4: The Broker's Dilemma

April 2, 2026

·S. Thaddeus Connelly, DDS, MD, PhD, FACS

Here's a question that should keep you up tonight: who is more powerful the node with the most connections, or the one positioned between the most communities? Intuitively, you already know the answer. Power in networks is not just about how many connections you have, but where those connections place you within the overall structure. A node can have fewer connections yet exert far greater influence if it controls the pathways through which information, resources, or interactions must flow.

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The complete article — figures, references, and clinical commentary — is published in The Oral Health Bulletin on LinkedIn.

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