MASTERSHIP FROM ACADEMY OF GENERAL DENTISTRY

For Immediate Release

CONTACT: Stefanie Scroeder312.440.4346media@agd.org

DELAWARE VALLEY DENTIST RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS MASTERSHIP FROM ACADEMY OF GENERAL DENTISTRY

Congratulations New 2006 Master Michael D. Matthias DMD, MAGD Graduated Temple University School of Dentistry, 1993...private practice for 11 years in West Chester, PA. Dr. Matthias completed an AEGD Residency program at Temple in 1995 and expanded his practice to Greenville, DE, in 2003. He was an original member of PEAK IV. He is married to Sharon...two children, Jared (7) and Alexa (4). "The more I learn, the more I realize I must learn more. I look forward to continuing my education with the PAGD."

CHICAGO (August 18, 2006)-The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) is pleased to announce that Michael D. Matthias received the prestigious Mastership Award during the convocation ceremony held at the AGD’s Annual Meeting and Exposition on August 5 on Denver. The Mastership Award is the highest honor available in the AGD and one of the most respected designations in the profession. This accomplishment meets the highest criteria for professional excellence. To accomplish this, Dr. Matthias completed 1,100 hours of continuing dental education in the 16 disciplines of dentistry, including 400 hours dedicated to hands-on skills and techniques. As a recipient of this award, Dr. Matthias has joined over 2,200 dedicated general dentists. “By completing the rigorous requirements for a Mastership award, each dentist distinguishes himself from others in the profession,” says AGD President Bruce A. Burton, DMD, MAGD, ABGD. “Becoming a Master means that Dr. Matthias has made a commitment to offering his patients a better variety of diagnosis and treatment choices. Dr. Matthias graduated from Temple University in 1993 and currently practices dentistry in West Chester, PA and Greenville, De. In addition to the AGD, Dr. Matthias is a member of the American Dental Association, Delaware Dental Society, Pennsylvania Academy of General Dentistry and the Peak IV Study Group. In his spare time, he is a baseball coach for West Side Little League.Dr. Matthias has been married to his wife Sharon for 11 years and has 2 children, Jared and Alexa. The AGD is a professional association of more than 35,000 general dentists dedicated to staying up-to-date in the profession through continuing education. Founded in 1952, The AGD has grown to become the world’s second largest dental association, which is the only association that exclusively represents the needs and interests of general dentists. Over 758,000 persons are employed directly in the field of general dentistry. A general dentist is the primary care provider for patients of all ages and is responsible for the diagnosis, treatment, management, and overall coordination of the general dentist through financial support of scientific, educational services related to a patient’s oral health.

Pennsylvania Academy of General Dentistry Source: PAGD.org Congratulations to Pennsylvania's newest Masters and Fellows of the Academy of General Dentistry! As a Master and Fellow, you are some of the most respected dentists in the profession. You have separated yourself from all of those other colleagues by virtue of your commitment to bettering yourself through advanced continuing education. These individuals are to be truly commended. In attaining Mastership in the AGD, awardees met the highest criteria for professional excellence by taking 1,100 hours of continuing dental education in the 16 disciplines of dentistry, including 400 hours dedicated to practicing "hands-on" skills and techniques. To date, 59 dentists have received Mastership honors in Pennsylvania. To achieve the 500 hours of continuing education needed for Fellowship one has to take at least 75 days away from the office. For the average dentist this equates to $187,500.00 in lost income from being out of the office based on an average office production of $2500.00 per day. Add to that the $22,500.00 in tuition at $300.00 per day. This equates to approximately $210.000.00 for a Fellowship and an additional $252,000.00 for a Mastership. So as you can see it not only takes a substantial commitment of time and energy but of monetary resources to be able to better ourselves in our profession. Through the challenge of continual learning we are able to often provide a higher standard of care for our patients. Through continuing education, we can provide more procedures, more services, enjoy our profession more, need to refer less, and better manage our practice. This directly benefits all of our patients. By taking this commitment of achieving Fellowship and Mastership in the Academy of General Dentistry, it separates those statistically into the top 35% of practices nationally in both production and in quality of care. All of us and all of these awardees should be proud of your achievements and of your commitments to excellence. Our list of Pennsylvania's 2006 new Masters and Fellows follows. Congratulations one and all!

Masters

Richard M. Birch, Jr., DMD, MAGD, California David Dutkowski, DMD, MAGD, Bryn Mawr Eric M. Johnsen, Jr., DMD, MAGD, York Michael D. Matthias, DMD, MAGD, West Chester Jeffrey H. Ross, DMD, MAGD, Warrington Andrew T. Stewart, DMD, MAGD, Fredericksburg Bashar Shaghoury, DDS, MAGD

Fellows

Sandra L. Behnam, DMD, FAGD, Exton Jeffrey R. Blair, DMD, FAGD, Parkesburg Nicole M. Carnicella, DMD, FAGD, Bellefonte Joseph M. Curley, DMD, FAGD, Monroeville Steven R. Dotter, DMD, FAGD, Lancaster Neil A. Flenniken, DDS, FAGD, Carlisle Kelly M. Hollis, DDS, FAGD, Jacobus David M. Kosiorek, DMD, FAGD, Cranberry Township James J. Seitz, DMD, FAGD, Bedford Abdulla Ibrahim AbduIwaheed, Quincy, MA

Keystone Explorer The Official Publication of the Pennsylvania Academy of General Dentistry

September 2006, Vol. 19 No. 2, www.pagd.org

AGD in Denver: A Mile High Experience Edward D. Thornblade DDS, MAGD, Region 3 Trustee

Denver, Colorado: With its invigorating, crisp clean air, what a

fantastic city to host the AGD 2006 Annual Meeting! Before the opening of the House of Delegates (HOD), we were treated to an amazingly inspirational message by keynote speaker, Eric Weilenmayer. Although he lost his vision at age 13, he became the first blind person to reach the summit of Mt Everest in 2001. His account of the obstacles he overcame to achieve his goal prompted all of us to realize that we, too, can accomplish extraordinary things if we set goals of ourselves and strive to achieve them.

The AGD Annual Meeting is famous for its excellent CE opportunities, and this year's courses raised the bar even higher. Fortunately, I was able to attend a lecture by Dr. Irwin Becker of the Pankey Institute, which brought back wonderful memories of my time involved in the Pankey Continuum. Amazingly, over 2,660 people attended the conference, 1,760 whom were dentists. Fifteen courses sold out all seats, including great CE experiences such as White's Lasers in Dentistry, Koperner's Oral Surgery in Practice, and Emmott's Digital Revolution course on better imaging. The Fellowship exam review had only three seats left, and the three-day course on improved patient sedation mehtods sold over 90 percent of its seats. Attendees certainly realize there is always something new to learn! As AGD Trustee, I had the pleasure of working with your Regional Director, Marty Schroeder, and the other PAGD delegates (12 in total) to the annual HOD session. We spent three exhilarating days discussing, deliberating, and tweaking involved resolutions with this great group of dedicated men and women. The resulting new developments and policies will streamline and strengthen AGD to become even more attuned to member needs. One resolution that spells out new Mastership guidelines deserves special note. It requires 1100 total hours of FAGD/MAGD CE credit, 400 of which must be in participation courses. However, these participation hours can be earned at any time during membership. Under the old requirements, Mastership credit hours would only begin to accrue after 500 credit hours for Fellowship had been met. Delegates in favor of this resolution felt that this change would be member friendly and encourage younger dentists to complete participation courses earlier in their careers. Delegates opposed argued that this could dilute the value of the awards. Although debate was long and passionate, the resolution passed. Much to Celebrate One of the highlights is always the convocation ceremony where new Fellow an Masters receive their awards. It is also exciting to hear the names of our Pennsylvania Fellows and Masters as they proceed across the stage. This year our PAGD President, Rick Knowlton, received the Life Long Learning and Service Recognition Award. This honor is a formal recognition of MAGD awardees that excel in continuing education and dental-related community service. John Kokai accepted the award for best Web site (hooray kidzgrinz!), and Carl Jenkins proudly accepted yet another award, recognition of the best PIO program. After the convocation, PAGD hosted our new Fellows, Masters, and their families at a reception in one of Denver's colorful pubs.

I don't want to miss talking about Pennsylvania's participation in the SmileLine, which is the toll-free dental advice hotline that ran from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Friday. Individuals with a dental question or concern could call the number and speak with a dentist. All 12 delegates took a turn to help anyone who called. Friday evening was the remarkable AGD Gala, which is so much more than a dinner dance. Delicious food, wonderful friends, and a fantastic band made this celebratory occasion truly memorable. The AGD Singers, which include Marty Schroeder and I (and this time, John Gustafson) got into the act with a version of "Team AGD" sung to the tune of the Village People's "YMCA." Throughout the meeting, the efficient and enthusuastic AGD National Staff was so organized and attuned to the needs of the attendees. I believe the positive morale is directly related to the upbeat management style of the new AGD Executive Director, Christie Tarantino. Speaking of female leaders, Dr. Paula Jones of Illinois was installed as the first female Vice-President of the Academy. We also welcomed our new AGD President, Dr. Bruce DeGrinder, who we understand has great ideas for the coming year. We attendees had a very successful, great time together. For thos members who weren't there--HOW COME? What would entice you to next June's AGD meeting in San Diego? I encourage you to please send suggestions, questions, or requests for services to the AGD Board of Trustees and meeting planning staff--or to me. My goal is to make the AGD Annual Meeting a "must attend" event for all AGD members and their families.