BACKGROUND

In April 1990, six American Indian dentists gathered in Denver, Colorado (with resources provided by the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center) to develop a mission statement and organize a society that would meet the needs of American Indian dentists, dental students, and dental auxiliaries. The purpose of this organization is to:

    * promote dental health in the American Indian community
    * encourage American Indian youth to pursue a career in the profession of dentistry
    * serve as a resource for assistance to American Indian students interested in the profession of dentistry
    * provide role-model leadership
    * promote American Indian heritage and traditional values, and
      promote and support the unique concerns of American Indian dentists.

MEMBERSHIP

Several months later, the Society of American Indian Dentists (SAID) filed its application and was incorporated as a non-profit organization with the state of Arizona. Since that time the Society has grown to approximately 65 members representing 41 different tribes. Although most of the SAID members are in the practice of general dentistry, the specialties of endodontia, pedodontia, oral surgery, orthodontia and public health are also represented. There are five types of membership for the SAID organization:

Type I - American Indian Dentists
Type II - Non-Indian Dentists
Type III - Dental Auxiliaries (American Indian and Non-Indian)
Type IV - Dental Students (American Indian)
Type V - Honorary Membership (Voted by SAID Members)

The Society of American Indian Dentists (SAID) holds annual meetings each summer usually in association with a dental school and American Indian tribes located in the vicinity of the institution. Meetings have been held at Creighton University, University of Oregon, University of California at Los Angeles, University of Minnesota, and twice at the University of Oklahoma (OU has established the first SAID Student Chapter).

The 7th Annual Meeting was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico and was given support by the Director of the Indian Health Service.
The 1998 conference was held in Polson, Montana and hosted by the Salish-Kootenai, and Flathead tribes of Montana.
The 1999 Annual Meeting was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico in conjunction with the IHS Annual Dental Conference.
The 10th Annual Conference of SAID (2000) Was held in Phoenix, AZ with resources provided by the Phoenix Indian Medical Center (IHS). At this Conference, a "Dr. George Blue Spruce, Jr. Scholarship Fund: was established for eligible American Indian Dental Students.
The 11th Annual Conference of SAID (2001) was held in Denver, Colorado hosted by the University of Colorado School of Dentistry June 10-14, 2001
SAID 12th Annual Conference was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, in June 2002.
The 13th Annual Conference will be held in Mesa, AZ, on June 6-8, 2003

NEW DENTAL SCHOOL APPOINTS DR. GEORGE BLUE SPRUCE, AS ASSISTANT DEAN FOR AMERICAN INDIAN AFFAIRS.

The Arizona School of Health Sciences is establishing a school of dentistry & oral health to address the underrepresented and underserved needs of American Indians. The new school will start classes in the summer of 2002 and will have an American Indian focus in its new campus in Mesa, AZ and at its satelite American Indian campus. Dr. Blue Spruce is the former Assistant Surgeon General and Director of the Indian Health Service Phoenix Area Office. He was instrumental in establising SAID and has been its president for the past serveral years. Dr. Jack Dillenberg, the former director of Arizona's Department of Health Services and longtime Harvard adjunct faculty member has been named dean of the new dental school.