{ outreach in action } by Paul Roberts • Foundation & Outreach Director Dental Profession Preview 2025 S


age advice says to write about what you know and love. For me, that’s often football and dentistry. Hope- fully you like one, or both, as well. It’s October now so what better time to combine the two?


In late August I read a college football preview article by Matt Hinton (see adjacent page, and perhaps read it first) on my favorite SEC football media site, Saturday Down South.


I give props to both the author and the site. Strangely Mr. Hinton’s article made me think of organized dentistry. Funny how similar challenges and themes show up in every walk of life.


For fun, I took the liberty to use the structure of his article and paraphrase parts of it to comment on dentistry today while keep- ing many of the well-appointed words of a professional writer. Consider it my 2025 Dental Profession Preview. Like any prognostic work, it’s imperfect and there will be those with different opinions or loyalties. Kind of like me preferring to yell “War Eagle” over “Roll Tide”. See what you think and feel free to yell at me!


When we talk about distinct eras, it’s usually in the past tense. One day you stop, take a look around, and realize everything that was once familiar has changed so slowly you barely noticed. Not so for the MDA or for organized dentistry, in general. Instead, the 2025 year arrives less like the uncanny result of a series of vague, subtle shifts over time than the hazy aftermath of a meteor strike. Quakes, fissures and extinctions have convulsed the profession, culminating in a dramatically altered landscape that has rap- idly taken shape before our eyes. It feels pal- pably different: The beginning of a new era that everyone has seen coming, with varying levels of dread, from a hundred miles away. Consider how much has changed recently.


20 focus | FALL 2024 | ISSUE 3


The 2025 year arrives less like the uncanny result of a series of vague, subtle shifts over time than the hazy aftermath of a meteor strike ... The beginning of a new era that everyone has seen coming, with varying levels of dread, from a hundred miles away.


PRACTICE MODALITIES


Gone Bonkers. Remember when most den- tists were solo private practice providers? For the first time we are seeing a proliferation of franchise practices and boutique specialties. The FQHC delivery model has exploded. And now you are dealing with DIY online solutions that often mislead the public into worse dental health.


LONGSTANDING SCHEDULING FORMATS


(Read reliable patients) have been scrapped, and now you use every tool available to keep your chairs full.


YOUR FAVORITE AUTHORITY


Diluted into a thousand voices leaving organized dentistry somewhat in pieces. While custom platforms and new voices are


valuable in many ways, they can overlook the unifying power of the common ground you share as dental professionals.


DENTISTRY IN PRINT


Waning. Reading habits and attention spans have changed. The profession’s new media focuses on digital, social media and podcasts.


THE TRADITIONAL DENTAL WORKFORCE


In flux but optimistic. On the heels of Covid, the dynamics shifted. Finding and retaining skilled team members is a challenge. The MDA steps into the void and provides first rate Expanded Function Dental Assistant courses in its dedicated training center. The result develops team member loyalty and enhances practice efficiency. New solutions like the recently approved Oral Preventive


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