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Volume 37 • Issue 1
Most Famous Dentist You Never Heard Of You know his face, but probably not his name. He’s the dentist immortalized by Grant Wood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
NEWS AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NEW YORK STATE DENTAL ASSOCIATION
Fierce advocate for dentistry and NYS Action Team Leader, Dr. Edwards takes part in ADA Washington Leadership Conference.
Smiles to Go University at Buffalo mobile dental vans will be on the road again this year, thanks to generous grant from Cabrini Health Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Can Your Dental Practice withstand a Recession? Building a solid foundation is key to keeping your practice afloat during economic turbulences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Edwards family at home. From left, daughter Keanna; son, Christian; wife, Michelle; Maurice; daughter Brianna. Completing family circle are grandsons Kyrie and Kaleed, Keanna’s children.
Baby boy Edwards, son of Diann and Edward.
Maurice L. Edwards, D.M.D.
In His Own Words
In search of company to join him at the top
We asked Dr. Maurice Edwards to weigh in on the state of diversity programs today and in the future and their impact on the dental profession.
For NYSDA’s vice president, dentistry was an easy and early choice. Now he is hopeful, he won’t be alone much longer.
I
t can be lonely at the top, especially if you are a Black male and your profession is dentistry. Maurice Edwards must have had an inkling of that back in 1991 when he enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and discovered only one other Black man in the school. Even today, an oral surgeon practicing in New York City and vice president of the New York State Dental Association, Dr. Edwards is an anomaly—the only Black officer and currently on track to become the first person of color to hold the top elected post. “One doesn’t have to look far to see that there are still disparities in both the profession of dentistry and in patient care,” Dr. Edwards said. “For as long as I have been involved in organized dentistry, almost 25 years, I still search to find others that look like me. Yes, there has been significant improvement in numbers, especially for women, but the largest disparity is seen with the number of Black men in dentistry. In three of the four
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Q: Diversity, equity and inclusion programs are under attack across the country. Can NYSDA’s DEI initiatives survive? A: Simple answer, yes. One of the greatest strengths of NYSDA is its diversity. NYSDA’s member dentists comprise the full spectrum of nationalities, ethnicities and religions found across New York State and around the world. Because of the state’s rich history of welcoming immigrants, I am confident that both our political leaders and NYSDA’s leadership will not blunt the importance of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs by letting them fall by the wayside.
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