From Dr. Ross Kerr, AAOM President, to the members of AAOM. 

On January 21st I received wonderful news from Drs. Craig Miller, Ronald Brown, and Douglas Peterson regarding the outcome of the law suit against the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners/Texas Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. The AAOM was one of the plaintiff organizations on the suit (along with the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID), and the American Society of Dental Anesthesiologists (ASDA), and the American Academy of Orofacial Pain (AAOP), and our colleagues Drs. Craig Miller and Michaell Huber provided expert testimony on our behalf.  

In short, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas found it was unconstitutional under the 1st Amendment to prohibit ABOM boarded clinicians from advertising as specialists in oral medicine on the basis that our specialty area is not recognized by the ADA. Now the Texas board is "enjoined" (i.e. prevented) from enforcing the current rule.  

Furthermore: Judge Sparks also noted that it appears that "...the true purpose [of the Texas Regulation] is to protect the entrenched economic interests of organizations and dentists in ADA-recognized specialty areas." 

According to Frank Recker, DDS, JD, American Board of Dental Specialties' general counsel, "This continues a string of state and federal court decisions that support the proposition that non-ADA recognized specialties in fact do exist, are bona fide, and dentists board certified in those fields such as implant dentistry may inform the public of their specialization."   

We hope that this legal precedent will be followed in other states and please join me in extending our gratitude to the American Academy of Oral Medicine, Drs. Miller, Brown, Peterson and Huber, the Officers of the American Board of Oral Medicine, the AAID, ASDA, AAOP, and to Dr. Recker and the superb legal team representing our interest at the ABDS.  

Very best wishes,

Dr. Ross Kerr,  President AAOM

More information can also be found here at dentistryiq.com.