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.
____________________
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
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.
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
________________________________
 |
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
________________________________
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.
_________________________
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.
________________________________
 |
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.
__________________________
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
