UMKC honors Bert Oettmeier for national, state and local work

Bert W. Oettmeier, Jr., credits fate for bringing him to the dental profession.

“I think it chose me,” says Oettmeier, who graduated from the UMKC School of Dentistry in 1978. Since then, he has held numerous leadership positions at the local, state and national levels in dentistry groups and at his DDS alma mater.

Here’s how fate played a role: on a football scholarship, Oettmeier attended Kansas State University for his undergraduate degree and had completed all of the requirements to go into the health professions, probably medicine. But due to his rigorous athletic schedule, he hadn’t taken the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). A school counselor asked him if he had considered dentistry, and he said he was probably in a similar situation with the Dental Admission Test (DAT). But it turned out that day was the last day to sign up. So he took the test a week after his last game and sent an application – past deadline – to the UMKC School of Dentistry. To his surprise, the school invited him for an interview and told him they were late in selecting the next class. Months later, he was accepted.

“I felt this was a sign from above leading me along this path,” Oettmeier said. “Too many extraordinary circumstances played a part in making dentistry a reality for me, a reality I’ve never regretted.”

Oettmeier now runs a dental practice in Leawood, and is vice president of the American College of Dentists, the oldest and arguably most prestigious honorary dental organization in the U.S. Its mission is to advance ethics, excellence, professionalism and leadership in dentistry.

“The advancement of these attributes is so vitally important for our profession to maintain the public’s level of trust and respect,” he said.

Oettmeier also has held leadership positions with the Fifth District Dental Society of Kansas, the American Dental Association and as chair of the ADA Councils on Dental Benefit Programs, Code Revision Committee and Code Advisory Committee. He was president of the Kansas Dental Association, was recognized as Dentist of the Year and received the Harry M. Klenda Award for Outstanding Council Service for his Kansas Legislative efforts to support patient rights.

He will be honored by the campus and the UMKC Alumni Association with the 2015 School of Dentistry Alumni Achievement Award.  He is among the 17 UMKC alumni who will be recognized at the annual Alumni Awards luncheon on Thursday, April 23.

Discussing patient rights, Oettmeier says “it’s all about freedom of choice and fairness. I don’t believe insured patients should be punished for a decision to seek treatment ‘out of network.’ Patients should receive the same insurance benefits regardless of where they seek care. The same premium should provide the same benefit.”

Oettmeier’s community service extends to UMKC, where he has contributed many hours as a UMKC Trustee and also as chair of the Dr. Roy James Rinehart Foundation, which financially supports grants, scholarships, fellowships, professorships and special projects that advance oral health care at the School of Dentistry.

“I recall the old adage that if you need to get a job done, find a busy person,” he said. “I find the busier I am, the better and more efficiently I use my time.”

The UMKC Alumni Awards luncheon is one of the university’s largest events and proceeds support student scholarships. Last year’s luncheon attracted nearly 600 attendees and garnered more than $117,000 in student scholarships.