Dental News - A worldly journey

Dennis J. Tartakow, USA

Fri. 20. February 2009

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With a life path that took him from the military to the orthodontic office, and numerous places in between, Dr Ed Beatty says it’s his family and successful marriage that are his highest achievements. He is still in active practice, but he takes significant time off to travel and pursue his major pastimes of fishing, boating and attending meetings to visit with old friends. Dr Beatty spoke about his career with Dental Tribune.

What is your educational background?
I attended Seton Hall Preparatory School from 1953 until 1957, then Seton Hall University from 1957 until 1960; I did not graduate. From 1960 until 1964, I went to the University of Pennsylvania Dental School for my DDS. From 1964 until 1965, it was off to do my US Army Internship at Madigan Hospital in Tacoma, WA, and then my US Army Residency Program to get my MS in orthodontics at the University of Missouri at Kansas City from 1968 until 1970.

When did you serve in the military?
I was on active duty from June 1964 until July 1976, and was in the Army Reserve from July 1976 until 1986.

What motivated you to become an orthodontist?
My brother-in-law, a dentist in New Jersey where I grew up, was influential in my decision to go to the University of Pennsylvania, School Dental of Dentistry. He also suggested orthodontics if I was inclined to specialize. The army program was considered elite, in that it was offered at civilian schools for one or two dental officers per year.

When and how did you open your orthodontic clinical practice?
I separated from the army in July of 1976, moved to Victoria, BC and joined Dr Bob Croll in his practice. Bob retired in 1982, and Dr Paul McDougal also came into the practice and we are still practicing together.

What special areas of orthodontics are you interested and why?
I prefer working with children. About 10 per cent of the practice is adult. I am especially interested in early treatment of Skeletal Class III problems using the McNamara protocol, although I should give credit to Dr Turley who introduced the Skeletal III program to our study club.

What are your most important responsibilities to either your post-graduate orthodontic residents or your patients?
I would say always give your best effort, treat your patients as you would your own children, and try to reduce conflict in the office environment as much as possible even if it results in a financial loss. If re-treatment is necessary, get on with it and reduce or eliminate the fee rather than spending valuable time in a non-productive argument.

In your opinion, is there a need to change the methods of how post-graduate orthodontic programs educate their residents in the U.S. compared to Canada?
No. The programs are compatible. The quality of the graduates is very good. I am a strong believer in the concept that the graduate program is only the beginning of the educational process. It is essential that some form of continuing education take place during our long careers.

What changes would you make if you could and why?
I would emphasize early ABO qualification. I probably would favor including ABO record standards on all clinical cases to facilitate the student’s first ABO examination experience.

Please relate your personal journey and experiences to becoming ABO Certified.
I passed the written examination in 1975. The army expected all specialists to eventually become Board Certified. My clinical cases were 90 per cent completed when I resigned from active duty and moved to Victoria, BC. The records did not survive the one year in storage, and as my practice became busier, the importance of ABO certification began to fade. This was a pathetic excuse—one I always regretted. When the Gateway program became available, I was one of the first to sign up. The new clinical examination process was extremely fair. The diagnostic cases (two on laptop computers) were reasonable with 60 minutes to set up your diagnosis and treatment plan. My two examiners were very patient and open to discussion and alternate treatment plans. Not a bad experience at all. The six case presentations were challenging, and required substantial time to get the records ready.

Regarding the American Board of Orthodontics Certification process, many changes have occurred within recent years. What are some positive effects and expectations from the many recent changes in ABO Certification?
Hopefully more people will sign up. The concept of re-exam to maintain certification is long overdue.

Is ABO Certification more important today than it was in the past?
Certification is more important now. I suspect that it will become a critical problem for the ABO to continue to influence new graduates to participate in the ABO process. In my study club, there is not a lot of interest in the ABO certification. The whole process seems to result in intangible assets that have little effect on your orthodontic practice. The bottom line is that it is in your own best interest to occasionally review your cases and treatment mechanics under the microscope.

Do you think that it is in the best interest of the specialty and public to award ABO Certification to orthodontic residents upon completion of their residency programme and why?
This is a controversial question, and I know the ABO board is aware of it. I have complete confidence that they will arrive at a reasonable solution. In my opinion, I would continue to grant ABO certification after they have defended their graduate cases. I would expect them to re-certify within three to five years using the ABO six-case format outlined in the Gateway program.

What hobbies do you enjoy?
I enjoy outdoor activities, including fishing, boating and hiking. I also enjoy traveling and going to orthodontic meetings to visit with old friends, and of course, continuing education.

Contact info

Dr Ed Beatty can be reached at ejbeatty@shaw.ca.

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