December 9, 2009

2009 Graduates: Win a Free Pair of Orascoptic loupes!
Maintain your connection to the American Dental Hygienists’ Association and the dental hygiene profession by transitioning your membership from student to active. If you transition your membership through Dec. 31, 2009, you will be entered into a raffle for a custom pair of loupes – up to a $1,500 value!

The transition from student membership to active is simple and free - all we need is your license number. Just follow these easy steps: You can login online to your ADHA account and click the "Convert to Active Member" link OR call ADHA at 312-440-8900 and press 1 OR email your name, ADHA member ID number, license number and state of licensure to member.services@adha.net.

As an active member, you will have even more opportunities and benefits. With ADHA, you will increase your professional edge by taking advantage of state and local networking and continuing education opportunities. You can also explore your career options by using our Employment Guide, online Career Center and local job postings on your state website. In addition, you will continue to get discounts on professional items such as loupes, books, scrubs, car rentals and insurance just to name a few. You will find all of your member benefits online at http://benefits.adha.org.

Now that you have begun your dental hygiene career, remember to take advantage of this opportunity to transition your ADHA student membership to active – you might be the lucky winner of a new pair of loupes!

ADHA to Phase out Journal of Dental Hygiene Print Version
At their 2009 Fall Board Meeting, the ADHA Board of Trustees acted upon a recommendation from the Finance Committee that ADHA reconsider the print version of JDH. The recommendation stated, “that if, at that time the journal is not self-sustaining, the print version of JDH should be discontinued.”

The board voted unanimously to discontinue the JDH print version. The justification provided was that the original House of Delegates resolution mandated that the journal be self-supporting as follows:

Implement a journal subscription program that would cover the costs of production and distribution of the print version of the Journal of Dental Hygiene.

A full-year of issues have been published with data indicating a potential negative impact on the ADHA budget. Marketing efforts have been exhaustive and subscriptions to date have still fallen short of targeted levels.

Following the board’s action, ADHA will immediately cease taking all new subscriptions. All existing subscribers will receive a hard copy of the Journal until they reach their subscription expiration date. For further information, please contact your ADHA District Trustee or the ADHA Communications Division at 312-440-8900.

Interested in Running for an ADHA Office?
This is the time to consider running for elected office or applying for a council position for the 2010-2011 year. The president-elect usually begins considering council appointments shortly after the first of the year.

Also, in 2010, the ADHA House of Delegates will be electing a president-elect, a vice-president, a speaker of the house, finance committee members and ethics committee members from Regions A and C.  For more information on running for office, please refer to the Guidelines for Election Campaigns on page DM-II-A-15-18 of the Standing Rules or call Karen Caspers at Central Office.

To run for office or to be considered for a council position, submit your bio-data form to ADHA’s Central Office by Feb. 1, 2010.

Vacancies on National Board Test Construction Committees for 2011
The Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations (JCNDE) is pleased to announce five vacancies on the National Board Dental Hygiene TCCs for appointment in 2011. The specific test construction committee vacancies are noted below.
Applicants need not be nominated. An interested individual must meet the Selection Criteria and submit a PDF to be considered for appointment. Please note that curriculum vitae are not acceptable. All application materials, including the Selection Criteria for National Board Dental Test Constructors and Personal Data Form, are available on the ADA web site at http://www.ada.org/goto/testconstructor.

The PDFs must be submitted by Jan. 29, 2010. The Committee on Examination Development or the Committee on Dental Hygiene will review the qualifications of all applicants. Based on the committee’s recommendations, the JCNDE will approve the appointments during its meeting on April 14, 2010. Applicants will be informed of the status of their applications in late April.

          VACANCIES IN YEAR 2011 ON THE NATIONAL BOARD
                    DENTAL HYGIENE TEST CONSTRUCTION COMMITTEES

The Academy for Academic Leadership (AAL) is Now Accepting Registrations
The Academy for Academic Leadership (AAL) is now accepting registrations for two phases of its popular Institute for Allied Health Educators (IAHE) online program to be held in 2010.

The IAHE is a professional, online development program designed to prepare faculty in allied health professions education for successful academic careers. Over the past three years, with the assistance of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry, 97 allied health educators have participated in the IAHE. The 2009 class on Teaching Foundations was the first to experience the Institute entirely online, with four synchronous sessions and three self-study modules. The new approach gave participants maximum flexibility and convenience and garnered very positive evaluations, including the following:

A very approachable form of distance learning. Very knowledgeable faculty.
-- Carol Brightwell RDH, BS, Clinical Professor, Tyler Junior College

Excellent program for new as well as experienced educators. Has allowed me to better assess and further develop my teaching skills.
-- Wendy M. Garcia, RDH, MSEd, Clinical Instructor, University of Bridgeport, Fones School of Dental Hygiene

An OUTSTANDING course. Extremely well-organized with expert instructors, relevant and applicable material and engaging open forums which allow you to provide and hear useful feedback.
-- Marianne Contino, RDH, Clinical Instructor, University of Pennsylvania

To give even more allied dental educators the chance to experience this program, the Teaching Foundations sessions will be provided again in January 2010, and the all-new Advances in Educational Methods for Allied Health Educators will be offered in June 2010.

Educators enrolled in the IAHE, whether new to academia or seasoned faculty in need of a mid-career boost, will gain experience with key classroom and clinical teaching practices. Applications for phase one will be accepted until Dec. 28, 2009; phase two will be open for registration until May 31, 2010.

Each session will be archived, so if registrants miss a session, they can view a podcast that features all of the slides, video and audio. They also can correspond with the instructors between sessions to clarify any lessons they wish. The 2009 class reported great satisfaction with these features.

Information about the 2010 programs and registration forms for both phases is available at the AAL website: http://www.academicleaders.org/iahe.html.

For more information about the IAHE, contact AAL Chief Operating Officer George Weinstein at gweinstein@academicleaders.org or (404) 350-2098.

Research that Develops YOU!
Expanding the Dentist’s Role in Health Care Delivery: Is it Time to Discard the Procrustean Bed?
Michael Glick J Am Dent Assoc 2009; 140: 1340-1342. [Full Text] [PDF]
The JADA editor explores whether dentists need to expand their role to ensure that dentistry is not left behind other health care professions.

Preventing Dental Caries Through School-Based Sealant Programs: Updated Recommendations and Reviews of Evidence
Barbara F. Gooch, Susan O. Griffin, Shellie Kolavic Gray, William G. Kohn, R. Gary Rozier, Mark Siegal, Margherita Fontana, Diane Brunson, Nancy Carter, David K. Curtis, Kevin J. Donly, Harold Haering, Lawrence F. Hill, H. Pitts Hinson, Jayanth Kumar, Lewis Lampiris, Mark Mallatt, Daniel M. Meyer, Wanda R. Miller, Susan M. Sanzi-Schaedel, Richard Simonsen, Benedict I. Truman, and Domenick T. Zero
J Am Dent Assoc 2009; 140: 1356-1365. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
The authors provide updated recommendations for sealant use in school-based sealant programs.

Oral Health Care Professionals’ Identification of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Patients in Private Dental Offices in Sweden
Mats Jontell and Michael Glick
J Am Dent Assoc 2009; 140: 1385-1391. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
The authors investigate whether general private dental practitioners in Sweden could identify patients at risk of experiencing a fatal outcome of cardiovascular disease and to what extent their findings would result in medical interventions.

Assessing Caries Increments in Elderly Patients With and Without Dementia: A One-Year Follow-up Study
Birita Ellefsen, Poul Holm-Pedersen, Douglas E. Morse, Marianne Schroll, Birgitte Bo Andersen, and Gunhild Waldemar J Am Dent Assoc 2009; 140: 1392-1400. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
Dr. Ellefsen and colleagues report one-year coronal and root caries increments for patients newly diagnosed as having Alzheimer’s disease, other dementia or no dementia.

Updated Recommendations for School-based Dental Sealant Programs
A work group of experts supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently developed updated recommendations for school-based sealant programs.

The updated recommendations, “Preventing Dental Caries Through School-based Sealant Programs: Updated Recommendations and Reviews of Evidence,” were published in the November issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association.

The workgroup, comprised of experts in the fields of caries prevention and treatment, oral epidemiology and evidence-based reviews, examined new evidence on the effectiveness of sealants in preventing new decay and progression of early decay, methods to assess decay and sealant placement techniques.

Happy Holidays from America’s Toothfairy®
‘Tis the season to spread holiday cheer to friends and loved ones everywhere, and why not celebrate your passion for oral health care at the same time? Visit www.AmericasToothfairy.org/your-support/tribute-cards/ today to choose from four exclusive America’s Toothfairy holiday cards—perfect for everyone on your list!  Surprise your colleagues and employers this year with a card that celebrates the holiday season, as well as your shared dedication to compassionate oral health care.  Each festive card features the iconic America’s Toothfairy image and can be printed out or emailed directly to family and friends. Each day dental hygienists make a difference in patients’ lives by reinforcing the importance of maintaining a healthy smile, and our holiday cards help spread your critical message far beyond the dental chair.  Celebrate your commitment to ensuring accessible quality oral health care for all children this holiday season when you share our exclusive America’s Toothfairy holiday cards with loved ones and colleagues near and far.

Call for Abstracts:  Poster, Roundtable and Oral Presentations
2010 National Oral Health Conference 
Pursuing Excellence in Dental Public Health
April 26 – 28, 2010 St. Louis, Missouri

The Program Committee for the 2010 National Oral Health Conference (NOHC) invites abstract submissions for poster, roundtable and oral presentations.

The committee is interested in scientific research, program evaluations, community-based interventions and partnerships related to dental public health.  Abstracts can be submitted after Nov. 1 online at www.nationaloralhealthconference.com.

Your preference for a poster, roundtable or oral presentation is acknowledged; however, the final decision on presentation format will be the decision of the American Association of Public Health Dentistry (AAPHD) Science & Education Committee. 

Please submit abstracts no later than Dec. 21, 2009 at www.nationaloralhealthconference.com. 
(Please note earlier submission deadline this year.)
Notification of selection will be made in early February 2010.

New this year at submission:

• Immediate e-mail acknowledgement of abstract submission
• Only one abstract accepted per presenter
• Abstract category self-identified as: scientific research, program evaluation, community-based intervention or partnership
• Interest as a moderator or co-moderator of a session indicated
• Funding source requested
• Conflict of interest disclosure requested

Please call the NOHC office at 217-529-6503 with questions.  Thank you.
We look forward to seeing you in St. Louis!
National Oral Health Conference
April 26-28, 2010
Hilton at the Ball Park
St. Louis, MO

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