Journal of the Louisiana Dental Association

LDASamuel Trinca, D.D.S.President, Louisiana State Board of Dentistrylouisiana state board of dentistryBeing a ProfessionalAs I draw near the end of my term aspresident of the Louisiana State Board ofDentistry, I wish to express my gratitudeto all of my board members and staff.We have a remarkable board and ahardworking staff. They help to maintainthe public’s perception of the profession.Being on the board has been an eyeopeningexperience for me, as well as allother board members. Many of us choosenot to look at some of the transgressions of ourpeers, but those who are unethical bring us all down. Iam going to plagiarize from an article recently draftedby two of our board members, Dr. H.O. Blackwoodand Dr. Charles McCabe. It is entitled “Being aProfessional.”“Thank you for coming before the board. I am Dr.___________ and wish to say a few words to youabout the importance of being part of a profession.When you joined the profession of dentistry as adentist or dental hygienist, you joined a large group ofindividuals who have chosen to serve the public. Withyour license, you are given the opportunity to haveimmediate trust: trust from your patients, trust in youroffice staff, and trust from your dental colleagues. Wedo not take this trust lightly and neither should you.Your behavior in the office and out of the office reflectsnot only on your character, but also on the characterof everyone within the profession. It is said that pastbehavior is an indication of future behavior. Let’s hopethat you are the exception and have the chance toserve in our profession with pride, integrity, and anunwavering ethical foundation.”If we want to stay a profession, then we must act asa profession. If we wish to gouge the public, then wewill become a trade and will lose the dignity that goesalong with being called a doctor. I am proud of thetitle and hope you are, too.I can’t tell you how many times peoplecomplain that we are on a witch hunt orare targeting someone for some personalagenda. I assure you that we do our bestto maintain integrity in our investigationsand our adjudications. Recently, we hada dentist in our office testifying on behalfof another dentist who was participating inan informal conference. He let it be knownthat he had very little respect for our board.He did not agree with our ways and felt that wewere unethical and acting illegally. What a shame! Thisperson fell for all of the distortions made by those whohave been sanctioned by the board in the past. If anyof you truly believe the board is not acting in the bestinterests of the public first and then the profession, wewould like to hear from you. If you think we are doinga good job, we would also like to hear from you. Thisis a thankless job performed by our board memberswho give up much time, energy, and especially moneyto serve on this board. We are proud of our actionsand feel that we have one of the best dental boards inthe United States of America.I am especially proud of our executive director,Barry Ogden. I have been to several national meetingswhere I have had contact with board members andexecutive directors of other states. Those that knowBarry have all sung his praises. They all look up to himas an example to follow. We are blessed to have him asour executive director.God bless to all.www.ladental.org34 LDA Journal