I read with interest your editorial in April JADA. I am sure that I am not the only practitioner taken aback by the flippant statement regarding the "sharing" of oral pathologists—it appears rather obvious that there is an essential lack of appreciation of the specialty.
Pathologists teach, teach, teach, teach, teach and then see patients, gross specimens, sign-out specimens and do research. They talk with outside practitioners all the time about specimens and oral disease questions. They go to the health fairs and promote their universities.
On the other hand, I could go on ad nauseam regarding other areas that could be cut. Other faculty in the schools may teach one class a year (shared with 10 other lecturers), do research and never see a single patient or perform ancillary procedures such as signing biopsies.
On another very practical note, if dentists interested in academia were not made to participate so heavily in research, they might sign up to teach—a very simple but very profound statement. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to respond.
