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STUDENT INITIATIVE GETS RESULTS
AT ADA
The California Dental
Association’s 2002 House of Delegates saw the passage of two
student sponsored resolutions. Occupying only five seats in a
House of two hundred delegates, the student politicians put in
long hours of preparation and lobbied heavily to secure an
affirmative vote. Junior dental student Bao-Thy Nguyen
represented the USC School of Dentistry.
 Resolution 26RC, the more
controversial of the two, calls for a review of all dental
licensure exams. Under the guidelines set forth by the student
representatives, California board exams will be evaluated and
compared to exams utilized in other states and countries.
Based upon the findings, CDA will make recommendations to the
Dental Board of California.
“We are really trying to push
this issue. Student representatives will be on the evaluation
councils as CDA researches the various exams. Based on what we
hear from students who have taken the exam and those who are
preparing to take it, we feel change is necessary and CDA
wants to hear from us,” said Nguyen.
Nguyen played an integral role
in securing the resolution’s passage. In addition to helping
prepare the written resolution, she lobbied extensively on its
behalf and went so far as to meet with a member of the Dental
Board of California. In October 2002, she attended the ADA
national convention to support ADA student representatives
sponsoring similar national legislation.
The second resolution passed at
CDA asked for the organization’s support for student
involvement in the ADA’s Give Kids a Smile Program on
February 21, 2003 (see sidebar page 3). It also passed
overwhelmingly.
In addition to her role as
student delegate, Nguyen has been appointed to serve on the
board of 1201 Financial and Insurance Services, Inc., a CDA
company that offers services and products specifically to
dentists. She is the first student to ever hold such a
position at CDA.
Nguyen feels her commitment to
CDA is time well spent. She hopes not only to keep her fellow
students informed about programs and benefits available, but
to make participation part of the student culture.
“It is important for students
to be involved in not only the CDA, but in organized dentistry
on all levels because we need a unified voice. We must be able
to protect and maintain the integrity of our profession and to
guide dentistry into the future,” Nguyen says.
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