By Michael Chen
As a first-year student, the opportunity to connect with other students around the country and be immersed in dental talks was super exciting! I was fortunate to be selected to attend ASDA’s National Leadership Conference in Chicago with five of my classmates in November. I was impressed by the array and diversity of talks, from lasers in dentistry, to networking, to the opioid crisis. Gaining knowledge about the issues and topics surrounding dentistry not only motivates me to stay involved, but also will make me a more well-rounded clinician. It is extra exciting since I won’t be immersed in the dental school until the summer.
Some highlights I’d like to share are:
Western Europe uses 4x less opioids, it is important to understand alternatives to pain management after dental operations.
There is momentum to eliminate single-encounter, procedure-based patient examinations for licensure across the country. It is up to all of us to take action and encourage reform.
Teledentistry is a growing movement with players like Virtudent and Toothpic leading the way.
My NLC experience helped me grow as both a leader and future professional. I hope to continue connecting with other ASDA chapters around the country and collaborate to improve HSDM’s dental student experience!
