REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
We are excited to welcome renowned speaker Dr. Kyle Stanley for a Fifth District continuing education program on May 2, 2024! Dr. Stanley will present "The Mentally Resilient Dentist" at the Signature Room at Topgolf, and all guests are invited to stay and play Topgolf afterwards. Space is limited, so arrange your schedule and reserve your spot ASAP--you won't want to miss it!
Click Here to Register
Fifth District CE and Social
Thursday, May 2, 2024
CE Program 1:00 to 4:00pm
Topgolf Social 4:00 to 6:00pm
Topgolf Overland Park
Dr. Kyle Stanley will present The Mentally Resilient Dentist, a proven step-by-step training for dental professionals to master their mental resilience and workplace leadership to create sustainable success in their careers and lives.
Dr. Stanley has been named to "The Next Generation of Cosmetic Dentistry" by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, “The Top 10 Young Educators in Dentistry” by the Seattle Study Club, and "World's Top 100 Doctors in Dentistry."
The Leadership of the Fifth District would like to announce the retirement of our long-time Executive Director Nedra Sparks, who will be honored at our May 2nd CE and Social Event. Please plan to join us for this celebration.
Taking her place will be none other than Sam Silvey, current Executive Director for the Greater Kansas City Dental Society.
Nedra took over the position in 2014 and since that time, Sam and Nedra have worked closely together to help steer their respective societies. Moving forward, Sam will be at the helm of both societies.
This transition is an incredible step towards bringing the dental community closer together and opening the door to countless opportunities for collaboration across state lines.
Nedra took over the position of Fifth District Executive Director during a very challenging time and the members of the Fifth District owe Nedra an unpayable debt for navigating the society out of that difficult situation.
Since that time she has proven to be reliable, thorough, and passionate, as evidenced from her willingness to continue serving the society after moving her residence to Texas.
We will miss her smile and her infectious kindness, but she will always have a special place in our hearts. From the Leadership and all current and past members of the Fifth District, Thank You Nedra!
Renew your membership by March 31!
Deepest sympathy is extended to the family and friends of Fifth District member Dr. Benjamin L. Sparks, who passed away December 15, 2023. Click here to view his obituary.
Make plans now for SmileCon 2024, Oct. 17–19 in New Orleans. Meet, Play, Learn, and Smile in one of the most exciting cities in America. Get updates at SmileCon.org. Registration opens May 8.
Do you have colleagues who are unsure of the value of organized dentistry?
The ADA and KDA are your national and state oral health advocates — always fighting for what matters to you and your patients. Stay up to date with national and state advocacy efforts at
actioncenter.ada.org. View a list of ADA Advocacy accomplishments
here.
KDA Advocacy News
SB 103 (abolishing the 20% rule) passed out of the Senate Committee on Public Health & Welfare (SPHW) and is currently on the Senate floor but no action has been taken. Watch for alerts from the KDA if additional contact with your representatives is warranted.
ADA Advocacy News
TAX PRIORITIES AND WORKFORCE
- Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024
The $78 billion bipartisan bill passed the House of Representatives on Jan. 31 and will expand the child tax credit and reestablish tax incentives for businesses. But the key highlight is an expansion of the 179 tax credit. The ADA has been advocating for maintaining or expanding this tax credit, which allows businesses to deduct expenses incurred for expanding or purchasing of business property. This also includes equipment and software updates which is very beneficial to our small business dental practices. The bill goes to the Senate for consideration.
CORPORATE TRANSPARENCY ACT REQUIREMENTS
- The Corporate Transparency Act, enacted by Congress in 2021, was passed to combat the use of businesses as money-laundering operations. It requires certain businesses to report information to the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Unit about their ownership. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network began accepting beneficial ownership information reports on Jan. 1, and all existing dental practices and companies that meet the requirements have one year to file before facing penalties. The ADA created a FAQ document to help dentists with questions.
INSURANCE REFORM
- The House Committee on Energy and Commerce chair is asking the Government Accountability Office to study the state of consolidation and vertical integration in the dental and vision benefits industries. The request is the result of ongoing advocacy by the American Dental Association related to dental insurance reform, including the DOC Access Act, which would prohibit dental and vision plans from setting the fees network doctors can charge for services not covered by the insurers. Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., are asking for the study to evaluate the impacts of consolidation and vertical integration on consumers, including the prices they pay, as well as health care providers.
PREVENTION PROGRAMS
- The ADA sent a letter of support for the Promoting Dental Health Act, S. 3597, to Sens. Richard Durbin, D-IL and Roger Marshall, R-KS, asking Congress to reauthorize the oral health promotion and disease prevention activities of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through 2028.
Impacts on dentistry: The ADA has been working with Congress on dentists’ top tax policy priorities and also advocated for multiple tax provisions for dentists, small businesses and dental students to receive that would expand additional tax policy priorities that were not included in the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act.
FEDERAL AGENCIES
ESSENTIAL HEALTH BENEFITS
- The ADA submitted comments Jan. 4 on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ proposed 2025 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The ADA’s comments highlighted its support for CMS’ proposal to remove a current prohibition on adult dental coverage in states’ Essential Health Benefits (EHB) Benchmark Plans. Currently, dental benefit coverage for adults is not considered an essential health benefit and the ADA supports allowing states to include adult dental services in their EHB-benchmark plans.
EPA LAWSUIT
The ongoing lawsuit filed in 2017 against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to end the addition of community water fluoridation initiated its next stage of the trial in federal court through Feb. 14, 2024. Judge Edward M. Chen of the US District Court Northern District of California has reviewed the scientific research on the effects of fluoride and the debate over the validity of those studies has been ongoing. The ADA assures the dental community that we are monitoring this closely in order to have the appropriate commentary when the trial concludes.
Impacts on dentistry: Over the last few years, the ADA has advocated and testified in various forums about the need for careful review of the body of evidence and has expressed concern on numerous occasions that the current state of the science does not validate the hypothesis that fluoride exposure at levels used for community water fluoridation affects children’s IQ.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS RESOURCES
SPECIAL ASSESSMENT TOOL AVAILABLE
The Council on Dental Practice is offering the Well-Being Index, an anonymous validated assessment, resource and measurement tool developed by the Mayo Clinic to address clinician distress and well-being, at no cost for every ADA member, including students.
To access the tool, visit https://mywbi.org/ada-wellness to set-up an account and take the assessment. The assessment takes one minute to answer nine questions to evaluate an individual’s risk of fatigue, depression, burnout or anxiety. The tool, which is used by hundreds of health care organizations, has been customized for the ADA to provide participants with ADA resources once the assessment is taken.
ONGOING WELLNESS RESOURCES
The Wellness Program is available to help those in the dental community who are struggling with their mental and physical health. Dentistry can take a toll on our mental, physical, and spiritual health. We owe it to ourselves, our loved ones, and our patients to be in healthy condition. Don’t wait to address problems until you have no other option. Be proactive about your health because you are worth it! Feel free to
email Dr. Jack Huebner for additional information.
FIFTH DISTRICT MAILING ADDRESS
Fifth District Dental Society
11750 W 135th St #1059
Overland Park, KS 66221-9395
OLD ADDRESS: 13400 Roe Ave, Leawood 66209
Fifth District Calendar
FIFTH DISTRICT EXECUTIVE TEAM MEETINGS
Executive Team meetings will be held via Zoom unless otherwise listed
Tuesday, Apr 2, 2024
Tuesday, Jun 4, 2024
Tuesday, Aug 6, 2024 (may be in-person)
FIFTH DISTRICT EVENTS
Thursday, May 2, 2024 CE with Dr. Kyle Stanley followed by social
Thursday, September 26, 2024 Annual President's Social plus Annual Business Meeting
GREATER KANSAS CITY CE CALENDAR
An added benefit to living in the Kansas City metro area is the availability of quality CE programs through our sister organization in Missouri, Greater Kansas City Dental Society. For more information, call 816.737.5353 or email gkcds@att.net.
March 15, 2024 Prosthodontics Half-Day Lecture
June 9, 2024 OSHA Half-Day Lecture
September 13, 2024 Practice Management Lecture
October 11, 2024 Pharmacology Lecture
November 8, 2024 Oral Pathology Half-Day Lecture