Dear Sir or Ma'am;

I feel it is important to our profession and to general public that we stay current with the advances in techinques and materials in dentistry.  I know many of my peers attend our local dental society meetings because they feel the same.  As a member of the Navy Dental Corps, all our continuing dental education credits were approved for licensure requirements.  At my last command, I was the Assistant Director of the Advanced Education for General Dentistry one year post-graduate training program....every hour of the program was counted towards licence requirements.  I have been in private practice in Roanoke, Virginia for the past eight years now, and it is a bit disheartening that the hours that we spend in this endeavor through our local dental society are not rewarded with credit for licensure requirements.  Please consider action to allow our Roanoke Valley Dental Society sponsored continuing dental education programs be approved for licensure renewal requirements.

Sincerely,

David R. Brajdic, DMD, MS, FAGD

CE provided by the RVDS are of high standards and meet the guidelines for the Board of Dentistry. The individuals presenting these classes are qualified Dentist from the Roanoke Valley and Southwest Virginia.

In order for the RVDS to remain as an organization resepresenting Dentistry in Southwest Virginia it is important that CE courses that meet the Board's requirement count toward the CE hours required for Dentist by the Board.

The Roanoke Valley Dental Society has been the primary organization for all of the dentists in the Greater Roanoke Area.  For decades, dentists have met several times per year in order to learn more about the various clinical and business aspects of dentistry.  Until recently, members of the dental society have accepted the standard that CE credits would not be available.

But why? I learn as much from the topics presented at our local dental society meetings as I do from CE courses that are sponsored by larger organizations.

Not only do CE credits reward dentists for the extra time they dedicate to learning more about their profession, but the CE credits also further legitimize the Roanoke Valley Dental Society as long-standing institution of learning.  Ce credits would also strengthen our area's primary dental organization, as more dentists would undoubtedly become more involved.

I'm surprised that the process is so involved to obtain what I believe should be a standard component for any well-established dental organization.  I hope the state governing offices take to heart my and others request to offer CE credits.  Thanks.

I would like to petition the State to recognize CE credits obtained through the RVDS.  As a profession, dentistry is constantly changing.  As a result, dentist must utilize a multitude of educational resources for the betterment of patient treatment.  One such resource, the RVDS, allows dentist of the Roanoke Valley to continue their education via lecturers that are as, or more competent and knowledgeable about their subjects than lecturers that lecture in approved CE courses that I have thus far witnessed. 

I have been a member of the Roanoke Dental Society and the VDA for 37 years and have found that the same speakers that we have in the Roanoke Dental Society are the speakers we hear at regional and state meetings.  I have been the program director and president of the Piedmont Dental Society and I drew from the same speaker pool to get the accreditated programs for the Piedmont society that speak for the Roanoke Society.  I think it makes sense to approve the Roanoke Society to give approved CE. Thank you. David E. Black, DDS

For many years, the Roanoke Valley Dental Society has been an excellent forum for continuing education for Dentists in southwest Virginia.  I strongly urge the VA Board of Dentistry to recognize CE credits earned by attending RVDS meetings.

Thank you,

A. B. Hammond, III, DDS

I have been a member of the Roanoke Valley Dental Society for 34 years. The programs have helped me serve the patients of the valley through education, study, and sharing of information. To continue to have this society be a viable part of our valley, we need the approval from the VDA to give CE credits. We have quality presentations that deserve to be recognized.

We have seen a decrease in attendance in the last years because dentists are seeking CE in other locations. Help us keep this society a vital part of our education in our valley.

G. Alan McClellan DDS

I urge the board to approve awarding CE credits for continuing education lectures given at the Roanoke Valley Dental Society. The quality of lectures given and the relevance of the topics to the clinical practice of dentistry warrant CE credits.

Past topics have included oral pathology, bisphosphonate drugs, laser technology, infection control, periodontic therapy, and infectious diseases. Please give this matter your diligent consideration.

Respectfully,

Dr. David Farley

The Roanoke Valley Dental Society is an  unique organization. It has been in existence  for over 70 years as a study club for Roanoke area Dentists.  We meet on a monthly basis during the school calender  year. I have been a member since 1983. 

We  draw on speakers from the Dental School and from the ADA speakers organization.  We have had nationally recognized  speakers present to the membership. Many of the programs would be appropriate for continuing education credit as outlined by the Board. We ask that you consider this petition favorably to allow this organization to continue to serve a vital role in our Dental Community.

                                                                                Sincerely,

                                                                                    Sandra Andrew, DDS

In addition to earlier comments, I would like to add that here in far Southwestern Virginia we do not have the easy access to dental educational institutes . As it stands now even if we brought in an individual  from the School of Dentistry the CE does not count because we are not recognized as an approved CE provider.

The RVDS is more than capable of providing CE for its members that more than meet sthe requirements set forth by the Board of Dentistry.

The future of the RVDS and an its objective to promote the science of dentistry, provide dental education not only to the profession but also to the public could be jeopardizd.

I have been a member of the Roanoke Valley Dental Society for over 30 years. Their educational programs are of a quality equal to or better than those sponsored by many other dental organizations. I  was surprized to find that the Board of Dentistry does not recognize the society programs for credit towards our members licensure requirements.  Many of our speakers are dentists with years of experience or diplomats of their dental specialties.

Our society plays an important role in representing organized dentistry in the Roanoke Valley for both dentists and the general public. For many young dentists, the Society is their conduit into organized dentistry. Receiving CE credits for our progams would help to further attract members.

I ask that the Board of Dentistry approve the petition to allow the Society to be a sponsoring organization for continuing education.

I have been a member of the RVDS for three years.  I feel that our speakers provide the same quality lecture to our organization as they do at state meetings and national conventions.  It is very important that dentists are given credit for their time at the meetings.  This will attract members and help the Roanoke Valley to have well educated dentists.  I was the program director one year.  Some of the speakers were local specialists, some were nationally known speakers.  Both were more than qualified to give a lecture that meets the requirements of the Board.

I have practiced in many other areas.  All the local societies were able to provide their dentist members with CE credit and as a result were very active organizations.  There is no difference between our local society and all the others.

By allowing the RVDS to give CE credit to its members, we will keep the organization active, attract new members, and keep our area dentists well educated.  Most of us exceed the number of CE hours required each year; however, it is still important to get credit for the total number of hours. 

With the decline of younger members in the RVDS, I think it is even more important to give CE credits.  This is a major concern of young dentists who have to balance young families and new practices.  They may choose to go elsewhere for continuing ed. instead of participating in the local organization. 

I think the Board understands how valuable the local society is without much explanation.   I highly recommend allowing the RVDS to give CE credits to the members!  Thank You.

I am writing to urge the Board to approve our petition to become an approved provider of CE.  I was a dentist in the military for 11 years, and have been practicing dentistry for over 20 years.  The CE provided by RVDS is comparable (and sometimes superior to) the CE I have obtained at Air Force, State, and National meetings.  RVDS is one of the primary providers of dental CE in the Roanoke Valley.  In the past we have had lectures on Endodontics presented by a Board Certified endodntist/Professor of Endodontics  from PA, world recognized speakers on pathology.  Our local specialists have given excellent presentations on a variety of topics ranging from general dentisty interests to oral surgery/cleft lip and palate issues. 

It is very important to the local dental providers to have access to quality, affordable and convienient CE.  RVDS has been a viable, important organization in this community for over 40 years.  In this age of mandatory CE/licensure requirements, the RVDS can help fill that requirement.  We are competing with CE courses that are certified, and feel that it is vitally important for our membership to be able to offer certified CE. 

Respectfully,

Robin e. Hinrichs, DDS

The Roanoke Valley Dental Society is petitioning to receive continuing education credits for participation in their monthly meetings.  In the two years that I have attended RVDS since moving to this area they have had relevant topics to the practice of dentistry.  With the time and cost commitment involved in being an active member of the RVDS it would be most beneficial to have continuing education credit.  

RVDS will meet the requirements of the Virginia Board of Dentistry in order to fulfill this if so required.  

Thank you for your consideration of this request,

Dr. William Morris

Dear VA Board of Dentistry,

I have been practicing dentistry in the Roanoke/surrounding area for approx 6 yrs.  I have been associated with the Roanoke Valley Dental Society for the past 5 yrs.  I have always found the meetings to be educational and informative on a wide range of dental topics.  I usually have well above the state requirements for CE.  However,   I feel the time spent by the members is worthy of CE credits.  I support the move to get CE accreditation and sincerely ask that you all approve this request. 

Brian S.  Alexander,  DDS

I have been a member of the Roanoke Valley Dental Society for 11 yrs now and have held the ofiice of  program chair and president.  Our speakers and lecture content have always been of the highest quality and directly applicable to the clinical practice of dentistry.    Because of our geographical location within the state, our programs provide easy access to those of us in the valley and surrounding southwestern virginia.   We ask that you grant  our society the ability to issue continuing educational credits to attendees of relevent programs held by the RVDS.  Thank you for your consideration of this matter.   

Respectfully, Stephen B. Alouf  DDS/Alouf Aesthetic Dentistry

I have been an active member of the Roanoke Valley Dental Society since 2006.  During this time I have attended numerous meetings which have contributed to my continuing eduction in not only the field of dentistry but also the business of dentistry.  In order to provide excellent care to patients, dentists must continue their search for knowledge.  The RVDS is an excellent and convenient avenue to allow for such needed personal and professional growth.  I believe the award of continuing education credits would encourage less active members of our dental community to attend meetings.  This would in turn allow the dentists of Roanoke to better serve their patient population. 

I have been an active member of the Roanoke Valley Dental Society for 20 years.  During this time of membership, I have achieved Fellowship in the AGD, and recognize that the RVDS has consistently provided comparable material to that which qualifies for credit within the Academy.  The benefits of CE are numerous.  The membership of the RVDS has demonstrated this by the sustenance of such a vibrant organization in the absense of being a sponsoring organization for CE.  Members of the RVDS deserve the benefits that other collegues enjoy within comparable organizations.  I believe that it is appropriate for the RVDS to be approved at this time.

Bryan G. Sicher DMD, FAGD

            I would like to offer my support for passage of this petition. When this issue was brought up for discussion with the RVDS, I and most of the older members of the society were shocked to find out that the programs were not approved for continuing education credits for license renewal.

First of all, I strongly concur with all the previous supportive comments for CE certification for RVDS.

Let me make an additional comment. Although RVDS occasionally sponsors half/full day lectures, our main focus is providing member dentists 1-2 hour programs at our monthly meetings, i.e., 1-2 CEU.   1-2 CEU is very appropriate for our diversified group of general dentists and specialists. Depending on ones needs and interest, 1-2 CEUs on a specific topic is sufficient. These small blocks of CEU opportunities fills a niche in most dentist's overall CE exposure. RVDS, our local society, is the ideal organization to provide these small CE programs. Please consider approval of RVDS sponsored CE programs for our yearly license requirement.

Dear Sirs:

For the past 50 years the Roanoke Valley Dental Society has been the premier organization for local dentists to meet and to share dental education topics.  Each year 4-6 quality presentations are made to our members, often by MCV-VCU Dental School Faculty or simularly qualified clinicians.  Although the RVDS is not a direct part of the ADA's tripartite organization, it is a highly important forum for the advancement of dentistry in the Roanoke Valley.  Please permit this organization to continue to support dental education and high dental standards in our part of the state.  Please grant us approval to offer continuing dental education with appropriate continuing education credits for our members. 

Thank you very much for your kind consideration of our requests.

Sincerely yours,

Edward M. O'Keefe, D.D.S.

            Having been a member of the Roanoke Valley Dental Society since 1980, I can attest to the fact that the quality of the continuing education programs sponsored by the RVDS has always met or exceeded the quality of programs offered by other sponsoring organizations which are recognized by the Virginia Board of Dentistry for “approved continuing education for each renewal of license.” 

As a member of the RVDS, I would like tto petition the state to recognize the CE credits obtained at our meetings.  The RVDS provides excellent educational lectures on various dental topics that are very important to our profession.  Thank you.

I have been a menber of the Roanoke Valley dental Society fo 20 years and have attended our society's meeting on a regular basis because of the quality of the speakers and material presented. I enroll in CE courses all over this country and I feel our society's educational value compares to these courses. I feel that the RVDS should receive CE credit for its montlly lectures and ask for your consideration in making this happen.

The Roanoke Valley Dental Society has been offering quality educational programs on a local level. Not only do we have outstanding speakers but our dental society allows dentists in the community to exchange ideas  for the good of our patients. I have been a member for 20 years and appreciate the knowledge my fellow dentists/speakers have shared. Having served as both president and program chairman in the past, I came to understand the importance of this organization.  Offering CE credits for the RVDS will help strengthen the society's role in providing the highest quality of dentistry in our area.

Thanks you for your consideration of this matter.

Sincerely,

Michael G. Hunt DDS

I am writing in support of the Board of Dentistry sanctioning the Roanoke Valley Dental Society as a recognized sponsor for continuing education. I have been a member of the RVDS for over thirty years and would rank the quality of its monthly meetings, as to content and speakers, with any others  I have attended for specific continuing  education credit. As Roanoke is a hub for all of southwest Virginia, it would serve as a convenient and central location for many dentists in this area to acquire those credit hours necessary for license renewal.  

Having been a member of the RVDS for twenty years, I feel that the ability to obtain continuing education credits for RVDS meetings would be a win-win situation for all involved. Local access to quality CE and the ability to obtain credit for participation, would only serve to generate enthusiastic support for our society and would certainly foster improved dental services in our area.  The ultimate reward would be better care for our patients and validation of the fine reputation of quality contemporary dentistry delivered in the Roanoke valley and surrounding areas. 

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Larry R. Meador, DDS

Valley Oral Surgery

As a longtime member of this society I am writing to request that the Virginia Board of Dentistry allow continuing education credit for our programs.  Being the largest population center in southwest Virginia, we are the logical place for dentists to meet and learn rather than to have to travel so much farther for continuing education credit.  We have excellent programs and speakers, providing timely and pertinent information in a rapidly changing profession. 

Thank you for your consideration.                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Sincerely,

W. Robert Haun, DDS

I came to the Roanoke Valley eight years ago and have been a member of the RVDS since my arrival.  During that time, our dental society meetings have been a source of current dental education topics, idea sharing and the advancement of dental knowledge for its members.  Our lectures and presenters cover topics ranging from the fundamental foundations of dentistry to cutting edge technologies.  Because these are the same topics and presenters that are featured in nationally published, peer reviewed lierature, I support and request that the Board of Dentistry approve the Roanoke Valley Dental Society as an approved source of continuing education credit.

                                                                                                             Scott K Miller DDS

There is no question that the RVDS should receive continuing education credit for the lectures and programs our group puts together.  Not only do we have talented general dentists and specialists within our group, we bring in guest speakers from Richmond (ex: Hugh Douglas, John Svirsky, etc.) as well as nationally known speakers for 1/2 day and all day meetings.

I seriously doubt any other professional group in our area meets as regularly as our group or discusses current scientific information related to the practice of their profession than the RVDS.  I cannot envision a reason that our petition for CE credit would not be unanimously approved.

                                                                                                             Sincerely,

                                                                                                              Dr. Paul C. Kaiser

The RVDS offers top-notch speakers and a variety of subjects at our monthly meetings.  I strongly encourage the Board of Dentistry to recognize these hours as certifiable for license renewal requirements.  Not only is it  the right thing to do for our Society and its members, but certifying our CE may bring more dentists to our meetings furthering VDA/ADA cause to increase participation in organized dentistry.

I have been a member of the Roanoke Valley Dental Society for 3 years since moving here from the Richmond area. I have spent 12+ years in military dentistry and 10 years in Veterans Affairs Dentistry and can certainly attest to the fact that the CE given by RVDS is equal to if not often better than that offered by the government institutions that are already accreditred sources of CE. The RVDS is an important group for local dentists here in the Roanoke Valley and their CE programs should be accredited by the VDA to help promote organized dentistry.

As a practicing dentist for almost 26 years here in Blue Ridge, Va, I have attended many CE seminars both locally and outside of this area.  I have found the topics and information presented here at our local meetings at least as good as any I have seen.  It would be a great benefit to have the RVDS as a recognized provider of CE to help reduce the cost of time and travel to other locations. 

Thank you for your consideration.

I am writting this comment to express my desire to have RVDS programs qualify for annual CE credit requirements.  The meetings that I have attended have all been very informative and in my mind would certainly meet the criteria for continuing education. 

As a member of the Roanoke Valley Dental Society for 32 years, I have the programs to be informative and highly useful in staying well informed on new and important topics in Dentistry.  It is important for the lectures to recieve credit,  so the society can stay viable.

The Roanoke Valley Dental Society has been a viable organization for approximately fifty years. I have been a member for nearly thirty, and have found the quality of educational programs offered to be on the par with any I have attended on the state and national levels. This society has also provided dentists in Roanoke and surrounding areas an opportunity to share ideas which have helped to increase the level of dentistry which is practiced here. I petition the Board to approve our Educational Programs for licensure credit.

Respectfully,

Marvin E. Thews, Jr.,DDS

Diplomate, Am. Bd. of Endodontics

  I  support  the petition to allow the Roanoke Valley Dental Society to be a sponsoring organization for continuing education.  The reasons for this support have been more than adequately expressed by my colleagues!

I have been a member of the Roanoke Valley Dental Society for three years and find the quality of our programs to be comperable to, (and in many cases better than) the majority of accredited CE courses I have attended around the country.  We have top notch presentations that all warrant CE credit and this credit will help insure that that RVDS will continue to be an avenue for our improvement within our profession.  It is our patients who will be the ultimate beneficiaries of this dedication to education.

Thank you in advance for your consideration of our petition to allow the RVDS to be a sponsoring organization for CE credit.

Sincerely,

James James D.D.S.

Please consider the courses held by our study group for approval towards continuing education credits.  Thank you.

To Whom it may concern,

Please consider the Roanoke Valley Dental Society's CE seminars to count toward the state licensure requirments.We have very informative and pertinent dental courses in our monthly night and all day seminars.These are also very convenient to our local dentists so that we are not always having to travel to get our CE credits.Thank you.

                                     F. Randolph Dickey D.D.S.

Dear Members of the Board of Dentistry:

I am writing to support the petition to designate the Roanoke Valley Dental Society as a sponsor for approved continuing education for each renewal of license of dentists licensed to practice in the state of Virginia.  I have been practicing in Roanoke for 26 years and one of the highlights of my career  has been my membership in the RVDS.  We have had regular scientific and social meetings over this time.  These meetings have served as a place for local dentists to share ideas and to hear outstanding scientific speakers.  These speakers have included professors from MCV-VCU as well as nationally known authorities in dentistry.  We have had hour long presentations at our regular monthly meetings as well as all day meetings.  Being able to count these presentations toward our Continuing education requirements would be a great addition to our Society's benefits. I respectfully submit that you allow the Roanoke Valley Dental Society to become a certified sponsor of approved continuing education.

Sincerely,  M. R. McCorkle, Jr.,  D.D.S. 

Dear Sir/Madam:

The Roanoke Valley Dental Society (RVDS) consistently provides an organized network for the local dental professionals and staff.  Meeting approximately  once a month the governing members of RVDS provide speakers/educators presenting pertinent up to date information for all dental professionals.   This learning experience benefits the general public of the Roanoke Valley and surrounding areas.  I urge you to give serious consideration to designate the RVDS as a sponsor for approved continuing education for annual dental license renewal.  Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Timothy Janowicz, DDS, MSType over this text and enter your comments here. You are limited to approximately 3000 words

I have attended RVDS meetings and I believe that CE credit should be awarded.  I have often learned more from our RVDS meetings than I do in regular CE courses, with the added benefit that there isn't any obnoxious advertising from the company sponsoring the CE course! 

Our speakers/teachers at RVDS meetings are talented and smart in their field of expertise and easily equal or exceed those where we do receive credit.  For these reasons and more, I believe that CE credit should be awarded for RVDS meetings.

Thank you,

Sariah L. Richardson, DDS

I petition the Board  of Dentistry to approve the Roanoke Valley Dental Society as a sponsor for continuing education.  I feel the quality of  RVDS CE programs are the equal of approved CE meetings I have attended given by other organizations around the state and country.  I appreciate quality CE programs being held in Roanoke since my family resposibities make it difficult to travel for CE.

I would like to encourage the Board to allow classes offered by the RVDS to be counted toward our CE requirements.  Being able to attend a class close to home without missing a day of work and /or having to drive a long distance is quite appealing.  The RVDS also gives a wider range of topics during the course of the year than many all day classes.

IHAVE BEEN A MEMBER OF RVDS FOR A UMBER OF YEARS AND FEEL THEY PRESENT LECTURES THAT ARE EQUAL TO OR BETTER THAN MOST CE COURSES I HAVE ATTENDED.I FEEL IT IS A DISSERVICE TO THE PROFESSION NOT TO RECOGNIZE THE EFFORT PUT INTO THESE LECTURES AND NOT GIVE CE CREDIT FOR THEM.WE ARE IN A RURL AREA AND IT IS NOT AS EASY TO ATTEND COURSES AS IT IS IN A CITY WITH A DENTAL SCHOOL OR OTHER EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES.

As a longtime member of the Roanoke Valley Dental Association I would like to petition the Virginia Board of Dentistry to consider the Educational Programs of the Roanoke Valley Dental Society for licesure credit requirements.  The lectures are informative and can help keep the local dentist population abreast of advances and new technologies without having to take off time from their practices and travel many miles. Being able to use these meetings as credit towards their continuing educational requirements would also help motivate local dentists to congregate and perhaps encourage them to be more active in the local society.  A more active local dental society can perhaps also advance dental awareness in the general population

Sincerely,

Michael L. Woods, D.D.S.

I support the petition to the Virginia Board of Dentistry that recommends the Board accept the Roanoke Valley Dental Society as a CE sponsor. As a member of the VBD when CE first became mandated for dental providers in Virginia, we had many restrictions regarding what types and which programs would satisfy the requirements of the Board. In the past, CE had been accepted from the RVDS as approved by the VBD; but as the membership of the Board changes as required by law, sometimes past Board policy has been lost.

The programs sponsored & presented by the RVDS are the same type & quality of programs that are presented by the current listed sponsors in the regulations. This organization has an outstanding past history of co-sponsoring programs with many organizations that currently qualify. It will be a great service to have approved programs to help promote quality dental care for our citizens, and to be able to attend these locally.

Thank you for your considering our request and promoting dental health through quality CE programs sponsored by the RVDS,

The RVDS provides a regional forum allowing colleagues to interact  on relevant  topics  to our area practices.  We can learn form  guest authorities as well as one another about our successes and  failures all of which  contribute to elevating the quality of care provided to the public. It  provides a forum for communication  between specialist  and general dentist and  other health care providers.   Providing  CE credits will enhance education on relevant topics, increase participation by regional dentists and contribute to cost , time, and content efficiency  of member dentist.