Dentists in the ADA Institute for Diversity in Leadership receive guidance and mentoring as they conduct leadership projects that address a civic or professional issue of personal importance. The ADA News occasionally summarizes Institute members' projects, and those reports are included here.

Manchester, Maine—Maine could be the first state in the nation to lift the restrictions on the age children can be enrolled in a dental insurance plan.

Washington—An organized dentistry coalition's nine organizations told Rep. Daniel Lungren (R-Calif.) they "enthusiastically support" his bill to repeal a health reform tax provision "that greatly expands the conditions under which businesses are required to file 1099 tax forms.

There are two key actions the ADA Board of Trustees is asking the 2010 House of Delegates to take this year: adopt a $7 dues increase in keeping with the Association's dues stabilization policy; and approve a one-time special assessment of $23 to pay for a long-deferred investment in information technology infrastructure.

What can you buy for $23?

For ADA members next year, $23 for a one-time special assessment could mean $2.5 million in critical information technology infrastructure improvements that have been deferred to the point of risking an IT slowdown in the Association.

ADA members planning to travel to Chicago this summer for business or leisure can take advantage of the ADA Chicago Discounted Hotel Program.

The ADA Standards Committee on Dental Informatics has approved for circulation for review and comment Proposed ADA Technical Report No. 1048 for Attachment of DICOM Datasets Using E-mail in Dentistry.

Orlando, Fla.—There's still time to make plans to be a part of the ADA annual session by entering the Education Exchange Competition, sponsored by Cleankeys Inc. The deadline for submitting an entry is July 31.

Springfield, Va.—Mentoring and determination were the keys to success for an ADA member who developed a continuing education program with a hands-on clinic designed to help dentists treat more patients with special health needs.

MetLife has hired consultants in India to review U.S. dental claims, angering some dentists who believe that the claims should be handled domestically.

The Ritz-Carlton Chicago, which offers special rates for ADA members, has completed its lobby renovation and its new "deca restaurant + bar" is now open. ADA members can receive discounted room rates at the Ritz.

The ADA resource Transitions: Navigating Sales, Associateships, and Partnerships in Your Dental Practice covers all of the most cutting-edge strategies, including delayed sales, fractional sales, mergers and partnerships.

Tampa, Fla.—A Tampa-area nonprofit organization has not only marked the milestone of reaching its 2 millionth child with health and injury prevention education, including dental education, it has also been a catalyst in improving the oral health of local citizens.

Walk into any dentist's office and there's a chance a common scene is playing out: a dentist is sitting on a stool, hunched over a patient.

Bloomington, Ill.—When the doors of the Interstate Center opened at 6 a.m. June 11, hundreds of dental patients had been in line for hours, hoping for the chance to receive free dental care.

Nearly 2.5 million people nationwide have had their health information breached since September, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the numbers alone underline why dentists should be cognizant about protecting their patients' confidential information.

San Jose, Calif.—An interest in dental pulp stem cells helped lead high school students Julie Chang and Yesha Maniar to a first-place finish at the 2010 Intel International Science Fair.

Since the health care reform bill was signed into law, ADA members with health savings accounts may be left wondering about the fate of their existing HSAs. The good news is that although many tax breaks with regard to health insurance will be eliminated, the health savings account will remain largely intact.

New York—Some 300 seniors in New York City and 50 or so dental, dental hygiene and nursing students at New York University are working together to focus more attention on the importance of oral health care for older adults and to break through access to care barriers.

The ADA Board at its June meeting approved the 2011-2014 ADA Strategic Plan, a roadmap that provides the strategic direction for the ADA for the next three years.