During my years in dental academics, I have sensed a persistent tension concerning the role of Operative Dentistry in dental education. There are people who take the position that Operative Dentistry is simply the core of General Dentistry and all dentists receive the training they need and can teach what is at their core, so why have advanced training in Operative Dentistry? Anyone with a DDS/DMD can do anything an advanced education program in Operative Dentistry could possibly teach. Then there are those who see as important the need to have dentists who have taken their training in Operative Dentistry to greater heights in the pursuit of excellence at all levels of training. I am grateful for the long-term support this journal has received from academies whose members largely fall in the latter line of thought. An important step toward stating the importance of advanced training in Operative Dentistry, Cariology,...
