Local dentist named for MDA's highest annual honor

Dr. William T. Kane, a general dentist in Dexter, was recently named the 2013 Missouri Dental Association (MDA) Dentist of the Year. The award is designed to recognize a member dentist who has demonstrated outstanding service to the MDA, to the profession of dentistry and to the community during the past year.

Kane is a 1980 graduate of the UMKC School of Dentistry and is an esteemed member of the Southeast Dental Society. He has been an advocate for oral health and organized dentistry in many ways over the past 30 years, it was noted during the MDA presentation.

His efforts have earned him recognition and a platform from which to educate practitioners as a lecturer on the well being of dental professionals. He also serves as dental board examiner for both Central Regional Dental Testing Service and Western Regional Testing Board.

In the way of community service, Kane has been instrumental in organizing and maintaining dental charities, while working to improve access to dental care. Since March 2010, Smiles of Hope, a volunteer dental clinic in his hometown, has provided reduced-fee care to approximately 60 patients per month who have difficulty accessing dental care. He was a clinic lead and actively volunteered at the 2013 Mission of Mercy in Cape Girardeau, where he extracted more than 250 teeth. He is also actively involved in planning the 2014 Mission of Mercy that will take place in St. Louis in May of 2014.

One of Kane's most significant passions is the "well being" of his dental colleagues in the area of substance abuse and mental health disorders. As such, he has been instrumental in the creation and sustainability of the Missouri Dental Well Being program. He is the current chair of the Missouri Dental Well Being Foundation and a member of the American Dental Association (ADA) Dental Wellness Advisory Committee.

Additionally, Kane is a peer supporter and mentor for the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry's Prescribers Clinical Support System. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Regional Health Care Foundation, based in Dexter and is on the Active Medical Staff at SoutheastHEALTH Center of Stoddard County.

Kane has lectured 22 times on his vast experience and knowledge of opioid abuse, dependence and recovery -- including most recently to the 2012 ADA Annual Session. In addition, he has published nearly a dozen articles on treating patients with substance abuse issues.

Kane's primary focus remains treating his patients in is practice of 33 plus years. After more than three decades, the local dentist says he still enjoys going to his office on a daily basis, and he continues to display the highest regard for his office staff as they assist him in the care of his patients.

When asked what keeps him motivated and striving for excellence, Kane said, "I feel like I am the most blessed dentists in the Show Me State. I have been given so much -- dentistry has been so very rewarding to me -- and I enjoy paying back that good fortune. Serving others is really what keeps me motivated. When I do this, it strengthens my resolve to continue on this path."

Kane continues to practice at 913 West Business 60 in Dexter.