This December editorial represents my last opportunity to share thoughts and ideas with you as JADA’s editor. It has been 11 years and 132 issues of The Journal since I assumed the editorship. These have been challenging years for dentistry and for JADA. We’ve had HIV and infection control, Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations, managed care, patient protection—one issue after another.

It has been an exciting time in terms of trying to build a professional journal that would be relevant to its readers. It also has been a productive time, if establishing JADA as the world’s best-read dental journal is the criterion for success. Independent readership scores now verify that JADA is not only dentistry’s best-read peer-reviewed journal, but also is the favorite of dentists who have been in practice 15 years or less.

These favorable statistics, coupled with the hundreds of regular mail and e-mail responses to the monthly editorials, show that JADA is offering its readers up-to-date, relevant material pertinent to dental practitioners.

Writing 131 editorials was a real joy. Each was centered on the principles that action starts with knowledge and that the success of an editorial resides in its ability to be insightful and predictive; to be a step ahead of what is considered correct; to explore issues that may not be mainstream; to go where others fear to go. Foremost, the editorialist must be open to the thoughts of others.

So many issues, so many editorial subjects. A favorite? Perhaps it would be oral cancer. A few weeks ago, while driving through New Mexico, I noticed a billboard that really caught my attention. In front of me was a vivid, full-faced picture of a cowboy with a resected mandible. Superimposed were the words "HALF OFF" and then the word "TOBACCO." Nothing left to the imagination! Use tobacco; bear the consequences.

It pleased me that the ADA, even in light of the tragic events of Sept. 11, has gone forward with an extensive public service campaign to make America aware of the importance of prevention and early detection of oral cancer.

Reminiscing brings back the importance of conveying the need for JADA readers to go further than blindly accepting the bottom line—to always examine the components of an issue. To illustrate, I used a road sign located in Gold Hill, Colo. It was first pictured in the January 1991 issue, with my first editorial. On the next page, I repeat it for its important message. An editor must be willing to go where others fear to go. That’s why I have always been intrigued by the theatrical production of "Man of La Mancha."

"To dream the impossible dream/To fight the unbeatable foe ... ." Those words from the play’s signature song conjure up a picture of an errant knight battling with windmills.

The foundation for this acclaimed musical was the vision of a Spanish philosopher who wrote: "Only he who attempts the absurd is capable of achieving the impossible." What better way to visualize the ADA than as a "David" taking the lead role, clashing with the giants, as it demonstrated early support for patients’ rights legislation?

I would be remiss not to mention the inspirational words of H.B. Zachry, an architect responsible for the development of the Hilton Palacio del Rio in San Antonio. His personal philosophy, displayed on a plaque in the hotel, is about work, and it’s about life. His observations are both poignant and inspiring. I read them often.

"I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon if I can. I seek opportunity, not security. I will refuse to be a kept citizen, to be humbled and dulled by having my state and nation look after me. I want to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed, never to be numbered among those weak and timid souls who have known neither victory nor defeat.

"I know that happiness can come only from the inside through hard constructive work and sincere positive thinking. I know that the so-called pleasures of the moment should not be confused with a state of happiness. I know that I can get a measure of inner satisfaction from any job if I intelligently plan and courageously execute it.

"I know that, if I put forth every iota of strength that I possess—physical, mental, spiritual—toward the accomplishment of a worthwhile task, ere I fall exhausted by the wayside, the Unseen Hand will reach out and pull me through. Yes, I want to live dangerously, to plan my procedures on the basis of calculated risks, to resolve the problems of everyday living into a measure of inner peace. I know if I know how to do all this, I will know how to live and, if I know how to live, I will know how to die."

Heady words!

All of JADA’s successes can be traced to a group that I affectionately refer to as Team JADA. The goal of JADA as the flagship publication of the American Dental Association is to offer its members a print and online scientific journal that represents the best available information on clinical subjects relevant to dentistry. To achieve this requires the efforts of a large and diverse group of dedicated people. Foremost are its contributing authors. Without their willingness to submit written documentation of their clinical and research findings, there would be no Journal.

Next in line are the more than 900 reviewers who donate their time and energies in assessing the relevance and accuracy of the submitted material. Intensely involved in both the review process and the solicitation of cutting-edge clinical research findings are the associate editors who provide everyday input into Journal materials. The editorial board, consisting of members drawn from all facets of dentistry, provides continuing advice on policy issues that affect The Journal.

The ultimate task—the process of turning the submitted words into publishable copy—is the assignment of JADA’s editorial, art and production staff. They work directly with authors to produce copy that will be readable and a Journal that is accessible and attractive. Getting The Journal out on time is their responsibility. They have never failed in my 11 years as editor.

The publisher, the associate publishers and their staff round out Team JADA. They provide the infrastructure and protect the editorial integrity of The Journal. My heartfelt thanks for their support.

Oh, yes. No publication would be complete without its readers. To them, I offer the following advice:

– Maintain your skills so that they never become outdated.

– Never stop seeking new knowledge.

– Information—timely, accurate, transferable and useful—will be the underpinnings for success in the 21st century.

– Don’t, regardless of the situation, attempt too much at the expense of yourself or your patients.

– If your work ever ceases to be enjoyable, re-examine your criteria for success.

Upon my successor—a highly qualified, internationally recognized clinician and researcher—I bestow a professional journal that is considered the gold standard for successful health organization publications; a professional membership whose dedication to patient welfare embellishes its world-class status; and a superb team of JADA staff and volunteers committed to excellence in publishing.

It’s the end of the line. Time to get off. But what an awesome run!

Farewell, Dr. Meskin
When I arrived at the ADA some nine years ago, I found a journal striving to redefine itself in response to the demands of a changing readership. I knew from experience that such a transitional process could be difficult and that it comes with an element of risk. Successful transformation requires a clarity of purpose and a thorough understanding of the needs of all those served by the publication in question—in this case, The Journal of the American Dental Association.

What I also found upon my arrival was an editor who was up to the task, one who had just the right combination of insight and daring to meet the challenge of change. That editor was, of course, Dr. Lawrence H. Meskin.

Under Dr. Meskin’s leadership, JADA has blossomed. It enters the 21st century as dentistry’s best-read journal, valued by new dentists and seasoned practitioners, educators and researchers, U.S. dentists and dentists around the world. Students and recent graduates prize it above all others.

Dr. Meskin’s first editorial in 1990 was appropriately titled, "The Bottom Line: Relevance and Readability." It spotlighted his understanding of the editor’s role: to provide dentists with practical but credible information to help them improve the quality of patient care.

Dr. Meskin’s monthly editorials made him, for many, the Voice of American Dentistry. No topic was too controversial for him to address, which he did with a clear understanding of his responsibility to the profession he loves.

Now, with this issue of JADA, Dr. Meskin takes his leave after 11 years as editor. He steps aside with quiet grace, observing modestly as he goes that it is "time to give someone else a chance."

As we welcome his successor, Dr. Marjorie K. Jeffcoat, we who have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Meskin bid him a fond farewell. We thank him for his contributions and for his dedication. We pledge to maintain the standards that he set, and to remember, as he always insisted, that our first obligation is to you, the reader.

—Laura A. Kosden, publisher