9
Volume2 Issue4
|
CDA
at
W
ork
I’mwriting in regards to thearticle
byMs. JoanRush found ina recent
editionof
CDAEssentials
(“Treating
Adult PatientswithDevelopmental
Disabilities: AMother’sCall toAction”
Volume2, Issue1, p. 26).
Iwas surprised to seeMs. Rush’sname
inourmagazineafter shepublished
adefamatoryarticle in
TheGlobeand
Mail
during thepeakof theDalhousie
Facebook scandal (Dec. 24, 2014).
I’m sureyouarewell awareof that
articlewhereMs. Rush states several
generalizations and lumps all dentists
into the samenegativecategory.
Manyof her commentswere
stereotypical, almost all of themwere
offensive, and somewereoutright false.
Probably themost shocking statement
I read included referring tonewdental
graduates as a “profession that does a
great jobprovidingcosmeticdentistry
andBotox towealthyCanadianswhile
failing toprovideessential dental
treatment toCanadianswhoarepoor,
disabled, elderlyor living in remote
communities.”
Duringmy timeas adental student at
Dalhousie (DDS2008) I didnot perform
anyveneersorwhitening treatments.
TheDalhousieDental Clinicprovides
services tomembersof our community
at a significantlydiscounted rate.My
experienceat theclinicgavemean
opportunity to treatmembersof the
publicwhocame fromall backgrounds
andwalksof life—benefittingboth
dental students and thecommunity.
IfMs. Rushcanmake
suchgrossly inaccurate
statements inher
Globe
andMail
article,who’s
to say that jumping
toconclusions isn’t
a regular part of her
writing?Unfortunately,
Ms. Rushpublishedher
personal opinionsdressed
upas facts. As ahealthcare
provider, Iwouldprefer
to readunbiased,
evidence-basedarticles
fromauthorswhodonot
haveanobviousdisdain
for our profession.
Dr. PaulaMacPherson
Bedford,NovaScotia
ReaderResponses:
SomethingtoChewOn
We love tohear fromour readers—
thedentistsofCanada.
Please sendusyour commentsor feedbackon
anyarticles that you’ve read in themagazine, or
letusknowwhat youwould like to see in future
editions.
Pleaseemail
or call
1-855-716-2747
.
I felt thatDr. GaryMacDonald’s "From
thePresident" article ina recent
CDAEssentials
magazine (“ForOur
Profession, APowerful Reminder"
Volume2, Issue2, p. 7)was verywell
written. Twoofmy fellow female
classmates and I (DDS1998)were the
first alumni topresent to theDalhousie
UniversityTaskForceonMisogyny,
SexismandHomophobiaat theApril
hearings. I referred toDr.MacDonald’s
article for guidanceas Iwaspreparing
mypresentationand I includedacopy
of this articlewithmywritten report to
theTaskForce.
I amcurrentlypart of aNovaScotia
Dental Associationworkinggroup
that is reviewingaPrinciplesof Best
Practicedocument.Wewill be referring
’s
rticle
s
s
otia
Theviewsexpressedare thoseof theauthorsanddonotnecessarily reflect theopinionsorofficial policiesof theCanadianDentalAssociation.We reserve the right toeditall lettersor comments submitted to
CDAEssentials.
