About the WDA

Mission statement
Officers
Membership
History
Local dental societies
"Dentists Do Serve (DDS) and Make a Difference (DMD)"
Issue papers


Mission statement

The Wisconsin Dental Association advances the interests of its members and the dental profession by promoting professional excellence and quality oral health care for the public.

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Officers

President Kent Vandehaar, DDS (Chippewa Falls)
Immediate Past-President H Michael Kaske, DDS (Twin Lakes)
President-Elect Gene Shoemaker, DDS (Waukesha)
Vice President Steve Stoll, DDS (Neenah)

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Membership

Established in 1870, the WDA is headquartered in West Allis. With more than 2,900 members statewide, the WDA represents the vast majority of practicing dentists in Wisconsin. Its members are committed to promoting professional excellence and quality oral health care. The WDA is one of 53 constituent (state-territorial) dental societies of the American Dental Association - the largest and oldest national dental association in the world.

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History

Originally named the Wisconsin State Dental Society, the WDA was formed on Sept. 28, 1870 at the dental office of Dr. Henry Faville in Milwaukee. The first officers of the Wisconsin State Dental Society were: Dr. Edgar Palmer of La Crosse, president; Dr. Henry Faville of Milwaukee, secretary; and Dr. B.D. Stevens of Prairiedu Chien, assistant secretary.

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Local dental societies

There are 27 local dental societies that make up the WDA.

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"Dentists Do Serve (DDS) and Make A Difference (DMD)"

WDA members’ charitable dental care efforts illustrate how “Dentists Do Serve” their communities and “Dentists Make a Difference” for underserved children and adults. Charity alone is not a sufficient health care delivery system for meeting the needs of some 1 million low-income individuals enrolled annually in the state dental Medicaid, BadgerCare and BadgerCare Plus programs. These patients suffer for various reasons: failure to care for their own oral health; inability to find a dental office for routine care, because small businesses can’t absorb too much income loss; and, lawmakers’ failure to sufficiently fund the dental care they promise. 

Dentists: Doctors of oral health

A new American Dental Association brochure outlines the intensive academic and clinical education that dentists undergo, their role in delivering oral health care and, most important, the degree to which dental disease is preventable.

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Issue papers

The following are the WDA's positions on various topics currently at the forefront of dentistry in Wisconsin.

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Last updated April 23, 2010 3:15 p.m.