Te MDA Annual Awards of Dentist of the Year, Outstanding New Dental Leader and Distinguished Service honor individual dentist members for their contributions to the dental profession and their communities.
Dentist of t Year Dr. John Dane
This award recognizes a member who has demonstrated outstanding service to the dental profession and/or in his or her community in the past year.
D
r. Dane was chosen for his outstanding service and leadership as the State of
Missouri Dental Director and especially to the dental profession and to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During COVID-19, Dr. Dane led a group of dentists and other oral health stakeholders to develop the Missouri Dental Practice Recovery Task Force Guidelines, which assisted in the safe re-opening of dental practices in the state. He also worked to address various MO Health- Net (Medicaid) policies and waivers necessary during the pandemic, among other efforts to help the profession in its recovery and to help patients receive dental care. As State Dental Director, and within the Office of Oral Health, Dr. Dane has helped the State of Missouri re- ceive federal grant funding that has enabled programs for teledentistry, community water fluoridation, dental sealant programs for vulnerable populations and other efforts to improve oral health in Missouri.
Prior to becoming State Dental Director in 2016, Dr. Dane was a faculty member of the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Dentistry for 25 years, and for 13 years was Dental Director of Truman Medical Center, Lakewood, where he worked extensively serving special needs populations and indigent patients.
Dr. Dane is a life member of the ADA and MDA. He is a member of the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors and the Special Care Dentistry Association, where he earned a Fellowship in Hospi- tal Dentistry and a Diplomat of the American Board of Special Care Dentistry. In 2018, he became a Fellow of the American College of Dentists. Dr. Dane serves on various boards to address the community needs for dental care, including the Missouri Coalition for Oral Health, the MO HealthNet Dental Advisory Committee and the MDA Dental Well Being Foundation.
Dr. Dane received his DDS degree from the UMKC School of Dentistry in 1975. He and his wife, Rhesa, reside in Lee’s Summit and have three adult children and seven grandchildren.
22 focus | NOV/DEC 2020 | ISSUE 6
You are being acknowledged as Dentist of the Year primarily for your leadership with the COVID-19 pandemic. We are now more than seven months since the initial shutdown and ADA/CDC recommendations for dental offices. What is your assessment of the COVID-19 state of current affairs, for the dental community and your prediction for the next six to 12 months? Dentists and their staff have been exceptionally cooperative in meeting the CDC recommendations for providing care during this pandemic. We are not aware of any “clusters” coming from a dental office! Managing the exposures that originate outside the office continue to be a problem. In the next six months, a vaccine will be available, and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has designated dental providers as essential healthcare providers and will designate for vaccination during Phase 1 of the distribution plan. Expect a year to get vaccines delivered to a high percentage of the general public. COVID-19 spikes in recent weeks re-enforces the virus will not be going away anytime soon. So be conservative with your PPE, wash your hands, wear a mask in public and social distance.
You’ve been an educator and have worked with public health initiatives your entire life. What major changes do you see coming to both public health policies and to dental practices—in terms of behavior that was modified because of COVID-19? What changes do you think are “here to stay” the pandemic brought about? Public Health Policy will continue to emphasize access to care and prevention. We will probably lose 1-2 percent of licensed dentists due to retirement secondary to the pandemic. I expect most, if not all, of the protocols for COVID-19 will continue, much like the bloodborne pathogens requirements came and stayed. This will be the new normal. Vaccines will help, but it will take some time to get everyone vaccinated who wants it. I think we’ll have better testing in terms of availability and shorter turnaround, and that will help with potential exposure situations. I also think our offices may have to comply with new HVAC requirements due to the pandemic.
As most probably know, you are the Dental Director for the State of Missouri. What have you enjoyed most about that position—what programs or initiatives give you the most satisfaction, but also what day-to-day activities? I think working with members of the professional dental community across Missouri has given me the most satisfaction. It’s impressive how many are willing to step out of their daily routine to support initiatives to help their communities. Improving Community Water Fluoridation across the state has been the most rewarding. We haven’t completed the process, but we’re beginning to see progress.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
