Noteworthy News & Newsletters

WDHA Newsletter Winter 2009: click here

WDHA Newsletter Summer 2009: click here

WDHA Newsletter Winter 2008: click here

WDHA Newsletter Winter 2007: click here

WDHA Newsletter Summer 2007: click here

WDHA Newsletter Winter 2006: click here

WDHA Newsletter Winter 2005: click here

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In a recent study from the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Buffalo (Shibly O; Effect of tobacco counseling by dental students on patient quitting rate J Dent Educ. 2010 Feb;74(2):140-8), it was discovered that once dental professionals received appropriate training in tobacco counseling cessation protocol for their patients they can be effective in motivating patients to quit smoking.

 

At 7am on December 24th, the Senate passed H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The passage of the legislation marks another hurdle in the effort to pass sweeping health reform legislation in Congress. The House passed its health reform bill in November and now Senate and House leadership will reconcile the differences between the two pieces of legislation, setting the stage for final passage of a health reform bill. 

The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) is committed to keeping the dental hygiene community informed on health reform matters that impact the profession. Both the House and Senate bills contain significant oral health provisions that are not often mentioned in media coverage of health reform.  

ADHA respects that there are many opinions on health reform within the dental hygiene community. This update is not intended to sway recipients in one direction or the other on the issue, but is offered as a means to update dental hygiene professionals about the oral health provisions contained in the Senate bill (H.R. 3590) and the House bill (H.R. 3962).

Read more.

 

 

ADA Launches Community Dental Health Coordinator Pilot Program at Temple University

CHICAGO, Nov. 24, 2009-The American Dental Association (ADA) has signed an agreement with Temple University to train new dental team members as part of a pilot program to improve the oral health in underserved communities. The Community Dental Health Coordinator (CDHC) is a member of the dental health team who works in communities where residents have limited access to dental care to improve their oral health.

The CDHC provides a limited range of preventive dental care services-including screenings and fluoride treatments. However, of greater importance to these communities, the CDHC will help patients navigate the health system and access care by a dentist or an appropriate clinic and engage in educational activities to improve community members' oral health habits.

Read more.

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On Saturday, November 7, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act.   The landmark vote marks one step in the efforts of Congressional leaders and the Obama Administration to pass comprehensive health reform legislation. 

The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) is committed to keeping the dental hygiene community informed on health reform matters that impact the profession. ADHA respects that there are many opinions on health reform within the dental hygiene community. This update is not intended to sway recipients in one direction or the other on the issue, but is offered as a means to update dental hygiene professionals about the oral health provisions contained in H.R. 3962 and to offer an overview of ADHA’s engagement in the process thus far.

Health reform legislation in the House and Senate touches on many facets of the health care delivery system. The following offers a brief overview of oral health provisions contained in H.R. 3962:

Read more

 

Update from the American Dental Hygienists’ Association

This e-mail is another update from the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) on issues related to health reform.  This week Congress will return to session after an August recess where dialogue on health reform took center stage across the country.  As part of our effort to keep the dental hygiene community informed on health reform matters that may impact the profession, ADHA is submitting this update.

Certainly health reform has proven to be a highly charged issue with passionate advocates on both sides.  This update is not intended to sway recipients in one direction or the other on the issue, but is being offered as a means to update dental hygiene professionals about the role that oral health plays in pending health reform legislation and offer an overview of ADHA’s engagement in the process thus far.

Read more

 

Occasional Smoker, 47, Signs Tobacco Bill

President Obama does not discuss the fact that he still occasionally smokes, a habit he very publicly tried to kick during his race for the White House.
But there he was on June 23, 2009, talking about cigarettes. As he signed legislation bringing tobacco products under federal control for the first time, the president conceded that the new law, aimed at keeping children from starting to smoke, could have helped him three decades ago.
Mr. Obama noted that 90 percent of smokers began on or before their 18th birthday.
“I know — I was one of those teenagers,” he said, standing beneath a punishing afternoon sun at a Rose Garden ceremony. “I know how difficult it can be to break this habit when it’s been with you for a long time.”
With that, Mr. Obama moved on. He did not mention whether he still smokes, a topic that has been a subject of considerable curiosity, and family drama, for years. Instead, he talked about the dangers of the addiction and its causes.
“Kids today don’t just start smoking for no reason,” he said. “They’re aggressively targeted as customers by the tobacco industry. They’re exposed to a constant and insidious barrage of advertising where they live, where they learn and where they play.”
The new law, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, allows the Food and Drug Administration not only to forbid advertising geared toward children but also to lower the amount of nicotine in tobacco products, ban sweetened cigarettes that appeal to young taste buds and prohibit labels like “light” and “low tar.”
When Mr. Obama entered the presidential race, he said his candidacy had been contingent on a deal with his wife, Michelle, that he quit smoking. The couple discussed his habit on “60 Minutes,” where Mrs. Obama declared, “I hate it.”
“That’s why he doesn’t do it anymore, I’m proud to say,” she continued. “I’m the one who outed him on the smoking. That was one of my prerequisites for, you know, entering this race, is that he couldn’t be a smoking president.”
Now there are few touchier questions inside the White House than whether Mr. Obama is still smoking. One senior administration official declined to answer, but pointed out that the president spoke Monday in the present tense, saying, “I know how difficult it can be to break this habit,” as opposed to “I know how difficult it was to break this habit.”
As Mr. Obama shook hands with some of the guests at the bill-signing ceremony, he wandered near a group of reporters. Dan Lothian, a correspondent for CNN, asked, “Mr. President, how difficult has your struggle been with smoking?”
The president, a mere few feet away, did not reply.
Several minutes later, the question came up at the daily White House press briefing. When asked directly if Mr. Obama was still smoking, the president’s press secretary, replied: “He struggles with it every day. I don’t honestly see the need to get a whole lot more specific than the fact that it’s a continuing struggle.”

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American Dental Association Applauds Legislators for Introducing “Meth Mouth” Bill

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 2009
Dr. John S. Findley, president of the American Dental Association (ADA), applauded Capitol Hill legislators today for introducing a federal bill aimed at understanding and treating “meth mouth”—a condition where teeth can become blackened, stained, rotting and crumbling from methamphetamine use.

To read the full press release, please visit ADA.org at this link: http://www.ada.org/public/media/releases/0902_release05.asp

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The SCHIP bill became law on Feb. 4. It adds 11 million children to the program. SCHIP was established in 1997 to provide coverage for health care services to children and pregnant women from families that are not Medicaid-eligible but are unable to afford private insurance.

A motivation for starting the program was that people completely dependent on government programs had no incentive to work toward independence if getting a job meant losing health care for themselves or their children. SCHIP allowed children in families with incomes up to 200 percent (about $46,000/yr income) of the federal poverty level to enroll children, expecting co-pays from parents in the upper ranges.

Currently, most states offer a dental benefit as part of their state CHIP program, but the benefit is optional and subject to being eliminated when state budgets become constrained. A “dental wrap” benefit will enable children of families that meet income and other eligibility requirements for SCHIP and receive medical benefits through an employer-sponsored medical insurance plan, to access just dental coverage through SCHIP.

President Barack Obama signed a bill that reauthorized and expand SCHIP to an additional 4 million children. “In a decent society, there are certain obligations that are not subject to tradeoffs or negotiation, and health care for our children is one of those obligations,” he said. Notably, the measure passed both chambers with bipartisan support.

Bad news for smokers. The expansion is to be funded by a 62-cents-per-pack increase in the federal cigarette tax.

As things stand, parents will seek and get health care for their children when it’s needed. If they are uninsured, clinics and hospitals write the expense off as uncompensated care and then increase charges for patients who pay. In some way these expenses can and must be paid. SCHIP is not a bad program, especially in these economic times.

ADHA President Diann Bomkamp, RDH, BSDH, remarked, “The collective effort within the dental community to advocate for the inclusion of dental benefits in SCHIP demonstrates the strength of collaboration and the positive impact it can have on the patients we serve. Those efforts resulted in dental coverage for millions of low-income children who desperately need access to preventive and other oral health care services.”

For additional information on SCHIP visit: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/home/schip.asp

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Consumers Want to Buy Products That Dental Hygienists Recommend
www.Gumbrand.com offers robust suite of dental products for consumers.

Sunstar Americas, Inc., an international leader in mouth and body care products, has commissioned a survey by Mintel International Group Limited to demonstrate consumers' desires to purchase products recommended by their dental hygienists.

The 1,957 people who participated in the online survey distributed in March of 2007 were asked about their relationship with their dental hygienist; the majority said they trust their dental professionals completely. What's more, 81 percent said they trust the product recommendations of their dental hygienist.

The study also found that women are more likely to visit their dental hygienist than men (47 percent to 39 percent), and that 69 percent of those women are more likely to shop for oral care products for themselves and the entire household.

"We know how hard dental hygienists work to educate their patients on the appropriate products to use, and this confirms patients are listening," said Ann Foppe, Professional Marketing Director of Sunstar Americas, Inc."Gumbrand.com has our entire suite of products online and is perfect for patients who are having a hard time finding the product recommended by their dental hygienist. It's a quick and easy shopping experience, with everything in one location."

The upgraded Web site is not only easy to navigate, it has product and oral health information for consumers as well as dental professionals. There are downloadable product pages which dental hygienists can use to check off recommendations and give to their patients as a reminder on which products to buy. A small tip card directing patients to the Web site is also available to download.

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HALLOWEEN HORROR: CALIFORNIA DENTAL HYGIENISTS
ISSUE WARNING ABOUT THE DANGERS OF SOUR CANDY
Click Here for the Rest of the Story!

 

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WDHA Bylaws Change

At our Annual meeting, the general membership voted to amend the bylaws to include the ADHA Delegate as a full voting member of the Executive Board.  This position has always required an election, but was always the only elected position without vote.  The purpose of adding the ADHA Delegate to the Executive board is to help make quorum more easily attainable at each of our quarterly meetings.  Also, the ADHA Delegate has full voting rights at the National level; he/she will now have full voting rights at the state level. 

Increasing Dues

It was highly recommended at our state annual meeting to consider increasing our dues.  Many reasons were listed among them:  it has been since 1994 since our dues have been raised.  The costs to running a statewide professional organization have increased, with travel expenses to our required meetings, convention costs increasing, speaker fees increasing, and newsletter fees increasing, to name a few.  Also, our annual meeting attendance has been low for several years in a row, yielding the association less monies to conduct business.  Efforts are continually being made to increase attendance at our annual meeting but in the mean time we need to consider our only other source of income: state dues.  The exact amount at this time is undecided, it is expected to be between $10- $25.  This is a decision that only the membership can make, and will be voted on at our next general membership meeting, in September 2007. 

Membership Up, Participation Down

It was reported in September 2006 that our state currently has 90 members.  The highest number our state has seen in years.  As a matter of fact our ADHA Delegate Janine Sasse-Englert accepted an award on behalf of WDHA for the 2006 Constituent Membership Growth Award in Constituent Category III at the annual ADHA meeting in June.  Why are these numbers up?  Perhaps it's because more and more hygienists are realizing the importance of investing in their professions and supporting the national and state associations who represent us.  Kudos to all who invest in their professional futures!  And kudos to all who invest in their associations by support of attendance to meetings, who volunteer their valuable time to commit to a position, and kudos to those who have served in the past and continue to stay involved and mentor the upcoming officials.  Unfortunately participation is a nationwide problem, not just in our small state.  However, it is up to us to mainatain a strong organization, and to serve as an official or on a committee is an honor and a privelege. To serve is to learn how the association operates, to meet new people and to be a part of something good.  It's our right and it's our obligation. 

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Carol Southard Speaks on Smoking Cessation

Three years ago, a selected group of dental hygienists met to establish what the future would hold for their profession if it were determined by those in the field.  The result is Dental Hygiene: Focus on Advancing the Profession.

The report, which was released officially at annual session, takes a progressive stance with controversial statements and recommendations, such as:

Carol Southard, RN MSN, traveled all the way from Chicago to speak to our Association on the effects of smoking as well as smoking cessation. She is the Smoking Cessation Initiative Project Consultant for ADHA. http://www.askadviserefer.org/adha_sci_manager.asp

Some facts that she presented were shocking to say the least. There are some 4000 chemicals in 1 cigarette, 40-60 of which the FDA say are toxic. There is no such thing as a safe cigarette or a safe amount. Smoking is the most preventable cause of morbidity and mortality. And 1000 people die each day across the world due to smoking cigarettes.

Think a cigar or pipe is better? Think again! When considering nicotine and additives, a medium cigar/pipe is the equivalent of smoking 4 cigarettes, and a large stogie is like smoking a whole pack.

On average, Carol reports that it takes up to 3 to 8 times for someone to permanently quit smoking. There are many aids in smoking cessation from inhalers and nasal sprays, to quit lines, and prescription drugs. The newest prescription drug Chantix, has the highest success rate in conjunction with counseling. It increases dopamine, blocks nicotine receptors, has no contraindications, but is expensive ($150/ month). The National Quit Line: 1800 QUIT NOW will refer smokers to their state quit line.

Carol recommends that dental hygienists include a smoking questionnaire during vital signs. For instance, how many cigarettes do you smoke a day and how long have you been smoking. There is also an ADA code 1320 for Tobacco Counseling that is not yet reimbursed by insurance but she be filed for future tracking.

More information is available at the above address, as well as at http://www.askadviserefer.org/

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ADHA Releases Recommendations on Dental Hygiene's Future

Three years ago, a selected group of dental hygienists met to establish what the future would hold for their profession if it were determined by those in the field.  The result is Dental Hygiene: Focus on Advancing the Profession.

The report, which was released officially at annual session, takes a progressive stance with controversial statements and recommendations, such as:

• baccalaureate degree recommended as the entry point for dental hygiene practice
  
  
• traditional method of providing dental hygiene services through a private dental practice is inadequate to meet the oral health needs of the country and must be expanded, given the conflict of interest that occurs when the employer dentists regulate their own employees, dental boards make frequent decisions that limit the public's access to dental hygiene services.
  
  
• dental hygiene professionals should have the authority to regulate themselves
  
  
• promoting expanded practice settings and removing restrictive supervision barriers is essential to the current and future health of the nation, warning that without the development of an advanced dental hygiene practitioner, other allied health professionals (i.e. physicians, nurses) will assume the responsibility of meeting the diverse oral health care needs of the public, especially the underserved.
  

For more information, contact ADHA Communications at 800-243-ADHA, ext. 237, or communications@adha.net

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Dialing 211: Connecting People with Important Community Services

Every hour of every day, someone in the United States needs essential services- from finding an after-school program to securing adequate care for a child or an aging parent. Faced with a dramatic increase in the number of agencies and help-lines, people often don't know where to turn. In many cases, people end up going without these necessary services because they do not know where to start. 2-1-1 helps people find and give help.

€ Basic Human Needs Resource: food banks, clothing closets, shelters, rent assistance, utility assistance.

€ Physical and Mental Health Resources: health insurance programs, Medicaid and Medicare, maternal health, Children's Health Insurance Program, medical information lines, crisis intervention services, support groups, counseling, drug and alcohol intervention and rehabilitation.

€ Support for Older Americans and Persons with Disabilities: adult day care, congregate meals, Meals on Wheels, respite care, home health care, transportation, homemaker services.

€ Support for Children, Youth and Families: childcare, after school
programs, Head Start, family resource centers, summer camps and recreation programs, mentoring, tutoring, protective services.

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American Heart Association New Guidelines for Pre-Medication 2007

Patients at the greatest danger of bad outcomes from infective endocarditis and for whom preventive antibiotics are worth the risk include those with:

€ Artificial heart valves
€ A history of having had infective endocarditis
€ Certain specific, congenital heart conditions including:

- Unrepaired or incompletely repaired cyanotic congenital heart disease,
including those with palliative shunts and conduits

- A completely repaired congenital heart defect with prosthetic material or device, whether placed by surgery or by catheter interventions, during the first six months after the procedure

- Any repaired congenital heart defect with residual defect at the site or
adjacent to the site of a prosthetic patch or prosthetic device

Antibiotic premedication is no longer indicated for dental patients with
mitral valve prolapse, rheumatic heart disease, bicuspid valve disease,
calcified aortic stenosis, congenital heart conditions, such as ventricular
septal defects, atrial septal defects, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3047051

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To all Dental Hygienists

You recently received an invitation from the Dental Association to join their allied staff. This may appear to be a very inexpensive alternative to
joining the organization that represents your profession. Yes, you will get a break on the annual session but for that break you will be giving your voice to the the dental association. In essence you are saying what ever policies the ADA endorses that you agree with them. This can be pretty devastating if they do not wish to promote the same direction for Dental Hygiene as you would like to see.

Consider instead joining ADHA which will provide you with updates relating to how your career is changing and evolving. You also will be involved in a professional organization that represents you profession only. The American Dental Hygienist Association is continually looking for ways to enhance our profession.

Currently there are a lot of Dental Hygienists who have been unable to find jobs. We need to be looking for ways that hygienists can close the gap on access to care. Our organization is doing just that and we need all the support we can get from all the members of our profession.

Thank you for considering not joining the allied staff and looking into
joining our State Dental Hygiene Association.

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RDH talk was created for hygienists everywhere to be able to connect & visit with one another; its a place to just talk and become friends with other RDH's. You can ask advise on products, equipment, share concerns, good news and more!

Spread the news to your colleagues, its fun, informational on available when you are.

If interested you have to sign up here:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RDHTalk/

 

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