
The IFDH Mission
The International Federation of Dental Hygienists is an international non-profit association uniting national dental hygienist organizations, by fostering leadership and collaboration.
About IFDH
The International Federation of Dental Hygienists was officially formed on June 28, 1986 in Oslo, Norway. The forerunner of the IFDH, The International Liaison Committee on Dental Hygiene, was established in 1973, by some European countries (including the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK), the USA, Canada and Japan.
The IFDH is an international non-governmental organization, free from any political, racial, or religious ties. It is incorporated and registered in the United States as a 501(c6) non-profit organization. It unites dental hygiene associations from around the world in their common cause of promoting dental health.
IFDH UPDATES
IFDH President Report
December 2022
December 1, 2022
CONTACT eNews
December 2022 Issue
December 1, 2022
2023 Global Oral Health Summit
Announced March 1, 2023
Second Joint Statement
to WHO
September 12, 2022
Social Responsibility 2023-24
New Tools to Help You
February 28, 2023
Apply Now!
January 20, 2023
Working Abroad
Click for one of our member countries
New Tools to Help You February 28, 2023
IFDH Facebook Posts
Facebook Posts
Happy Friday 💕 ... See MoreSee Less
Association of Chlorhexidine Use and Scaling and Root Planing With Birth Outcomes in Pregnant Individuals With Periodontitis
A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
These findings suggest that using chlorhexidine mouthwash with scaling and root planing to treat periodontitis in pregnant individuals may improve birth outcomes.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2799685
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Chlorhexidine Use and SRP in Birth Outcomes in Pregnant Individuals With Periodontitis
jamanetwork.com
This systematic review and meta-analysis assesses heterogeneity by chlorhexidine use in randomized clinical trials evaluating the effect of scaling and root planing (SRP) vs no treatment on birth outc...
Happy World Oral Health Day
20th of March 2023.
World Oral Health Day is celebrated on March 20 to empower people with the knowledge, tools, and confidence they need to help ensure good oral health. To promote this event, the FDI World Dental Federation encourages and supports activities aimed at increasing awareness of the importance of good oral health and of the impact of oral diseases on general health and on the economy.
World Oral Health Day Resources
www.worldoralhealthday.org/resources
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March 20 Is World Oral Health Day
World Oral Health Day is celebrated on March 20 to empower people with the knowledge, tools, and confidence they need to help ensure good oral health. To promote this event, the FDI World Dental Federation encourages and supports activities aimed at increasing awareness of the importance of good oral health and of the impact of oral diseases on general health and on the economy.
Oral diseases are a major health concern for many countries and negatively impact people, health systems, and economies throughout the world. Oral diseases may lead to pain and discomfort, social isolation, and loss of self-confidence, and they are often linked to other serious health issues. But many oral diseases are preventable and treatable.
World Oral Health Day Resources
www.worldoralhealthday.org/resources
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Happy St Patrick's Day to especially our Irish members but remember everyone is a little bit Irish on St'Patrick Day! 🍀🇮🇪🍀🇮🇪🍀🇮🇪🍀🇮🇪🍀🇮🇪🍀🇮🇪🍀🇮🇪 ... See MoreSee Less
The IFDH has had a very productive and collaborative past few days at IDS 2023 in Cologne, Germany.
President Wanda Fedora And IFDH Vice president, Jill Rethman met the FDI President Prof Ishane Ben and Dr Steven Mulligan founding member of the FDI Sustainability in Dentistry task team.
Wanda and Jill met with Marion Par-Weixberger, VP corporate communications for Dentsply Sirona #sustainability #team #IFDH #collaboration #dentalhygienist #oralhealth #IDS2023
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Effect of Smoking Exposure on Nonsurgical Periodontal Therapy: 1-Year Follow-up.
A study in the Journal of Dental Research found heavy smokers who had severe periodontitis did not benefit from periodontal disease treatment, while those with moderate disease saw a 50% effect, compared with people who were light smokers. Dental hygienist Julie Pajaniaye, a co-author of the study, said it highlights the need to include referring patients to smoking cessation courses as part of treatment guidelines for periodontitis.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00220345221135100
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That's a wrap for our strategic planning and board of directors board meeting in Cologne.
Thank you to past president Corrie and the Netherlands HoD representative Loes, from the Netherlands for driving over 2 hours to discuss plans for the IFDH's Virtual Global Oral Health SUMMIT Saturday 4th of November 2023.
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The IFDH board of directors in person board meeting and strategic planning Cologne 2023. #IFDH #IDS23 #dentalhygiene #oralhealth ... See MoreSee Less

Relationship Between Periodontitis and Atrial Fibrosis in Atrial Fibrillation: Histological Evaluation of Left Atrial Appendages.
"Further evidence is required for establishing that periodontitis contributes to the atrial fibrosis in a causal manner and that periodontal care can alter fibrosis," Nakano said. "One of our goals is to confirm that periodontitis is a modifiable risk factor for atrial fibrillation and to promote dental specialists' participation in comprehensive atrial fibrillation management. Periodontitis is an easy modifiable target with lower cost among known atrial fibrillation risk factors. Thus, the achievement of this study series may bring benefits for many people worldwide."
Next, the researchers said they hope to conduct future clinical trials to clarify if periodontal intervention reduces atrial fibrillation occurrence and improves patient outcomes.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2405500X22007290?via%3Dihub
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The IFDH Wishes our members and colleagues a very happy International Woman's Day.
#equality #IWD23 #IFDH
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Did you know, that leaving the water running while brushing your teeth wastes an average of four gallons each time.
So, turn the faucet off as often as possible when brushing those pearly whites.
Have a nice weekend! 🤗
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The Israeli Dental Hygiene Association celebrated International Dental Hygienists Day on November 16.
Read more on IFDH member news:
ifdh.org/ifdh-enews-december-2022-member-news/
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ifdh.org/world-dental-hygienist-awards
Sunstar announces the return of the World Dental Hygienist Awards and the launch of a new regional Awards of Distinction
· Sunstar partners up again with the International Federation of Dental Hygienists (IFDH) to re-launch the World Dental Hygienist Awards
· A new European Award of Distinction has been announced together with the European Dental Hygienist Federation (EDHF), in parallel with the North American Award of Distinction. Both act as a qualifying round for the World Dental Hygienist Awards
· The World Dental Hygienist Awards ceremony will be held at the International Symposium on Dental Hygiene (ISDH) in Seoul, South Korea, in 2024
The European and North American regional awards are now open for entries
ifdh.org/world-dental-hygienist-awards/
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It's Thursday again and time for membernews!
www.ifdh.org/ifdh-enews-december-2022-member-news/#usa/
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Prevention and the treatment of oral mucositis: the efficacy of sodium bicarbonate vs other agents: a systematic review.
Oral mucositis (OM) is a major side effect of cancer therapy, which is associated with significant symptoms, treatment delays and increased costs for the health system. It is an important component of the quality of life of cancer patients and, until now, there has been no gold standard regarding prevention or treatment of this pathology. Notwithstanding the paucity of treatment guidelines (due to limited evidence from high-quality, rigorous studies), sodium bicarbonate (SB) rinses are one of the most used agents for OM management.
bmcoralhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12903-022-02586-4
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In last enews special focus was on
Dental Hygienist Day/Week/Month.
This is what our lovely House of delegate Eva López de Castro in Spain was creating, a bodcast.
www.ivoox.com/episodio-7-en-rebotica-infarmarte-audios-mp3_rf_103149488_1.html
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Isolation of Clinical Microbial Isolates during Orthodontic Aligner Therapy and Their Ability to Form Biofilm
The purpose of this study is to calculate microbiological composition of aligners after a day of wearing them. To date, the dental market for orthodontists offers many ways to correct bites.
www.mdpi.com/2304-6767/11/1/13
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May your weekend be filled with sunshine, love, laughter, sweet experiences, and delicious foods. 🍫🤭❤️ ... See MoreSee Less

Our Wonderful President, Wanda Fedora is an inspiration to us all. Wanda has travelled to Honduras on a charity mission. Here she is teaching toothbrushing at a local girls school🪥🪥🪥🦷🦷🦷😁😁😁🥰 ... See MoreSee Less

World Oral Health Day 2023
Check out our resources
Use the following resources to show your support for World Oral Health Day, whether you're organizing an event or simply spreading the word among family and friends. All content is free to use by everyone as long as it's used in its original form (no modifications allowed) and never in association to a product or business (i.e. dental practice).
www.worldoralhealthday.org/
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Member news:
International Dental Hygienist Day in Scandinavia!
In October 2022, the Danish Dental Hygienists in cooperation with the Swedish and Norwegian Dental Hygienist organizations marked the day of Dental Hygiene.
Read more here:
www.ifdh.org/ifdh-enews-december-2022-member-news/
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Periodontitis prevalence in patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease - PPCC: A case–control study OPEN ACCESS
The evaluation of the survey responses showed that patients with IBD had a higher probability of perceiving the overall health of their teeth and gingivae as worse and of having severe periodontitis. Those patients diagnosed with Crohn’s disease reported worse oral health than those diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and had higher odds of having lost more teeth than the control group.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcpe.13615
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Click on the link below to find a new series of patient information leaflets.
www.bsperio.org.uk/patients/infographics
They're free to download and provide helpful information for patients on a range of important topics.Take a look at our new series of patient information leaflets, designed by members of our Early Career Group: www.bsperio.org.uk/patients/infographics
They're free to download and provide helpful information for patients on a range of important topics.
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Busy IFDH Directors Board Meeting tonight... lots of exciting 2023 projects coming soon ! ... See MoreSee Less

The Canadian Dental Hygienists Association has coordinated celebrations for National Dental Hygienists Week.
Read more on enews:
www.ifdh.org/ifdh-enews-december-2022-member-news/
#canada
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ifdh enews december 2022 member news - The Internation Federation of Dental Hygienists
www.ifdh.org
IFDH eNews: December 2022 Member News Special Focus on: Dental Hygienist Day/Week/Month Canada Oral Health for Total Health The Canadian Dental Hygienists Association has coordinated celebrations for ...
Gum health in people with diabetes: impact on blood sugar levels
We have known for some time now that people with diabetes are more likely to present with gum disease . In the last few years, more and more research has suggested that treating gum disease can also improve blood sugar levels. However, the research has been controversial at times, with some studies showing no major effect and others showing a large effect of treatment. In our Cochrane Review Treatment of periodontitis for glycaemic control in people with diabetes mellitus (updated in April 2022), we wanted to find out if treating gum disease in people with diabetes and gum disease would improve blood sugar levels. We’ll explain what we found.
www.evidentlycochrane.net/gum-health-diabetes-blood-sugar-levels/
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Gum health in people with diabetes: impact on blood sugar levels - Evidently Cochrane
www.evidentlycochrane.net
In a blog for people with diabetes, dentists and researchers Josh Twigg and Ambrina Qureshi explain the link between gum health and blood sugar levels and what the latest evidence shows about the impa...
We want you to remember: Have fun this weekend! 😊
#weekend #havefun
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated its COVID-19 guidelines on treatments, isolation periods and mask wearing.
WHO develops most up-to-date technical guidance for clinical management of COVID-19 patients, including optimized supportive care interventions and therapeutics based on ongoing “living” assessment of new evidence generated by the global community.
The organisation said the updated guidelines were “part of a continuous process of reviewing such materials, working with guideline development groups composed of independent, international experts who consider the latest available evidence and the changing epidemiology”.
www.who.int/teams/health-care-readiness/covid-19
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Clinical management of COVID-19
www.who.int
WHO develops most up-to-date technical guidance for clinical care of COVID-19 patients based on ongoing assessment of new evidence generated by the international community and first responders.
Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation
Electronic cigarettes (ECs) are handheld electronic vaping devices which produce an aerosol formed by heating an e‐liquid. Some people who smoke use ECs to stop or reduce smoking, but some organizations, advocacy groups and policymakers have discouraged this, citing lack of evidence of efficacy and safety. People who smoke, healthcare providers and regulators want to know if ECs can help people quit and if they are safe to use for this purpose. This is an update conducted as part of a living systematic review.
www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub7/full
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Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation - Hartmann-Boyce, J - 2022 | Cochrane Library
www.cochranelibrary.com
Our site uses cookies to improve your experience. You can find out more about our use of cookies in About Cookies, including instructions on how to turn off cookies if you wish to do so. By continuing...
Study offers new insight into diversity and prevalence of bacteria in oral infections
Growing evidence suggests that oral infections can modify the course of systemic diseases. Our results provide new insights into the diversity and trend of oral microbiota that were involved in serious oral infections over the past decade in the capital of Sweden and may influence the oral-systemic link.
The study, titled “Clinical microbial identification of severe oral infections by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry in Stockholm County: An 11-year (2010 to 2020) epidemiological investigation”, was published online on 24 November 2022 in Microbiology Spectrum, ahead of inclusion in an issue.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.02487-22
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Reminder!
2023 membership fees now due. Visit www.ifdh.org/membership/
For more details.
Individual membership available.
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Improving Women’s Oral Health
Person using a tablet digitally viewing In Focus magazine.
NIDCR Director Rena D’Souza, D.D.S., Ph.D., Dr. Webster-Cyriaque, and other NIDCR leaders highlighted the institute’s efforts to improve women’s health in a recent cover story for In Focus, a publication from the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health. These efforts include research on sex and gender differences in dental, oral, and craniofacial (DOC) disease, determinants of oral health during pregnancy, DOC health of sexual and gender minority populations, as well as initiatives to foster a diverse research workforce. The issue also featured a guest editorial by Dr. Webster-Cyriaque on improving oral health equity.
orwh.od.nih.gov/about/newsroom/orwh-quarterly-publication?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
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Evaluating ultrasonic instrumentation curricular change: an observational comparison study
Joanna Asadoorian, Dani Botby, Marilyn J Goulding.
Ultrasonic instrumentation (USI) has evolved, but it is unclear if dental hygiene curricula have kept pace. This study compares 2 dental hygiene cohorts with differing USI curricula to investigate if a contemporary USI curriculum enhanced students' USI preparation, use, and confidence.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36451992/
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Evaluating ultrasonic instrumentation curricular change: an observational comparison study - PubMed
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Both cohorts demonstrated similar use of USI. The CC cohort was better prepared in some aspects of USI and use of curved inserts. Results reveal an ongoing need for program evaluation to best implemen...
Global oral health status report: towards universal health coverage for oral health by 2030
The World Health Organization (WHO) published its first-ever global oral health report. Global Oral Health Status Report provides a comprehensive picture of oral disease burden with data profiles for 194 countries, offering unique insights into key areas and markers for oral health.
www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240061484
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Read more member news about how member countries have organised preventive care events.
ifdh.org/enews/ifdh-enews-december-2022.html
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Thats a wrap for 2022!
The #IFDH held its December Board meeting, even though President Wanda Fedora had 1 ½ feet of snow and no power in CBI Canada! Now that’s dedication!! #Upward #snowday
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Impact of community water fluoridation on systemic health excluding oral health. An evidence review.
Community water fluoridation was introduced in Ireland in 1964 as a public health measure to prevent tooth decay. It is important for policymakers to keep up to date with the international research on the effects of community water fluoridation, so that the benefits and possible harms are known.
www.hrb.ie/data-collections-evidence/hrb-evidence-centre/publications/publication/impact-of-commu...
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IFDH's Research Grants
Deadline for Submission: December 15th www.ifdh.org/programs/research-grant-program/
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Research Grant Program - The Internation Federation of Dental Hygienists
www.ifdh.org
IFDH Research Grant Program The purpose of this program is to promote experience in the research process and dissemination of findings contributing to the dental hygiene body of knowledge. This grant ...Now it's easier to sign up for International Federation of Dental Hygienists's updates. ... See MoreSee Less
The New Web Site is Here!!! 🎉🎊😍
IFDH kicked off its new branding program with a new logo in August. Following right behind this is our new website. Click here to see just a few of the improvements.
www.ifdh.org
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Periodontal therapy for primary or secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in people with periodontitis.
There may be an association between periodontitis and cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, the evidence so far has been uncertain about whether periodontal therapy can help prevent CVD in people diagnosed with chronic periodontitis. This is the third update of a review originally published in 2014, and most recently updated in 2019. Although there is a new multidimensional staging and grading system for periodontitis, we have retained the label 'chronic periodontitis' in this version of the review since available studies are based on the previous classification system.
www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD009197.pub5/full
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Cavities? #Notoke
Member news from Holland.
They have set up a big autumn campaign to raise awareness for oral health and the benefits to go to the dental hygienist.
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Adolescents' experiences of a theory-based behavioural intervention for improved oral hygiene: A qualitative interview study.
Adequate oral hygiene, that is self-performed infection control, is crucial to prevent periodontal disease. Epidemiological studies reveal poor oral hygiene conditions among Swedish adolescents and indicate a need for more effective prevention programs. The aim of the current study was to analyse adolescents' experiences of a person-centred, theory-based, oral health education program for improved oral hygiene.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/idh.12606
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#isdh2024 🇰🇷 news
The LOC of KDHA was formed in November. We will keep you updated on our progress💪 with photos of familiar faces. Consistent support and love from dental hygienists worldwide will be a great support for KDHA to organize wonderful ISDH2024. Thank you❤️🔥
news.kdha.or.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=11024
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‘Road to 2024’ 2024년 국제치위생심포지엄 조직위원회 구성 완료 - 치위협보
news.kdha.or.kr
대한치과위생사협회(협회장 황윤숙, 이하 치위협) 주관으로 서울에서 개최되는 ‘2024년 국제치위생심포지엄(ISDH)’의 조직위원회 구성이 마무리되며 2...
Member news from Slovak Republic.
Read more:
www.ifdh.org/newsletter/ifdh-enews-october-2022-member-news.html#canada
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Celebrate With Us
Watch our 4.5 minute video below to learn about IFDH