About Our Society

Purpose

Membership

Membership Application

History of the NESP

NESP'S Past Presidents

Purpose

1. Eligibility - Membership shall be limited to dentists, who by previous training, attainments, deportment and desire to improve the art and science of periodontology have signified a willingness to serve the organization. Exceptions may be made at the descretion of the Membership Committee and approved by the Board of Directors.

   Classification: The members of this society shall be classified as follows:

   1. active members
   2. associate members
   3. affiliate members
   4. retired members
   5. life members

   Eligibility and Privileges: The eligibility and privileges for the various classification of members shall be as follows:

   1. Active membership: an active members shall meet one of the following criteria:
      1. active membership in the American Academy of Periodontology.
      2. diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology.
      3. completion of a postdoctoral program in periodontology accredited by the Council on Dental Education of the American Dental Association.
      4. holds a regular faculty appointment in the Department of Periodontology of an accredited school of dentistry.
      5. membership in the Society prior to 1969.

      An active member shall have all the privileges of membership in the Academy including the right to vote, make nominations and hold office.

   2. Associate Membership: Any dentist in good standing in the American Dental Association or National Dental Association who is interested in the art and science of Periodontology. An associate member will have all privileges of active membership except the right to vote, make nominations or hold office.

   3. Affiliate Membership: Affiliate Membership: A person shall be eligible to be an affiliate member who is continuously enrolled in an Advanced Education Program in Periodontics approved by the Council of Dental Education of the American Dental Association. In the year following completion of training, application may be made for active membership.

   4. Retired Membership: Retired membership may be voted by the Board of Directors beause of age or disability to a member who has been an active member for 10 or more years. A retired member will not be required to pay dues but shall have all the privileges of an active member except the right to vote, make nominations and hold office. Furthermore, the retired member will be charged for the cost of the luncheon, if attending the meeting.

   5. Life Membership: Upon application, a member shall be eligible for life membership if an active member in the society for 25 years, has attained the age of 65 and is approved by the Board of Trustees. A life member will pay no dues. All other privileges of an active member will be guaranteed.

2. Election - After approval of the Membership Committee, a nominee may be elected to membership by a majority vote an an annual meeting.

3. Privileges - A member in good standing shall be entitled to all rights and privileges give to any other member.

4. Suspension and Reinstatement - A member may be suspended or expelled by the two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors. Suspension or expulsion may be requested for failure to pay dues or assessments or for violation of the code of ethics or for violation of the requirements of eligibility for membership or the purposes of the organization.

   A suspended member may be reinstated by a two-thirds action of the Board of Directors. All arrear dues and assessments must be paid before the suspension may be lifted. Other penalties may be imposed.

   An expelled member may not be reinstated.

• Click here for a printable Membership Application.

History of the NESP

The Northeastern Society of Periodontists:
The First 30 Years

by Steven I. Gold, D.D.S.

excerpted from Periodontal Case Reports, Volume 12 Number 1, 1990
Northeastern Society of Periodontists

The Northeastern Society of Periodontists celebrated its thirtieth anniversary in 1989. The organizational meetings that preceded that formal founding of NESP were held in the offices of Dr. Harold J. Leonard, a pioneer in American periodontal education.

The first specialist training in periodontology became available shortly after the Second World War. Columbia University and New York University, in 1947, offered a one-year program designed to meet the requirements of the then newly formed American Board of Periodontology (organized in 1939). The growing number of specialists, concentrated mainly in the northeast, felt the need to explore the rapidly increasing body of scientific data relating to periodontology more frequently than attendance at national meetings allowed. This led to the formation of the regional and later state organizations that now form the local infrastructure of American periodontology. As the first and, perhaps, best known amongst these organizations, the Northeastern Society of Periodontists is proud to celebrate its thirtieth anniversary.

As a response to the strong belief in the local causes of and preventability of "pyorrhea," the prophylaxis of oral hygiene movement developed in the United States at the turn of this century. Among the early practitioners of "periodontia" as it was then called were Gillette Hayden, Grace Rodgers Spaulding, John Oppie McCall, Paul Stillman, Isador Hirschfeld, and Harold J. Leonard, all of whom were presidents of the American Academy of Periodontology between 1914 and 1941. Harold J. Leonard was the Chairman of the AAP Committee on Education in 1929 when he recommended the founding of the Journal of Periodontology.

Dr. Leonard remained active in periodontal education throughout his life. He practiced in the Squibb building in New York. He was one of the driving forces in the founding of NESP. The early meetings were held in his office and the offices of Leonard Hirschfeld. The organizational meeting that preceded the formal founding of the organization was held at the Shelburne Hotel in New York City and was attended by Harold Leonard, Irwin Scopp, Abram Chasens, Norman Alderman, George Whinston, and Ira Ross. The first membership chairman was Charles Berman.

The organization had a charter, seal and constitution by 1960. The certificate of incorporation lists the directors as H. J. Leonard, G. J. Witkin, I. W. Scopp, G. J. Whinston, and N. E. Alderman. The first program chairman was Bernard Wasserman and the meeting in 1959 was held at New York University, with lunch at the Gramercy Park Hotel.

The speakers at the first meeting were Dr. Howard Schneider of the Rockefeller Institute, who was editor of one of the Annals of the New York Academy of Science — on the subject of Natural Resistance to Disease. Harry Bleckman spoke on the microbiology of periodontal disease in the afternoon session.

The fall seminar in 1960 was held on Friday, November 4. Sigmund Stahl was the program chairman, and the speakers included Irwin Mandel, D. Walter Cohen, Irving Glickman, and Leonard Hirschfeld. The assays ranged from carbohydrate-protein content of saliva and calculus to healing following mucogingival surgery. The lunch-time speaker was Isador Hirschfeld, who spoke on "Reflections of an Era in Periodontics."

The 1966 Constitution and By-Laws states "there shall be an annual meeting in the spring of each year ... special meeting may be called by the Board of Directors." In 1976, the scientific meetings were increased to two a year, one to be held in the spring, the other in the fall. Irwin Scopp, who was recently honored by the NESP for 30 years of service as Secretary of the organization, served in that post from the founding of the NESP until 1989.

An early edition of the Constitution and By-Laws states the purpose of the organization: "The purposes for which the organization is formed are to promote scientific research in, and to disseminate information regarding the art and science of Periodontics. The sphere of activity shall primarily encompass the Northeastern area of the country."

In the late 1960s, the Northeastern Society of Periodontists established a fund to endow a medal in memory of Isador Hirschfeld, a pioneer in the field of periodontology. This was called the Isador Hirschfeld Award Medal and honors those members who have made contributions to the advancement of periodontology through dental research, dental education, and the periodontal literature, and, in addition, performed outstanding service to the profession and to the Society.

In 1979, Periodontal Case Reports, a publication of the Northeastern Society of Periodontists, was founded. Dr. Alan Winter was the founding Editor. The current editors of the journal are Dr. Vincent Iacono and Dr. Paul Baer. A panel of educators and clinicians serve as contributing consultants. In 1980, Periodontal Case Reports was awarded the Golden Pen Certificate of Merit from the International College of Dentists.

The outstanding role of the NESP in periodontal education will continue throughout the 21st Century.
 

NESP's Past Presidents