In an effort to go 'green', please note that we no longer publish newsletters. All the information regarding our component can be found on the web site.
It’s official! UCSF President Mark Yudof signed the approval for the Masters of Science in Dental Hygiene at UCSF. This is truly a milestone for our profession. Peggy Walsh has been working tirelessly with the full support and commitment of Dean Featherstone to get this program approved. If all goes as planned, the first class will be accepted in June of 2011. It is a one year program.
Linda Belaus, Maureen Titus, Ellen Standley, Teri Emry, Toni Adams and Debra Horlick were a the DHCC (Dental Hygiene Committee of California meeting held in Sacramento. The meeting was for the board to create a mission statement a vision statement and to set up the strategic plan. Well, that's really too much to try to accomplish in one day, but the Mission and Vision statements are as follows:
The Mission Statement: Promote and ensure the highest quality of oral health care for all Californians.
The Vision Statement: Optimal oral health for all Californians.
Please be aware that this has not been finalized, the info will be on the DHCC web site for public input/commentary.
The goals have been outlined and now need to be refined.
Its very impressing to see the hard work everyone has done and the meticulous manner in which they approach the task.
•There was discussion about implementing fingerprinting for the 14,000 RDH's who have not been fingerprinted.
• There is discussion that the licensing fees will have to go up. As of now there is a cap of $80 for licensing period. This cap has been in place for 20 years.
• The state no longer can afford to partially fund the fees for RDH's taking their boards.
• There were unexpected expenses incurred when the Ethics Written Exam was breached.
• The committee does not seem to have enough funding for anticipated training for the board members as 1/2 of them are politically inexperienced resulting in a higher level of training needed for task delegation.
Other issues include:
1- the fact that the DHCC ability to promote legislation is low
2- allowance of RDA's to probe intrudes on the RDH scope of practice
The above is just a small sketch of what was discussed. Stay tuned, I will keep you updated as often as I can. There seems to be an urgency to get all this done before the elections.
Cheryl chan's retirement party
2009/2010 Outstanding Component Member Award
CDHA awarded the Outstanding Component Member Award to Teri Emry at the HOD in San Francisco. The award is to was recognize those members who have contributed to the advancement of the dental hygiene profession, and/or who have provided outstanding component leadership.
Teri is our component president. Congrats Terry
PEW REPORT ON DENTAL CARE (PEW is a charitable trust set up by the Sun Oil Company founder Joseph N. Pew and his wife, Mary Anderson Pew). Their work provides a constructive framework by permitting all sides to base their cases on a common set of facts. His goal is to 'tell the truth and trust the people". His approach is that the power of knowledge solves some of today's most challenging problems for the public good in a fact-based and nonpartisan way. This organization also played a key role in addressing the problem of global climate change, the project accumulated incontrovertible evidence on this evolving environmental phenomenon. The scientific data and other peer-reviewed studies were so convincing that in 2005 the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and 10 of its foreign counterparts issued a joint statement that essentially ended the debate on whether climate change was occurring.
Read more
Former dental hygienist opens yogurt shop
Her venue may be small at 300 square feet, not counting a patio across from Town Center’s northern pond, but owner Darcee Rotz has big ideas for the YogaBerry shop.
She purchased the place in mid-February from Francine Ramos, who opened it two years ago.
A grand opening and ribbon cutting are set for Thursday, April 29.
Tiny as it is, the store received a major overhaul when Rotz took over. “We completely gutted the place and remodeled,” she said. Fresh paint, colorful photos on the walls and a recent additional of a third yogurt machine allows for two lactose-free sorbet flavors.
Read more
The U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass H.R. 3590, the health care overhaul bill passed by the Senate in December, thus ushering in a new era of heath care delivery in the United States. The 219-212 vote closely followed party lines with only Democrats voting in favor of the measure. The bill now awaits President Obama's signature in order to become law. H.R. 3590 contains a number of oral health provisions that will have a significant impact on the oral health care delivery system and the dental hygiene profession. As the leading resource for information about your profession, ADHA offers this update on health reform as part of the series of health reform e-mails that have been sent since August.
The House vote brings closure to more than a year of national debate about whether or not to fundamentally overhaul the national health care system. The new law will extend health care coverage to tens of millions of Americans. While much media attention has been focused on the broad medical provisions contained in H.R. 3590, little has been reported about the significant oral health provisions included in the bill. The following offers an overview of some of the key oral health provisions:
Read more.
How Dental Care Will Be Changed by Healthcare Reform
Health reform will offer major changes in the arena of dental care; the bill that has been offered by the United States Congress for healthcare reform will have a lasting effect on the field of dentistry and the type of dental care that people receive.
There promises to be a huge expansion of coverage for individuals in need of dental care once health reform is initiated. The healthcare reform bill looks very promising for people who have long awaited adequate coverage for their dental needs.
Children will get greater dental care because the health reform options are seeking to cover all children in the United States today. Funding will possibly be offered for professionals within the industry seeking to further their education in the field of dentistry too; this means more qualified dentists to treat more individuals who receive coverage via the healthcare reform bill.
Read more.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Stevan Allen – 916.448.1336
stevan@allenstrategic.com
CALIFORNIA DENTAL HYGIENISTS SAY NATIONAL CHILDREN’S
DENTAL HEALTH MONTH SHOULD BE A YEARLONG EFFORT
California Dental Hygienists’ Association Conducts Statewide Outreach Efforts to Provide Low-Income Children Access to Dental Care
GLENDALE, Calif. (Feb. 25, 2010) – As National Children’s Dental Health Month draws to a close, California’s dental hygienists are reminding parents and guardians that protecting the smiles of California’s youngest children is a year-round commitment.
“Taking a month to spotlight this issue is a wonderful opportunity to better educate parents and the public,” said Daphne Von Essen, president of the California Dental Hygienists’ Association (CDHA). “But this really needs to be something we as a society focus on 365 days a year because we have millions of California children suffering from insufficient oral health care.”
The most vulnerable Californians are children in low-income families who have limited access to dental care, lack of dental education and nutritional needs – all of which result in a high cavity rate in children. The greatest racial and ethnic disparity is seen among children ages two through eight, especially in Hispanic, African American and rural communities.
Early Childhood Caries (ECC), a distinctive pattern of severe tooth decay in infants and young children, is one of the most common diseases in this age group. By conservative estimates, it affects more than one out of seven preschoolers and over half of California’s elementary school children.
“Poor oral health not only results in cavities but sets in motion the potential for long-term health risks,” said Von Essen. Poor oral health has been associated with heart disease, diabetes, potential strokes, along with low birth weight and preterm deliveries. Oral health problems can also lead to pain, poor nutrition and development, impaired speech, loss of employment, time away from school, and low self-esteem.
Read more.
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.
Toni Adams is a frequent writter for RDH magazine. She has received many accolades and recognition for her contribution to hygiene. In 2009 she received the Philips Sonicare Mentoor the year award. She is a hygienist and has her masters in communiation studies. This is her latest article:
Small talk, big business
We call this small talk, idle conversation, and empty words. Scholars refer to it as phatic communication. In a busy dental office, however, it's often thought of as a waste of time. Even though we might think that an activity that is referred to by such adjectives as “small,” “idle,” and “empty” would not be very important, the purpose of this article is to show that this chitchat is big, active, and full of meaning, and that it plays an important role in the delivery of dental care and in an office working environment. I will talk about the aspects and benefits of casual conversation and share a few tips on how to do it better.
Read more
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A Local RDH featured in RDH magazine.
Sherry Hurley, RDH, is a native of Las Vegas and is the youngest of 12 children. She has an identical twin, and both attended the College of Southern Nevada. Her twin sister, Sandy, practices dental hygiene in Seattle.
Sherry relocated to the Sacramento area to follow her fiance's job. She is employed in the practice of Dr. Gregory Taylor in El Dorado Hills, CA, and Dr. Derek Kolander in Fair Oaks, CA.
When asked what she has enjoyed about her career, she replied, “The patients! I mean, I met my soul mate while cleaning his teeth! I love that I get to interact with all different types of patients all day long. I really feel by the end of the day that I have learned so much just by listening to all of the stories my patients tell me. I used to be really shy, but I found that now I can easily hold a conversation with anyone.”
Her engagement to Rob Stoltz will culminate with a wedding ceremony this summer.
The couple have three dogs: a 12–year–old Australian Shepherd, Dakota; a four–year–old Weimaraner, Pepper; and a three–year–old pit bull mix, Lucky. The latter was rescued.
“Lucky was found in the desert, dying, and we nursed her back to health, fell in love with her, and adopted her.”
The couple have also traveled to Europe, North Africa, Central America, Canada, the Caribbean, Alaska, and Mexico during the past two years.
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Sherry Hurley, RDH
Folsom, California
College Attended: College of Southern Nevada, graduated in 2000
Dental Office: Works in two dental offices in Sacramento suburbs
Local pastimes: Becoming a “wine snob” and visiting the wineries in the Sacramento area; cycling along the 32–mile American River bike trail
Daily exercise: Pilates and spinning |
Raffle money raised by the January meeting was donated to the Tzu Chi Foundation
The Tzu
Chi Foundation is a world wide organization donating their time and
talents across the world. Your generous donations was given to this
organization that works in Haiti.
Tzu Chi.
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
Governor Schwarzenegger Announces Appointments to the Dental Hygiene Committee of California:
Michelle Hurlbutt, 52, of Upland, has been appointed to the Dental Hygiene Committee of California. She has served as an assistant professor at Loma Linda University, School of Dentistry since 1999. Hurlbutt has been a dental hygienist for the dental offices of William C. Domb, D.M.D. since 1998 and previously for Ronald Walton, D.D.S. from 1985 to 1997.This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Hurlbutt is a Republican.
Rhona Lee, 58, of Gilroy, has been appointed to the Dental Hygiene Committee of California. Since 1984, she has served as a dental hygienist for Gar N. Chan, D.D.S. Previously, she served the Committee on Dental Auxiliaries as chair from 2000 to 2003 and secretary then vice chair from 1993 to 1999. Lee was a dental hygienist for Gary Nishimura, D.D.S. from 1984 to 1987 and Eric Nagareda, D.D.S. and Ronald Anderson, DDS from 1984 to 1985. Prior to that, she worked at the Lawrence Hall of Science for the University of California Berkeley as a project coordinator from 1979 to 1980 and curriculum author developer from 1977 to 1980. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Lee is a Republican.
Read more.
Western Regional Dental Hygiene Examination approved for
California Dental Hygiene Licensure
California will soon be listed as one of the states accepting the dental hygiene clinical examination administered by the western Regional Examination Board or WREB, thus dramatically increasing the portability of a dental hygiene license across the country.
WREB, a not for profit testing agency administered its first examination in 1977 in Oregon. Since then WREB has grown to include 15 member states as well as having its test results recognized by an additional 16 non-member states. The WREB has been a recognized examination for dentistry in California since 2006. Click here for more information on the WREB.
The first step towards accepting results from WREB for dental hygiene licensure in California were achieved in August of this year when Governor Schwarzenegger signed AB403 which allows for WREB examination results to be recognized for the clinical dental examination in California. The next step will be for the newly formed Dental Hygiene Committee of California to establish the regulations for this process which may take up to two years.
Watch the CDHA web site for the latest information on this process.
Bill lets poor kids keep dental and health care
(09-04) 04:00 PDT Sacramento --
The state Assembly has overwhelmingly approved a bill that would prevent California from kicking more than 600,000 children out of a popular
state program that provides health and dental insurance for the poor.
AB1422, which already passed the Senate, would restore $194 million worth of cuts the Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made in July to the Healthy Families program to help close a $24 billion deficit.
The 80-member Assembly approved the bill in a 58-0 vote on Thursday. The Republican governor said Thursday that he will sign it.
State leaders were able to reinstate the cuts by finding new ways to fund it.
The bill had no formal opposition from any of the health care firms largely because they would be repaid through higher Medi-Cal state reimbursement rates. The state would be able to pay more because the new tax would allow California to draw additional dollars from the federal economic stimulus package.
The bill was written by Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Baldwin Vista (Los Angeles County). She said lawmakers had been working on it for weeks, but the final bill didn't come together until last week.
In a rare moment of bipartisanship over a tax bill, several Republicans rose in support during the Assembly floor session.
"In these tight economic times, this is a program that helps children of working class families," said Assemblyman Bill Emmerson, R-Redlands (San Bernardino County).
Assemblyman Mike Villines, R-Clovis (Fresno County), added he likes AB1422 because California routinely sends more money to the federal government than it receives. This bill is a step toward reversing that trend, he said.
The Healthy Families program provides health and dental coverage to more than 900,000 children through age 18 whose family incomes fall below the 250 percent federal poverty line. For example, a single mom with one child could earn up to $36,425 a year and have the child qualify for Healthy Families program.
But the $194 million budget cut had resulted in more than 70,000 newly qualified children being placed on a waiting list this summer, and more than 600,000 children currently enrolled slated to lose the benefit due to lack of funding.
AB1422 would restore the funding in three ways:
-- $97 million from additional federal matching funds for the Healthy Families program by imposing a 2.35 percent tax on companies that manage Medi-Cal insurance plans.
-- An $81.4 million contribution from the First 5 California State Commission, which oversees Proposition 10 tobacco tax revenue to promote early childhood development.
-- $18 million by raising the monthly per child premiums by $4 to $7 for some program participants.
In other legislative action, the Assembly approved AB119, which would forbid health insurance companies from charging different premium rates based on gender for individual plans. The bill also heads to the governor's desk for his approval.
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
The California Dental Hygienists' Association is now on Facebook!
CDHA has expanded their presence to include a page on the popular social networking site, Facebook. CDHA will post upcoming events of interest, favorite links, provide the opportunity to network with fellow colleagues and more!
Join CDHA on Facebook , locate CDHA's page by typing California Dental Hygienists' Association into the Facebooksearch engine - become a FAN today!
Is your head where your heart is?
Is your head where your heart is? It may be now. A strong connection between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been suggested in recent clinical studies. As many as 75 percent of adults in the United States have been affected by periodontal disease and an estimated 80.7 million adults (1 out of every 3) have been a victim of CVD in 2006 according to the American Heart Association. From the 80.7 million adults in the United States, 38.2 million are less than 60 years of age, which is almost 50 percent.
According to the latest study "Oral Body Inflammation Connection" presented during the 57th Annual Meeting of the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), The AGD's Annual Meeting in Baltimore, MD, July 8-12, 2009 there is a powerful link between perio disease and heart disease. The revelation was made a a team of experts and the observations are believed to be proof that there is a mouth-heart connection.
The discussion will be one of the first discussions held at the AGD's annual meeting that integrates both dentistry and medicine because the disease is common to both health management groups. "It is critical for all dentists and physicians to collaborate in helping patients reduce inflammation, which can become a target factor for cardiovascular disease," says Dr. Slepian. Both Drs. Slepian and Gottehrer, with the help of an expert doctoral panel will discuss the correlation between periodontal disease and CVD. Information presented during this session will provide dentists with hands-on knowledge regarding how to communicate with physicians in order to collaborate and create more proactive management periodontal disease treatment plans (including non-surgical options), which can then improve periodontal and associated physical health by reducing CVD.
CVD has a wide range of categories, which affect adults in the United States every day including high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stroke, and heart failure. A recent study that will be cited during the presentation explored the existence of bacteria known to cause periodontitis and the growth of blood vessel walls, which is a symptom of CVD. After examining the subjects used, the investigators found a positive connection between the growth of blood vessel walls and the existence of bacteria found in dental plaque, causing periodontitis.
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.”
Understanding how pH affects saliva, which in turn effects the oral environment is the first step in disease prevention.
Click here for PowerPoint
Sonicare names Toni 2009 Mentor of the year!
Toni S. Adams, RDH, MA, graduated from Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California with an AS in Dental Hygiene in 1973, practiced for 26 years before being forced to retire due to repetitive stress injuries. Her clinical practice experience included work in a variety of settings, including a single dentist general practice, periodontal office, non-profit clinic, and large group practice.
Toni chose to go back to school for her “retraining,” earning a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies with a minor in Health Professions. But that wasn’t enough. She had been bitten by the learning bug she moved to the Sacramento area, graduating in 2008 with an MA in Communication Studies with emphases in Health, Instructional, and Intercultural Communication. She wrote a communication handbook for dental hygienists for her master’s project and is now in search of a publisher.
Toni has won awards for writing, speaking, scholarship, and leadership. These include winning the Academy of Comprehensive Esthetics Dental Hygiene Star Search Speaking competition in 2005 and being named the Sonicare RDH 2009 Mentor of the Year. She enjoys writing for and speaking to dental groups about communication issues, including intercultural communication, nonverbal communication, dental health literacy, and many other related topics. Her articles have appeared in RDH Magazine, the CDHA Journal, and the Sunstar-Butler GUMline Newsletter. Additionally, she has taught public speaking, has presented scholarly papers at communication conventions, and has completed original research into the role of culture and diversity in dental hygiene practice. She has been a career-long member of ADHA and currently serves as VP of the Sacramento Valley component and on the editorial board of the CDHA Journal.
Toni is a wife of almost 40 years, mother of two adult sons, and grandmother of a brilliant and beautiful four-year-old granddaughter (in her absolutely objective opinion).
She welcomes questions and comments at tonisadamsrdh@earthlink.net or at toniadams.com
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: Click here
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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: Click Here
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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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URGENT - Proposed Changes to the CODA Accreditation Standards for Dental Hygiene Education Programs
As a result of the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) meeting on July 31, 2008, there are proposed revisions to Standard 2-17 of the Accreditation Standards for Dental Hygiene Education Programs. Standard 2-17 refers to the dental hygiene process of care; of particular interest are the proposed changes to dental hygiene diagnosis and treatment planning.
Click here for a template letter that the ADHA requested we submit to the Commission on Dental Accreditation. It is important that the ADHA, dental hygiene educators, and dental hygiene practitioners to provide written and verbal testimony to CODA.
Upon reading this letter, you will note that the terminology "dental hygiene diagnosis" has been eliminated; however, the description and definition within the Standard has been strengthened. Another proposed change is relevant to treatment planning. This pertains to part "e" of the Standard changing the word "plan" to needs".
You can read the full Standard of Care and Addendum at the adha.org website. We need our voices to be heard.
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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.
"California Dental Hygienists on Front Lines in Identifying Methamphetamine Use in Patients"
Click Here for more information.
You Should Be Proud!
Many members of the Sacramento Valley Component are council and committee members:
Carol Lee & Gail Griffin--Informational Technologies
Ellen Standley--Professional Development
Toni Adams-- Journal, Advisory
Deborah Horlack--CAMBRA (Caries Risk Assessment)
Stephanie Mozell--Ways and Means
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RDH Talk
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: Click here
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New RDH Bureau
This article appeared in October issue of RDH magazine. A single act of
pigment to pulp finalized a new law that changes the future of dental hygiene in California.
For article: Click here
MARY TURNER, RDH, MS AWARDED THE HIGHEST HONOR
JoAnn Galliano, RDH, MEd (left) and Mary Turner, RDH, MS (right)
Mary Turner, RDH, MS received the Johnson & Johnson/ADHA Excellence in Dental Hygiene Award. This award is the highest honor bestowed in dental hygiene. Her accomplishments and passion as an educator are unique as leader and mentor.
Mary is now Dean of Science & Allied Health of Sacramento City College (SCC). Her ability to stand out has been evident for a long time. As a researcher, she focused her Master’s research project on the effects of stannous fluoride on subgingival flora and presented this at the ADHA Research Conference in 1984.
Some of Mary’s biggest contributions are as a consumer advocate and agent of change. These contributions include working to safeguard dental hygiene scope of practice and supervision legislation in statute; establishing the newest category of California dental hygiene licensure, the Registered Dental Hygienist in Alternative Practice (RDHAP); assisting in the development of a distance learning based RDHAP program to make the RDHAP a reality; and while CDHA President, nearly realizing an independent dental hygiene board. We are still in pursuit of our own Board.
Mary LIVES the professional roles of dental hygiene and we are fortunate to have her as a member of our profession and our component.
Heidi Emmerling Assumes Full Time Instructor Position at SCC
Heidi Emmerling comes to SCC with 18 years of private practice experience. A 1986 graduate of SCC, she is thrilled to be teaching at her alma mater. Her teaching experience includes working as a part time instructor at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada. Most recently she was a full time instructor in the Writing Program at UC Santa Barbara.
Heidi obtained her Bachelor’s Degree through a distance degree completion program at the University of Saint Francis. She continued her academic career and received her Masters and PhD from the University of Nevada in Reno.
Heidi is best known by some people through her active participation in the dental hygiene profession and her writing career. She has served as the President for the Nevada State Dental Hygienists Association as well as National Delegate to ADHA. Her column in RDH magazine ran for several years. She was a co-author of The Radical Hygienist website. Her various publications and more can be found on her website www.writingcures.com. SCC is lucky to have Heidi as a new staff member.
The Value of Education in Tobacco Cessation in California
$1.8 Billion in Tobacco Control Saves Calif. $86 Billion, Study Says September 2, 2008
California spent $1.8 billion on statewide tobacco-control during the program's first 15 years but saved $86 billion in personal healthcare costs during the same timespan, according to a study from the University of California at San Francisco. Consumer Affairs reported Aug. 29 that the study on the cost benefits of the
California Tobacco Control Program estimated that the program prevented the consumption of 3.6 billion packs of cigarettes -- worth $9.2 billion -- in its first decade and a half. The return on investment in the program was 50-to-1, researchers said. "The benefits of the program accrued very quickly and are very large," said Stanton Glantz, Ph.D., director of the UCSF Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education. "When adults stop smoking, you see immediate benefits in heart disease, with impacts on cancer and lung diseases starting to appear a year or two later." Unlike many other prevention programs, California' tobacco-control initiative focused on changing social norm for adult smokers, not adolescents. Massive cost savings were seen even though funding for the program was trimmed in the mid-1990s. Researchers said that if funding had been sustained throughout the study period the state would have saved $156 billion.
The research was published in the Aug. 25, 2008 issue of the journal PLoS Medicine.
Click here for information on the "Fostering Smiles" public health project to be conducted during the House of Delegates 2009.
ADA new advanced dental assistant
New workforce proposal: Oral Preventive Assistant curriculum planned
Oral Preventive Assistant curriculum planned Posted April 21, 2008
By Karen Fox
The Oral Preventive Assistant Curriculum Committee met for the first time April 3-4 at ADA Headquarters to begin the planning stages for the ADA's new workforce model designed to enhance the capabilities and versatility of the dental staff.
The ADA's vision for the Oral Preventive Assistant program proposes an additional capability set for the dental assistant that is focused on the basics of preventive care—including oral hygiene education, the application of fluorides, placement of sealants, and coronal polishing for all patients—along with the ability to perform scaling procedures for periodontal Type I (gingivitis) patients.
"This new member of the oral health team can supplement the services of the dentist and/or dental hygienist, allowing them to deliver more advanced preventive services in line with their level of training and expertise," said Adm. Carol Turner, a U.S. Navy dentist who chairs the OPA Curriculum Committee. "The Oral Preventive Assistant can then handle the less complex periodontal Type I cases."
Seeking meaningful solutions to dental workforce and oral health access issues, the 2006 House of Delegates passed several resolutions calling for two new dental team members, the Oral Preventive Assistant and the Community Dental Health Coordinator.
Since 2004 the House has directed three different workgroups to study dental workforce issues as part of a much broader Association effort to evaluate workforce and oral health access. One group studied the adequacy of the current workforce to meet the access needs of the underserved and make recommendations, and some of those studies resulted in the finding that dentists in underserved areas need help operating more efficiently due to a lack of additional staff.
The CDHC, which is set to begin pilot testing this fall, is a new allied dental person with community health worker skills who comes from the community he or she serves. Working under a dentist's supervision in community settings, the CDHC has the potential to enhance and complement the delivery of services by dentists, dental hygienists and community health workers.
The Oral Preventive Assistant will work primarily in private dental offices under dentist supervision and enable the dental team to provide care at the appropriate levels of training—potentially reducing the costs of treatment and increasing access to care.
"Our plan is to offer a curriculum to encompass the requirements and clinical competencies to be successful as an Oral Preventive Assistant and a valued member of the dental team," said Adm. Turner. "The curriculum will be available to states and include several options for implementation. It is the states' prerogative to determine if and how to implement the curriculum."
One aspect of the Oral Preventive Assistant workforce model development has changed since its inception. Initially, the Workforce Models National Coordinating and Development Committee envisioned the OPA as a new type of provider requiring 12 months of training. After further investigation comparing curriculums for the proposed OPA capabilities to those competencies required for Commission on Dental Accreditation-accredited dental assisting education programs, the committee believed the Oral Preventive Assistant program should be developed to build on existing CODA-accredited dental assisting programs.
This approach, said Adm. Turner, is consistent with how the services train dental assistants to be prophy technicians.
"For years, the Navy dental personnel were all active duty or reserve due to the deployment schedules that we had to support on ships or in the field with the Marines," said Adm. Turner. "We had our own dental assistants, and some were specialized prophy technicians.
"I have been in the Navy for over 30 years and the prophy technician is as valuable today as it was then," she said. "Our patients are primarily young and healthy, with the majority presenting with a periodontal Type I (gingivitis) condition. This is perfect for a prophy technician because it involves light scaling and polishing. The dentist performs the annual examination at the same appointment as the cleaning, and if no further treatment is needed the service member is considered dentally ready to deploy over the next 12 months."
The Oral Preventive Assistant Curriculum Committee is designing the curriculum, which is approximately three months in length, and believes that OPA program enrollees will be graduates of a CODA-accredited dental assisting program or certified dental assistants by the Dental Assisting National Board.
Many of the OPA's skill sets are already in the curriculums of many CODA-accredited dental assisting programs—such as application of fluoride and sealants and dental hygiene instruction.
"The OPA will expand in those areas along with selective clinical applications to better understand the instruments, instrumentation and proficiency in periodontal Type I scaling procedures," said Adm. Turner. "This will allow the dentist, dental hygienist and dental team an expanded preventive capability that allows more flexibility to support increased access to care."
"The three months' training program will be certification instead of licensure," she added, "because the program encompasses reversible procedures."
ADA President Mark Feldman appointed the Oral Preventive Assistant Curriculum Committee.
In the long term, there is a potential for both the CDHC and OPA training programs to be CODA-accredited pending support from states.
Taken from: http://www.adafoundation.org/prof/resources/pubs/adanews/adanewsarticle.asp?articleid=2985
