Investigators also performed a mock radiograph procedure. They placed wipes on a dental hygienist’s fingertips whenever a patient’s mouth was touched during the procedure. An analy-
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sis of these wipes samples found 3,378 micrograms of lead that could have been transferred from the dental hygienist’s fingers to the patient’s mouth. The article stated that lead exposure is dangerous for children and women who are or may soon be pregnant, as children and developing fetuses are particularly susceptible. It goes on to say that the approximate half-life of lead in blood is 25 days; thus, the window for identifying lead exposure after radiographs is a few months. Health care providers who discover high blood lead levels of unexplained origin should consider this as a possible route of exposure, concluded the authors. Investigators also advised that film packets stored in lead-lined boxes and the boxes should be discarded. CORRECTIONS
dThe article “An Economic Evaluation of a Chlorhexidine Chip for Treating Chronic Periodontitis: The CHIP (CHlorhexidine In Periodontitis) Study,” published in the November issue of JADA, contained some errors. dBecause of JADA policy (common to scientific journals) that no more than six individual authors can be listed in the byline of any article, 11 of the article’s 17 authors were listed in the acknowledgments. The acknowledgment may not have made it clear that all of these people were, in fact, authors of the article. Following is a complete list of the authors: Curtis J. Henke, Ph.D.; Kathleen F. Villa, M.S.;
Mary E. Aichelmann-Reidy, D.D.S.; Gary C. Armitage, D.D.S.; Robert M. Eber, D.D.S., M.S.; Robert J. Genco, D.D.S., Ph.D.; William J. Killoy, D.D.S., M.S.; Dave P. Miller, M.S.; Roy C. Page, D.D.S.; Ph.D.; Alan M. Polson, D.D.S., M.S.; Mark I. Ryder, D.M.D.; Stefanie J. Silva, M.S.; Martha J. Somerman, D.D.S., Ph.D.; Thomas E. Van Dyke, D.D.S., Ph.D.; Larry F. Wolff, D.D.S., Ph.D.; Christopher J. Evans, Ph.D.; Richard D. Finkelman, D.D.S., Ph.D. dOn page 1559 in the first full paragraph in the second column, the two words “coded and” should have been deleted from the sentence, “We then coded and priced provided services at the average charge for services with the respective CDT-2 codes in our sample to simulate the missing charges.” The authors merely priced the provided services but did not code them because a trained dental coder already had done so. The sentence should begin, “We then priced and provided services … .” dIn Table 1, the first column (“Characteristic”), the seventh row under the heading was labeled “PAL Severity (Evaluation Center)”; instead, it should have been labeled “PPD Severity (Evaluation Center).” The sixth row describes PAL severity. dIn Table 5, the first column (“Charge/Service”) the row labeled “Periodontal Services, Total” contains a misspelling of “periodontal.” JADA regrets the errors.
JADA, Vol. 132, December 2001 Copyright ©1998-2001 American Dental Association. All rights reserved.
E
W
S
RETIRING JADA EDITOR RECEIVES ASSOCIATION’S DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
r. Lawrence H. Meskin, who helped forge The Journal of the American Dental Association into dentistry’s premier scientific publication, received the ADA Distinguished Service Award at the first meeting of the House of Delegates on Oct. 13. Dr. Meskin told the House that he was “honored and privileged” to accept the DSA, the Association’s highest honor, presented to him by then ADA President Robert M. Anderton. “While I neither coveted nor sought recognition for my efforts as editor, I’d not be honest if I didn’t express my delight at receiving the Association’s highest honor,” said Dr. Meskin, who will step down Dec. 31 after 11 years as JADA editor. In brief remarks to the delegates, Dr. Meskin thanked “those who gave me the opportunity to serve and those who have been willing to share their thoughts and ideas for the betterment of our profession.” He also thanked his wife, Estelle.
D
JADA AUTHOR EARNS AWARD
idney Rocke, J.D., received the 2001 Prize for Dental Journalism for his February 2000 JADA article “The War on Fraud and Its Effect on Dentistry.” The award, co-sponsored by the American College of
S 1654
The retiring editor announced in September 2000 that he would step down at the end of this year. “I’m a big advocate of term limits,” he said at the time. “I’ve never done any one thing this long. I think 11 years is a good amount of time to achieve certain goals, and now it’s time to give someone else a chance. JADA will benefit from some new thoughts and ideas.” “I am so pleased that the ADA leadership acknowledged
Dr. Robert M. Anderton presents the Distinguished Service Award to Dr. Lawrence H. Meskin.
Dr. Meskin for the impact he had on dentistry,” said ADA Publisher Laura A. Kosden. “JADA became the best-read journal in the profession under his direction, and his powerful editorials distinguished him as the ‘voice of dentistry.’ ” Under Dr. Meskin’s leadership, JADA, which entered the 21st century as dentistry’s bestread journal, was especially
Dentistry and the American Association of Dental Editors, was presented for the first time this year. It is given to the writer or writers of an article, editorial, report or other published work that is judged most effective in promoting excellence, ethics and/or professionalism in dentistry. The judges were members of the Journal of
popular with newer dentists, those in practice 15 years or less. “They’re the future,” Dr. Meskin said of new dentists. “Of course, all our readers are important, but the fact that young dentists are interested in The Journal is very rewarding.” Dr. Meskin will continue his work at the University of Colorado School of Dentistry, where he directs the continuing education program and is a professor in the medical school’s Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics. In August, the ADA Board of Trustees ratified the selection of Dr. Meskin’s successor, Dr. Marjorie K. Jeffcoat, professor and chair, Department of Periodontics, University of Alabama School of Dentistry, Birmingham. Dr. Jeffcoat will be the first woman to hold the JADA editorship since the publication was founded as a quarterly bulletin in 1913. In October, she began working with Dr. Meskin and staff members as part of a transition plan. She will officially take up her new duties Jan. 1. Reported by James Berry, associate publisher, editorial.
the American College of Dentistry’s editorial board and the AADE board. “The jurors felt the article was the best submitted in promoting excellence, ethics and professionalism in dentistry,” said Detlef B. Moore, AADE executive director. JADA Editor Lawrence H. Continued on page 1656
JADA, Vol. 132, December 2001 Copyright ©1998-2001 American Dental Association. All rights reserved.
N E W S
Continued from page 1654 Meskin accepted the award on Mr. Rocke’s behalf at the AADE luncheon in Kansas City, Mo., on Oct. 11. “I am extremely pleased to receive this award,” said Mr. Rocke. “I think it speaks to the emphasis dentistry is placing on honesty and integrity.” Mr. Rocke received a plaque and a cash award. LEAD EXPOSURE IN DENTAL OFFICES POSSIBLE: CDC
here is a potential risk of lead exposure in dental offices, according to the Oct. 12 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, which is published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In December 2000, the Washington State Health Department discovered a white powder in boxes used to store radiograph film. This powder was found to be lead oxide. The health department alerted state health departments throughout the United States. As a result of the warning, the Wisconsin Division of Public Health conducted an investigation of 9 percent of Wisconsin dental offices that had radiograph equipment. WDPH found that 18 percent of these offices stored radiograph film in tabletop, lead-lined boxes. All of the boxes contained a white powder residue, which contained 77 percent lead, identified as lead oxide. Investigators also performed a mock radiograph procedure. They placed wipes on a dental hygienist’s fingertips whenever a patient’s mouth was touched during the procedure. An analy-
T
1656
sis of these wipes samples found 3,378 micrograms of lead that could have been transferred from the dental hygienist’s fingers to the patient’s mouth. The article stated that lead exposure is dangerous for children and women who are or may soon be pregnant, as children and developing fetuses are particularly susceptible. It goes on to say that the approximate half-life of lead in blood is 25 days; thus, the window for identifying lead exposure after radiographs is a few months. Health care providers who discover high blood lead levels of unexplained origin should consider this as a possible route of exposure, concluded the authors. Investigators also advised that film packets stored in lead-lined boxes and the boxes should be discarded. CORRECTIONS
dThe article “An Economic Evaluation of a Chlorhexidine Chip for Treating Chronic Periodontitis: The CHIP (CHlorhexidine In Periodontitis) Study,” published in the November issue of JADA, contained some errors. dBecause of JADA policy (common to scientific journals) that no more than six individual authors can be listed in the byline of any article, 11 of the article’s 17 authors were listed in the acknowledgments. The acknowledgment may not have made it clear that all of these people were, in fact, authors of the article. Following is a complete list of the authors: Curtis J. Henke, Ph.D.; Kathleen F. Villa, M.S.;
Mary E. Aichelmann-Reidy, D.D.S.; Gary C. Armitage, D.D.S.; Robert M. Eber, D.D.S., M.S.; Robert J. Genco, D.D.S., Ph.D.; William J. Killoy, D.D.S., M.S.; Dave P. Miller, M.S.; Roy C. Page, D.D.S.; Ph.D.; Alan M. Polson, D.D.S., M.S.; Mark I. Ryder, D.M.D.; Stefanie J. Silva, M.S.; Martha J. Somerman, D.D.S., Ph.D.; Thomas E. Van Dyke, D.D.S., Ph.D.; Larry F. Wolff, D.D.S., Ph.D.; Christopher J. Evans, Ph.D.; Richard D. Finkelman, D.D.S., Ph.D. dOn page 1559 in the first full paragraph in the second column, the two words “coded and” should have been deleted from the sentence, “We then coded and priced provided services at the average charge for services with the respective CDT-2 codes in our sample to simulate the missing charges.” The authors merely priced the provided services but did not code them because a trained dental coder already had done so. The sentence should begin, “We then priced and provided services … .” dIn Table 1, the first column (“Characteristic”), the seventh row under the heading was labeled “PAL Severity (Evaluation Center)”; instead, it should have been labeled “PPD Severity (Evaluation Center).” The sixth row describes PAL severity. dIn Table 5, the first column (“Charge/Service”) the row labeled “Periodontal Services, Total” contains a misspelling of “periodontal.” JADA regrets the errors.
JADA, Vol. 132, December 2001 Copyright ©1998-2001 American Dental Association. All rights reserved.