It is with tremendous pride that I write my final President’s message. I have enjoyed an amazing journey and transformation within this past year. I was ready for my role as President prior to last April’s induction knowing some major changes in MCDS were coming. We were searching for a new executive secretary, our AGD certification needed to be renewed and MCDS study club credits approved. A farewell needed to be planned to appropriately honor Marlene Glickman for all of her time and commitment to our component for so many years. Needless to say, all was accomplished. We even streamlined a process to welcome and recognize new MCDS members by a personalized telephone call from the President. Visiting several components and representing MCDS was enlightening and valuable. Many other subtle changes took place at the board meeting and how we conducted business efficiently and effectively. I enjoyed my time so much I wish I could do it for another year J.
Now that my term is done, I will use the summer to reflect on what has been accomplished and what lies ahead. As I announced at our meeting I have a passion for success and a passion for dance. My aspiration is to one day be NJDA President and them maybe ADA President. To reach this goal it will require a lot of hard work, patience, credibility and control of my emotions. This past year has provided me with the confidence and knowledge to pursue that dream in the future. And I’m sure with the tutelage from Dr.’s Kahn, Vitale, Weiner ahead of me, that maybe possible?
Until then, I will dance, dance and dance. I love dancing and teaching dance. It’s my “Zen.” It takes me away from reality, dentistry and any stress or negativity. I am energized and ready to face the world. I hope all of you have some form of escape. Dentistry can burn you out if you don’t have a hobby or a way to relax your body and mind. Whether its playing golf, listening to music, exercise, running, yoga, meditation… please incorporate something into your daily routine which is all about you. You never know which day maybe your last, so live every day like it’s your last. Add life to your days and I’m sure it will add days to your life. It has been an honor and privilege to serve as your President and I leave myself available to any assistance in the future. Thank you for your trust in me. Have a safe and wonderful summer.
With gratitude, Devang Modi

Attendance: Drs. Devang Modi, Peter DeSciscio, Robert Silverstein, Sajeev Satwah, Maya Prabhu, Antoinette Tauk, Nima Mir-Madjlessi, Deborah Brown, Robert Ashmen, Nainesh Desai, Mario Fiorentini, and Nicholas Diaz.
Acceptance of 3/14/17 Minutes—vote unanimous
President’s Report – Dr. Devang Modi
This will be our last board meeting and it has been a pleasure to serve you all. We have conducted all MCDS business effectively in record time this year and I appreciate everyone’s cooperation, advice and valuable input to make my Presidency year a success for all MCDS members-- thank you.
Rutgers Health University Dental Associates at 135 Somerset Street will be conducting an open house on Wednesday, April 19th from 9am-7pm. All are encouraged to visit the site and have any questions answered about the intent of this site, especially if you are a dentist practicing and serving the nearby community and RWJUH employees.
I am requesting all MCDS board members to attend the House of Delegates meeting on Saturday, May 6th afternoon. Dr. Mark Vitale will be sworn in as NJDA President and Dr. Mitch Weiner will be moving up as Treasurer. This is another extremely proud moment for MCDS and we should have a strong presence in support of both. Thank you in advance to all those attending.
Treasurer’s Report – Dr. Sanjeev Satwah
See full report on page 3
Trustee’s Report – Dr. Peter DeSciscio
The Board approved the formation of the NJDA sub-trust agreement with participation in the Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangement (MEWA), operated by America Master Trust (AMT) and a funding commitment of $10,000. The sub-trust document will be reviewed by outside legal counsel with expertise in this field. The sub-trust allows for 3 trustees of the sub-trust. It was agreed that the terms should be staggered. The Board approved the nomination of Dr. Mitch Weiner to serve a 3 year term. Dr. Di Vincenzo appointed Dr. Kevin Corry to a one year term. Dr. Di Vincenzo will speak with other qualified members to fill the two year term.
Executive Secretary Report – Stephanie Dowling
The PO Box address for MCDS has expired and was up for renewal. It has been transferred to a more convenient location for me from East Brunswick to PO BOX 127 in Colonia, NJ 07067. Please make a note of it. It will be updated on our website, stationary and all sponsors informed. Mail will forwarded to the new post office box for the next year for a nominal fee.
NJDA Council Reports:
New Dentists – Sanjeev Satwah
I have been relieved of my “new dentist” duties since I have graduated 10 years ago. I no longer sit on the committee and Tom Snisak of Monmouth is the new Chair of the committee.
Peer Review – Dr. Sandy Goldstein
There was one case successfully mediated last month. One new case was assigned. We currently have two cases undergoing active mediation.
Committee Reports:
Corporate Sponsorship – Dr. Ira Rosen
At the April General Membership meeting, all four of our gold sponsors will be in attendance – ZimmerBiomet, Dentsply International, Provident Bank and Techspedient. In addition, one of our bronze sponsors will be joining us again– Acquadent Dental Laboratory. Also please join me in welcoming a new sponsor to our dental society- ZEISS. They are manufacturers of surgical microscopes and high quality loupes. Make sure to visit all of our sponsors and view their products.
The corporate sponsorship committee is proud to support our upcoming Continuing Education program. On Friday, October 20, 2017, MCDS is proud to bring Dr. Dennis Tarnow back to speak to us at the Pines Manor. Dr. Tarnow is a world-renowned speaker, educator and clinician in the field of dental implants. Due to the outstanding work of the MCDS Executive Board and the support of our corporate sponsors, all MCDS members will be able to spend a full day learning from Dr. Tarnow, including coffee breaks and a full buffet lunch, for the incredible member-only early registration fee of $25.00! This is the ultimate member benefit and we hope to see all of our members there.
Membership – Dr. Nima Mir-Madjlessi, Dr. Genevieve Fernandes
The last membership council meeting was held on March 13, 2017. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend due to family obligations. However here are some of the highlights of the minutes:
The RSDM Mentorship program IS scheduled to launch in early to mid April.
NJDA has begun researching non-members w/o email addresses.
Brendan Breen and Dr. Joan Monaco began visiting the NJ residency programs for the second time.
2 videos can be viewed on NJDA website to promote NJDA career center and Mentor program.
The Career center has been online for over a month and has made a profit. (75 jobs have been posted.
A list of best practices for components is being developed.
The council has asked the NJDA staff to develop 5,10,15,… membership achievement certificates.
The search for a full time faculty member of RSDM to join the membership council continues.
On March 30, the Membership Council Members received an email from Brendan Breen-the Director of Membership for NJDA that he has accepted another position with another organization and his tenure came to an end on April 10, 2017. If there is any further information, it will be shared with our membership. The next Membership council meeting-via teleconference will be on April 24, 2017.
Mentor – Dr. Nima Mir-Madjlessi
Our bi-annual OSHA program that satisfies the OSHA standard on Occupational Exposure to Blood Borne Pathogens, which is required annually for dentists and staff, will be given on June 15, 2017 at JFK Hospital in Edison NJ. Two CEU credits was awarded to the Dentists & staff members attending these 2-hour seminars. These seminars are available as a member benefit of MCDS. A very big “Thank You” to Dr. Devang Modi for arranging all our room accommodations for the MCDS-OSHA-Mentor programs at JFK Hospital in Edison, NJ. Please see the insert in this newsletter for additional information and registration for the Mentor program.
MCDS Study Club – Dr. Nima Mir-Madjlessi, Dr. Genevieve Fernandes
On October 26, 2016 we had the second meeting of the 2016-7 MCDS Study Club. Our own Dr. Amit Vora gave a presentation entitled “Lasers in Dentistry: A Minimally Invasive Approach.” This was an excellent presentation which was well received and appreciated by all of those who attended. We had about 15 members who attended the meeting.
Another reminder to all of our members: take advantage of this opportunity and to invite a friend or colleague who is not a member of NJDA/MCDS to see one of the many benefits of membership. Our next meeting will be held on April 12, 2017. Our esteemed speaker will be Dr. Hugh Habas. The title of the course is “Managing Your Practice for Optimum Profitability and Success- the Power of 50% (or less) Overhead Expense.” I hope that I see a lot of you at this meeting.
May 24, 2017 has been reserved for our last Study club of the 2016-17 season. There seemed to be an interest in having another open round table discussion. I would appreciate it if our members could RSVP in advance so we can organize that meeting if there is enough of an interest.
New Business: Dr. Nicholas Diaz was appointed to be our representative for the NJDA Council on New Dentists.
Respectfully Submitted, Dr. Antoinette Tauk, Secretary

General Dentist Associate Wanted

For an established private practice in
North Brunswick, New Jersey.
The hours available are:
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

This practice offers state-of-the art technology with an experienced and friendly staff in a great area. If you seek clinical autonomy, good compensation and ability to maintain a work-life balance while practicing in a friendly environment, then please email your CV to the email address below. This could be the next great next step in your dental career.

Contact: Bob Schwartz
Phone: 862-400-3223
Email: [email protected]

DENTAL OFFICE AVAILABLE TO SUBLET

Modern, high end office located in a professional building in North Brunswick available to sublet part time. Great opportunity for a new dentist startup, satellite office or specialist.
Please email inquiries to
[email protected].

Insurance Claims Problems?

Claims Resolution Service is available through the NJDA to help you resolve any dental claim issue. Please contact Dr. Joan Monaco at 732-821-9400.
This service is provided free to you as a member benefit.

General Membership Meeting Business

The slate of officers for 2017-18 was unanimously approved by the members present, and inducted by Dr. Daniel Krantz.
They are as follows:
President: Dr. Amit Vora,
President-Elect and Education Coordinator: Genevieve Fernandes,
Vice President: Sanjeev Satwah,
Secretary: Antoinette Tauk,
Treasurer: Mario Fiorentini.

Provide MCDS with your email address!

As those of you who have registered your email addresses with us know, the Board is becoming more pro-active in notifying you with timely information, such as upcoming early registration deadlines, reminders about any changes in dates for the General Meetings, course reminders, etc. By having your email address, we can get such vital and timely information to you. Register by clicking here.

MCDS Newsletter Online

To receive the newsletter electronically in lieu of receiving a printed copy, please click here.
By registering, you will be able to view the newsletter about a week before it would get to you in the mail, and this will also be saving us money. You will receive an email letting you know that the new issue is available for viewing on our web site. You can also download a digital version in pdf format.

Phishing Attacks Are Getting More Difficult to Detect by Bob Silverstein, Editor

This article was inspired by an article by Xudong Zheng. You can read his full blog post here: https://www.xudongz.com/blog/2017/idn-phishing/

Phishing attacks (fake web sites or emails that attempt to have you reveal your personal information to them) are becoming more and more prevalent. I get several email phishing attempts every day. Recently, I started getting emails from hackers proporting to be from companies like Lowes and Amazon, stating that I had won a gift certificate. Other common phishing attempts come in the form of emails from banks, credit card companies or online services like PayPal. These emails will pretend that your account has been compromised somehow, and that for your protection, you need to open an attachment or ask you to click on a link in the email to log in to you account and “fix” it.
Below is an example email that I received just a few days ago:
Dear Valued Client,
As part of our continuing commitment in ensuring greate
r security for you and your account,
we require that you update your account
records. Please help us keep the records current.
To avoid limits on your
account, simply complete the form that we have provided in the
email attach
ment. You may open it in your web browser to update your records.
We will n
otify you when your records have been processed. If your account information
is not
updated, your account will be restricted and you will not be able to
receive or send payments
until such time as your form is received and proce
ssed.
Sincerely,
PayPal

In the past, these types of phishing attempts are made obvious by poor grammar, misspellings, line breaks in the middle of words, etc. as in the above example. However, a new type of attack called a “homograph” attack is being used, which makes fraudulent links and the websites that those links take you too, indistinguishable from the legitimate ones.
Text on your computer can either be encoded using ASCII or Unicode - your computer’s internal system for representing text. What hackers are doing, is registering web sites with Unicode characters from different languages, and this confuses some web browsers like Chrome, Firefox and Opera, based on the fonts that these browsers use, to display the fraudulent site’s address the same way it displays the legitimate site’s address in the the browser’s address bar. For example, the domain “?????.com”, registered as “xn--80ak6aa92e.com”, bypasses those browsers’ filter by only using Cyrillic characters. So if you are using a vulnerable browser and click on a spoofed link, either in an email or on a fraudulent web site, and you assume that you can tell if you were taken to the legitimate web site by looking at the web address displayed in the browser’s web address bar, you will fooled into providing your personal information to a phishing site.
If your system supports multiple languages, then Internet Explorer may also be vulnerable. Safari and some non-mainstream browsers are not vulnerable.
So what can you do about this? If you get an email from a company with whom you have an account, that asks you to click on a link to log in to your account to get a statement, unfreeze your account, update your personal information, etc., don’t click on that link. Open your web browser and type in the top level address yourself (www.apple.com, for example). Then use that site’s navigation system to get to the area that the email was asking you to go to.
This problem was fixed with Chrome 58. Although Firefox does not have an internal fix, there are instructions on the site referenced at the top of this page to changing one of the about:config settings to properly display the malicious address in Firefox’s address bar (but you still have to be vigilant about looking at the address bar to make sure you are on the site that you think you are on).