Engagement in Professional Societies Among Younger Generations of Dentists
By Laurence H. Stone, DDS, ABGD and Eugene M. Dunne, PhD
Professional societies and organizations have long been a“ home base” for those with a shared identity to exchange knowledge and resources related to their field. Professional societies assemble experts to set standards for a profession, which may include policy statements, codes of ethics and care guidelines. Such organizations can serve as a unified voice for a field of professionals through a shared mission and purpose. The reach and impact of a professional society is closely linked to the size and engagement of their membership, as this represents the lifeblood of professional organizations.
While membership in a professional society was previously seen as a“ rite of passage” in many fields, recent years have seen concerning drops in rates of new membership. Robert Putnam’ s seminal book,“ Bowling Alone” – published 25 years ago- not only described the loss of social capital in America, but also the decline in professional associations as well. This trend is reflected in the decrease in membership in the American Dental Association( ADA). The reasons for this are complex, and have likely been exacerbated in the last few decades by the increase in social media engagement and more recently by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is further illustrated by falling attendance at dental society meetings and, in particular, locally by the collapse of the three-day Valley Forge Dental Conference – one of the more successful dental conferences on the East Coast.
Attendance data from the Pennsylvania Dental Association( PDA) illustrates that younger dentists are not engaging to the same degree as in the past. The following chart shows that the average age of attendees at PDA-sponsored continuing education events steadily increased over the past two decades.
10 MARCH / APRIL 2025 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL