WRITTEN BY Kristen Wright, Associate Editor
One example of how dental associations strive to encourage communication is the relationship between the American Dental Association and the National Dental Association presidents. Both happen to be women - Leslie E. Grant, DDS, MSPA, and Kathleen Roth, DDS. Both have a lot of admiration for each other’s dedication to push the profession to new heights.
“Kathleen is a very sincere individual and earnest in her dedication, and she readily maintains open channels of communication,” Dr. Grant said.
Dr. Roth returned the compliment. “Leslie is passionate and articulate when she speaks on behalf on her association. Her commitment and passion for dentistry are obvious and have made her an outstanding voice for dentistry.”
Their speaking schedules often overlap, and on one such occasion, Dr. Grant surprised Dr. Roth with hand-care products during an ADA meeting.
“It was such a kind and thoughtful gift - I was very impressed with her generosity,” said Dr. Roth. “Leslie and I have had the opportunity to meet with each other through the years as upcoming leaders in our associations. I feel a true respect for her and look forward to a long friendship.”
Dr. Roth became president of the ADA in an Oct. 20 ceremony at the association’s annual session in Las Vegas. Her goals are “to build relationships and partnerships” with various organizations to “advance improvements in oral health throughout the United States.”
“We have many successful programs and projects within the ADA, and it is my goal to move these forward,” she said. “We have much to do to improve the access to oral health care. Our dental education system needs our energy, and I look forward to the science that we oversee within the ADA, and translating those scientific advancements into today’s dental practice. This is critically important, and I look forward to sharing that valuable information.”
Dr. Grant’s turn at the helm of the NDA ends next month. The association, which addresses the professional concerns of African American dentists, has more than 7,000 members. Her experience with the organization dates back to her dental school days.
“Although I am currently president of the NDA, my leadership role began during my student years as a delegate and as vice president of the Student National Dental Association,” she said.
Dr. Grant became an NDA delegate for the Maryland Dental Society in 1993. She was subsequently elected as the first woman Speaker of The House of Delegates in 1998.
“I have chaired the committee on constitution and bylaws and served on the reference and legislative committees,” she said. “I assisted in drafting our policy on dental amalgam and our response to the Report of the Surgeon General on Oral Health.”
The association’s theme during her presidency is “Committed to Health Equity Through Unity and Collaboration.” Dr. Grant has reached out to corporate entities, legislators, organizational and community leaders, and national policy makers to “raise the level of understanding of the sad state of access to oral health care in our country.”
“I believe that once people who have the power to change things come to a realistic understanding of the important role of oral health in our overall health, then substantial changes in funding for health-care initiatives will occur,” she said.
Dr. Grant encouraged practitioners to “do more ... in terms of access to care and eliminating disparities.” She believes dentists should advocate for funding for research, and “The profession needs to encourage an adequate preparatory curriculum in our public schools to prepare young people to pursue careers in dentistry.”
Lives away from the president’s office
Dr. Grant owns a dental practice in Baltimore City, and also provides school-based public health services with the city’s health department. She resides in a rural town in the northern part of the county. A significant number of her patients are emergency, uninsured, transient, and medical assistance patients.
Dr. Roth, a Wisconsin native, owns a 3,200-square-foot practice in West Bend, a town of 30,000 residents north of Milwaukee.
Both association presidents are excited about the role of women in dentistry.
“Dentistry is an outstanding profession for women and affords us every opportunity to balance family with a career of compassion,” said Dr. Roth, who is the grandmother of two children. “I encourage all my young patients to consider a career in the dental profession.”
Dr. Grant, mother of a young son, encourages female dentists to be involved in their dental associations. “Female practitioners should realize that they do not have to put their interests in leadership positions on hold when they enter practice or begin their families. A healthy balance is possible when you are committed, informed, proactive, and have the support of your family.”
How passion for dentistry started
Dr. Grant was born in a segregated hospital in Charlotte, N.C. Her family moved to Gary, Ind., where she graduated from high school. As a college student, her interest was in speech pathology and audiology. She received a bachelor’s degree in speech and hearing from Boston University, and a master’s in speech pathology and audiology from the University of Washington.
“My interest in dentistry evolved from my work as a speech and language pathologist,” Dr. Grant recalls. “At the time, I worked with severely physically handicapped youngsters who experienced significant feeding difficulties.”
She said aspiration pneumonia was often cited as a cause of death at the facility where she worked.
“It was my responsibility to initiate feeding and swallowing therapy with the children and to teach staff about appropriate feeding techniques. I became intrigued with the muscles of mastication as my work progressed, and I chose dentistry to increase my knowledge base.”
Although she no longer practices speech and language pathology, Dr. Grant maintains an interest in dysphagia and maintains her certification with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She graduated from the University of Maryland Dental School in 1986.
Dr. Roth’s interest in dentistry can be traced back to a female dentist in her hometown. “When I was 15, I went in for my routine check-up and my family dentist asked if I’d like a summer job ... that began my career in dentistry! I worked as a front office person, then as an office-trained assistant, and stayed through high school and college.”
She eventually purchased the dental practice when she graduated from the Marquette University School of Dentistry in 1974.
“Dr. June Dhein and I practiced together with my husband, Dan, for many years before she retired,” Dr. Roth said. “It is a wonderful mentoring story. She truly opened doors to this great profession for me.”
Dr. Roth said her experiences as a high school student and afterwards easily guided her career choices.
“Working with Dr. Dhein showed me how valued a compassionate, dedicated dentist is to the public,” she said. “I never thought for a moment about another career. I wanted to give patients the positive dental experiences I had seen with Dr. Dhein, and I looked forward to the role model family life she had created for herself. Dentistry provides women with the ideal opportunity for combining a profession of significance with family, and that’s important to me.”
Pride in households
Dr. Roth met Dr. Dan Roth at Marquette while they were both dental students. Their 34-year marriage produced two children, Sara and Andrew. Sara and her husband have two children, six-year-old Joseph and three-year-old Kathleen. The entire family remains in the West Bend area.
“I would have to say that raising my children to become the wonderful, compassionate, responsible adults they are today is the most important accomplishment in my life, but to be a dentist and have a voice in this profession has provided the platform for my wonderful life.”
During her leisure time, Dr. Roth enjoys reading, knitting, quilting, golf, and sailing. “But most often, I truly appreciate every minute I can spend with my grandchildren!”
Dr. Grant’s husband, Dr. David Bush, is a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital in Baltimore. The couple has a nine-year-old son, Evan. Dr. Grant’s mother is a retired elementary school teacher, and her father is a retired physician.
“Each generation in my family since emancipation has gone to college,” she said. “My mother and my grandmother were in graduate school at the same time.”
Dr. Grant enjoys reading, baking, biking with her family, dancing, and going to any sunny beach. She also took a dental mission trip to El Salvador in 1999, which left her with a great sense of pride. She planned the mission in conjunction with her church, which was independent of any international relief organizations. Therefore, “The group provided absolutely everything from autoclave and medications, to instruments, soap, and paper towels. Truckloads of residents from the area received care. Their appreciation was overwhelming.”
Dr. Grant actively participates in a variety of dental associations, including the AAWD. She also serves on the Board of the National African American Drug Policy Coalition, and has served on the board of a local HIV service organization. She is a member of the League of Women Voters and Jack and Jill, the national African American family organization.
This active approach to their profession is something both doctors strongly believe in.
“Explore the many aspects of care that dentistry has to offer,” Dr. Grant said. “Find something in the profession that you really enjoy and be passionate about it. Support organized dentistry from the very beginning of your career. The acquaintances and friendships you make will be invaluable to you.”
get to know her …
Kathleen Roth, DDS
what are you reading? I just finished a book during my airplane flight back from China. It’s “The Camel Club” by David Baldacci.
favorite web site? www.ada.org
favorite comfort food?Pizza.
favorite hometown restaurant?I would always prefer to eat at home and make a great home-cooked meal when I have the opportunity.
who would you interview? Condoleezza Rice, the U.S. Secretary of State.
where is your favorite vacation spot? Hawaii
where do you go to escape? A lawn chair in my yard with a good book.
where do you go to get your information? Most often, the Internet, daily newspapers, and journals.
get to know her …
Leslie Grant, DDS
what are you reading?“Blue Shoes and Happiness” by Alexander McCall Smith.
favorite comfort food?Soup, especially my own.
favorite hometown restaurant?My favorite local restaurant is Samos, a small family-owned Greek restaurant in Baltimore City. I love their shrimp and feta pie, taramosalata, lemon chicken soup, and souvlaki.
who would you interview?I would have chosen Rosa Parks. I would like to know more about the impetus for the Montgomery Bus Boycott, her perspective on what maintained the momentum going for the more than one year that it took to achieve the goals, and what can communities do now to emulate that level of activism and commitment to social justice issues today, such as our flawed health-care delivery system.
where is your favorite vacation spot?For the winter, I love Vail, Colo. For the summer, I enjoy the beauty of the Maine coast.
where do you go to escape? If my time is limited, my bathtub; if I have more time, the spa.
where do you go to get your information? National Public Radio is my primary source of information. I rely on their local and national programming to provide me with comprehensive, balanced, well-researched news. Professionally, my organizational publications, meetings, and members help to keep me updated.
Dr. Kathleen Roth can be contacted at [email protected], and Dr. Leslie Grant can be reached at [email protected].
