The proposal to amend specialty recognition in the dental profession stongly concerns me.  As a Prosthodontists, I can attest to the countless hours of specialty training, extensive review of the literature, and daily interaction with complex patient needs.  As a specialist, prosthodontists are trained to treat extensive trauma and syndromic patients, treat those prosthetically who have undergone cancer treatment, and prosthetically rehabilitate oral conditions.  Allowing those to advertise as a specialist, without sanctioned specialty training, to rehabilitate complex oral conditions and without certified training in these areas,  is not only misleading to the public but a serious danger to the well being of patient care.

A CODA approved and sanctioned specialy program has undergone rigerous criteria to meet and uphold the training and standards within each of the specialty programs.  This certification upholds the necessary training and certification of care recieved by the public.  Patients deserve and expect care to be provided by specifically trained individuals having gone through specailty training programs for their unique challenging oral needs - especially if they advertise as such.  They rely on dentistry and Virginia regulations to uphold these standards for their safety and care and not to be mislead as to the training and certification each practioner holds.  Virginia has a wonderful array of dental practitioners who provide much needed services to the general patient population.  Unique oral care situations present with challenges treated by those specifically trained through CODA approved specialty programs. It is a supplement to oral health care, not a competition of services.

 The ADA established The ADA Commision on Specialty Recognition to specifically address these issues of oral health care delivery.  Let's allow this commission to complete their job regarding Specialty Training Programs and evaluate their position, without conflict of interest, on the position of recogition of specialties in dentistry. The care of the public depends on us to provide them this information on specialty care.