F you ask the average practicing dentist, he does not understand the shortage of professional personnel in dentistry. He is taking care of the patients in his practice-the people who seek his services-and that appears to be the parameter of his concern. He is incensed at all the conversation related to dentistry's inability to cope with today's oral healthcare needs. He is completely turned off at what he considers competition by expanded duty auxiliaries. It is the responsibility of the State Dental Association, the State Board of Dentistry, and the School of Dentistry, to educate the practicing dentists not only to the absolute necessity of maximizing their operating efficiency to meet the needs of the people they should serve, but to the many advantages, increased challenges and personal satisfaction of delivering oral health care as leader of the dental team. These practicing dentists must be made to realize that dentistry has a responsibility to all of the public, and that we cannot hope to maintain our franchise if we cannot satisfy their needs. If we believe that there is a manpower crisis, and we do, we must communicate by mail, by journal, by formal and informal meetings, by continuing education in the School of Dentistry, and in colleges and vocational schools where auxiliary programs exist, as well as by open circuit television throughout the state. Our first obligation then, is to alert the practicing profession to their responsibilities and means of meeting those responsibilities. Obviously, the most fertile ground for establishing any new concepts or changes in philosophy is in the dental school. Here, we can reasonably mold the captive embryo into the graduate of our own design. If the student is taught a method of practice, he will, in all likelihood, adapt his practice accordingly. If he is taught the value of the dental hygienist, now in her expanded function role, he will need the dental hygienist in his practice. If he is given sufficient experience and training in the use of the expanded duty assistant, he will need this auxiliary in his practice. This has been amply demonstrated with the laboratory technician.