{ from the editor } by Douglas Wyckoff, DDS • Editor


What does the future of our MDA look like?


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ou don’t have to attend very many meetings that involve our dental associations to quickly hear a discussion that centers around


decreasing membership and what we need to do to beef up our numbers like they “used” to be. I do not think I have been to one in the last two years or so where this discussion hasn’t become a center-point on the agenda. This topic, by all accounts, should be a major concern to all involved in the association arena. In just a few years the market share of membership has dropped drastically which puts the MDA market share around 58 per- cent. That is a far cry from the days of having 70+ percent. The cause and effect of these staggering numbers continues to plague our association and garner many hours of atten- tion by the staff and board.


It is easy to point the finger at the Covid Pandemic and say it was the cause of what we are seeing. The truth is the decreasing numbers in membership started well before mandated mask wearing. The root cause has many facets and really isn’t just one thing. Retiring dentists, workforce models, gradu- ation rates and generational needs are just some of the factors in the mix when trying to wrap our heads around all the underlying issues. One thing is for sure, if we keep do- ing what we have done, we will not stop the rapid decline in membership numbers. The ADA and MDA both have been working hard to try to change this trend, but it is not a task easily accomplished. Here are some factors we must keep in mind as we hold onto our association and try to keep it from disinte- grating.


Associations must provide value to a mem- ber. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? With a diverse age group in our association, the value to


6 focus | SUMMER 2024 | ISSUE 2


one may not be to another. Genera- tional values have and are changing rapidly. Member- ship value has, for the most part, always been in line with mission. This


in turn must create a passion for those lead- ers and members involved to come together to work on the business of the association. Knowing member issues and how to solve those is key to providing value.


We all know how technology is changing almost daily, which also is a driver when it comes to membership. Social media, con- tinuing education and day-to-day operations are completely driven by technology. If we do not keep up with these changes, membership becomes much less desirable. Technology is changing how we work in our offices, and it also is changing how we provide our product. We are living in a time where you push a but- ton to order things and they show up at your home or office. You can learn how to work on your car (appliance, mobile phone, etc.) by watching a video. These ways of doing business and learning must be applied when providing for the needs our members. If the benefits are not easy to attain and readily available, we are going to miss the boat.


Dental workforce models are different today than they used to be. Single private practice dentists are not as prevalent. Group prac- tices, DSOs and corporate dental groups are just some of the other practice models our potential members provide care in. With each model comes different aspects. Some of these groups provide for their employee dentists needs, making it more difficult for


the MDA to be the sole provider and thus appealing to a potential member. Why would they join us when they already get what we provide through their specific model? Again, we must provide something unique to gain the value card.


I think that uniqueness comes in our biggest benefit of advocacy. It’s no secret to those involved that advocacy of some sort happens daily and affects how we do business and care for patients. Do we do a good enough job telling others what we do in this area? Do they understand the benefits of speaking from a “group” instead of speaking individu- ally? Without being able to speak from an association perspective, we will lose our strength in being able to educate legisla- tors about important matters that affect our practices. In this day of political polar- ity, it is important we remain neutral as we represent the “Dental Party” and the benefits that ensue for us and our patients. Dr. Aaron Bumann, one of our award winners, speaks eloquently about advocacy in his interview article on page 24.


Decreasing membership has a direct effect on the budget for our association. Obviously, with fewer members, the amount of dues revenue decreases accordingly. Having to be much more astute with budgeting and find- ing more non-dues revenue to carry out the work of the association (advocacy included)


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