The vision for JADA for the next couple of years is that it continue to be the profession’s definitive source of information on dentistry and dental-related research.
The honor of being named editor of The Journal of the American Dental Association is not one merely to be displayed on a plaque in an office. This honor signifies the Association’s belief and trust in the editor-designee’s ability to create a vision, to work hard and to accomplish identifiable goals. For the past 92 years, this covenant has never been broken. All 11 previous editors have, through their dedication and scholarly contributions, positioned The Journal as one of the most prominent dental publications in the world. These are mighty big shoes to fill.
The vision for JADA for the next couple of years is that it continue to be the profession’s definitive source of information on dentistry and dental-related research. JADA will focus on international collaboration, help to define our professional role in the health care community, embrace new technological advances and translate important research into practical applications for the practicing dentist.
The global village envisioned by Marshal McLuhan1 more than 40 years ago is no longer only academic polemics discourse. Its veracity is undeniable, and our professional lives are irrevocably bound by existing and emerging technologies that enable us to communicate beyond our geographical boundaries in a matter of seconds.
Although JADA’s content should respond to and reflect mainly the needs of U.S. dentists and their staff, The Journal also is widely read by thousands of oral health care providers in other countries. This flow of communication needs to be strengthened and reciprocated by broadening existing affiliations and creating new international relationships.
Although our traditional goal as dentists is to provide the best oral health care possible, we have in recent years come to embrace the role we play in the overall health of our patients. This is not a new concept. In an article published in the February 1955 issue of JADA,2 exactly 50 years ago, Edward R. Pinckney, M.D., M.P.H., proposed that dentists should "emphasize the care and preservation of normal health and ... search for undetected disease in its early stages." He further pointed out that the dentist might be at a much better vantage point to do so, as "the physician usually is not consulted until actual illness is evident." JADA will help further this concept by promoting models that unify and integrate oral health with overall health care.
In a recent special JADA supplement on technology in the modern dental practice, it was made clear that the next decade is going to bring further technological advances to all aspects of dental care.3 JADA will play an integral role in the rapid communication of advancing technologies that support the practice of dentistry.
Advances in research are happening at a faster pace than at any other time in the history of humankind, and information becomes available for all to see within days of discovery. The need to understand this information and how it affects our personal and professional lives is essential. JADA will make every effort to keep its readership current by publishing important research and by helping to interpret how research findings will affect everyday dental practice.
These ambitious goals cannot be accomplished by one person alone. The editor is fortunate to have the assistance of the ADA’s Publishing Division, whose 28 dedicated and hardworking individuals help to create and maintain the principles and values embodied in The Journal. More than 900 expert reviewers ensure that accepted manuscripts adhere to the high standards of peer-review publishing.
Six associate editors and an outstanding editorial board will assist and advise your new editor along the way; but, most important of all, The Journal needs input from you, its readers. Manuscripts, letters to the editor and suggestions will help ensure that The Journal is responsive to its readership. However, with such a vast and diverse readership, it will not be possible to accommodate all requests or respond to all ideas. The editor has been given the responsibility to create a vision and to keep the course. I invite you to accompany me on this journey, because ultimately The Journal of the American Dental Association belongs to you.
