Jared Kaltwasser

Volunteering overseas can be a life-changing experience for dentists, but sometimes the hardest part is getting started.

Nearly four decades ago, Francis G. Serio, D.M.D., volunteered to go down to San Jose de Ocoa, a region in the Dominican Republic where many residents don’t have access to regular dental care. He didn’t have grand plans.

“I went the first summer to basically do some extractions and do some fillings,” he said. “And that’s what I did. And I went by myself and I had a terrific time.”

That terrific time turned into a life’s work. What started as a solo trip is now the Dominican Dental Mission Project, an effort responsible for millions of dollars in free dental care. Each summer, Serio and a number of recruits and students head down to the Dominican Republic to provide a wide range of dental care, including full dentures. For the residents of San Jose de Ocoa, it has been life-changing opportunity. But it’s changed Serio’s life, too.

 the American Dental Association’s Humanitarian Award for his work

The work became Serio’s passion, and it’s a passion he’s eager to share with other dentists.

Serio frequently gives talks on the subject of international volunteering. Each time he does, he’s approached by dentists interested in the concept of volunteering overseas, but unsure about how to make it happen.

 to offer tips and answers for dentists interested in taking the leap.

For many dentists, the first major hurdle is simply figuring out where, and how, they could go. When he first started in the early 1980s, Serio went by himself after connecting with a medical mission organization. He chose to go to San Jose de Ocoa for the simple reason that the nuns there were bilingual.

Today, it’s a much different landscape.

“Nowadays there are a bunch of folks from International College of Dentists, the Academy of Dentistry International, and others that go around lecturing on how to get involved in international dental projects,” he said. “In 1982 none of that existed.”

 that can help dentists connect with mission organizations.

Another issue is funding. Serio and his family have chosen to make the Dominican mission the cornerstone of their philanthropy, though he also receives donations, including a grant last year from the International College of Dentists. Serio asks fellow volunteers to pay for their in-country costs, and he said many of the supplies are donated by dental supply companies. Collecting that money and those supplies takes extra time, but Serio said he’s able to fit it into his normal schedule.

“If you added up all the hours it takes, yeah, it takes some time,” he said. “But it’s not like I have to sit down and do everything in two days.”

Furthermore, that work is mostly due to Serio’s entrepreneurial spirit and the fact that he runs the dental mission. For most dental missionaries, such administrative and fundraising work is taken care of by the sending mission organization or foundation. That’s one reason why Serio says it’s best to start out by joining up with an established group.

“I would absolutely recommend somebody doing this for the first time go with an established group,” he said.

How do you choose? Serio said there are many organizations to choose from, some based on affinity groups or religious groups. He said would-be volunteers should talk to previous volunteers and also ask the administrators of the sending organization plenty of questions.

“If the administrators don’t seem that responsive maybe you should find another project,” he said.

Another issue faced by dentists traveling overseas is the regulatory landscape. Different countries have different rules about what licenses or permits -- if any -- a dentist needs in order to provide care.

“It’s very site-specific,” he said.

Dentists also need to think about malpractice insurance. In most cases, Serio said, a dentist’s regular malpractice insurance won’t cover international mission trips. However, a number of organizations offer malpractice insurance specifically geared toward covering foreign missions. Serio said the cost of these policies is very low, making it a reasonable purchase on the off chance that a malpractice complaint arises.

Serio added that dentists will also need to make sure they have medical insurance. In most cases, that means buying a travel health insurance policy.

As a whole, Serio said, dentists tend to be very generous, giving back to their local communities through philanthropy and mission of mercy clinics. He realizes that a trip overseas can be a headache and a financial sacrifice -- particularly for early career dentists. However, Serio said the vast majority of dentists who go overseas enjoy the trip and find it worthwhile. Ultimately, the biggest hurdle for some is simply deciding to take the first step.

“Remember the old Nike slogan, ‘Just do it?’” he said. “You get to that point where you have to just start, just do it.”

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Articles

For Francis G. Serio, D.M.D., one volunteer opportunity in the Dominican Republic changed his life forever. Now, he is a leader in dental philanthropy helping to guide the next generation of dentists. 

To Volunteer Overseas, Find an Organization and Take the Plunge

Does your practice have written social media policies? According to the ADA, it should.

Digital communication can be a boon for businesses in a broad variety of sectors, but for dentists, embracing new technology can’t mean forgetting about old regulations.

Arthur W. Curley, managing shareholder and senior trial attorney at the law firm Bradley, Curley, Barrabee, and Kowalski, PC, in California, said HIPAA and other state and local privacy regulations can lead to significant liability for dentists and their practices.

Curley has represented dental practices for more than four decades and speaks regularly about legal issues for dentists, including privacy and digital communications. He’ll lead a presentation on this topic, among others, during October’s American Dental Association Annual Meeting in Hawaii.

“We have defended various claims and cases involving allegations of violations of HIPAA and federal and state confidentiality laws,” Curley told 

“In many cases the dentist or staff members did not know or appreciate their legal obligations as to digital communications.”

Curley said in response to such cases, various groups began seeking training from professional litigators. In his ADA session he will teach dental professionals what they need to know about privacy regulations, and give examples of previous cases and claims and how dentists can learn from them.

One of the most problematic forums for dental practices is social media. Such platforms make it easier than ever to connect with patients and bring in new clients, but it is also fraught with opportunities for missteps.

The American Dental Association recommends dental practices have written social media policies. The ADA notes that the policy should align with privacy and discrimination laws, as social media communication is not exempt from these regulations.

One common issue Curley faces is dentists who post about about their treatment results on social media and refer to specific patients, “without appreciating the definition of ‘protected’ identity and the HIPAA laws as to using any part of a patient encounter for marketing.”

Curley said social media liability is not just about what dentists or their staffs post; it’s also about what patients post. He said another issue he encounters regularly is dentists trying to counter negative online reviews.

He said dentists sometimes try to argue with patients when the patient leaves a negative review about their experience. The problem is that such arguments can become a trap -- in defending his or her work in a particular case, the dentist might accidentally reveal details covered by HIPAA.

“A patient does not waive their HIPAA rights to confidentiality by posting a comment about their dentist or dental hygienist,” Curley said.

Dentists also have limited legal recourse to counter a negative review.

“Online reviews are often protected free speech, particularly if they are opinion,” he said. “‘My dentist was rough with me,’ is an opinion and protected speech. Suing for defamation due to a posting on social media, can be risky to the unaware, due to 

In addition to digital communications, Curley will also lead sessions at ADA on dental ethics, avoiding catastrophic claims from sedation complications, and employment law.

The ADA has published a guide on social media and employment. A link to the guide can be found 

Managing Your Practice's Online Reputation

A panel at next monthâ€™s American Dental Association annual meeting will give dentists the opportunity to learn how to use digital communication without exposing themselves to legal liability.

Before Sharing Online, Dentists Need to Brush Up on Privacy Law

“If your team thinks that you don’t care how they treat people or how they do their job they won’t do it well." - Laci L. Phillips

As a dental business coach, Laci L. Phillips can tell almost as soon as she steps foot in a practice whether the dentist and staff are a high-functioning team, or a stressed-out collection of people barely getting by.

There are many reasons why a staff might not be meeting its potential, but one of the reasons is deceptively simple: a lack of regular recognition for high performance.

In short, Phillips said, dentists need to do a better job of complimenting their staffs.

“I think dentists feel like it’s all monetary and I think a lot of dentists really truly don’t know how to give compliment,” she said.

, said she has studied the personality types of dentists, and more often than not a certain type of personality emerges.

“And that type is someone who doesn’t necessarily need compliments, so they don’t give compliments,” she said. “And they’re certainly not going to give one if someone doesn’t deserve it.”

“I think first and foremost it has to start form a genuine place,” Phillips said.

Phillips said compliments are most valuable when they’re true and when they’re genuine. It’s not a numbers game. “If they just walk through the office and systematically say, ‘Hey thanks for coming to work today,’ it’s not as sincere and it’s not as meaningful,” she said.

The first step to genuine compliments is trying to notice the things your staff is doing well. Notice when the chairside assistant hands you everything without even needing to be asked. Notice when a hygienist gives a particularly amazing handoff. Notice when the business office is able to collect the entire fee up front.

“You have to physically and mentally start noticing things,” she said.

Once a dentist has trained her mind to notice, she’ll be better able to turn those observations into genuine, meaningful compliments.

Another key is to focus on gratitude, she said. This, too, can take practice. Some of Phillips’ clients have opted to put a sticky note on their desk to remind themselves to find three things each day for which they’re thankful. Others put a photo or sentimental object on their desk to remind them of all they are thankful for.

Remembering to be grateful can translate into an easier time remembering to compliment and thank staff.

Phillips also said dentists need to think of themselves not only as “bosses” but also as leaders, people invested in their staff, not just the bottom line.

“A boss is going to tell you what you have to do,” she said. “A leader is going to ask you what you want to accomplish. Who do you want to be? A leader makes you feel like you’re going to be a better person. A boss just dictates, and all they care about is the outcome.”

And when it comes to being a leader, Phillips said, the job is never done. Once a dentist starts focusing on helping his employees grow, he also needs to remember to continue to improve as a leader.

“I think the greatest leaders are the constant learners,” she said. “You’re constantly educating yourself.”

Phillips said regular compliments can make a major difference in the atmosphere of a workplace, something patients will pick up on. And if a dentist fails to signal appreciation for good work, they may find they are unintentionally sending a different signal.

“If your team thinks that you don’t care how they treat people or how they do their job they won’t do it well,” she said.

Dental business coach, Laci L. Phillips, says little compliments can make a major difference in how a practice functions.

For Dentists, Complimenting Staff is a Simple, But Important Skill

"Being in shape isn’t only about personal wellness. It also makes a dentist a more effective ambassador for wellness when speaking with her patients." - Uche Odiatu, DMD

Uche Odiatu, DMD, isn’t the kind of person who sees things in narrow silos. Talk to him about dentistry and he’ll invariably connect it to the latest medical research on brain chemistry. Talk about fitness, and he’ll link it to productivity, even to your practice’s bottom line.

“I get all of these obscure journals,” he said. “I read the science. I digest it, and create these analogies for it.”

Those analogies find their way into the speaking engagements that increasingly fill up his calendar, including the American Dental Association’s annual meeting this October.

A dentist by training, Odiatu is also a personal trainer, writer, consultant and speaker. He came about his commitment to fitness early. Growing up in England in the 1960s, his parents fed him a health-conscious diet including health-nut staples like wheat germ, cod liver oil, and brown sugar. It made an impression.

“I found it intriguing that I could eat by design,” he said, “that there was a function behind it besides just filling your belly.”

As he became a teenager and his friends began signing up for the usual array of team sports, Odiatu preferred individual sports, fitness activities and training where he could challenge himself, and which he could continue participating in for his entire life.

He also read, everything he could get his hands on.

“I think reading trained my brain to absorb information and make deductions,” he said. “I found school very easy. And I loved science.”

It was perhaps natural then, that he would go into the field of medicine. When the time came to apply for graduate school, he had an interview at a medical school and a dental school. He underestimated the importance of the interview, “winging” his medical school interview, and learning too late that the interviewers expected interviewees to be well-rehearsed.

When his dental school interview came up a couple of weeks later, he came well-prepared, and his fate was sealed.

Though Odiatu’s interest in dentistry, medicine, and fitness may seem broad, he sees them as one intricately connected subject. He argues that all dentists should take a holistic approach, and offers a number of reasons why.

First, Odiatu says dental professionals ought to approach exercise not as something extra to fit into their already busy schedule, but rather as an important tool to boost efficiency.

“Exercise doesn’t take time,” he said. “It actually gives back time.”

Exercise boosts alertness and productivity, he said, meaning a person’s working hours can be more focused if they exercise instead of living a sedentary lifestyle.

“One of the biggest advantage of exercise is above the neck,” he said. “It’s a fact that the brain loves oxygen and it loves circulation.”

Odiatu said it’s also not about how much time you spend -- even quick, focused workouts can give a person what they need.

Being in shape isn’t only about personal wellness, Odiatu said. It also makes a dentist a more effective ambassador for wellness when speaking with her patients.

“I say get in shape and get good posture and get a flat stomach,” he said. “It’s amazing how people will resonate or move towards someone who’s in shape because your eyes are alive and bright and your speech is clear.”

One reason that’s important is because Odiatu says dentists have a role to play in helping patients understand how their oral health relates to the rest of their bodies. When a dentist is in shape, it makes patients more likely to see the dentist as an authority figure on nutrition.

After all, the food a person eats affects not only their teeth, but also their gut microbiome, which has an effect on overall health that scientists are only beginning to fully understand. Moreover, Odiatu said, problems in the mouth, such as TMJ, can impact what and how you eat, and therefore affect your overall health.

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Odiatu said dentists can and should be an authority on such matters, in part because he said the average dentist receives more training in nutrition than the average general practitioner.

“We increase people’s ability to impact their health by changing the way people eat,” he said.

While Odiatu is well versed at explaining the importance of fitness, the question he gets all the time is how to get started; what to do first.

But Odiatu resists the pressure to prescribe specific workouts or schedules.

“You don’t need, ‘How?’” he said. “I always say let’s go first into ‘Why?’”

In his case, the “Why” is his children. He wants to live long enough to see them grow up, and he wants to be healthy enough to be an active father.

“That’s my why,” he said. “I want to be my 3 F’s: I want to be a fun, flexible, father.”

Once a person finds his “Why?” the how will take care of itself. “It becomes powerful, a magnet that literally drags you out of the door in the morning,” he said.

Uche Odiatu, DMD, believes dentists should focus on nutrition and not just their own, but also their patientsâ€™.