An Open letter to The New Jersey Board of Dentistry
July 23, 2017
Dr. Joseph Chikvashvili
President, New Jersey Association of Endodontist
100 Northfield Ave, Suite #4
West Orange, NJ 07052
Dear Members of the New Jersey Association of Endodontists:
You organization works tirelessly to promote our specialty on behalf of members, and non-members, alike. To that end, I have some interesting news to report to you. Thanks to the persistent efforts of the NJAE Board of Directors the State Board of Dentistry has finally agreed to meet with us to discuss ways to improve endodontic treatment by all the dentists in our state. It has taken several years for this meeting with the State Board of Dentistry to happen. Obviously, we are not going to take this opportunity lightly.
A few of the members of NJAE’s board will represent us when we meet with the State Board of Dentistry in October. We encourage you to provide additional input to us, about what subjects of concern you have that affect endodontic treatment in your respective communities. Regrettably, we have seen our specialty’s standard of care eroded by a decline in the level of endodontic treatment the public has experienced over the past 2 decades. It is our collective opinion that sub standard endodontic therapy we continue to observe is the result of the loss of endodontic core curricula in dental school which concomitantly creates a diminished appreciation and understanding of the criteria required to produce comprehensive quality endodontic treatment.
Share your ideas and suggestions to improve endodontic care in the state of New Jersey. Do we need a patient Bill of Rights? Does the culture of referral need to be exercised more consistently as it is in medicine? Should our colleagues do a better job of informing their patients about endodontic specialists and their capabilities? Whatever it may be, please be candid and precise with your recommendations.
Either mail your suggestions to my office address listed above, or send your ideas and suggestions to my personal email, jchik001@yahoo.com. Any recommendations received prior to the end of August, will be carefully reviewed and considered. After our meeting with the state dental board, the NJAE Board of Directors will provide you with a comprehensive report of what transpired and discussed, what plans if any were implemented, and what our impressions of the meeting were.
Like they said in the musical Hamiltion, “I want to be in the room when it happens.” This is a unique chance for us to put a better light on our specialty. Hopefully, this will be of significant benefit to all of New Jersey’s dental patients. When you send your recommendations please provide supportive information and data such as radiographs and patient treatment notes (fully redactive charts and radiographs). Forward examples of endodontic treatment that clearly show a standard of care well below the level acceptable to be categorized as satisfactory. The New Jersey Board of Dentistry must be made aware of burgeoning epidemic of substandard and unsatisfactory endodontic treatment the public has had to endure. This is only the beginning of a lengthy process to improve the standard of endodontic care in our state.
Sincerely,
Joseph Chikvashvili, DDS
President New Jersey Association of Endodontists