Hygiene Tribune U.S. Edition

HYGIENE TRIBUNE The World’s Dental Hygiene Newspaper ·U.S. Edition May 2014 — Vol. 7, No. 3 www.dental-tribune.com Older adults’ oral-health crises targeted By Jennifer Gilbert, Oral Health America Older adults — the most rapidly growing segment of the population in the United States — are facing a crisis when it comes to oral health. According to a 2013 Har- ris Interactive survey commissioned by Oral Health America, 23 percent of older adults have not seen a den- tal provider in five years, 70 percent do not have dental insurance, eight out of 10 uninsured seniors could not pay for a major dental procedure and 33 million live where dentists and clinics are scarce. Oral Health America, a national nonprofit that aims to change lives by connecting communities with re- sources to increase access to care, education and advo- cacyforallAmericans,isworkingtoturnthesestatistics around through the Wisdom Tooth Project™ (WTP), a program that focuses entirely on older adults. The WTP recently launched www.toothwisdom.org, a first-of-its-kind web portal providing oral-health in- formation and local and national resources for older adults, caregivers and oral-health professionals. At the same time, the WTP released “A State of Decay,” a biennial publication that evaluates states on five lead- ing indicators of adult oral health: adult Medicaid den- tal benefits, inclusion of older adult strategies in state oral-health plans, edentulism, dental health profession- al shortage areas and community water fluoridation. The report garnered local and national media atten- tion when more than half of states failed to achieve a rating of 50 or greater. Regional symposia also unite diverse groups of health professionals and community leaderswiththeaimofinspiringstrategicchangetoim- prove the oral health of older adults. The WTP’s latest endeavor is “Tooth Wisdom: Get Smart About Your Mouth,” a health education program designed to enable older adults who are aging at home to improve their oral health through daily self-care and increase their knowledge about oral health. To ensure the program is scientifically accurate and accessible, an older adult advisory committee has been assembled, composed of professionals who attended last year’s “Collaborative Health Care for Older Adults: A Symposium for Creating Inter-professional Commu- nity Models” and have a continued interest in geriatric oral health. The committee meets regularly to discuss the education program and offer recommendations. To learn more about Oral Health America and the WTP, you can visit www.oralhealthamerica.org and www.toothwisdom.org. The Oral Health America Wisdom Tooth Project recently launched www.toothwisdom.org, a first-of-its-kind web portal providing oral-health information and local and national resources for older adults, caregivers and oral health professionals. Screen capture/www.toothwisdom.org Oral Health America Wisdom Tooth Project aims to reverse dental-care/knowledge gap Crest Oral-B names four as ‘Pros in the Profession’ In the third year of its Pros in the Pro- fession awards program, Crest + Oral-B has recognized four registered dental hygienists who demonstrate excellent patient care, a passion for the profession and a dedication to learning. The awards acknowledge the pivotal role these hygienists play in their pa- tients’ lives — and their unwavering per- sonal commitment to promoting good oral health in their communities. “We have seen extraordinary entries over the past several years, which is why we must continue to honor those hygien- ists whose passion shine through in their everyday work,” said John Scarchilli, global scientific communications direc- tor, Procter & Gamble Oral Care. “These individuals dedicate countless hours to furthering the oral health cause, so we are pleased to be able to applaud them publicly.” The winners in this third year of the award are Michelle Vacha, Heather Stei- ch, Mallory Edmondson and Amy Kinna- mon. While earning the honor in her own unique way, each winner shares the same devotion to promoting and participating in good oral care for patients. More about the winnners: Michelle Vacha, RDH, BS, received her degrees from Northern Arizona Univer- sity and has been practicing in Colorado Springs, Colo., for the past 24 years. “I am so honored to be receiving this award,” said Vacha about being named a winner for year three. “I am hoping the attention from it will bring awareness to the public and other hygienists who care for older adults. Through my work, I help seniors deal with specific health factors they face due to lack of dental support. We want to ensure that all of the good work that has been done to maintain oral health throughout life is also preserved once insurance is no longer available through retirement or fixed income.” Heather Steich, RDH, received her de- gree at the University of the Pacific, Ar- thur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, and has been practicing in San Francisco for the past five years. “I will be taking my second oral health service/mission trip to Honduras this year,” said Steich about winning $1,000. “Last year I used my own funds for the trip, but this year I plan on using the award toward the expenses of the trip. In effect, the award will be going back to the community I love to serve.” Mallory Edmondson, RDH, BS, received her BSDH from Indiana University South Bend and is currently at the University of Bridgeport Fones School of Dental Hy- giene for her MSDH. She has been prac- ticing in Merrillville, Ind., for the past two years. “My favorite aspect of dental hygiene is the limitless opportunities available within the profession,” said Ed- mondson about being an RDH. “We are educators, managers, practitioners and much more. Hygienists are able to adapt to any given situation and apply their Michelle Vacha Heather Steich Amy Kinnamon CDA BOOTH No. 1106 Mallory Edmondson knowledge and skill sets far beyond the dental chair.” Amy Kinnamon, RDH, received her de- gree from Shawnee State University and has been practicing in Athens, Ohio, for the past 17 years. “Last year I was invited to the U.S. National Oral Health Alliance because of my research concerning ways to increase compliance in dental care amongst Appalachian children. This year, I have the honor of giving a con- tinuing education course concerning my research at Ohio’s ‘dental hygienist total development’ weekend. This has been a career goal of mine since returning to my hometown in Appalachia almost 20 years ago.” About Pros in the Profession Crest + Oral-B has rewarded the four RDH winners with: • An all-expense paid trip to visit the Procter & Gamble German Innovation Center in Kronberg, Germany • A $1,000 monetary prize • A recognition plaque • Recognition in dental periodicals and announcements on Crest + Oral-B for Dental Professionals Facebook page and www.dentalcare.com.