Volume 9 • 2022 • Issue 4

D r. Kalman raised money for environmental causes by selling t-shirts that he designed himself. “I did my own little awareness campaigns back in the early ’90s,” he says. “Shirts that had information about the climate and environmental change.” Dr. Kalman still believes that awareness is the first step toward action. He recently was one of an international group of health care professionals, academic experts, legislators and industry representatives who created the FDI Consensus Statement on Environmentally Sustainable Oral Healthcare , which outlines the challenges and opportunities for more sustainable dentistry (p. 20). Much of Dr. Kalman’s current academic work at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry at Western University in London, Ontario, is related to medical devices and technology. In his research, the values that are prioritized are patient-centered, including making treatments more accurate, quick and efficient. “When you start looking at the sustainability data, making dental devices that are more accurate and more efficient can also be good for the environment,” he says. “If a prosthetic fits well and works well and doesn’t have to be replaced, that’s good for everybody, including the planet.” A challenge that Dr. Kalman faces when talking with clinicians is making a case for new, unfamiliar technology. “Some folks who have been making dentures for 30 years, don’t see the value in 3-D printed dentures at first,” he says. “I often tell them that you’ll save time and money, which will make the dentures more accessible. Now we can add sustainability into the conversation.” In talking with Dr. Kalman, he remains optimistic. He is hopeful about research that might make single use plastics less of a problem. “I used to worry more about buy-in when something better is invented, but the popularity of such green innovations, like electric vehicles, makes me hopeful,” he says. Dr. Kalman says that when he started dental school, he realized that dentistry had a different mindset than his previous field of study. “Dentists are laser- focused on patient care,” he says. “You want to give your patient the best care possible and all other considerations are secondary.” Still, he noticed the prevalence of single use plastics and the sometimes resource-intensive requirements of high standards of care. “So when I learned that FDI was working on sustainability resources, I saw it as an opportunity to merge my two passions,” he says. The group met online and shared the latest science and best practices. “It was wonderful that the group was so interdisciplinary because there were people who could describe the supply chain, or other specialized subject areas, with great expertise,” Dr. Kalman says. During the process, he learned challenges to sustainability were even more complex than he anticipated. “If only it was as simple as reduce and recycle,” he says. “It’s extremely complicated, but there are still concrete ways that we can move forward.” If a prosthetic fits well and works well and doesn’t have to be replaced, that’s good for everybody, including the planet. When you start looking at the sustainability data, making dental devices that aremore accurate and more efficient can also be good for the environment. 23 Issue 4 | 2022 | Issues and People