The ADA’s response to the threat of bioterrorism has made me very proud to be a member. Normally, organizations like the ADA move slowly and deliberately when addressing a difficult new issue that might involve its constituency. But that has not been true in the ADA’s response to the bioterrorist threat, and I applaud the ADA’s courage.
The conference on this topic sponsored by the Association in June 2002, its rapid publication in JADA in September 20021 and the plan to co-sponsor a major meeting on the role of the profession in bioterrorism preparedness in collaboration with the U.S. Public Health Service in March 2003 have underscored the commitment of the ADA to mobilizing dentists to serve the nation in these troublesome times.
Dr. Jeffcoat’s December JADA editorial ("Are We Ready? Thinking About the Unthinkable") continues the leadership role that the ADA has assumed in providing a pathway for dentists to become involved in making the country stronger to future bioterrorist events. Dr. Jeffcoat outlines the important skills and facilities offered by dentists; but she also singles out a key weakness in our responsiveness to date. That is, almost 18 months after Sept. 11, 2001, we do not have a solid communications system in place where committed professionals can turn for help.
Dr. Jeffcoat calls for a hotline in the 911 mode that we can turn to for help. I agree with her assessment and would call for additional modes of communication. Public health officials at the local, state and federal levels should be able to reach health professionals by zip code through a well-ordered system of e-mail, phone and fax; but, to the best of my knowledge, they cannot. With such a system, private practicing health practitioners in an affected area can be educated and mobilized.
Although some hospitals have set up such contact networks, the broader public health system has not. Thus, as in the anthrax attacks, professionals will be forced to listen to the same information available to the general public via the mass media. There will be no opportunity to explain appropriate treatment regimens to health professionals, and the response to the threat will be less robust.
There are several other weaknesses unfolding as the nation struggles to get prepared. For example, while investing in the national pharmaceutical stockpile is a critical need, we do not yet have effective plans in place to distribute these medical supplies at the local level. One group that will be ready, based on the ADA’s leadership, is the nation’s dentists, who will play a far more important role in preparedness and response than anyone ever imagined in the dark days of September 2001.
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