The Tipping Point?
The Tipping Point?
Malcolm Gladwell's book Tipping Point is about change. In particular, it's a book that presents a new way of understanding why change so often happens as quickly and as unexpectedly as it does. For example, why did crime drop so dramatically in New York City in the mid-1990's? Why do teens smoke in greater and greater numbers, when everyone knows that cigarettes kill? Why did U.S. dentist's dramatically increase their use of autoclaves after the first case of AIDS transmission in dentistry?
I think the answer to all those questions is the same. It's that ideas, behavior, messages and products sometimes behave just like outbreaks of infectious disease. They are social epidemics. The Tipping Point is an examination of the social epidemics that surround us.
What outcome will the lead found in dental restorations from overseas laboratories have? I am not sure, but a recent issue of USA Today carried an article about it (http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/03/getting-the-lea.html). That is beginning to sound like a very broad awareness and deep concern. At the very least, it will have re-invigorated the discussion about material and technician competency in our laboratory profession.
My recent article in Dental Economics (February 2008) is timely in asking the same questions of the dental community. Patient's health and safety, right to know, registration, testing, DAMAS, certification and more related topics have risen to the forefront.
Will it cost more? Certainly it will.
Will it take more time, energy and effort? To be sure, it will.
The real question is: Is it worth it? As the sirenÃs song of cheap goods and services drives our economy into a low cost, at-all-costs spiral, do not be mislead. There is a real cost to pay for everything we choose to do or choose not to do. There will be a price to pay for any decision we make or do not make.
Change is inevitable, growth is optional. Step up and pay the price because there is a price to pay for education, ignorance, good health, sickness and disease, attending to relationships, neglecting relationships, love and trusta nd a price to pay for fear and hate. We cannot choose whether or not we will pay. We can only choose for what.
