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The Journal is owned and published by the Indiana Dental Association, a constituent of the American Dental Association.The editors and publisher are not responsible for the views, opinions, theories, and criticisms expressed in these pages, except when otherwise decided by resolution of the Indiana Dental Association. The Journal is published four times a year and is mailed quarterly. Periodicals postage pending at Indianapolis, Indiana, and additional mailing oces.ManuscriptsScientic and research articles, editorials, communications, and news should be addressed to the Editor: 550 W. North Street, Suite 300, Indianapolis, IN 46202 or send via email to kathy@indental.org.AdvertisingAll business matters, including requests for rates and classieds, should be addressed to Kathy Walden at kathy@indental.org or 800-562-5646. A media kit with all deadlines and ad specs is available at the IDA website at www.indental.org/adverts/add.Copyright 2024, the Indiana Dental Association. All rights reserved.Journal IDAPersonnelOfficers of the Indiana Dental AssociationDr. Thomas R. Blake, PresidentDr. Lisa Conard, President-ElectDr. Rebecca De La Rosa, Vice PresidentDr. Lorraine Celis, Vice President-ElectDr. Jenny Neese, Speaker of the HouseSubmissions Review BoardDr. Rebecca De La Rosa, AvonDr. Caroline Derrow, AuburnDr. Steve Ellinwood, Fort WayneDr. Sarah Herd, Co-EditorKathy Walden, Managing Editor Dr. Joseph Platt, Vice Speaker of the HouseDr. Nia Bigby, TreasurerDrs. Karen Ellis and Sarah Herd, Journal IDA EditorsDr. Jill M. Burns, Immediate Past PresidentMr. Douglas M. Bush, Executive Director, SecretaryDr. Jerey A. Platt, IndianapolisDr. Kyle Ratli, IndianapolisDr. Elizabeth Simpson, IndianapolisDr. Karen Ellis, Co-Editor

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4 Journal of the Indiana Dental Association | VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1Trip planning was much dierent in the 1970s and 1980s than today. My dad had a large ling cabinet in the basement that contained meticulously organized les on every state. Each manila folder contained road maps and pamphlets galore of all the wonders that particular state had waiting for us to explore. The trip planning would begin months in advance with my dad getting out a large Rand McNally atlas and plotting detailed routes between cities with various sightseeing stops along the way. My mom was the keeper of the Hotel Books. Every hotel chain from Best Western to the Holiday Inn had their annual books listing all of their hotels in every city and in every state across the country. How this all came together was nothing less than magical. We would load the car with suitcases and coolers and head out for the next big adventure. My dad commanded the wheel and my mom situated in the front passenger seat in the role of navigator. My big brothers and I held occupancy in the back seat and being the youngest I was stationed in the middle seat with the hump on the oor board. My oldest brother, Martin, always brought a pillow and managed to sleep through it all. To this day, I look back and marvel at his ability to sleep through anything! My brother Dwight and I would busy ourselves with the popular road games of the day “I see something you don’t see…and it begins with the letter…” or the License Plate Game. When my dad would go through a tunnel, there was always the plea to “honk the horn” or if there was a passing semi, it was sport to try to get the driver to honk his horn. Things often times would not go to plan. One time we were driving on a back road in Missouri that just completely ended...in the middle of nowhere. A harrowing night in NYC was spent by my dad sleeping with his back up against the door because after checking in, we discovered the door didn’t lock and there was nowhere else to go. Or, spending an extremely hot summer day sightseeing at the Mall in Washington D.C. rewarded with a Red, White and Blue Striper popsicle that melted before I could nish it. I am not sure how my parents consoled my ve-year-old tears but what was true then is true now–the wonder and awe I felt at every new place I got to see outweighed any misfortune that occurred along the way. Gone are the days that you needed to show restraint taking pictures. Gone are the days that you would go to the airport to buy your airplane tickets from the ticket counters and leave with a ticket that was eight layers thick of various carbon papers. I remember driving and parking right by the White House or driving up to General Sherman in Sequoia National Park. You would never be able to do either today. Travel planning is made easier through all of the resources on the internet but in some ways Dr. Karen Ellis, Journal IDA co-editorEDITOR'S MESSAGE What Makes You Tick?EVER SINCE I was a little girl, I have been excited about travel and going on trips. My parents were both educators and I feel fortunate that starting at a very young age I had experiences through travel that helped shaped my beliefs as an adult. My summers o always meant the “Ellis Family Vacation” that would take our motley crew to a National Historical Site or Landmark. ABOUT THE AUTHORDr. Karen Ellis is co-editor of the Journal IDA along with Dr. Sarah Herd. Dr. Ellis is a general dentist for the Marion County Public Health Department and can be reached at ellis_karen@yahoo.com.travelling is more complicated than ever. Nonetheless, my passion for travel has remained. My mom always says about me “Karen, she just wants to see it all.” And it is true. I do want to see it all. I have great appreciation for the beauty that is all around us. I love places of grandeur like Bryce Canyon but I also love gazing at the cornelds in Southern Indiana.

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5VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1 | Journal of the Indiana Dental AssociationI have learned many lessons from travelling. As in travel, there will be bumps in the road of life. Sometimes you just have to go with the ow. Sometimes the road you hadn’t planned to take will lead you to something better in the long run. And, there is always something to learn. Lessons appear in big and small ways. It doesn’t have to cost a lot or be big to be fun or life changing. People who know me know that travel is what makes me “tick” and lights me up. Passions. Hobbies. Interests. It is so important to have something in your life that excites you. And I think that is especially true for dentists. Dentistry can be extremely isolating. Having a passion gives us something to look forward to. It makes us well rounded. It gives us something to talk about.This issue highlights several of our colleagues doing interesting things while they are “out of the operatory.” I hope as you read some of their dierent experiences it piques your interest. I hope as you read their proles you are inspired. And, I hope that you start to explore what makes YOU tick. What are YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT?Left: Martin, Karen and Dwight Ellis at Ruby Falls, Tennessee 1977.Right: With fellow travelers at cooking class in Italy.

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6 Journal of the Indiana Dental Association | VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE HobbiesHAPPY 2024 EVERYONE! I think that you all will enjoy reading about your colleagues in this edition of the Journal. As we all know, dentistry is a demanding profession that requires focus, dedication, and continuous learning. However, it is equally important for dentists to maintain a healthy work-life balance by engaging in outside hobbies and interests. Dentistry can be mentally and physically taxing, leading to stress and burnout. Engaging in outside activities provides dentists with an opportunity to unwind, relax, and recharge. Regular participation in activities such as sports, yoga, or some other creative endeavors like painting, woodworking or something in the ne arts can be just the ticket to relieve some of the day-to-day stress of our profession.Physical exercise, in particular, has been proven to release endorphins, which promote feelings of happiness and help to reduce anxiety and depression. Heck, it’s worked for me since age 28, and I graduated dental school with Fred Flintstone. My rear end is out of bed at 4:45 every morning, a wonderful way to start my day. Of course, I am a ridiculous morning person. While “working out” might not be everyone’s cup of tea, there are other hobbies like walking, hiking, swimming or dancing that can allow us to improve our cardiovascular health, maintain a healthy weight, and reduce the risk of chronic disease. After all, we are in a pretty sedentary profession where we spend many long hours just sitting. We need to move to keep aging at bay.Outside hobbies and interests can stimulate creativity and enhance problem-solving skills, which are crucial in dentistry. Many of us participate in the elds of photography and music which serve us well in using the “other” side of our brain. This in turn can enhance our interactions with both patients and sta both of which are the lifeblood of our practices. Bedside manner is essential in these times of social media and Yelp-like rating apps. Dentists who participate in puzzle-solving, chess and other games can sharpen critical thinking. Of course, these skills are important in oce managing, being open to change that is inevitable as well as enhancing diagnostic possibilities and creating solutions for our patients. Creating multifaceted and innovative treatment plans are critical to solving complex dental problems.Creating kumbaya with patients is also one of our main goals as clinicians. We always strive to meet the patients where they are. We have so many patients with so many interests that nding common ground with them makes it easier to have more meaningful conversations and connections. By sharing these personal experiences with our patients, we build rapport, trust and a sense of empathy. Trust is obviously key for us to be the healthcare providers our patients seek.Not all of the advantages of outside interest have to do with improving clinical skills. As a matter of fact, it has been shown that dentists who have outside hobbies and interests often experience higher levels of job satisfaction. Engaging in activities that bring joy and fulllment outside of work can help dentists maintain a positive mindset and help prevent burnout. By pursuing their passions, dentists can nd a sense of purpose and fulllment beyond their professional achievements. In addition, there is the benet of personal growth by learning to play an instrument, attempting to master a new foreign language or “busting a new move” by learning a new dance. Activities, both mental as well as physical, have been shown to perhaps help with memory issues as we age. Steve Jobs said, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” He is among many who have uttered the same sentiment. Personally, I have been practicing for 42 years and I still LOVE what Dr. Tom BlakeABOUT THE AUTHORDr. Tom Blake is a dentist in Fort Wayne and the 2023-2024 IDA president. He can be reached at tblake5591@aol.com.

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7VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1 | Journal of the Indiana Dental AssociationI do. I enjoy travel, working out, socializing (yes, shock for those who know me). I always have maintained a bucket list of things that I want to experience and there are never less than thirty items on the list. When number one is taken care of, number 31 moves up to number 30. I have been so blessed to be able to do so many things. For me, these are what I call mini-goals which in some ways get me through to the next event while I am busy working hard in my practice. I guess the other thing that I want to mention is to MAKE TIME for yourself. In a recent FLIK (Future Leaders of Isaac Knapp) program that I was fortunate to attend, the overwhelming barrier for people to achieve their goals was time. I know that my practice management training and teaching decades ago emphasized the importance of block scheduling for your daily activities which indeed seems a little crazy but as we all know, life is BUSY and not going to slow down any time soon. By incorporating leisure activities in a schedule that you create with your signicant other, you will be able to have the time you need to recreate and recover. Wellness is something that has really become an issue for so many professionals but PREVENTION is the key. For me, I love “Tom time.” Tom time could be reading a book, journaling, meditating, sitting by the pool, going to the gym or simply watching my guilty pleasure of mindless TV judge shows. It gives me my “me time” which we all need. All stages of life have their dierent “busy-ness” issues. Whether it is just graduating from school and starting in that rst practice, getting married and buying a home (with all of the nancial pressures that exist), having a family who will demand a great deal of your recreational time, empty nesting, or retirement, having time to pursue outside interests is essential. I hope that you enjoy reading this issue about what your fellow dentists are doing to fulll their outside interests and perhaps you will get some ideas as well. Remember that the rst attempt at a new hobby does not need to be what you do forever. Simply nd something that piques your interest and investigate it. It will be worth the time you spend! It has been said that all work and no play make Jack a dull boy. Take time for YOU! You deserve it!

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8 Journal of the Indiana Dental Association | VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1Dr. Chuck Hassel tipped the scales. He was 1995-96 IDA president and leader of the search committee. I immediately con-nected with him. He was absolutely one of the most positive, cheerful, encouraging men I’d ever met. The kind of person that you would want to come to work for. That’s why it hurt when I learned of Chuck’s passing on November 12, 2023. Chuck was one of a kind. You couldn’t help but like him. A few of you will remember that in 1995, IDA was going through some turmoil. After long-time executive director Gail Coons retired, IDA went through two executives in less than three years. The second resigned after just a few weeks into the job, meaning the search process had to start yet again. It was nothing he had signed up for when he ran for president, but for several months Chuck found himself practicing dentistry Monday through Thursday in Breman, Indiana, then traveling to Indi-anapolis on Fridays to serve as interim executive director.This time of uncertainty and transition was tough on sta. Chuck’s weekly presence held the Central Oce together. The sta absolutely loved Chuck. He eased their anxiety, making it a point to take them to lunch each Friday, trying a new restaurant every week. For his outstanding service to the IDA during that dicult time, the Board of Trustees established the IDA Leadership Achieve-ment Award that is named in his honor. He was the rst recipient. Each year the award is presented to an outstanding volun-teer leader who demonstrates the spirit of service demonstrated by Dr. Hassel. Chuck was perhaps best known for his sense of humor… specically the ridiculously corny jokes that made him laugh while everyone else groaned. To IDA leaders, he self-dubbed himself “Dumpty” after Humpty Dumpty (I have no idea why). To his patients and the Breman locals, he was known for the gorilla costume that he sometimes wore to his oce and around town at special events. He was also known for his old car… a junker that regularly showed up in local parades freshly spray painted with whatever message commemorated the celebration. At the 1996 IDA Annual Session, his car, donned in spray-painted Mr. Doug Bush, IDA Executive DirectorEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE Remembering Dr. Charles “Chuck” HasselABOUT THIS TIME 28 years ago I was interviewing for the executive director position with the Indiana Dental Association. Alice, the kids and I were living on the West Coast at the time and our goal was to get closer to family in Tennessee. I had been oered a job with another dental organization in Atlanta. So our choices were to go south to Georgia or north to Indiana. ABOUT THE AUTHORMr. Doug Bush is serving his 27th year as IDA Executive Director. He can be reached at doug@indental.org. IDA messages, found its way to our exhibit hall, which was on the foot-ball eld of the RCA Dome. Security determined that the car was leaking a trail of gasoline and quickly banished it back to the parking lot. Not to be deterred, Chuck had invited the Breman High School Band to the meeting and had them marching up and down the aisles of our exhibit hall. At my rst IDA Board of Trustees meeting in January 1996, Chuck invited the women leading the Alliance of the IDA to join the Board for

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9VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1 | Journal of the Indiana Dental Associationlunch. He brought in a barbershop quartet from Breman to provide entertainment while we dined. Chuck practiced dentistry in Breman until he was 80. He passed away at age 94. At his memorial service on Novem-ber 27, I learned of a side of Chuck that I hadn’t seen, but it certainly didn’t surprise me. His family spoke of his love for music, specically songs from Broadway musicals. He would sing throughout the day and forced others to join him whether they wanted to or not. His family also described him as a lifelong learner: He regularly shared excerpts from books and articles with them. He was remembered for the fun gift boxes he would present family members, wrapped in what they described as “an overabundance of duct tape.” They also reminded me of Chuck’s love for Leman’s Mints… the Leman’s Mint Company was established in Breman in 1939. He supplied the IDA sta with mints for as long as I knew him. For years he brought several bags each time he visited our oce. In more recent years, they arrived by mail… a regular remind-er of his appreciation for the IDA sta, long after his service as an IDA ocer had passed. Dr. Chuck Hassel lived life to the fullest. He was loved and admired by his colleagues, patients and family. He will be dearly missed. Above, Dr. Chuck Hassel. At left, the famous Hospitality Suite car once banned by the RCA Dome.

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10 Journal of the Indiana Dental Association | VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1Dr. Chad Leighty Announces Campaign for ADA PresidentDR. CHAD LEIGHTY, a dentist from Marion and 2015-16 IDA president, has announced his candidacy for 2025-26 ADA president. Throughout his 30 year career as a dentist, Dr. Leighty has served in many leadership capacities at the national, state and local level, most recently as the ADA 7th District Trustee from 2020-2023. The election for 2025-26 ADA president will take place at the ADA House of Delegates meeting in New Orleans in October 2024. In this interview, Dr. Leighty explains his motivation for his presidential campaign and outlines his ideas for ADA leadership. Why did you decide to run for ADA president?When I started on the ADA Board of Trustees, I really had no plan of running for the president-elect position. As I nished my rst year on the Board and transitioned into my second year of assignments, I apparently caught the attention of the leadership of the Board. My assignments increased considerably. I gave the Board insight on a dierent practice model with my transition into a large group practice. I became the chair of the Committee on Annual Meetings and also served as liaison to both the American Student Dental Association and the Council on Dental Education and Licensure. My passion for the ADA and bridging the gap between practice models and the diering age demographics grew incredibly stronger this past year when I was assigned as liaison to the New Dentist Committee. I began to realize that because I had no preconceived political agenda, I just stayed authentic to who I was and I was able to build relationships and bridges with every group that I worked with. I really grew my leadership skills and felt that I was the right person. I am relevant and innovative for the transition of the ADA to the next generation of dentists. Our Baby Boomers are leaving the profession and the millennials have become the largest part of our dental workforce. I am the only full-time practicing general dentist in the eld of candidates and my practice experience and connections to our students and newer dentists are all strengths that I believe help me to lead our organization into the future. How long have you been thinking about this phase of your service to the ADA? I began to think about being serving about 10 years ago when I served on the IDA Board of Trustees. I was developing as a leader at the IDA and within the profession. I had decided to run for the IDA Vice President position to hopefully become IDA president. I was able to serve at the ADA level on a council and several years on the ADA’s House of Delegates. I enjoyed the reports that were given by the current ADA Trustees and just thought that maybe that could be me. Why not? I had a passion for being really involved in organized dentistry and wanted to have some inuence on the profession that I had chosen as my career. COVER STORYKathy Walden, IDA Director of Communications

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11VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1 | Journal of the Indiana Dental AssociationDescribe your plans as president of the ADA.I believe our profession is at a crossroads with membership. With a national market share at 57 percent and dropping, signicant changes are needed. We are making changes to the business and internal organizational structure of the ADA, but it has not reected yet in membership. Our value proposition needs to change with the changing market of dentists. Our dierent practice models need to be recognized throughout the organization. I will do more than just “talk” about changes. I have lived through diversity and practice model changes and I will push more for inclusion of diversity and practice models that reach beyond DSOs. I am currently dealing with a workforce shortage in my practice in the area of hygiene. Many dentists across the country are feeling my same discomfort. We need to think outside the box especially in the areas of assisting and hygiene recruitment and training. Our current auxiliary education systems are not providing adequate numbers of candidates. One other issue that touches every member in our profession is dental insurance or third-party intrusion in the doctor-patient relationship. I am tired of playing defense at the state and national levels. Advocacy continues to rank number 1 as a member benet and we generally do well to maintain our profession at a minimum level with intrusion of government regulations, but what if we truly went on oense? I read where 81 percent of our advocacy work is reactive. I would like to push the oense against insurance reform. We are helping states, but can do more and we can certainly push more at the national level.What activities and travel will your campaign entail? The campaign ocially lasts a year, from October 2023 to October 2024. We have started getting invitations to other state associations and Districts within the ADA. The travel activities began for me at the Chicago Midwinter meeting in February. The campaign travel will continue to increase as we go through the spring and summer months and conclude in October at this year’s ADA House of Delegates. We will also have some virtual presentations to give. Typically, a campaign visit and presentation include some type of dinner reception one night to informally get to know leaders of other districts and states. This is followed the next day with a more formal speech in a meeting setting with questions and answers to follow.How is your family supporting you in this campaign? My family has always been very supportive of my involvement in organized dentistry. My wife Sandy has traveled with me all over for dental-related meetings once our children grew up. Our three daughters have also gone on a few “dental vacations,” at least that is what we called them. My family understands how important being a leader in the dental profession is just who I am. They respect my dedication to the profession. Describe your work as 7th District Trustee.The ADA Board of Trustees is made up of 17 board members plus the ocers. The United States is divided up into 17 geographical districts. I am the representative from the 7th District, which is a two-state district of Indiana and Ohio. It is very important to understand that although I come from the 7th District, I actually represent or serve all dentists of the ADA in every state. My responsibility to the 7th District is to give ADA reports or updates to both Indiana and Ohio. I try and attend the leadership meetings of both states such as the IDA’s Board of Trustees meetings and the House of Delegates. I also attend events at Indiana University’s School of Dentistry whenever my schedule allows. The American Student Dental Association also has a 7th District, and although the ASDA District is a little dierent than the ADA, I have attended their district meetings and leadership retreats. It all makes for a busy schedule, but I enjoy my time with other organization leaders. What other work have you done for the ADA? I began with the ADA when the IDA House of Delegates elected me as an alternate delegate to the ADA’s House of Delegates in 1999. I was in my sixth year of practice and extremely excited for the opportunity. A few years later I was selected to serve on the ADA’s Council on Annual Sessions. I was chair of the IDA’s Annual Session Council at the time and loved everything that dealt with Continued Dr. Leighty with 2022-23 IUSD ASDA President Chase Perkins and IUSD student Judd Burns.

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12 Journal of the Indiana Dental Association | VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1Education and meeting planning. It was a fabulous experience and one that gave me the opportunity to work with dentists all over the country. I was a longtime member of the ADA’s House of Delegates and served on three dierent Reference Committees and chaired one of them on budget and membership related policies. I also served on a House of Delegates related task force that worked to cut a day of the regular meeting schedule and make the HOD more ecient. With today’s technology I think we could revisit that idea and make the ADA HOD even more ecient for future business. I have also served on the ADA’s Pension Committee prior to becoming a Trustee. That committee has a duciary responsibility to oversee the ADA employees’ 401K and pension plans.What do you find most challenging and rewarding in your ADA work? The most challenging aspect of my ADA work is “time.” I am one of only a few on the Board that work full-time. Trying to create a work-life balance can be very challenging when you throw in the work required from the ADA Board position. There are always reports to read and Zoom meetings to attend on behalf of the ADA. Looking at the campaign, the hardest decision or question I had with myself was the extra time committed to do it. Thankfully my family and business partners are supportive. The most rewarding aspect is knowing that I am helping protect the profession that I love and that I am making a dierence in the lives of dentists all over the country. Many things come up where the government agencies are trying to regulate our profession and we are often working behind the scenes to help dentists be successful and practice with as much freedom as possible. I also really love mentoring young dentists in our profession and working with our future leaders that are graduating from dental schools. They are so bright and want to learn so much. They all give me energy and great comfort that our profession is in great hands. What year were you IDA president and what was your focus during that year?I was IDA president in 2015-2016. Even at that time I was focused on the future of dentistry. In my address to the IDA leadership when I began as president, I said to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. We proceeded to make governance changes from an outdated council structure to smaller committees. I talked about being more relevant to younger dentists and concerns I had with membership categories. I mentioned that uncomfortable changes were needed to make our profession more valuable and relevant to ALL dentists. The increase of women dentists, social media, the millennial generation and changing practice modalities, especially DSOs were all on my mind. We made some signicant changes, but I regret not doing a DSO/Large Group Practice Summit. It is funny, when I think back, many of the things in my address and that were my focus are even more relevant today on the national level. Briefly describe your professional background: Dental education, years in practice, etc.I am the rst of my family to graduate from college, let alone from dental school. I attended Indiana University in Bloomington for an undergraduate degree in chemistry. I then attended Indiana University School of Dentistry and graduated in 1993. I have been in a general practice for 30 years, most of those years in a three-doctor, single location practice in Marion. In 2020 I transitioned into a Large Group Practice or Dental Partnership Organization named P1 Dental Partners. We started with 26 locations in Indiana. I believe we are now in 48 locations in Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. Pictured above with IUSD students Justina Anigbo, Chase Perkins, Vishnu Vaid and Alec Weiss, Dr. Leighty has made collaboration with dental students one of his top priorities as the ADA 7th District Trustee. COVER STORY

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13VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1 | Journal of the Indiana Dental AssociationAnything personal you want to share:I have been married to Sandy for 24 years. We have three daughters, Lauren, Krista and Emily. We also have three granddaughters, Leighton, Olivia and Elliana. When I married Sandy in my sixth year of practice, I instantly gained a family. I have always considered her daughters to be my own and raised them in that way. I have never considered DNA to be a determination of our father-daughter relationship. They are very supportive of my time spent with the IDA, ADA and this campaign for president-elect. When I’m not at work or tied up with ADA duties I mostly enjoy family time at our lake house on Syracuse Lake. I also enjoy activities that get me outside like hunting or hiking in the woods. In the winter as many people go south, Sandy and I like to venture north to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan snowmobiling or even dogsledding. Interested in contributing to Dr. Leighty’s campaign? Scan the link above to make a Venmo donation (2.9 percent fee applies), or you can send a check payable to the Indiana Dental Association and mail it to: Indiana Dental Association550 West North Street, Suite 300Indianapolis, IN 46202Please write “Leighty campaign” in the memo section.

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15VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1 | Journal of the Indiana Dental Association9BDr. Jay AsdellWhen he isn’t using his hands for oral surgery at his busy South Bend practice, Dr. Jay Asdell puts them to good use in an en-tirely dierent arena as a drummer. Dr. Asdell has played in various bands and settings since childhood, including the school band and still nds time to play in a band despite his dental career.Dr. Asdell began his foray into music in piano lessons with the nuns for eight years as a child, but he hated the experience. He learned how to play drums as a fth grader in Loogootee in southern Indiana after his school announced band tryouts. “About 30 kids tried out for drums,” he recalled. “I can’t remember how they decided who they selected, but they picked three of us. The selection process had to be a natural rhythm test of some kind.” Dr. Asdell still has his rst snare drum from the sixth grade and also his rst real drum set that he got as a high school freshman, after pestering his mother incessantly.His drumming continued in high school, when he played in a band called Trilogy. They “practiced like crazy,” driving an hour to another town but ended up playing a total of one gig as a result of their eorts. He also played in the high school band and was able to add timpani and bells to his repertoire since his piano experience, though unpleasant and somewhat painful, had taught him how to read sheet music. Dr. Asdell took a hiatus from playing in college and played only occasionally in dental school with some of his fellow students, but his interest was rekindled during his oral surgery residency in New York City. As he was completing his anesthesia rotation, he was invited to the hospital’s anesthesia department Christmas party at an expensive restaurant. After a few drinks, he and a fellow resident who admitted to playing piano became emboldened enough to talk the three piece band into letting them play while his date, a nurse, sang a rather poor rendition of “Teenager in Love.”The piano-playing anesthesia resident had gone to medical school in the Dominican Republic and had a band down there. Every member of that band was doing a residency in NYC except for their drummer. The spot was open. “My dad mailed my drumset to me in New York,” said Dr. Asdell. “This was before FedEx and all those other companies that make shipping easy these days. My dad actually boxed it up, put stamps on it, and mailed it to me.” He and the other residents in the band played several gigs at the nurses residence across from St Luke’s until security made them stop as it was aecting the women in labor and delivery. After moving to South Bend to begin his practice, he joined up with several anesthesiolo-gists and other professionals to form a band called Alter Egos. The group played at parties, events and even performed at the IDA Annual Session several years ago. They used to play frequently at weddings but eventually stopped because the clients were too demanding, including one mother of the bride who called Dr. Asdell’s oce daily to pester him about the music he planned to play at the wedding reception.Playing music as a hobby has its drawbacks. “The hardest part about playing is that I have to set everything up, bring every-thing with me and tear it all down at two in the morning. We can work for as long as eight hours and get paid $100. Music isn’t very lucrative unless you’re at the top.”Dr. Asdell sees a denite connection between drumming and oral surgery. “The thing about playing the drums, the most im-portant part, is you have to maintain a steady beat, and that’s very dicult for some people to do,” he explains. “Percussion is the backbone of any band. You can’t speed up or slow down, and you have to maintain a rhythm, and I guess in the profes-sion of oral surgery you have to maintain a rhythm too. You can’t go too fast or too slow.”

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16 Journal of the Indiana Dental Association | VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1NEWS & FEATURES Dr. Nia BigbyFor Dr. Nia Bigby, a relaxing and happy place is a bustling bowling alley surrounded by the sounds of rolling balls and crashing pins. She’s been bowling since her childhood in Syracuse, New York, and the bowling alley remains her happy place.Dr. Bigby’s mother started her family on a love for bowling when a friend got her interest-ed. Her parents both began bowling and enrolled Dr. Bigby and her brother in children’s leagues. From that point on, most Saturday afternoons were spent bowling with other kids, while her parents bowled at night. Her brother bowled on a high school team, though Dr. Bigby took a break from the sport in high school and college.She resumed bowling after moving to Indianapolis as a way to relax and meet people in an unknown city. She now bowls in leagues every Thursday and Saturday and sometimes substitutes for other players on leagues. Dr. Bigby’s enthusiasm for bowling is unmistak-able. “It’s fun, it’s a stress reliever, you can travel or stay local, and it’s a great way to meet new people,” she explains. “I could be in a bowling alley all day, and I’d be just ne.” As a testimony to bowling being a great way to meet people, Dr. Bigby met her husband, Anthony Hamiter, while bowling league, and the two were married in October 2023. Though most tournaments are organized into single-sex teams, Dr. Bigby and Anthony compete alongside each other at tournaments that allow co-ed teams.Unlike other sports, there is no season for bowling. Tournaments are sched-uled throughout the year and vary widely in format, eligibility, length and number of participants. Dr. Bigby competes in tournaments in central Indiana but also travels to other areas of the country for tournaments. She typical-ly participates in about 10 tournaments each year. Most tournaments have specic qualication processes and can ultimately involve hundreds or even thousands of participants, with winners being awarded either trophies or cash. Dr. Bigby maintains a 194 average at this time, and continues to strive for that perfect 300 game. Her high scratch games so far are 288 and two 279 games.Successful bowlers like Dr. Bigby understand the mechanics required for bowling. “It’s not just putting the ball on the lane. You have to think about it,” she explained. “How do you release the ball and how much speed do you put on it? How much oil is on the lane? The amount of oil on the lane aects how the ball rolls. As you learn, you realize it’s more than just throwing straight and trying to knock down the pins. There’s a lot of mechanics and physics involved, and it takes time, practice and patience.”Dr. Bigby believes bowling has something for everyone. “It’s a game that you can enjoy by yourself or with other people. Your circle of bowling alley friends turn into family due to having the love of the game in common. It’s fun, chal-lenging, and I love the competition. If you don’t nd me at home after busi-ness hours, look for me at the lanes.”Top and middle: Dr. Nia Bigby in action at an Indianapolis bowling alley.Bottom: Dr. Bigby with her husband, fellow bowler Anthony Hamiter.

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17VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1 | Journal of the Indiana Dental AssociationDr. Tom BlakeMany dentists give back to their communities through charity and volunteer work, but IDA President Dr. Tom Blake of Fort Wayne has found a somewhat obeat way to spend his days o: Working as a substitute teacher.Teaching is something Dr. Blake has wanted to do for a long time, and in fact in college he took a lot of education courses to solidify teaching as his backup career plan in case dentistry didn’t work out for him. Dentistry did, of course, work out just ne, but his interest in education has never wavered. Dr. Blake’s credits his family with instilling his desire to teach. His sister is a middle school teacher and though his mother mostly worked in a bank, she also worked as a substitute teacher. He is particularly inspired by his grandmother, who was a sec-ond grade teacher. “My favorite grandma was so amazing,” he said. “She lived in Iowa and we’d go and see her school room. Maybe that’s something that got hardwired in my brain. Plus, I just loved her so much. She was a true rocking-chair, baking-cook-ies grandma.”Dr. Blake began substituting in 2023 for Southwest Allen County Schools in the Fort Wayne area. He teaches kindergarten through third grade only, and like his favorite grandma, his preferred grade is second grade. “That’s a fun age, a fun grade to teach, and kind of a sweet spot between kids who are super young and needy and those who are getting older.” He does also receive requests to teach specialty classes such as music or special needs. “I like the surprise part of it,” he said. “You never know what you’re walking into.”Regardless of the class, most of the lessons are scripted without a lot of room for innovation, but Dr. Blake does nd ways to occasionally incorporate oral health into his day. “Sometimes in science we talk about teeth and I’ll ask, ‘How many people brushed their teeth this morning?’ A lot of the kids call me ‘Mr. Dr. Blake,’ which I think is hilarious.” Dr. Blake recently began scaling back his work schedule and nds that substitute teaching is a perfect way to ll his extra time. Currently he substitutes one or two Fridays a month, for pay of $100 a day, but will probably teach more often once his IDA presidential year is nished. “Mr. Dr. Blake” is even hoping to establish a set schedule of substituting once he’s fully retired. “I can’t imagine just sitting at the pool for hours on end,” he said. “I like to stay busy. I like a vacation, but I think as a continual thing that would be very boring.”Scenes from a typical day for Dr. Tom Blake as a substitute teacher at Covington Elementary School in Fort Wayne.

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18 Journal of the Indiana Dental Association | VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1NEWS & FEATURES Dr. Ashley Gabrek KnapkeWould you sign up to dance in public with no experience or formal dance training—and in your third trimester of pregnancy to boot? Dr. Ashley Gabrek Knapke did just that as a contestant in Dancing With the Fort Wayne Stars, and it was all for a good cause. The event raises money each year for Carriage House, a Fort Wayne organization that provides meals, job training, housing assistance and other support for people with mental illness. Dr. Gabrek was familiar with both the charity and the Dancing With the Fort Wayne Stars event because her grandmother, Jan Hagedorn, wife of former IDA President Dr. Lloyd Hagedorn, was a contestant in 2008 and remains involved in organizing the event each year. Dr. Gabrek happily accepted the oer to participate in the 2023 competition, not knowing at the time that she was pregnant, but she remained undaunted even after realizing she would be starting her third trimester during the competi-tion.As with the TV show, Dancing With the Fort Wayne Stars pairs each contestant with a professional dancer or instructor, and pairs are gradually eliminated during the event until the nal round, when a winner is announced. In the case of the local Fort Wayne event, the winner is the one who can raise the most money for the designated charity. Dr. Gabrek said most years the event has featured a dentist or dentist’s family member as competitors. Dr. Steve Clute, a Fort Wayne pediatric dentist, won the event in 2021, and Kos Lugakingira, wife of oral surgeon Dr. Mulokozi Lugakin-gira, won in 2022. Dr. Gabrek estimates that the dental contestants have together raised over a million dollars over the years.Dr. Gabrek went into the event with no experience or training in ballroom dancing. “I’ve never taken a dance class in my life,” she admits. “I had no dance background except show choir in high school, but that’s very dierent from ballroom dancing and that was a long time ago. I had a little experience being in front of a crowd from show choir, but that was it, but I didn’t feel as nervous because of that stage experi-ence. I told them, ‘I’m not much of a dancer, but I’ll get out there.’”Event organizers paired Dr. Gabrek with dance instructor Quinton MacAdam, and together in front of an audience of 1,000, they performed a mambo based on the movie Dirty Dancing—though without the lift, Dr. Gabrek emphasized. “I wore a pink dress, really cute, that showed o my pregnancy, and we really made ‘Baby’ a theme of our dancing.” MacAdam and Dr. Gabrek began practicing at the end of May, starting once a week and then rehearsing more frequently as the event got closer, which also coincided with the beginning of her third trimester. “It’s real ballroom dancing, and they really teach you how to dance,” she explained. “At the beginning it was ne, but it got tough at the end. It denitely kept me in shape!”Contestants raise money for Carriage House by selling tickets and sponsorships to the competition. Dancers can also buy votes during the rst two rounds. After the second round, all the votes are wiped out, and each dancer’s supporters have to pay all over again if they want to stay in the running. Dr. Gabrek raised around $45,000 in the rst round and ended up winning second place overall. Dr. Gabrek loved her Dancing With the Stars experience and says she’s thrilled to have helped raise money for such a worthy cause. “They make it very much like the real show: There’s judges, there’s a score, and they do a really good job of making it fun. They don’t usually have repeat contestants, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.”Dr. Ashley Gabrek and her Dancing With the Stars partner, Quinton MacAdam, top, and during the awards presentation, bottom.

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19VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1 | Journal of the Indiana Dental AssociationDr. Mark LundIf you’ve been to an Indianapolis Symphonic Choir concert in recent years, a fellow IDA member might have been a part of your entertainment. For 15 years, Indianapolis prosthodontist Dr. Mark Lund has been singing with the choir in concerts throughout the area and even around the world.Dr. Lund credits his wife, Debbie, with getting him involved in the choir. They were attending an Indianapolis Symphonic Choir Christmas concert and Debbie pointed out a notice in the program that the choir was having auditions. She encouraged him to audition, and he’s been a member of the choir ever since.As a bass baritone, Dr. Lund performs with the choir during their concerts in Central Indiana, usually up to ve throughout the year. The choir also travels domestically and internationally, having performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and China and will soon travel to Brazil. The choir practices weekly at a minimum, and every evening in the weeks leading up to a performance.Like many musicians, Dr. Lund took piano lessons as a child, which taught him how to read music, but his singing was mostly conned to church choirs. “I always enjoyed our church choirs, but I never really thought about doing more until I auditioned 15 years ago,” he said. “I love singing and I love being a part of a larger choir that brings happiness to people.”Dr. Lund’s favorite music to sing are the Sacred Masterworks, including including Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s Mass in B Minor. All singers in the choir are required to re-audition annually, and he’s happy to continue being a part of the iconic central Indiana arts group. “The people are great to work with, and the pieces are fun to perform. I’ll keep doing this for as long as I can, and for as long as they’ll have me.”Top left: Dr. Lund appears in the top row, second from left, in an Indianapolis news feature about the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir. Top right: Dr. Lund with his fellow singers.Bottom: Dr. Lund and his wife, Debbie with their son Erik and his wife Lauren at a performance.

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20 Journal of the Indiana Dental Association | VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1NEWS & FEATURES Amanda PickettAs a child growing up on farm land in northwest Indiana, a love of nature and bugs came naturally to Northwest Indiana Dental Society Executive Director Amanda Pickett. As an adult, that love expanded and grew to a beekeeping hobby and part-time business. Six years ago, Amanda was working at the front desk of a dental oce when a patient told her he had honeybees and was thinking about getting chickens. “I told him, ‘I have chickens and I’m thinking of getting bees.’ So I suited up and went to see his bees and began to learn how to be a beekeeper.”Since then, Amanda has maintained between two and ve hives at any given time, with up to 60,000 bees each hive during the summer. She’s learned the ins and outs of beekeeping over the years but still consults with other local beekeepers to learn the tricks of the trade. “There are so many ways of keeping bees and everyone has a dierent opinion,” she explained. “Working with other beekeepers has really helped me to learn.”Amanda checks on the hives at least twice a month during busy season, March to October. She has to get into the hive, make sure the queen is alive and that eggs being laid are hatching. A queen can live up to four years and lay as many as 2,000 eggs per day in warm weather. Amanda also has to nd ways to guard the hives against a surprising number of predators, including mice, wasps, birds, skunks and possums. When the honey is ready to harvest, usually between July and September, Amanda removes the supers, the box that contains the honey, and works to remove the bees rst. She has to apply various tricks to repel the bees from the su-per, including an oil spray whose smell they don’t like, or using a smoker or leafblower to distract the bees. She then takes each frame of honey, cuts o the wax cappings and extracts the honey. The honey is ltered through a screen, but otherwise Amanda doesn’t heat it or add anything to it. Beekeeping obviously comes with the risk of stings. “I get stung about once a year, and it’s always my fault because I’ve done something wrong,” she admits. “The honeybee will only sting if you threaten the hive. It’s wasps who are the jerks. The bee will die, so they don’t want to sting if they don’t have to. Before they sting, they like to headbutt, or they’ll y around you and ick you as a warning.”Amanda’s yield of honey varies wildly each year, depending on whether a hive is struggling, and has ranged between three and 15 gallons per season. She sells her honey to friends and local customers, including many dentists in the area, but as a small operation, her supplies are generally limited. “I always seem to have more customers than honey,” she said.Amanda still lives on the farm where she grew up and spends as much time surrounded by nature as possible when she’s not helping Northwest mem-ber dentists. In addition to the bees, she has 22 laying hens, two outdoor cats and an indoor rabbit. She loves everything about her mini-farm, but the bees are a particular delight for her. “They’re really calm and cool crea-tures. The more I meet, the more I love them. Honeybees are just looking for the next ower or plant to pollinate.”Top: Amanda uses a hot knife to cut o the wax cappings prior to extracting honey from the frames. Bottom: Retrieving a swarm of bees from a tree branch.

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21VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1 | Journal of the Indiana Dental AssociationDr. Joe PlattSince childhood, music has been an important part of Dr. Joe Platt’s life, and his interest and involvement have continued throughout his adult life. Dr. Platt, an endodontist in Fort Wayne, began playing piano at the age of 5. Like many children, he quit because he didn’t like to practice, but he went back to the piano in sixth grade. “My dad inspired me because he would play a little bit in the eve-nings,” Dr. Platt recalls. “He used to sit down and play a few bars of a Haydn piano concerto, so I sat down and taught myself to play those same few bars he was playing. Then I stuck with it.”Many members of the IDA know the Platt family has a long history in dentistry, but Dr. Platt says there’s also a family leg-acy in music. “It all started with my grandad and his brothers – three musicians,” he explains. “Granddad (Dr. James Platt) was a trumpeter, playing in high school and college. One of his brothers was a music educator with Fort Wayne Community Schools, and the other played trumpet for the Berlin Philharmonic for many years. During the Korean War, Granddad served through music in the Unit-ed States Navy. He was stationed on the USS Essex (CV-9) as a bugler. On the Essex, Grandad discovered the dental clinic. And so it was his music and then his Naval service that inspired him to go to dental school.” With his father (Dr. Jerey Platt) also a Navy veteran and dentist, Dr. Joseph Platt is a third-generation musician, Navy veteran, and dentist.After returning to piano in middle school, Dr. Platt’s love for the piano continued to grow, and he chose to major in music performance at Butler University. He gave recitals every year as part of the program, and was also the sta pianist for the Butler Symphony Orchestra. “The solo recitals were good fun, but the parts I enjoyed most were the ensemble work because it’s collaborative. Orchestra and chamber music were really enjoyable for me.”Dr. Platt’s frequent music partner is his wife, Lindsay. “I met her at Butler through music. That’s the most beautiful thing about music in my life.” Lindsay was an arts administration major who also sings and plays the violin. They have been involved with mu-sic at the Cathedral in Fort Wayne, and they have both performed with Heartland Sings, a musical group in Fort Wayne. Lindsay has made a full-time career in music as the Director of Development for the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir, and she’s involved in other area organizations that support music.Dr. Platt enjoys playing a wide range of musical genres, but his training focused heavily on classical pieces. En-semble work of all sizes, but particularly with a smaller group of performers, is his favorite. “Ensemble work is all about communication. When you’re playing with a large group like an orchestra or a choir, you take your cues from the conductor,” he explains. “In chamber music you don’t have a conductor. You have to read each other and breathe together. It’s a balance between getting your own soloistic moments and really listening to your partners. I nd that so enjoyable.” Top: Dr. Joseph Platt playing the piano at his home to his audience of Fenley, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Bottom: Dr. Platt and his wife, Lindsay, performing at the Bradley Hotel in Fort Wayne.

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22 Journal of the Indiana Dental Association | VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1NEWS & FEATURES Dr. Jennifer Satterfield-SiegelSports have always been a big part of Zionsville pediatric dentist Dr. Jennifer Sattereld-Siegel’s life, but 15 years ago she took her passion to the next level when she and her husband, Max Siegel, decided to own a NASCAR team.Max, a sports and entertainment lawyer and current CEO of USA Track & Field, was at the time working as president of global operations for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., one of NASCAR’s leading franchises. In 2009 he returned to Indianapolis to help run NASCAR’s “Drive for Diversity” program, and he and Dr. Sattereld-Siegel took the opportunity to start their own team, Rev Racing. The team includes Nick Sanchez, who competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Sanchez was named the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year and recently claimed his rst career win in Daytona. Other drivers who have competed for Rev Racing in the past include Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson and Daniel Suarez.Dr. Sattereld-Siegel’s pediatric practice, Special Smiles, is her main focus, but she devotes a considerable amount of time to the racing team as well. “You can’t attend every race. It’s impossible,” she explains. “One year I did go to 25 races, but when you are an owner of a race team, it’s not like you can go in and just watch the race. My day can last from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. with all the dynamics associated with it. You can be in the pits and doing media, talking to your team, you just never know.” Rev Racing has 50 to 60 sta who range from full- and part-time drivers, mechanics, en-gineers, accountants, marketing professionals and more. “There’s so many dierent levels of what it takes to make a NASCAR team function,” she said. “We have people that are in technology, engineering, marketing, making the cars. It’s an expensive sport.” In addition to the team’s sta and drivers, the Siegels’ three adult children are part of the business as members of the team’s Board of Directors. Like all NASCAR teams, Rev Racing and its drivers are funded in part by corporate sponsors, one of which is Dr. Sattereld-Siegel’s Special Smiles practice. “I would say one of the coolest things about owning a team is to be at the race and to see my husband’s name on the hood of the car or on the back of the car and Special Smiles on uniforms or on cars.”In addition to operating Special Smiles and her work with Rev Racing, Dr. Sattereld-Siegel operates Rev Volleyball, serves on the NASCAR Foundation Board of Directors and is part of the craniofacial team at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital. She is active in organizations for children with autism and disabilities, and she believes all of her professional and community involvement have come together as one large mission to help children and to expose people to experiences they might not have thought about before. “Every-thing that I do lines up, and that is helping children and young people getting to next level,” she said.Dr. Sattereld-Siegel takes pride in her whirlwind life. “It’s so hard not be excited about all of this. Dentistry is the best pro-fession ever, but I’m also committed to youth sports and giving young people the chance to succeed in so many dierent areas. I love children. I love what I do.” Top left: Dr. Sattereld-Siegel proudly showing o the Special Smiles patch. Top right: Dr. Sattereld-Siegel and her husband, Max, with drivers Nick Sanchez, left, and Lavar Scott, second from right. Bottom: Dr. Sattereld-Siegel and Max with driver Nick Sanchez.

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23VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1 | Journal of the Indiana Dental AssociationDr. Chuck SteffelRetired endodontist Dr. Charles Steel discovered his passion for musicals when he began occasionally attending perfor-mances while in graduate school. What started as a form of benign entertainment on the weekends turned into a serious love for the theater that has grown exponentially over the decades.Dr. Steel had an interest in theater as far back as high school, but he was focused more on sports as a member of the track team at both Clark High School in Hammond and at Purdue University. All of his close friends were in music, however, so he attended their performances and helped backstage with lighting and setup. While an endodontics resident in Boston, Dr. Steel and his wife, Nancy, joined a church-organized tour to New York City to see the sights and a Broadway show. “We went on this trip together and the show was A Chorus Line,” he recalls. “In 1978, Times Square was seedy, lthy and run down. Think of the movie Midnight Cowboy, but A Chorus Line has been credited as the show that saved Broadway. It was dierent. It was game changer. This show broke the mold, asking questions, why did you become a dancer/what’s your life story? It was a very personal show about the dancers and their loves and trials and everything. It’s such a good show that it really did change Broadway.”After falling in love with A Chorus Line, Dr. Steel describes himself as hooked on theatre. He and Nancy began attending shows when they could in Boston and, after he nished graduate school, in Indianapolis. “I enjoy live entertainment,” he said. “Whether it’s concerts or Broadway shows, there’s a big dierence between seeing a movie. When you’re there, it’s dierent. People are live, talking on stage, looking at you, singing to you. It’s really dierent. It’s special.” Though they appreciate the theatre in any setting, the Steels missed the true Broad-way experience in New York so they began returning to the city on vacations to see the big shows. “We’re so accustomed going to New York that we have it down pat,” Dr. Steel explains. “I know how to y in, get to the city, where to stay and where to eat. We go for two or three days and see several shows, sometimes more than one show in a day. We’re serious about it.” Their daughter Mary studied at Columbia University in New York City and later graduate school at Princeton University in New Jersey, which allowed them to combine family visits with their favorite pastime.Dr. Steel estimates that he and Nancy have seen about 150 shows, of which proba-bly half were in New York. He enjoys both traditional and modern musicals but says that his favorites are the ones that have changed Broadway: A Chorus Line, Chicago Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Lion King, Wicked and Hamilton. He even had the opportunity to attend the Tony Awards in 2005. He, Nancy and Mary saw all four nominated musicals that weekend. “What a great experience. That was my favorite weekend of all time.”Dr. Steel retired last year and Nancy retired as a professor of education at the University of Indianapolis. They now live in Massachusetts to be closer to Mary and their grandson, and their location on the East Coast allows them even greater access to Broadway. He encourages everyone to give musicals a try. “Musicals are a bit of a leap of faith,” he said. “It’s like Star Wars or Marvel, where you pay to see people travel to distant planets and interact with aliens. People don’t break out into song and dance in real life, but musicals tell a story and give an emotion to a show that you don’t get in a straight play.”Top: Dr. Steel and his wife, Nancy, with Broadway star Renée Elise Goldsberry. Middle: Dr. Steel and Nancy with Broadway star Megan Hilty. Bottom: The Steel family attending the 2005 Tony Awards in New York.

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24 Journal of the Indiana Dental Association | VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1NEWS & FEATURES Beyond the Chair: How Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail Transformed Me as a DentistDr. Ian BarnardEmbracing Life Beyond DentistryOutside my dental practice, I nd solace in hiking, running, traveling, diving and seeking adventures with my loved ones. My quest for adventure and a warmer climate led me from Indiana to South Carolina after completing a year-long hospital Gen-eral Practice Residency program following dental school. Even after long, taxing days at work, going for hikes with my wife at our local state park became a rejuvenating ritual, a means to unwind from the pressures of dentistry. Immersing myself in na-ture to unwind was a habit I picked up from my dad, a veterinarian of over 40 years, who also used hikes in nature to unwind from the pressures of his career.For six years while living in South Carolina, my wife Ang and I indulged in hiking and exploring new places, both within the country and internationally, until we made the decision to move closer to family in Indiana. Prior to our move, we set our-selves the challenging goal of paying o our combined student debt, totaling over $300,000. Our years in South Carolina were nancially frugal, driving older cars and even dwelling in a 394 square foot tiny house during the latter part of our stay. Once debt-free, our plan was to undertake a few months to thru-hike the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail (A.T.) covering 14 states from Georgia to Maine before resettling in Indiana, and we did it.The Transformative Appalachian Trail JourneyThru-hiking the A.T. oered me a change of pace and scenery, as well as a chance to face the chal-lenges of living out of a backpack while hiking in the woods for months. It was something I always wanted to do and I thought no better time to com-mit to doing it than in-between a major move.Thru-hiking the A.T. is quite the challenge. Less than 25 percent of those who attempt the hike actually complete it. The average time to complete the hike is six to seven months. I was one of the lucky ones, completing the hike in four and a half months including the two weeks of time I took o throughout the hike to visit loved ones and help my DO YOU EVER feel the fear of burnout looming over your dental career? If so, I can relate. It’s not that I don’t love dentistry, but the demanding nature of this profession often blurs the line between our work and personal identity, paving the way for burnout. I made it my mission to escape this fate by prioritizing mental health and embracing life beyond dentistry, which I will tell you all about in this article.On Roan Mountain in Tennessee.

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25VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1 | Journal of the Indiana Dental Associationwife move our belongings to Indiana. Despite the challeng-es of experiencing many unknowns, extreme temperatures, hunger, thirst and fatigue, the experience was remarkably rewarding and truly transformative. Preparing for the TrailA year before starting the A.T., I did a few multi-day hikes in the U.S. with my wife. We also hiked over 600 miles on the northern route of Spain’s famous Camino De Santiago, hiking from the border of France to the farthest western point of Spain. The conditions of the Camino De Santiago were much more hospitable than the Appalachian Trail. Each night in Spain, we went to restaurants for dinner and slept under a roof in monasteries, hostels, hotels, strang-ers’ homes, schools, etc. While on the A.T., we carried our highly processed food, ltered our own water wherever we could nd it and slept in a tent each night. While I did have some hiking experience and did quite a bit of research, nothing could have fully prepared me for thru-hiking the A.T., hiking 12+ hours a day up mountains with about 30 pounds on my back in every weather condition imaginable. Food on the TrailWhile hiking the A.T., you pass through towns about every ve days. Some you walk to and others you hitch hike to or pay someone to bring you to. I found grocery stops to be overwhelming trying to buy the perfect amount of food and maximize calories per item weight. My staple food items were instant mashed potatoes, couscous, ramen noodles, spam, peanut butter, beef jerky, wraps, oatmeal and power bars. I remember a time I got o trail in Rutland, Vermont to resupply my food and ate two triple cheeseburgers, two large fries, a milk shake, three large pieces of pizza, two cinnamon rolls, two grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup all within an hour and still felt hungry. My “hiker hun-ger” had me eating foods I’d never normally eat o the trail, but I was burning so many calories I needed the energy. Scary Moments Along the TrailOne of the most commonly asked questions I get is, did you carry a gun? No. I did not carry a gun. That’s way too heavy. I was the guy who was mindful of every ounce I carried. I can tell you the ounces for every single item in my pack. Plus, I never felt threatened on the trail, but I do recall two particular nerve wrecking incidents on the trail. It involved a sudden snowstorm in Georgia, forcing us to sur-vive extreme conditions and an unexpected encounter with a moose. Here are my journal entries from both incidents. SnowstormAs we, my dad (who was hiking with me for the week) and my wife were approaching Tray Mountain in Georgia, we were warned by other hikers that a nasty snowstorm was on the way and many hikers had left the trail to seek shelter in the nearby town. We were too far in the woods to get o the trail on time so we knew we’d have to hunker down and ride out the storm. As my dad and I were setting up our tents, we could feel the temperature dropping so we quickly bundled up and went to sleep. When we woke up, the entire tent was covered in snow and we could hear the wind howling with branches snapping around us from the weight of the snow. Then I heard a big tree fall right beside our tent, I yelled, “Dad! Are you okay?!” He said, “Yes, I’m ne.” I said, “Let’s pack up and get out of here!” We put on extra layers of clothes and socks on our hands because we didn’t have any gloves, as it was 60 degrees the day before and now the temperature had dropped to a windchill of -15 degrees F. We tried taking down our tents as quickly as possible, but discovered our tent poles were frozen together, making it so we had to unthaw the connection points with our mouths. Once we got the tent packed up, we made it our goal to hike a fast 10 miles to the nearest road. The whole time, we were concerned about more trees falling and en-suring we kept warm and dry to avoid hypothermia. When we reached the bottom of the mountain, near the road, we were greeted by trail magic! Trail magic is an unexpected occurrence where something is given to a long-distance With my wife, Ang, at McAfee Knob in Virginia.

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26 Journal of the Indiana Dental Association | VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1NEWS & FEATURES hiker that lifts their spirits, leaves them in awe or lls them with gratitude. This trail magic included trail angels (those that give trail magic) making a hot breakfast with eggs, bacon, pancakes, coee, fruit, etc. I’ll never forget the smell of the hot food and how good it felt to be greeted by a group of smiling faces. Wildlife EncounterDeep into the 100-mile wilderness section in northern Maine, the mountainous terrain had us hiking in the dark after having diculty nding a at area to set up our tent. Finally, after about 9 pm, we found a spot to set up our tent. Ang started setting up the tent as I worked on setting up a “bear hang” (tying a rope around a rock and throwing it over a tree branch). With the rope in place, I motioned Ang over to watch the set-up process as she wanted to learn how to do it on her own. I strategically suspended the bag of food out of reach from bears and rodents, aiming for 10 feet from the tree and 12 feet from the ground. After setting up the bear hang, we unzipped the tent and threw everything in. Ang quickly jumped in, zipping up the tent to prevent as many mosquitoes coming in as possible. She set the mats up and sleeping bags while I stood out-side to ensure she had enough room to lay everything out. Then I quickly got in, zipping a swarm of buzzing mosqui-toes away. Just after getting settled into our sleeping bags, we heard loud snorting noises, similar to that of an alarmed horse combined with heavy footsteps. Ang whispered, “What is that?!” I whispered back, “I think it’s a moose and it’s right by our tent.” Not familiar with moose behavior I rhetorically asked Ang, “What do we do?! Should I yell, ‘Hey moose,’ letting it know we’re here?” Ang whispered, “I don’t know.” We just quietly laid wrapped in our sleeping bags praying and hoping a gigantic moose wasn’t about to stomp us to death in our tents. Then after more snorting noises, we could hear the passing moose’s heavy footsteps fading away. I said, “I think he’s gone now” and soon after we fell asleep. When we woke up, we started taking the tent down and noticed moose poop all around the tent and assumed we had put our tent in their frequently traveled path around the mountain. We assumed the moose was snorting be-cause it was shocked to see our tent in its path. Encounters and CamaraderieWhile a big portion of my time on the trail was spent hiking alone, I met many interesting people, all ages from 17 to 80 with fascinating stories. No one cared about one’s pro-fession, status, age, or beliefs because everyone shared the common goal of reaching Mount Katahdin (the most northern point of the A.T.). This fostered a really supportive community where hikers would lookout for one another, giving advice on where to get water, where the next poi-sonous snakes were located and the best burger in town. Most of the time people’s real names weren’t even used, as everyone was referred to by a trail name, which is a nick-name, often assigned to you by another hiker at some point along the journey.There were a few people on my journey that particularly stood out. One was a gastroenterologist from the Mayo Clinic who went by the trail name “Gut.” We enjoyed a decent amount of time hiking and camping together with lots of laughs and stories. At one point in the Shenandoah National Park, we passed a doe licking her two only min-utes-old baby fawns, both still wet from birth. Two other hikers I became close with were a retired Apple executive “Yardsale,” nicknamed from his messy camp set up and a former engineer, “DIY,” nicknamed from hand making most of his ultra-light pack/gear system down to his hammock and sleeping bag. I had met Yardsale briey in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and didn’t see him again for another 1500+ miles. We spent the next few weeks crossing paths and talking about life, investing and our families. We still keep in touch today and follow each other’s crazy adventures. Yardsale is always traveling and immersed in some physical challenge, Iron Man style. With Ang and my dad at the start of the Appalachian Trail.

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27VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1 | Journal of the Indiana Dental AssociationReaching the SummitMy parents had own out to Maine to celebrate my nal summit and my wife had spent the last couple of months working remotely from the road to support me on the trail and hike with me any weekend she could. I hiked the nal summit to Mt. Katahdin, which marked the completion of my hike with my wife and my dad as my mom waited hours for us in the parking lot below with celebratory snacks nes-tled on a huge rock and a bottle of champagne. It was bittersweet standing on top of Mt. Katahdin. I thought back to 137 days earlier when I rst started the journey in Georgia at Amicalola Falls. It was March 6th, 2022 when I registered for the hike, signed my name and received my trail tag and number to become part of the A.T. northbound, “NOBO” class of 2022. Finally, after four sets of shoes, roughly 5,000,000 steps and around 165,000 white blazes (the white trail markers on the trees) later I had landed at the summit of Mount Katahdin. Being able to share the nal summit experience with my wife, dad and mom is a memory that I will cherish forever.The Impact on DentistryReturning to dentistry after my Appalachian Trail adventure was far from what one might expect. Instead of feeling “rusty” or out of touch after months away, I found myself invigorated, focused and excited to work with my team. The meticulous planning and dedication involved in orga-nizing my hiking gear, planning food resupplies, calculating distances and overcoming unexpected challenges strong-ly resembled the level of dedication and precision I’ve brought to my dental career. The journey along the trail not only broadened my horizons and strengthened my focus, but also deepened my com-mitment to dentistry. I see dentistry as a career that oers so much opportunity to challenge oneself, help others, and partake in adventures your team and patients look forward to hearing about. Ultimately, it rekindled my passion for dentistry in a way I never anticipated.Accomplishing the demanding hike instilled a sense of per-sonal pride and accomplishment, similar to the satisfaction derived from excelling in dentistry. Overcoming challenges and making myself proud on the trail directly impacted my ability to show up as a better dentist. This sense of achievement and dedication translated into a renewed enthusiasm and determination, ultimately enhancing my performance in providing exceptional patient care.ConclusionFor us dentists, nature-based and joy-inducing pursuits aren’t just hobbies; they’re critical for maintaining balance and preventing burnout. Additionally, seeking challenges beyond dentistry, as I did on the trail, contributes to mental growth and resilience. I recommend all dentists create their own adventures outside of dentistry. Embracing nature, seeking out joyful activities, and pursuing challenges beyond dentistry doesn’t oer just a momentary refresher, but a realignment that greatly improves our ability to pro-vide exceptional patient care because when we feel better, our relationships are better and we undoubtedly perform better.At the Appalachian Trail summit, Katahdin, with Ang and Dad. About the AuthorDr. Ian Barnard lives with his wife, Angela, in Rochester and practices at Implant and Cosmetic Dentistry of Northern Indiana. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, hiking, diving and embarking on new adventures with his family.

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28 Journal of the Indiana Dental Association | VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1NEWS & FEATURES Fostering Wellness: ADA’s Initiative Towards Mental HealthDr. Catherine MurphyDentists and Mental HealthIn the evolving landscape of mental health, the dental community grapples with rising challenges. The 2021 Well-Being Survey report reveals a startling increase in anxiety diagnoses among dentists, rising from 5 percent in 2003 to 16 percent in 2021. Depression aicts an additional 13 percent of respondents. Acknowledging the urgency of this issue, the ADA has initiated the Wellness Ambassa-dor Program, an endeavor to address the needs of its members.ADA’s Wellness Ambassador Program: Bridging the GapIn August 2022, my discovery of the ADA’s Wellness Ambassador Program prompted an immediate outreach, evoking a profound and heartfelt response from Felicia Bloom, MHS, the manager of elder care and dentist health and wellness for the ADA’s Center for Dental Practice Policy. Her acknowledgment of the unexpectedly overwhelming response led to the program applications reaching its capacity far earlier than anticipated. We shared the perspective that this challenge was undeniably a positive one. It brought me immense joy to realize that many others also recognized the crucial importance of bridging the gap in mental health awareness.This experience served as a poignant reminder that my journey with mental health challenges was not endured in isolation. My tendency to believe otherwise was inuenced by the stigma I had attached to my own struggles with suicidal thoughts. The ADA’s call for members to step into the role of a bridge resonated deeply. It invites us to extend empathy to those coura-geous enough to seek help. The overarching goal is clear: to connect members with the invaluable resources available. The Wellness Ambassadors, in their role as bridges, play a pivotal part in this process. After all, the eectiveness of resources is contingent on members being aware of them, and the Ambassadors serve as conduits, ensuring that crucial information reaches those who need it. Thank you to the entire Council of Dental Practice, chaired by Dr Manny Chopra, and the Dental Team Wellness Advisory Committee (DWAC), chaired by Dr. Kami Dorneld, for bringing this initiative to fruition. Caution – this article may be triggering.THE TERM SUICIDE commands our immediate attention, yet the signs often evade notice. In the brief moment it takes to glance at this page, read, and contemplate, a suicide attempt has occurred. Nationally, one suicide attempt transpires every 20 seconds, claiming two lives in the time it takes to read the entirety of this IDA Journal, approximately 20 minutes.1 Let us pause and acknowledge the emotions this stark reality evokes. While these statistics are intended to be informational, I venture to say these numbers carry an emotional weight. It is likely that we have all been aected by those lost due to suicide. For them and for you, I wrote this article.

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29VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1 | Journal of the Indiana Dental AssociationRecognizing Warning SignsThe warning signs of suicide are diverse and vary. The National Institutes of Health (NIH)2 outline several common indicators, including:• Discussions about guilt or shame, being a burden to others or desiring death• Feelings of emptiness, hopelessness, entrapment, rage, agitation, unbearable pain• Changes in behavior such as withdrawal, sudden risky behavior, chemical dependency, lack of sleep or un-able to get out of bed.If these signs apply to you or someone you know, prompt intervention is crucial.Seek Help:• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline• Call or text 988• Chat at 988lifeline.org• Crisis Text Line• Text “HELLO” to 741741Building a bridge between distress and hope is the primary goal of the ADA. Overcoming the stigma associated with seeking help is paramount. Kerry Washington aptly states, “I think it’s really important to take the stigma away from mental health… My brain and my heart are really important to me. I don’t know why I wouldn’t seek help to have those things be as healthy as my teeth?”The Path to Healing: A Collective EffortNavigating life’s challenges can be overwhelming, and the stigma surrounding mental health often hinders seek-ing help. Recognizing that each person faces their own set of hurdles is the initial breakthrough. The ADA and its Wellness Ambassadors stand ready to contribute to your support team. While our stories may dier, the essence re-mains the same — a shared experience of navigating life’s delicate harmony between self, career, family, and others. If you nd yourself in need of support or guidance, please reach out to any ambassador. Online ADA resources are available at: ada.org/en/resources/practice/wellness.Living in Harmony: Prioritizing Self-HonorHarmony with ourselves and the world begins with rec-ognizing and nurturing our internal well-being. Service to others is only possible when we prioritize self-honor. Life’s facets can be challenging, but they also oer moments of fulllment. Seeking help during dicult times allows us to fully appreciate the positive moments life oers.Understanding and Breaking the SilenceUnderstanding each other requires shedding judgment, particularly self-judgment. In times of struggle, what is needed most is reassurance that help is available. The rst cohort of ADA Wellness Ambassadors and their commit-ment exemplify this support through their many acts of service to our profession over the last year. The second cohort initiated its onboarding on September 7, 2023 prior to the 1st ADA Health and Wellness Summit. Stay tuned for updates on the continued contributions from both cohorts. Conclusion: Sharing Our StoriesIn closing, I invite you to join me in sharing our stories. Each narrative is a stepping stone toward breaking the silence surrounding mental health. Your willingness to open up could be a lifeline for someone else. Special thanks to Drs. Karen Ellis and Sarah Herd for aording me the oppor-tunity to contribute regularly.The pinnacle of my purpose as a dentist doesn’t solely rest on creating stunning smiles but on empowering individuals to lead lives lled with health, hope, and harmony. Togeth-er, we can unravel the extraordinary tapestry of life, where the act of sharing our smiles becomes a transformative force for the betterment of ourselves and the world around us.Resources1. 2021 Dentist Well-Being Survey Report available at https://store.ada.org/catalog/ada-2021-dentist-well-being-survey-1018632. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/warning-signs-of-suicideAbout the AuthorDr. Catherine Murphy takes a holistic approach to her orthodontics practice in Grith. She was inducted into the American College of Dentists and was also selected as an American Dental Association Wellness Ambassador. Dr. Murphy also speaks nationwide on holistic orthodontics, myofunctional therapy and wellness.

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30 Journal of the Indiana Dental Association | VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1Academic Dentistry: A Post Pandemic PerspectiveA COMMON SAYING in academia is “it is easier to move a cemetery than it is to change a curriculum.” This appeared to be the case until 2020 came around and with it the global pandemic that shut down most of the world. IUSD was no exception. In March of 2020, we found ourselves faced with having to change our traditional curriculum to a virtual one. For those that did not think it would be possible, we made it happen and switched to virtual lectures, along with many changes to make sure that the graduating class in 2020 was taken care of, while guring out our path forward. We had to make several modications to our clinical environment where we were initially only providing emergency care. However, with all the changes that were instituted in a rapid manner, we were soon able to begin seeing patients again. We began working on patients with several additional layers of personal protective equipment ensuring the safety of the faculty, sta and students as well as providing safe patient care in our clinics.In reecting on the eects of the pandemic as it relates to dental education and dental care, it is evident that the pandemic has taken a signicant toll on all of us. While it initially brought with it a sense of ‘being in this together’ it has also led to changes some of which are positive and some negative. From the faculty perspective, developing a virtual mode of instruction in such a short period of time was an exciting challenge. We worked together in a manner not seen before. During the early days of the pandemic, Batra et al1 highlighted how the Department of Periodontology at IUSD handled the rst four weeks of the pandemic in the Department. As a school, we learned to provide online education with the use of programs that allowed us to connect with a large group of students from the safety of our homes. Virtual lectures and meetings, virtual review of lab projects all took place in our living rooms. Students had to convert their living spaces into their own mini dental labs. Our clinics had to create new protocols to safely treat our patients. N95 masks, which were in short supply, were used, social and physical distancing became an integral part of our lives. We also had to prepare for the accreditation of our school, which was done in 2021. These indeed were chaotic times. While we were in the middle of all the change, we were not able to spend time analyzing long term ramications of the social isolation that all of us experienced and the impact that this change would have on our futures. This article is our attempt to look back at the past three years since we went into our shutdown mode, reecting on the toll it has taken on students, resident, faculty, and sta while assessing lessons learned and projecting a path forward for dental education. The Toll the Pandemic Has Taken on Dental Education and Dental SchoolsThe Toll on Dental StudentsDental students in the graduating classes of 2020, 2021 and 2022 experienced the brunt of the pandemic lockdown and its related side eects. Badovinac et al2 reported from their online survey of 352 dental students, 66.2 percent reported being Dr. Priya ThomasDr. Brett FreemanDr. Brittany GehlhausenDr. Vanchit JohnNEWS & FEATURES

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31VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1 | Journal of the Indiana Dental Associationemotionally aected by the lockdown. Missing face to face contact with lecturers (60.3 percent) and peers (90.3 percent) was a signicant negative along with the changes to pre-clinical courses. In this study only 36.1 percent reported that online teaching fully met their expectations. However, most of the students (61.9 percent) agreed that online lectures were valuable, and this could be a way forward. Hung et al3 reported that students experienced increased levels of stress while feeling that their dental education had suered because of the changes that were necessitated. Garcia et al3 reported in their survey of 252 dental and dental hygiene students, that 11.5 percent of the respondents had indicated that their plans of practice had changed since the COVD-19 outbreak. These students reported a signicantly higher level of stress and anxiety. Students expressed concern about employment opportunities, along with concerns about their clinical education and the licensure examination processes. The authors reported that study participants experienced a COVID-19 career shock triggering a reassessment in career plans, while expressing concern regarding the future stability of the dental profession. Ilic et al4 reported on the eects of the pandemic on nal year dental students regarding their level of self condence in performing dierent dental procedures. They used a questionnaire with 40 questions on 40 procedures. Graduates from the study group felt much less condent than those in the control group in eight clinical skills. The authors concluded that the changes instituted in clinical training because of the pandemic had a signicant impact on nal year dental students. A Dental Student’s PerspectiveStarting dental school is challenging enough as there is so much to learn and learn quickly. Starting dental school during a global pandemic, was an experience of unparalleled challenges and unique opportunities. Given the hands-on nature of dentistry, the modication of curriculum towards virtual learning proved dicult when learning skills such as using a handpiece or setting denture teeth. The pandemic also brought with it many psychological challenges. The remote learning environment felt unfamiliar with no in-person interactions with faculty or fellow classmates, leading many students to fall into a state of anxiety and depression. Despite the negatives, students persevered and found that there were also many positive side-eects. Online education allowed for exibility, allowing students to replay lecture recordings over and over leading to a better understanding of basic biological concepts relating to dentistry. Additionally, the integration of telehealth and the opportunity to practice remote patient communication, allowed students to develop communication skills that are very relevant in today’s clinical environment. So while the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many traditional means of learning, it also brought positive changes in dental education and patient care. The Toll on ResidentsWhile not much has been written on the toll the pandemic took on dental specialty residents, our experiences at IUSD mirror those of dental students. Residents were concerned about their surgical training opportunities,

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32 Journal of the Indiana Dental Association | VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1NEWS & FEATURES ability to complete their research projects, as labs were closed, and how they were going to nd employment upon graduation as dental oces were shut down or were only seeing emergency patients. On the medical side of the aisle, Fackche et al5 reported that residents were concerned about changes in educational opportunities (63 percent), their being at higher risk for exposure (49 percent) and having a fear of contracting COVID-19 (13 percent). Additionally, residents were also concerned about the availability of resources for care and promoting wellness (53 percent). More than half the residents surveyed expressed increased symptoms of depression and anxiety. Finally, 32 percent of respondents reported considering making changes to their job status, which included changing employers, moving into signicantly dierent roles, and leaving medicine altogether. Coleman and colleagues6 evaluated residents’ perceptions of the impact of COVID on surgical training with nearly half the group reporting a negative or extremely negative eect on their sense of physical safety. In this study, 70 percent of residents reported a negative or extremely negative eect on their mental health.The Toll on FacultyStriving for an ideal faculty to student ratio has been a challenge for dental schools for many years. This situation became more urgent during the pandemic as anecdotally it was noted that older faculty, especially adjunct or part-time faculty chose to discontinue their teaching commitments. This placed a larger burden on full time faculty as they had to take on more of the didactic and clinical teaching loads limiting their ability to work on projects, counsel students among all the expectations of faculty. This situation has now continued into the post-pandemic phase. There have been few studies on the eects of the dental faculty to the pandemic and its continuing eects on academia. Smith et al7 reported that in their survey of 216 faculty, the average personal burnout was 2.7 on a scale of 5 and work-related burnout (WRB) was 2.8. The authors concluded that while self-reported burnout and resilience scores did not show a signicant increase during the pandemic, the rates of burnout and loneliness were higher than the public. Similar ndings were reported among dental hygiene educators.8 In addition, Kush et al9 in their study reported that teachers showed a signicantly higher prevalence of negative mental health outcomes during the pandemic when compared to healthcare and oce workers. Additionally, they reported that those teaching remotely reported signicantly higher levels of distress than did those teaching in person. They also reported that teachers under 30 were more likely to show anxiety and depression than those over 50. Perhaps an extension to dental education could be that there will be fewer younger dentists interested in pursuing a career, especially a full-time career in dental education. The growing number of dental schools throughout the United States and limited number of people opting for a career in dental education poses a real problem. Juggling between didactics, clinical teaching, service duties, and completing scholarly activities is the expectation of dental schools in general. These tasks will be harder for faculty to accomplish if there are fewer colleagues to share the load.The Toll on StaMahendran et al10 reported in their study, that looked at sta positions, dental nurses, dental technicians, and dentists. They reported high anxiety levels among dental sta during the pandemic. They suggested the need for measures that include wellbeing interventions for sta. As an outcome of the pandemic, the dental profession has been dealing with an acute shortage of qualied sta and allied dental professionals. This has been felt in dental oces as well as in dental schools across the country. The shortage of qualied applicants is a result of personnel leaving the profession either temporarily or permanently as result of the pandemic and having to deal with the ramications of getting sick with COVID-19. Other reasons for these shortages have included a high turnover rate of personnel, inadequate compensation, low job satisfaction along with limited resources for recruiting and hiring. Sta shortages in dental schools has limited the ability to perform both non-surgical and surgical procedures. Fewer personnel in schools have meant that faculty and sta have had to take on more responsibilities leading to reduced job satisfaction and burn out. “The pandemic also brought with it many psychological challenges. The remote learning environment felt unfamiliar with no in-person interactions with faculty or fellow classmates, leading many students to fall into a state of anxiety and depression.Continued on page 34

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34 Journal of the Indiana Dental Association | VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 17BHowever, in general, these early sentiments began to change as studies11 showed that COVID-19 prevalence and testing positivity rates were low among practicing U.S. dentists as a result of enhanced infection control procedures focusing on disinfection, COVID-19 screening, along with social distancing, and enhancing the use of face masks especially N95 masks. Currently, dental schools in general have been reverting to pre-pandemic protocols for the care of patients. However, the toll the pandemic has taken on the student and resident populations still lingers. Lessons Learned and a Look at the FutureBatra et al1 posed several questions in their article including a focus on the role of virtual education and how it would impact dental education going forward. Schools must assess their state of preparedness in case a second pandemic aects them in the future. Pivoting to curricular changes if needed will likely be easier based on the response from the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, based on our experiences at IUSD, virtual learning has been relegated to the sidelines as face-to-face education has reemerged as the predominant form of interaction with students and residents. However, the role of asynchronous virtual learning continues but to a lesser degree than in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Shortage of faculty in dental schools in not a new problem. In 2011, John et al12 wrote that the scarcity of full-time clinical faculty members in dental schools across the country was a major crisis confronting dentistry. In many ways, since then, the situation has become worse. The Journal of Dental Education report from August 201713 revealed several reasons for these vacancies. These included a lack of competitive salaries, no ideal candidates for open positions, opening of new schools, expansion of class sizes and the aging of and the retirement of faculty. A lack of infusion of younger faculty to take the place of those retiring or not keeping up with the introduction of new technologies is an issue and has the potential to become a crisis going forward. Another consideration is the cost of dental education. As noted, a lack of competitive salaries with few loan repayment options available for young faculty who are desirous of an academic career has limited the pipeline from which to appoint new faculty at dental schools across the country. In addition, academic positions have become more complex because of a changing cohort of dental students, expectations inherent in the new entrants to dental schools, along with more and more administrative requirements placed on faculty. This has led to full time academic positions in schools becoming less attractive. Nalliah et al14 wrote in their article titled ‘Teaching has changed… but have the students,’ the ongoing issue of how faculty are promoted to higher academic categories in dental schools. Schools have not been nimble in recognizing dierent levels of faculty contributions to the overall education of students. There is a critical need for a more individualized review of educators in dental schools. While dental education has come a long way and continues to change because of the pandemic, introduction of new technologies, and the presence of newer generation of students along with their expectations, a careful analysis of the overall personnel needed in schools, will allow us to look at the future of dental education with optimism. In conclusion, dental education has become more complex due to curricular changes and expectations related to accreditation of schools. Going forward, dental schools will need to take a close look at ways to attract qualied faculty, reassess their models of faculty and sta compensation while also making sure that current and future cohorts of students and residents are educated with the newest forms of technology. The pandemic has taught us that we are a resilient group. Now that we are in a post pandemic phase, we must not lose the lessons learned but continue to push boundaries when it comes to training our students while also making sure the compensation structure for our personnel keeps up with these changing times. References1. Batra C, Daneshparvar N, John V. Impact of the Global Pandemic on a University Dental Department- Decisions in Dentistry, April 27, 2020. Impact of the Global Pandemic on a University Dental Department - Decisions in Dentistry.2. Badovinac A, Matej P, Plancak L et al. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dental Education: An Online Survey of Students’ Perceptions and Attitudes- Dent J (Basel). 2021 Oct; 9(10): 116. 3. García DT, Akinkugbe AA, Mosavel M, Smith CS, Brickhouse TH. COVID-19 and Dental and Dental Hygiene Students’ Career Plans. JDR Clinical & Translational Research. 2021;6(2):153-160. doi:10.1177/2380084420984772 4. Ilić J, Radović K, Savić-Stanković T et al. The eect of COVID-19 pandemic on nal year dental students’ self-condence level in performing clinical procedures. PLoS ONE 16(10): e02573595. Fackche N, Fallahian F, Kearse L et al. COVID-19 Pandemic Signicantly Aects Resident Wellness. American College of Surgeons, Bulletin, August 2022.6. Coleman JR, Abdelsattar JM, Glocker RJ, et al. COVID-19 pandemic and the lived experience of surgical residents, fellows, and early-career surgeons in the American College of Surgeons. J Am Coll Surg. 2021;232(2):119-135e20.NEWS & FEATURES

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35VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1 | Journal of the Indiana Dental AssociationAbout the AuthorsDr. Priya M. Thomas is the Vice Chair and Director of Comprehensive Care and Predoctoral Clinics in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Comprehensive Care at Indiana University School of Dentistry. Dr. Brett Freeman is a graduate student in the Department of Periodontology at Indiana University School of Dentistry.Brittany Gehlhausen is a fourth-year DDS candidate at Indiana University School of Dentistry.Dr. Vanchit John is Chairperson of the Department of Periodontology at the Indiana University School of Dentistry.7. Smith CS, Kennedy E, Quick K et al. Dental faculty well-being amid COVID-19 in fall 2020: A multi-site measure of burnout, loneliness, and resilience. J Dent Educ, 2022 Apr;86(4):406-415. doi: 10.1002/jdd.12822. Epub 2021 Nov 15.8. Arnett MC, Ramaswamy V, Evans MD et al. Impact of Covid-19 on dental hygiene educators: A national survey. J Dent Educ, 2022 Jul;86(7):781-791. Doi: 10.1002/jdd. 1287. Epub 2022 Jan 14.9. Kush, J. M., Badillo-Goicoechea, E., Musci, R. J., & Stuart, E. A. (2022). Teachers’ Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Educational Researcher, 51(9), 593–597. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X221134281.10. Mahendran, K., Patel, S. & Sproat, C. Psychosocial eects of the COVID-19 pandemic on sta in a dental teaching hospital. Br Dent J 229, 127–132 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-020-1792-3.11. Estrich CG, Mikkelsen M, Morrissey R et al. Estimating COVID-19 prevalence and infection control practices among US dentists. JADA, Volume 151, Issue 11, November 2020, Pages 815-824.12. John V, Papageorge M, Jahangiri L et al. Recruitment, Development, and Retention of Dental Faculty in a Changing Environment. J Dent Educ, 2011, Volume 75, Number 1:82-89.13. Wanchek T, Cook BJ, Slapar F et al. Dental schools vacant budgeted faculty positions, academic year 2015-16. J Dent Educ 2017:81(8):1033-43.14. Nalliah RP, Reddy MS, Kimner S. Teaching has changed … but have the students? J Dent Educ; 2023;87(2):143-144

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36 Journal of the Indiana Dental Association | VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1NEWS & FEATURES Assignment of Benefits Legislation a Success in 2024 General AssemblyTHE 2024 Legislative Session adjourned Sine Die on Friday, March 8. This was not a budget year, and before the start of the session, legislators vowed to maintain a short, streamlined session at the Indiana Statehouse. Some of the major legislation passed includes employment regulations for minors, restrictions on tenured faculty at state colleges and universities, and educational standards at the K-12 level. Controversial bills involving local control of transportation, handguns in the State Capitol and human sexuality taught in schools failed to pass.For perspective on just how many bills are involved in the Legislative Session, even one avowed to be “short and streamlined,” nearly 750 Senate and House bills were introduced during the course of the Session. Of these bills, only about 170 eventually passed and ended up on the governor’s desk for signing. This shows the daunting challenge that the IDA Government Aairs Committee has in selecting issues to be brought before our state legislators each year.Below is a recap of the key legislation that aects IDA members and the dental profession.Senate Bill 132Senate Bill 132, authored by Sen. Liz Brown (Fort Wayne) and sponsored by IDA member Rep. Denny Zent (Angola), authored this legislation that touched on a wide variety of professional matters. Key to dentistry were two issues:• Assignment of Benets (AOB): The AOB provision in the bill requires insurance companies to honor patients’ requests to assign benets to their dental oce, rather than to the patient directly. • Network Leasing Transparency: If you join an insurance company’s provider network, the insurance company is prohibited from selling or leasing the network to other carriers without rst obtaining your permission.AOB passed in spite of signicant opposition from the insurance industry. Contrary to insurance industry claims, AOB does not mandate the patient assign benets. Instead, it requires insurance companies to honor the patient’s request. When insurance companies refuse to honor a patient’s AOB request, it causes payment issues for the patient, creates confusion, and drives up administrative costs for the dentist. Twenty-ve states have passed similar AOB legislation. While not creating the level of debate generated by AOB, network leasing transparency was also a major victory for dentists. “A dentist could choose to join one network and later nd that that network had been leased to multiple other insurance companies,” said IDA Executive Director Doug Bush. “Instead of making a calculated decision that it might be in the best interest to join one plan, the dentist could later learn that now they were a member of multiple networks. The new law requires insurance companies to notify dentists before selling or leasing their networks to other insurance companies. Dentists will be allowed the option of opting out the networks, if they so choose.”Shane Springer

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37VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1 | Journal of the Indiana Dental AssociationSB 132 was rst introduced in the State Senate in January. After several readings and amendments, the Senate approved the bill by a vote of 47 to 1. It then passed out of the House Public Health Committee, but opponents were successful in getting it assigned to the House Insurance Committee. During the committee hearing, the insurance companies oered multiple amendments to try and strip our language from the bill. Ultimately, we were successful in defeating the amendments, and our bill passed out committee. SB132 went on to a receive a vote on the House oor and passed 93-1. Governor Eric Holcomb signed the bill on March 11, and it will take eect on July 1. Insurance companies vigorously fought against the dental provisions in the bill. At each hearing there were several lobbyists making their case against the bill, but IDA’s eorts prevailed in emphasizing the importance of honoring patients’ billing preferences. We are especially grateful to all our members who participated in the ght to pass this important legislation. Thank you to Dr. Megan Keck, Dr. DeLayne LeFevre, Dr. Paul Fisher and Dr. Mark Stetzel, who testied at committee hearings, and to all members who called or emailed their state senators and representatives in support of this bill. Your support for this bill was crucial and very much appreciated.About the AuthorShane Springer has been the IDA Director of Government Aairs since 2020. He can be reached at 317-634-2610 or at shane@indental.org. House Bill 1214Senate Bill 34 addressed the issue of universal licensing laws that would allow licensed professionals, including dentists and hygienists, to more easily legally practice in other states. Because this was not a budget year for the state, the bill was eventually dropped due to the estimated scal impact of its initial implementation to the state budget.While the 2024 Legislative Session may be over, IDA’s advocacy eorts are not. We will continue working with lawmakers on ensuring adequate state investments are made in public health and continue to advocate on behalf of dentistry in Indiana. Please feel free to contact me on with any questions you may have on legislation passed this session.

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38 Journal of the Indiana Dental Association | VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1Diagnostic Challenge: Winter 2024THE CHALLENGE: A 51-year-old male presents for evaluation of a large ulceration on his tongue that has been present for a year. His medical history is signicant for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, and type-2 diabetes mellitus. He has been smoking one pack of cigarettes and using one can of smokeless tobacco daily for the past 30 years.The clinical examination revealed a 1.0 x 0.5 centimeters solitary well-circumscribed ulceration of the right ventrolateral surface of the tongue (Figure 1). It exhibited a central yellow brinopurulent membrane with peripheral hyperkeratosis. Multiple jagged mandibular teeth were present. The rest of the oral mucosa was otherwise unremarkable. An incisional biopsy was performed. Histologic examination revealed oral mucosa focally surfaced by parakeratinized stratied squamous epithelium. The epithelium was ulcerated and surfaced by brin with enmeshed neutrophils overlying acute and chronically inamed granulation tissue (Figure 2). The inammatory inltrate extended to involve supercial skeletal muscle bundles. In this area, eosinophils were focally prominent (Figure 3). The epithelium adjacent to the ulcer demonstrated reactive hyperplasia.Can you make the diagnosis?A. Squamous cell carcinomaB. Traumatic ulcerative granuloma with stromal eosinophiliaC. Major aphthous ulcerationD. Deep fungal infectionE. Bacterial infectionThe Diagnosis: B. Traumatic ulcerative granuloma with stromal eosinophilia (TUGSE)Clinicians frequently observe traumatic ulcerations in the oral cavity that are caused by a variety of sources, such as trauma from an adjacent sharp tooth, abrasion from hard food materials, or incidental biting during mastication. If the source of trauma is eliminated in an immunocompetent patient, these ulcers normally heal within days. In patients with severe immunosuppression, there may be a protracted course of healing. A unique type of chronic ulceration of the oral mucosa is TUGSE, a rare, chronic traumatic ulceration with a deep inammatory reaction that is slow to heal. Any area of the oral cavity may be aected, but the tongue is the most common location. TUGSE appears as an area of mucosal ulceration covered by a yellowish brinous pseudomembrane with elevated and indurated margins. Patients may be asymptomatic or describe the lesion to be associated with some degree of pain. Clinically, it may resemble squamous cell carcinoma and other malignant lesions.1 Denitive diagnosis requires histopathologic examination. The histopathologic ndings consist of an ulcer bed, covered by a brinopurulent membrane, that overlies subacutely inamed, well-vascularized granulation tissue with an extension of the inammatory response into the deep skeletal muscle. The inammatory inltrate is rich in eosinophils. Incisional biopsy often incites resolution. Dr. Angela RitchieDr. Neetha Santosh Figure 1: Solitary ulceration of the right ventrolateral tongue with hyper-keratotic border.CLINICAL FOCUS

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39VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1 | Journal of the Indiana Dental AssociationDifferential DiagnosisA primary diagnostic concern for a persistent ulceration on the ventrolateral surface of the tongue is invariably squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). We also included major aphthous ulceration and specic infections such as deep fungal infection and bacterial infection in the dierential diagnosis.Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)SCC accounts for more than 90 percent of malignancies aecting the oral cavity, making it a signicant community concern. Data from the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program estimate there will be 54,540 new cases of oral and oropharyngeal cancer in the USA in 2023 with 11,580 deaths.2 75 percent to 80 percent of oral cavity SCC cases can be attributed to cigarette smoking, other forms of tobacco use, and the synergistic eects of excessive alcohol consumption.3 These typically manifest in older men on the ventral and lateral surfaces of the tongue and the oor of the mouth with a lower frequency in the other parts of the oral mucosa (descending order) such as gingiva, buccal mucosa, labial mucosa, and hard palate. The remaining 20 percent to 25 percent of oral cavity SCC occur in individuals without discernible risk factors on the lateral tongue in young adults or on the gingiva in older women. Remarkably, SCC aecting the oropharyngeal areas such as the base of the tongue, tonsils, and soft palate has been on the rise alarmingly in younger men and is predominantly linked to human papillomavirus infection. Clinically, SCC can present as an exophytic mass with an irregular granular surface, an endophytic chronic ulceration, or more subtly even as an erythroplakia or leukoplakia.4 Histopathologic features include an epithelial malignancy arising from the dysplastic surface epithelium that invades the underlying brous connective tissue as islands and cords of malignant squamous epithelial cells. Given the long history of cigarette smoking and smokeless tobacco use with the typical lateral tongue location in our patient, it was prudent to include SCC in the dierential diagnosis.Major aphthous ulcerationAphthous ulceration is one of the most frequent pathologies seen in oral mucosa, with an incidence of approximately 20 percent among the general population. Although the exact cause remains elusive, researchers have explored several associations, including trauma, microorganisms, genetic factors, immunological responses, and nutritional aspects.5 The destruction of oral mucosal tissue potentially linked to T cell-mediated immunologic reactions or immunodysregulation appears to play a vital role in the development of aphthous ulcers.6 Aphthous ulcers could be classied into three dierent variations based on the size and clinical presentation – minor, major, and herpetiform aphthous ulcerations. They typically occur on the nonkeratinized oral mucosae such as buccal and labial mucosae, ventral surface of the tongue, oor of the mouth, and soft palate. Major aphthous ulcers stand out due to their larger size, ranging from 1 to 3 cm in diameter, in contrast to the more common and smaller minor aphthous ulcers. Major aphthous ulcers often exhibit a prolonged healing process, lasting up to six weeks and frequently leaving behind scars.7 They are often seen in HIV/AIDS patients due to immunosuppression. Histopathologically, the features are nonspecic, encompassing surface epithelial ulceration covered by a brinopurulent membrane, which overlies subacutely inamed and well-vascularized granulation tissue. Topical steroid therapy and topical analgesia are eective for minor aphthous ulcerations while major ones usually require systemic therapy. Figure 2: Low-power photomicrograph showing ulcerated oral mucosa with an ulcer bed covered by a brinopurulent membrane that overlies granulation tissue and fascicles of skeletal muscle (hematoxylin and eosin stain, x2 magnication).Continued on page 40

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40 Journal of the Indiana Dental Association | VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1Deep fungal infection Deep fungal infections may present as a chronic nonhealing oral ulceration, especially in an immunosuppressed patient. These ulcers often have granular appearance and irregular rolled borders with varying degrees of pain. Some of the deep fungal infections that can aect the oral cavity are histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, coccidioidomycosis, and blastomycosis8. Most people who become infected are asymptomatic, however, some can present with respiratory symptoms such as a u-like illness or cavitated pulmonary lesions. Rarely, the infection may involve the oral mucosa. In people who are elderly or severely immunocompromised, disseminated fungal infections can manifest which can be life-threatening. Treatment requires diagnosis of the specic fungal organism through a culture or a tissue biopsy in the case of deep fungal infections that exhibit yeasts or hyphae of microorganisms. While fungal infections are often associated with specic geographic regions, it is imperative to remain informed about infections that can manifest beyond the typical geographical boundaries. This is especially important because patients may acquire such infections after traveling to areas where these fungi are endemic. Acute infections are usually self-limited; however, chronic ones require oral or systemic antifungal therapy depending on the severity and immune status of the patient.8Bacterial infectionBacterial infections such as tuberculosis (TB) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and syphilis caused by Treponema pallidum could also manifest as a chronic nonhealing oral ulceration. TB is primarily transmitted through airborne droplets from individuals with active infections. While lungs are the primary aected location, clinicians should be aware that in some cases, it can manifest in the oral mucosa. This involvement is typically attributed to the hematogenous spread of the bacteria or direct implantation. Clinical presentations of TB-related oral mucosal involvement often include chronic painless ulcerations or granular nodules predominantly on the tongue or gingiva.9 Microscopic features include granulomatous inammation with central caseous necrosis and special stains such as Ziehl-Neelsen acid-fast stain highlight the mycobacteria. Treatment consists of a combination of the anti-tuberculosis drugs including rifampin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol. In regard to syphilis, the tongue is one of the common locations to manifest primary syphilitic chancre.10 Histopathology shows non-specic ulcerations and special stains such as Warthin-Starry could be used. The treatment of choice for the conrmed syphilis cases is penicillin delivered via a parenteral route. ConclusionThe potential dierential diagnosis of a solitary chronic oral ulceration can range from self-limiting traumatic ulcerations to extremely morbid oral squamous cell carcinomas. Any oral ulcerations persisting for more than three weeks should be biopsied to obtain an accurate diagnosis and subsequent treatment. CLINICAL FOCUSFigure 3: Photomicrograph at 10x revealing cellular connective tissue with associated cementum-like droplets and bony trabeculae.

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41VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1 | Journal of the Indiana Dental AssociationAbout the AuthorsDr. Angela Ritchie is an assistant clinical professor in the department of oral pathology, medicine and radiology and is director of laboratory services for the Oral Pathology Group at Indiana University School of Dentistry. Dr. Neetha Santosh is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Oral Pathology, Medicine and Radiology at Indiana University School of Dentistry. She completed an oral and maxillofacial pathology residency at The Ohio State University College of Dentistry. Dr. Santosh is also a fellow of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology.References1. Chatzistamou I, Doussis-Anagnostopoulou I, Georgiou G, et al: Traumatic ulcerative granuloma with stromal eosinophilia: report of a case and literature review. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2012;70:349-353, 2012. 2. Seigel RL, Miller KD, Wagle NS, Jemal A. Cancer Statistics, 2023. CA Cancer J Clin 2023;73:17-48.3. Speight PM, Farthing PM, Bouquot JE: The pathology of oral cancer and precancer. Curr Diag Pathol 1997;3:165-176.4. Lubek JE, Clayman L: An update on squamous carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, and maxillary sinus. Oral Maxillofacial Surg Clin N Am 2012;24:307-316.5. Shah K, Guarderas J, Krishnaswamy G. Aphthous stomatitis. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2016;117:e341–3.6. S.S. Natah, R. Hayrinen-Immonen, J. Hietanen, et al. Increased density of lymphocytes bearing gamma/delta T-cell receptors in recurrent aphthous ulceration (RAU). Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2000;29:375-3807. Scully C, Porter S: Oral mucosal disease: recurrent aphthous stomatitis. Br J Oral Oral Maxillofac Surg 2008;46:198-206.8. Lakshman P, Samaranayake P, Keung Leung W, et al. Oral mucosal fungal infections. Periodontol 2000. 2009;49:39–59.9. Krawiecka E, Szponar E. Tuberculosis of the oral cavity: an uncommon but still a live issue. Adv Dermatol Allergol. 2015;32(4):302–6.10. Alam F, Argiriadou AS, Hodgson TA, et al. Primary syphilis remains a cause of oral ulceration. Br Dent J. 2000;189:352–4.

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42 Journal of the Indiana Dental Association | VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1MEMBER ZONEIN MEMORIAMDR. BENONI W. ASDELL formerly of Loogootee and member of the Greene District Dental Society passed away January 3, 2024. Dr. Asdell graduated from Indiana Univer-sity School of Dentistry in 1965.DR. GEORGE K. BRUNER of Marion and member of the North Central Dental Society passed away December 2, 2023. Dr. Bruner graduated from Indiana University School of Dentistry in 1976.DR. JOHN H. BUSHONG formerly of Crawfordsville and member of the Ben Hur Dental Society passed away No-vember 2023. Dr. Bushong graduated from Indiana Universi-ty School of Dentistry in 1951.DR. VAROUJAN A. CHALIAN of Indianapolis and member of the Indianapolis District Dental Society passed away August 17, 2023. Dr. Chalian from Indiana University School of Dentistry in 1964.DR. DONALD MICHAEL DEAN of Evansville passed away July 25, 2023. Dr. Dean graduated from Indiana University School of Dentistry in 1972.DR. ROLANDO DECASTRO of Greenwood and member of the Indianapolis District Dental Society passed away Octo-ber 31, 2023. Dr. DeCastro graduated from Manila Central University in 1953.DR. ALAN L. EGGLESTON of Evansville and member of the First District Dental Society passed away April 19, 2022. Dr. Eggleston graduated from Indiana University School of Dentistry in 1968.DR. TED L. FULLHART of Yorktown and member of the East Central Dental Society passed away June 3, 2023. Dr. Fullhart graduated from Indiana University School of Dentistry in 1963.DR. CHARLES G. GRAY of Pittsboro passed away October 22, 2023. Dr. Gary graduated from Indiana University School of Dentistry in 1971.DR. CHARLES E. HASSEL of Bremen and member of the North Central Dental Society passed away November 12, 2023. Dr. Hassel was an Indiana Dental Association Past President. He graduated from Indiana University School of Dentistry in 1967.DR. MAX H. MIDDENDORF of Brownstown passed away July 20, 2023. Dr. Middendorf graduated from Indiana Uni-versity School of Dentistry in 1975. DR. WILLIAM S. MULL formerly of South Bend and mem-ber of the North Central Dental Society passed away June 30, 2023. Dr. Mull graduated from Indiana University School of Dentistry in 1959.DR. ANDREW G. RICHARD of Jeersonville and member of the Southeastern Indiana Dental Society passed away October 21, 2023. Dr. Richard graduated from Indiana Uni-versity School of Dentistry in 1989.DR. JEROME H. SCHINDEL of Albany and member of the East Central Dental Society passed away September 22, 2023. Dr. Schindel graduated from Indiana University School of Dentistry in 1948.DR. KURT F. STREMPEL of Indianapolis and member of the Indianapolis District Dental Society passed away Octo-ber 15, 2022. Dr. Strempel graduated from Indiana Universi-ty School of Dentistry in 1958.DR. REECE A. TOWNSEND of Indianapolis passed away August 11, 2023. Dr. Townsend graduated from Indiana University School of Dentistry in 1960.DR. JOHN L. TURCHI formerly of Crawfordsville and mem-ber of the Ben Hur Dental Society passed away Septem-ber 16, 2023. Dr. Turchi graduated from Indiana University School of Dentistry in 1958.DR. ROBERT A. WRIGHT of Muncie and member of the East Central Dental Society passed away August 30, 2023. Dr. Wright graduated from Indiana University School of Dentistry in 1962.

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44 Journal of the Indiana Dental Association | VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1New MembersBEN HUR DENTAL SOCIETYDr. Devanshi Gajjar (Univ TX 2020)Dr. Connisha Jordan (IU 2023)Dr. Brandon Staord (Creighton Univ 2022)EAST CENTRAL DENTAL SOCIETYDr. Brooke Adler (IU 2008)Dr. Khadidja Goni-Malloumi (IU 2023)Dr. Hannah Hill (IU 2017)Dr. Hada Tillero Irausquin (IU 2023)EASTERN INDIANA DENTAL SOCIETYDr. Yetunde Braithwaite (Columbia Univ 2006)FIRST DISTRICT DENTAL SOCIETYDr. Chase Andreason (AZ School of Dentistry 2012)Dr. Satish Gujjarlapudi (Univ of NJ 2019)Dr. Adam Guth (Univ of Louisville 2023)Dr. Nicholas Monesmith (IU 2023)Dr. Erin Terwiske (IU 2023)Dr. Logan Wedding (Univ of Louisville 2021)INDIANAPOLIS DISTRICT DENTAL SOCIETYDr. Elizabeth Asdell (IU 2023)Dr. Oluwatosin Ayo-Okuwobi (Boston Univ 2021)Dr. Paulina Bak (IU 2023)Dr. Teliane Bakala-Mpandzou (Univ of IL 2023)Dr. Gagandeep Bath (IU 2015)Dr. Tyler Bennett (IU 2023)Dr. Chelsea Bolinger (IU 2023)Dr. Anne Brouillard (IU 2023)Dr. Elena Bya (IU 2023)Dr. Walter Carbajal (Univ of IL 2007)Dr. Gillian Casey (Univ of Louisville 2023)Dr. Samuel Catton (IU 2023)Dr. Taylor Christensen (Southern IL Univ 2023)Dr. Anne Clark (IU 2023)Dr. Abigail Cohen (Midwestern Univ 2023)Dr. Lora Crow (IU 1996)Dr. Priyanka Dholu (Univ of IL 2023)Dr. Minu Dhungana (IU 2023)Dr. Imran Dobouni (IU 2023)Dr. Christine Downey (Univ of NC 2009)Dr. Abram Hess (IU 2016)Dr. Ali Alsaraj (Univ of IL 2017)Dr. Amul Singh (Univ of NY 2001)Dr. Anjesha Antony Alappatt (Univ of Louisville 2023)Dr. Anya Chowdhary (IU 2015)Dr. Ashok Das (Univ Detroit-Mercy 1991)Dr. Daniel McGrath (IU 1996)Dr. Divya Acharya (IU 2023)Dr. Frank Fu (Univ Detroit-Mercy 2015)MEMBER ZONEDr. Jong-Raye Liang (IU 2011)Dr. Justina Anigbo (IU 2023)Dr. Kathryn DelaCruz-Wright (IU 2016)Dr. Lisbeth Randall (IU 1991)Dr. Marc Murphy (IU 1991)Dr. Marfaa Almjamaie (IU 2023)Dr. Monica Gibson (OSU 2016)Dr. Naheed Ahmad (Univ of IL 2017)Dr. Omar Al Azzawi (IU 2023)Dr. Raymond Hatland (Univ IL 1966)Dr. Ross Biggersta (IU 2015)Dr. Sevara Mamadalimova (2003)Dr. Stephanie White (IU 2006)Dr. Sunna Ahmad (IU 2023)Dr. Thomas Frank (IU 2006)Dr. Haley Drutarovsky (IU 2023)Dr. Sylvia Frazier-Bowers (Univ of IL 1993)Dr. Sufunpreet Ghotra (Tufts Univ 2023)Dr. Daniel Godfrey (IU 2023)Dr. Jackson Goethe (IU 2023)Dr. Ashton Green-Sims (Univ of Louisville 2019)Dr. Kennedy Hale (IU 2023)Dr. Madison Haralovich (IU 2023)Dr. Bradley Harris (Univ of Pittsburgh 2001)Dr. Michael Harris (IU 2008)Dr. Alexandra Jennings (Tufts Univ 2020)Dr. Kynnedy Kelly (IU 2023)Dr. Michael Kessler (IU 2023)Dr. Kieun Kim (IU 2021)Dr. Sydney Krum (Midwestern Univ 2023)Dr. Jordan Landau (Univ of Louisville 2022)Dr. William Lewis (IU 2023)Dr. Mallory Luke (Univ of MI 2023)Dr. Joseph Miller (Tufts Univ 2019)Dr. Hershan Octain (IU 2023)Dr. Rushi Patel (IU 2023)Dr. Evelyn Perez (NY Dental Center 2019)Dr. Nadia Pritchard (IU 2023)Dr. Raphael Raganit (IU 2023)Dr. Courtnee Reaves (IU 2023)Dr. James Roederer (IU 2023)Dr. Sarah Skinner (OSU 2023)Dr. Magdalyn Thomas (Meharry Medical College 2008)Dr. To Uyen Vu (IU 2023)Dr. Joel Wilcox (IU 2023)Dr. Megan Yarkie (IU 2020)Dr. Alyssa Zhao (IU 2023)ISAAC KNAPP DISTRICT DENTAL SOCIETYDr. Omar Aasar (Creighton Univ 2023)Dr. Sukaynah Alawami (Univ of NY 2022)Dr. James Baryo (IU 2023)Dr. Robert Brown (Univ of NY 2022)Dr. Brian Blough (IU 1993)Dr. Kevin Bowser (IU 2021)Dr. Parker Groom (IU 2023)Dr. Trey Hester (Univ of Detroit-Mercy 2023)Dr. Rajat Jaiswar (Univ of CO 2021)

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45VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1 | Journal of the Indiana Dental AssociationDr. Kole Kleinrichert (Midwestern Univ 2023)Dr. Nicholas McCarthy (OSU 2023)Dr. Courtney McGrew (IU 2023)Dr. Chaitali Minama (Loma Linda Univ 2023)Dr. Douglas Natal (Univ of PA 2022)Dr. Codey Richardson (Univ of Louisville 2023)Dr. Manveer Sandhawalia (Univ of Detroit-Mercy 2023)Dr. Dilpreet Singh (Loma Linda Univ 2023)Dr. Wade Troyer (IU 2023)Dr. Paridhie Vasudevan (Roseman Univ 2017)NORTH CENTRAL DENTAL SOCIETYDr. Melanie Beam (IU 2005)Dr. Allyson Caselberry (Univ of IL 2021)Dr. Christopher Conroy (Univ os Missouri 2023)Dr. Amine Fattal (Univ of Louisville 2023)Dr. Kerri Gustafson (Univ of CO 1996)Dr. Derek Hammelman (Creighton Univ 2023)Dr. Calara Hardin (Univ of IL 1998)Dr. Maryam Karo (IU 2023)Dr. Lindsay Lybarger (IU 2023)Dr. Dennis Pitsilides (Univ of S CA 2023)Dr. Samantha Plank (Oregon Univ 2023)Dr. Lauren Rinard (Midwestern Univ 2018)Dr. Brock Spangle (IU 2023)Dr. Olivia Straka (Univ of Nebraska 2021)Dr. Carter Ulrich (IU 2023)Dr. Mackenzie Williams (Univ of Missouri 2023)NORTHWEST INDIANA DENTAL SOCIETYDr. Ben Chunprapaph (Univ of IL 2010)Dr. Luis Cuellar (IU 2003)Dr. Muath Daralsheikh (Univ of IL 2023)Dr. Jason Douts (Midwestern Univ 2023)Dr. Matthew Hearn (Univ of NY 1998)Dr. Kellie Hurst (Univ of Detroit -Mercy 2023)Dr. Hamza Javed (IU 2023)Dr. Anas Khan (Midwestern Univ 2022)Dr. Allison Lent (Univ of MN 2023)Dr. Anthony Lent (Univ of MN 2023)SOUTH CENTRAL DENTAL SOCIETYDr. Scott Adams (IU 1998)Dr. Katherine Burkett (IU 2021)Dr. Mark Carter (WV Univ 2017)Dr. Drake Coomer (Univ of Louisville 2023)Dr. Brett Kelly (Marquette Univ 2019)Dr. Kara Hancock (Univ of Louisville 2019)Dr. Austin Simmons (Univ of Louisville 2023)SOUTHEASTERN INDIANA DENTAL SOCIETYDr. Tyler Low (Univ of Louisville 2023)Dr. George Ranshaw (IU 2023)Dr. Lily Steinhauer (IU 2023)WEST CENTRAL DENTAL SOCIETYDr. Youstina Beshay (IU 2022)Dr. Emily Giltner (IU 2003)Dr. Roshini Durga Paruchuri (Univ of NY 2017)WESTERN INDIANA DENTAL SOCIETYDr. Benjamin Cvengros (IU 2023)Dr. Audrey Morris (UNLV 2021)Dr. Rohit Vadlamani (Univ of Louisville 2023)

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46 Journal of the Indiana Dental Association | VOLUME 103 · 2024 · ISSUE 1ClassifiedsINTRAORAL X-RAY SENSOR REPAIR/SALESWe repair broken sensors. Save thousands in replacement costs. Specializing in Kodak/Carestream, major brands. We buy/sell sen-sors. American SensorTech 919-229-0483 www.repairsensor.comEQUIPMENT REPAIRGENERAL DENTIST OPPORTUNITYWe are a thriving, private pediatric dental practice with oces in New Castle and Anderson. We are passionate about providing exceptional oral care to children in a fun and friendly environment. We are at the forefront of dental technology, utilizing a completely paperless system, advanced digital tools like digital x-rays, CBCT, 3D printing, and pioneering AI healthcare solutions. We are seeking a motivated and enthusiastic general dentist to join our growing team. This is a unique opportunity to build a rewarding career in a state-of-the-art practice where patient care is our top priority. Prior experience in Pediatric Den-tistry is not required, as we oer comprehensive training and mentor-ship from our experienced owner dentist. Please note that the selected candidate would be required to work in both New Castle and Anderson oces as required by the schedule. Please submit your resume to ravi@thebabydentist.com.ASSOCIATE PEDIATRIC DENTISTAre you a Pediatric Dentist seeking a full or part-time opportunity to excel in a privately owned, multi-doctor oce with exciting expansion plans? Look no further! Park Pediatric Dentistry is currently seeking an enthusiastic and dedicated Associate Pediatric Dentist to join our team as we prepare to open our second location in the summer of 2024. We serve the southern suburbs of the greater Indianapolis area by oering the highest standard of comprehensive pediatric dental care to our patients with a collaborative and experienced sta. Please contact drandrew@parkpediatricdentist.com for inquiries.DENTAL TEAM MEMBERS WANTED We seek Mobile Dentists, Registered Dental Hygienists, and Certied Dental Assistants to join our team and provide excellent dental care to our patients! Dental team members deliver patient care to residents in Skilled Nursing Facilities in their areas. Visit indental.org/advert/ dental-team-members-wanted for details.EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIESMEMBER ZONEASSOCIATE DENTIST–SOUTHERN INDIANASeeking the right associate dentist in Knox County, Indiana growing practice. 11 operatories in this privately owned practice between hy-giene, emergency and restorative ops. Practice established in 1979 in town. PrimeScan/PrimeMill CEREC and Sirona Axeos panoramic/CBCT equipment. EFDA assistants and local anesthetic permitted hygienists already employed. Visit indental.org/advert/associate-dentist-opportu-nity-in-private-established-practice-in-southern-ind/MAKE MONEY WHILE MAKING A DIFFERENCEIndiana Dental Outreach, a school-based dental company, is looking for a Dentist in South Bend to join our team, providing dental care to kids in schools. We have full and part-time positions available, oering com-petitive pay! Please text 855-957-4375 or email jobs@mobiledentists.com for more information.ASSOCIATE DENTIST-DANVILLEDawson Family Dentistry Seeking Associate Dentist Starting July 2024. 2.5-3 days per week with potential for more. EFDA assistants when available. Will re-evaluate compensation after 6 months of employ-ment. 401k match, employer HSA contribution, malpractice and license renewal covered by employer, monthly bonuses when collection goals are met. Email resume or questions to droce73@gmail.com.ASSOCIATE DENTIST-TROY, OHIOConsidering motivated associate dentists interested in working FT in our well established, busy, general, single location (Troy, Ohio), private practice. The dentist begins with an existing patient base. Great mentorship opportunity for new graduate or current practicing dentist who’s self-motivated & eager to cultivate their skills. Candidates should preferably be skilled with most procedures including but not limited to: restorations, endo, crown & bridge, extractions, & prosthodontics & able to work well with children. Associate schedule approx 35 hours/wk. PLEASE WATCH OUR VIDEO FOR MORE INFO: https://youtu.be/CYxfjz0Eibc EMAIL RESUME & INCLUDE CAREER GOALS TO: resume@bentleydds.comEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIESPRACTICES AVAILABLEVERY PROFITABLE NORTHWEST INDIANA PRACTICE FOR SALEBeautiful, brand new practice for sale. Grossing $1.1M on just 3 days/week! New Cone Beam, 3D printer and more. Great location, real estate also available. Must see it to believe, almost too good to be true. Call me now for details, 847-814-4149.

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