Hygiene Tribune U.S. Edition

HYGIENE TRIBUNE The World’s Dental Hygiene Newspaper · U.S. Edition April 2011 www.dental-tribune.com Vol. 4, No. 4 Fig. 1: Oral injury resulting from an openhanded slap (Photo/Provided by PANDA, www.healthyarkansas. com/Oral_Health/panda/panda_ index.htm) By Sharlee Burch, RDH, MPH, EdS Identifying and responding to the drug-endangered child g HT page 2D turely or with low birth weight, often suffer from developmental delays and disabilities. Finally, they are at increased risk of child abuse, sexual abuse and injury.1 Seventy-six percent of all substan- tiated child abuse cases for children aged 0 to 18 years involve adult drug use. More than 3 million cases of child maltreatment are reported each year, and approximately 3 million adults and an additional 3 million seniors are also abused or neglected annually. Although at least 75 percent of physical abuse of children, adults As drug use and abuse has risen throughout the United States, dental professionals find themselves faced with increasing requests to assist in the response to drug-related issues in their communities. It is vital that den- tal professionals learn simple ways to identify and assist the most vulnera- ble of those affected by addiction, the drug-endangered child (DEC). In the end, this will allow the dental com- munity to better serve their patients and the public. The drug-endangered child (DEC) A drug-endangered child is any child who is physically, emotionally, and/ or psychologically harmed by an adult who is using, selling or manufactur- ing drugs. Some drug production (specifically the production of methamphetamine) will change the physical environ- ments in which children reside. They are likely to inhale toxic fumes of col- orless, odorless gases. Drug-endan- gered children often ingest chemicals through contaminated food and han- dling other objects. Drug-endangered children typi- cally experience a chaotic home life with poor supervision. They are at increased risk of future substance abuse, and having been born prema- AD Third ‘Pros in the Profession’ winner selected Crest Oral-B has honored RDH Mary Lynne Murray-Ryder of Hermon, Maine, with the brands’ third Pros in the Profession award. A champion for dental hygiene, Mary Lynne has improved the lives of others both inside and outside the office. In addition to her 31 years of experience as a regis- tered dental hygienist, Murray-Ryder has served as an American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) dele- gate, Maine Dental Hygienists Associa- tion (MDHA) president and on several MDHA councils, while currently serv- ing as immediate past president and continuing education council liaison. “I applaud Crest Oral-B for the mes- sage of commitment and support the Pros in the Profession award sends to the dental hygiene profession,” said Murray-Ryder. “Further, I salute this recognition of the role that dental hygienists play in patient wellness.” Having spent the last 10 years of her career at a private holistic practice, Murray-Ryder has a passion for provid- ing individualized solutions to each of her patients. She expands this devotion to comprehensive care by helping put her state on the map through initia- tives with Maine’s Independent Prac- tice Dental Hygienists, which allows reach to a segment of the population that is currently underserved. “At Crest Oral-B we always talk about leaving footprints and Mary Lynne has left irreversible footprints,” said Beth Jordan, fellow RDH and Crest Oral- B Account M a n a g e r . “She helped work on leg- islation for the Indepen- dent Prac- tice Dental H y g i e n i s t (IPDH) sta- tus in Maine as well as establish the Public Health Service tag on the RDH license, which allows an RDH to go out in to the community to reach out to underserved populations.” In addition to her accomplishments as an RDH, Murray-Ryder shows devo- tion to improving the lives of others by volunteering for community ser- vice projects that focus on helping the homeless. A constant learner, she also attends and organizes continuing edu- cation classes for her fellow registered dental hygienists. “As a recipient of the Pros in the Profession award, I hope to inspire Maine dental hygienists and students of dental hygiene to share their talents wherever their paths may lead,” said Murray-Ryder. With this honor, Murray-Ryder will join previous Pros in the Profession winners Ann Benson and Trudy Mein- burg on a VIP all-expense-paid trip to the ADHA’s 88th Annual Session in g HT page 3D RDH Mary Lynne Murray-Ryder (Photo/Provided by P&G)